Wondering what recent Star Wars stories might end up crossing over with "Obi-Wan Kenobi"
when it premieres on Friday, May 27?
Curious who those villains are in the teaser trailer?
We've got everything you need to know before you see "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Like all Disney-owned properties, this hotly anticipated new series will stream exclusively
on Disney+.
It was initially announced that "Obi-Wan Kenobi" would land on the streaming service on Wednesday,
May 25, 2022, which just so happens to be the same release date as the original "Star
Wars" film.
Disney+ has recently planted its flag on Wednesdays.
Since "Loki," most of its series have premiered on that day of the week which has conditioned
audiences to treat these shows like appointment viewing.
However, on March 31, Disney unexpectedly announced that they had pushed back "Obi-Wan
Kenobi" to Friday, May 27.
Thankfully they seem to have gotten the right man to deliver the bad news: Obi-Wan Kenobi
himself.
I have some important news.
Our premiere date is moving just a couple of days from Wednesday to Friday, May the
27th."
They also disclosed that not one but two episodes would become available that day.
No official reason for the slight delay was given, though it's possible that the change
was made to coincide with the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California.
The event, which had been canceled the past two years due to the pandemic, returns on
May 26, and conference organizers have made it known that some major "Star Wars" news
will be revealed on opening day.
Obviously, the most exciting thing about the series is the chance to see Ewan McGregor
back in action, but the rest of the cast of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" sounds just as promising.
Joel Edgerton, who's racked up quite the resume since his appearance in "Star Wars: Episode
III – Revenge of the Sith," returns to play Uncle Owen Lars, as does Bonnie Piesse as
Aunt Beru.
But by far, the most talked-about addition to the lineup is Hayden Christensen, who will
once again embody the iconic villain Darth Vader.
One bit of casting that rubbed some fans the wrong way is that of Rupert Friend as the
Grand Inquisitor.
Friend is a gifted actor, but the live-action character design differs somewhat from the
much-loved animated version voiced by Jason Isaacs, who "Star Wars Rebels" fans hoped
would get the role.
Regardless, the breakout star of the series may be Moses Ingram as Reva, otherwise known
as the Third Sister.
Reva — a "ruthlessly ambitious" Force-sensitive Jedi hunter — is someone we haven't been
introduced to before, and show creators are singing both the character and the actor's
praises.
Rounding out the cast, we have Indira Varma as an Imperial Officer named Tia and Sung
Kang as the Fifth Brother.
Kumail Nanjiani is also slated to appear, though his role hasn't been officially disclosed.
It's also rumored but not confirmed that Jimmy Smits may have a cameo as Bail Organa.
On Disney Investor Day, Disney and Lucasfilm finally revealed the first "Obi-Wan Kenobi"
teaser trailer, giving fans a glimpse of what to expect when the show starts streaming on
May 25.
The footage shows an older Obi-Wan living alone in a cave on Tatooine as he keeps watch
over a young Luke Skywalker.
From there, it also shows the Inquisitors hunting for someone (most likely Obi-Wan)
and interrogating some of the residents on Tatooine.
The new series will see our Jedi hero go up against these Inquisitors, a squad of devout
Force-users who are loyal to the Empire.
They're not full Sith lords, but they're not far off either.
"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."
The trailer also features scenes of Reva and the Fifth Brother in a dark cityscape with
neon signs lighting up the area, so clearly, the series isn't just going to stay on the
sandy dunes of Tatooine for all 6 episodes.
Unfortunately, it doesn't give us a look at Darth Vader in action, although his iconic
breathing ominously fades in as the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" title comes up at the end of the trailer.
But a new still from the series shows the villain surrounded by shadows, and according
to returning star Hayden Christensen, fans will see "a very powerful Vader."
Hopes for an Obi-Wan project go back to Disney's acquisition of "Star Wars" in 2012.
The following year, Business Insider reported that then-CEO Bob Iger planned to produce
several standalone "Star Wars" films.
After a fan-made trailer for an Obi-Wan film went viral, The Hollywood Reporter conducted
a poll to see which legacy characters audiences most wanted to see in the proposed "Star Wars"
stories.
Master Kenobi was the clear winner, and news soon broke that an Obi-Wan spin-off was being
developed with director Stephen Daldry attached.
Then, "Solo: A Star Wars Story" underperformed at the box office, triggering Disney to put
all of its planned standalone movies on hold.
The company was about to debut its new streaming service, and the "Star Wars" story group turned
its attention to small screen projects, most notably "The Mandalorian."
At 2019's D23 event, Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that the Obi-Wan movie was being retooled
as a series.
Deborah Chow, who directed two highly rated episodes of "The Mandalorian" was hired to
helm all six episodes of "Obi-Wan Kenobi," and production was slated to begin in 2020.
"Ewan, are you going to be playing Obi-Wan Kenobi again?"
"Yes."
However, the series was paused once again because of issues with the scripts.
After the success of "The Mandalorian," Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni expressed concern
to Deborah Chow that the two series' plotlines were too similar.
A major rewrite later by Joby Harold and a COVID delay later, and "Obi-Wan Kenobi" at
long last began filming in earnest in 2021.
Star Wars lore is so dense and far-reaching that even the most well-versed fans sometimes
have to consult the galaxy's own timeline, which uses the Battle of Yavin from "A New
Hope" as its year zero.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" will take place approximately 10 years after the events of "Revenge of the
Sith" and nine years before "A New Hope" — or 9 BBY — at which point the Empire is at
full power.
