Iconic smugglers.
Long-lost Jedi.
And maybe — just maybe — the live-action debut of a beloved video game character.
Like any Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi is bound to be filled with fan-favorite characters
and cameos.
But who exactly might show up?
Keep watching to find out.
Eagle-eyed Star Wars fans doubtless got a thrill seeing a familiar-looking sidearm in
the first trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The DL-44 heavy blaster pistol is best known as the weapon of choice of one Han Solo.
And this weapon has such an iconic design that Solo: A Star Wars Story went out of its
way to show how a specially modified version came into Solo's hands.
So does it mean that everyone's favorite smuggler is about to return to the screen?
"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
Well, maybe — or maybe not.
In the Star Wars galaxy, the DL-44 is a mass-produced weapon and a reliable tool in any survivor's
kit.
Indeed, versions of the DL-44 show up in both Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars.
And while it's exciting to think that the young pilot might cross paths with Kenobi
years before their dusty rendez-vous in a Tatooine dive bar, it doesn't seem all that
likely.
Han would be only a year out from the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story, and it's a bit
of a stretch to imagine that he could weave right back into the main story's events so
soon.
Still, you should never say never — after all, Star Wars' streaming series are practically
renowned for their fan-pleasing surprises.
One of the best elements of The Book of Boba Fett was the show's in-depth look at the culture
and behavior of the Tuskens, the indigenous Tatooine tribes that are usually known as
raiders and scavengers.
However, it wasn't the franchise's first exploration of their inner-workings.
The "Legends" novel, Kenobi, by John Jackson Miller, introduces Obi-Wan to his Tatooine
neighbors shortly after his arrival on the planet.
The local tribe's chief is a woman named A'Yark, who has a red crystal in the place of one
eye.
She keeps a close watch on both Kenobi and the young woman he's helping.
A'Yark became a canon character a few years later in Miller's short story Rites.
In this tale, found in the From A Certain Point of View collection, she is still a tribal
chieftain when Luke Skywalker passes through her territory to seek out old Ben.
While this cameo was most likely included as an easter egg for the most fastidious Star
Wars fans out there, it's still possible that Obi-Wan might run into a certain one-eyed
Tusken during his adventures on Tatooine.
Ahsoka Tano isn't merely Anakin Skywalker's estranged apprentice.
Over the years, she has become a foundational link between Jedi generations.
As a key member of the fledgling rebellion — one who survives right until the post-Return
of the Jedi era — it's understandable that she is now pretty much everywhere in the Star
Wars franchise.
So, will Ahsoka appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi to bolster the spirits of her former mentor?
Considering Dave Filoni's involvement in the show seems to be much less hands-on than The
Mandalorian or The Book of Boba Fett, it's probably quite unlikely — Filoni is the
creative most heavily-invested in Ahsoka's future, and he's currently watching over her
own upcoming Disney+ series.
Not only that, but Kenobi's story is about coming to grips with his loneliness and trying
to spark some hope in his darkest hour.
A surprise appearance from Ahsoka could easily contradict this premise.
As a result, except perhaps a possible stinger at the very end of Obi-Wan, the chances are
that she's going to sit this one out.
"Do or do not.
There is no try."
Putting Ahsoka aside, it may be more reasonable to guess that the Jedi's most mysterious master
might make an appearance instead.
Whether Obi-Wan is grappling with his memories of the Clone Wars or trying to attune himself
to the wider Force, it's entirely possible that he might at least sense Yoda reaching
out, hoping to teach his fellow Jedi the lessons he learned in the final months of the war.
Kenobi transcends death when Darth Vader strikes him down on the Death Star in A New Hope,
and the franchise has spent decades doling out clues about how he pulled it off.
The clearest answers came via some Obi-Wan stories that are now out of canon, but traces
of this journey remain in the Clone Wars episodes "Voices," "Destiny," and "Sacrifice."
In this arc, Yoda takes up the thread of Qui Gon-Jinn's struggle to master the Living Force,
giving him the tools to become a Force ghost after death.
It's a key tool in keeping the Jedi alive after the Empire's rise, and one that is explicitly
referenced in Revenge of the Sith.
While this scene would suggest that Qui-Gon himself will teach Obi-Wan this new power,
fans certainly shouldn't discount Yoda's own role in doing so.
Indeed, this little green Jedi might still have a lot to say.
The Star Wars prequels and Clone Wars series have shown how the Jedi came to know and trust
individual clones during the war against the Separatists.
Of course, this makes the inevitable slaughter of Order 66 even more painful for fans, as
the Jedi die at the hands of the men they've fought beside for many years.
Often found at Obi-Wan Kenobi's side during the war's biggest engagements, Commander Cody
is one of them.
Commander CC-2224 shares his duties with Obi-Wan throughout the Clone Wars animated series
— so it hurts particularly badly to see Cody turn on Kenobi so easily in Revenge of
the Sith, as he only barely fails to execute his old friend.
It's a harsher blow to know that he goes on to serve the Empire, too, and a cut plot line
for Rebels would have shown off his new role as a Jedi hunter.
With Obi-Wan Kenobi set to portray a similar hunt, it wouldn't be surprising to see Cody
serving at the Inquisitors' lair, helping his new masters to finish the job he failed.
Former clone trooper Rex, captain of the famed 501st Legion, is freed from the programming
installed in the rest of the clones and later defies Order 66.