That means Luke Skywalker is also approximately 10-years-old, and it implies Obi-Wan has been
successfully carrying out his mission to keep himself and his young charge hidden for about
a decade.
This is the time period that makes the most sense to explore for a variety of reasons.
First off, "The Clone Wars, " set around 22-19 BBY, fleshed out pretty much everything that
happens between Episodes II and III.
Next, McGregor is too old to portray Obi-Wan prior to the prequel story and too young to
portray him in the events leading up to "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and "A New Hope."
Beyond that, we canonically know the least about what became of the Jedi Master during
this era, which gives series creators more flexibility with the character and story arc.
Other significant "Star Wars" events that occur around this time include "Solo" around
13 to 10 BBY, and "Star Wars Rebels", around 5 to 2 BBY, so it's not out of the question
that some plotlines from those projects might intersect with "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
The scripts for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" underwent some systemic revisions.
The Hollywood Reporter suggests that the first batch of drafts saw Obi-Wan watching over
young Luke and evading Darth Maul.
However, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau wanted Deborah Chow to take her series in a different
direction: one that better factored into the bigger "Star Wars" picture and highlighted
Vader rather than Maul.
We probably know the least about the story itself.
Disney+ has let slip virtually no details about the plot in its promotional campaigns
or official descriptions.
We can piece together that Inquisitors are actively pursuing Jedi who managed to survive
Order 66 and anyone resistant to the Empire who might possess Force sensitivity.
Since we know that many of the characters featured in the trailer survive the events
of the series to appear in future installments, it's unlikely that showdowns between any of
these characters will serve as the series' primary purpose.
The trailers advertise a fairly action-packed product, but as Obi-Wan can't really use his
lightsaber in public and almost everyone is sure to make it out alive, expect "Obi-Wan
Kenobi" to be a little existential.
The show will probably be about his emotional journey as much as it will be about running
and hiding from Inquisitors.
Even people who've never seen a Star Wars film know who Darth Vader is, but he's probably
not the big bad of the Obi-Wan series.
Disney and Lucasfilm prefer to use Vader in small doses, like at the end of "Rogue One"
or in select episodes of "Star Wars Rebels."
Christensen's casting definitely portends more screen time for the Sith Lord, and we
know from an Entertainment Weekly interview with McGregor and Christensen that they do
share scenes together.
But it's established in "A New Hope" that the two haven't had much interaction since
they parted ways in "Revenge of the Sith."
Their encounters will have more impact if they're few and far between.
Inquisitors, however, aren't familiar to every casual "Star Wars" viewer, and the marketing
for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is pretty Inquisitor-heavy.
Members of this special order within the Galactic Empire use the Force and often wield red lightsabers,
but they're technically neither Jedi nor Sith.
Their goal is to kill every Jedi, rebel, and Force-sensitive being that might later become
one or, failing that, convert them to the dark side.
If the Inquisitors' extermination of the Jedi takes the fore, Reva could be the primary
antagonist, if not the highest-ranking one.
Since the Grand Inquisitor has already been the villain of a series in which Fifth Brother
appeared, there's a good chance they'll occupy something like management roles with Third
Sister doing most of the Empire's bidding.
After spending a significant portion of the Skywalker Saga, "The Mandalorian," and almost
the entirety of "The Book of Boba Fett" on the crime-ridden desert planet in the Outer
Rim Territories, even the most nostalgic among us were getting a little weary of Tatooine.
As enthusiastic as we were for an Obi-Wan series, the thought of enduring another six
episodes exclusively among moisture farms and Mos Eisley was a real drawback.
But fear not, the creators of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" have engineered a way to get us off-planet
at least twice.
The Direct observes that the trailer includes a pair of shots that almost certainly depict
the water moon of Nur, the homeworld of the Fortress Inquisitorius, which is the headquarters
of the Imperial Inquisitor program.
We've never been to Nur or seen the Fortress in any live-action films or TV shows, but
it's an important place in Star Wars lore and its submerged armored recesses certainly
look cool.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" will also be taking us to a brand new location — the planet Daiyu
— which writer Joby Harold describes as having "sort of has a Hong Kong feel to it"
with "a graffiti-ridden nightlife."
If you're looking to catch up or brush up on "Star Wars" before the premiere of "Obi-Wan
Kenobi," you may want to add "The Clone Wars" to your next Star Wars movie marathon.
A Season 2 arc introduces the Darksaber and Obi-Wan's relationship with Duchess Satine,
and Season 5 goes deeper into both subjects, which might turn out to be relevant to the
series.
However, with all these Inquisitors loose in the galaxy, "Star Wars Rebels" and the
video game "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" may provide a more substantive education.
"Rebels" follows a teenage thief-turned-Jedi-in-training, Ezra Bridger, who joins up with a Jedi master
in hiding, Kanan Jarrus.
Together with the crew of the Ghost, they act as spies against the Empire while avoiding
Inquisitors.
The show, which lasted four seasons, allows viewers to get to know the Grand Inquisitor
and Fifth Brother better.
Another story to brush up on is "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," which takes place about
five years before "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
The game puts players in the role of Cal Kestis, a Padawan who lives through Order 66 and becomes
an Inquisitor target.
It deals more directly with the low morale of the Jedi, and it contains a sequence set
at the Fortress Inquisitorius on Nur.
If there are any surprise cameos, plot twists, or meaningful references, the smart bet is
they'll come in the form of a flashback to "The Clone Wars," or as tie-ins to either
"Rebels" or "Jedi: Fallen Order."
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