In particular, he grows close to Ahsoka Tano in the last days of the war, following her
as commander after years of service to various Jedi Masters.
After surviving the fall of the Republic, Rex crosses paths with the Bad Batch, another
squad of troopers who were able to overcome their programming.
By the time the Empire is teetering towards collapse, he's living a quiet life on Seelos.
It takes a message from Ahsoka herself to urge him out of retirement.
That leaves a lot of time open for Rex to travel the galaxy.
He's as instrumental to the early Rebellion as his Jedi friends, and it's not out of line
to think that he might pass through Tatooine along the way.
If anyone could keep Obi-Wan's new secrets it'd be Rex — making him a very possible
and very welcome potential guest star.
Much of the existing canon suggests that Jabba the Hutt was aware of Obi-Wan's presence on
Tatooine — in some capacity, at least.
In one issue of the 2015 Star Wars comic, Vader interrogates Jabba about the late Obi-Wan,
and the crime lord tells the Sith Lord that Kenobi, the "old wizard," had long been a
thorn in his side.
Don't expect Jabba to provide too much help to Obi-Wan in the new series, though.
Ahsoka, a young adult novel by E.K.
Johnston, takes place between Ahsoka's exile and her reappearance in Rebels.
During the events of the story, Ahsoka considers visiting Tatooine after the rise of the Empire,
but she decides against it, figuring that Jabba wouldn't be interested in aiding the
nascent Rebellion.
In fact, if the comics are anything to go by, Jabba spent most of these years hanging
out in his palace and extorting local moisture farmers.
It's this particular racket that first brings Obi-Wan into Jabba's sights, when the old
Jedi uses the Force to save a young Luke Skywalker from the Hutt's henchmen; a furious Jabba
then hires the bounty hunter Krrsantan to identify Obi-Wan.
It's worth pointing out that this all takes place around the same time as Obi-Wan Kenobi,
meaning Jabba could already be clued into Kenobi's presence when the series begins — giving
him the perfect excuse to show up.
By far the most Western-themed character to exist in the galaxy's most popular space Western
franchise, Cobb Vanth is pretty hot right now.
And with the stinger of The Book of Boba Fett promising us more cowboy action from Vanth,
it's tempting to assume that Obi-Wan Kenobi will mark his next appearance.
Don't assume too much, though.
Author Chuck Wendig first introduced Cobb Vanth in the novel Aftermath, in which the
dusty gunslinger tells the story of how he acquired Boba Fett's armor.
It's a good yarn, but Wendig skims over Vanth's early years, focusing instead on how he became
a small-town sheriff.
Going off Aftermath's version of events, Vanth is actually likely to still be a young slave
when Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place.
And while Kenobi may well explore the darker side of Tatooine in his spin-off series, a
young Cobb Vanth isn't particularly likely to feature.
Satine Kryze, pacifist Duchess of Mandalore and sister to a future Mand'alor Bo-Katan
Kryze, represents another side of the militant Mandalorians throughout The Clone Wars.
It soon emerges, too, that Satine and Kenobi have quite the history.
As with Anakin and Padme, Obi-Wan was once assigned as Satine's long-term protector,
and like Anakin, Obi-Wan soon fell in love.
"This may not be the time to ask, but were you and Satine ever…"
"I don't see how that has any bearing on the situation at hand."
Obi-Wan chose his Jedi vows over his love for Satine, but the ties that bound them never
broke.
It's heart-wrenching to see Satine pay the price for Maul's hate for Kenobi in the Season
5 Clone Wars episode, "The Lawless."
Before she dies, though, Satine reminds Kenobi that she always loved him.
Obi-Wan is taking decades of memories with him into the Tatooine desert in Obi-Wan Kenobi,
making his exile all the lonelier.
If the series is to explore his past via flashbacks, old sorrows may bring Satine back, if for
a few moments.
Is it likely?
Perhaps not.
But considering the tone of the show, it's clear that there's plenty of room for a few
old ghosts.
Cal Kestis is another Jedi who barely escaped the slaughter of Order 66.
Respawn and EA's video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order follows his attempts to stay
ahead of the Inquisitors and keep Force-sensitive children safe from the Empire.
Cal was an instant favorite with fans, and it certainly feels like his entrance into
the wider Star Wars franchise is now inevitable.
For one thing, Cal's adorable sidekick droid, BD-1, saw one of its droid siblings appear
in The Book of Boba Fett.
Cal's voice and motion-capture actor, Cameron Monaghan, also recently premiered his lightsaber
for the Galaxy's Edge collection.
And with Obi-Wan Kenobi taking place about five years after the events of Fallen Order,
it's easy to see how these two Jedi could neatly cross paths, letting Kenobi know that,
despite the tribulations of his exile, he is far from alone in the galaxy.
We already know that Darth Vader's Inquisitors will be a big part of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
First seen in Star Wars Rebels, the details surrounding these villainous Jedi hunters
were long kept scarce, but they quickly became part of the wider canon.
Several Inquisitors are put on the trail of Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,
a game that offers a first-hand look at their terrifying powers.
While most of the game's encounters with the Inquisitors focus on the mystery of the Second
Sister, the Ninth Sister is a daunting figure in her own right.
A monstrous former Jedi, the Ninth Sister is known to have survived her final duel with
Cal in the forests of Kashyyyk.
Several familiar Inquisitors have appeared in the Obi-Wan trailers, and the Ninth Sister
could be a compelling reminder of the brute force of the Empire's most secretive agents.
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