SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ALL STAR WARS CONTENT AND THE OBI-WAN KENOBI TRAILERS
May the force be with you!
Star Wars month is finally upon us, and Star Wars fans are ready to see our beloved Obi-Wan back in action once again. It feels like years since fans initially heard we would be getting an Obi-Wan centric Star Wars story, and we are now getting it in the form of a mini-series on May 27th 2022. We are all anxious to see one of the most beloved and famous Jedi on-screen again, especially now that we know it will be alongside Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. We can’t wait to see where this adventure that occurs between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope takes us, but it certainly has high expectations to live up to. Regardless of what direction the story goes, there are a few plot points the show should answer during its 6 episode run…
Vader v. Obi-Wan Rematch
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Ewan McCregor’s Obi-Wan and Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker (or shall we say Darth Vader) is their epic “Battle of Heroes” in Revenge of the Sith. There is little doubt that these two characters will come to blows once again being that it is confirmed that both actors and their corresponding characters are returning as the main protagonist/antagonist of the series. Although Star Wars fans have long believed these characters hadn’t made contact in the time between Episode III and Episode IV, it seems like a missed opportunity to not have the limited-series end in an epic rematch between apprentice and former-master. However, with its predecessor duel being the longest sword-fight in cinematic history, and largely regarded as one of the best (if not the best) Star Wars light-saber duel, Obi-Wan Kenobi has surely taken on a difficult task in bringing these two characters to blows once again.
Star Wars has seemed to stray away from the “over-the-top” duels of the prequels in recent years. Continuing with that trend, it is likely we will not see an overly flippy, spinny, or jumpy fight as we have seen between these two characters in the past. This is honestly fitting as the duel will have to bridge the gap between the Anakin v. Obi-Wan duel (in Revenge of the Sith) and the Vader v. Ben duel (in A New Hope). The duel will be hard-pressed to satisfy on multiple fronts: delivering once-again on the emotional connection between the characters, capturing the current state of the characters (Obi-Wan as a growingly old and wise Jedi and Vader as a clunky remorseless power-house), and delivering a satisfying climax to the mini-series.
Relationship with Satine Kryze
One of the more interesting aspects of Obi-Wan’s story in the animated show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is the addition of his love interest. Obi-Wan was, in fact, in love with Mandalore’s leader during the early Clone Wars, Duchess Satine Kryze. Obi-Wan himself even goes as far as to tell Satine that he would have left the Jedi Order if she had said the word. Unfortunately, Satine fell to the same fate as Qui-Gon Jinn, dying in Obi-Wan's arms.
It is likely that, for many reasons, we will find Obi-Wan in a state of despair at the onset of the mini-series. Aside from the genocide of his people and the loss of his apprentice to the Dark Side, the death of the love of his life is sure to have an effect on our protagonist. Fans of The Clone Wars would for sure love to see Satine in a live-action memory, but would also likely be satisfied if there is a mention or two of the character. Regardless, it feels only right that his past relationship is further explored, even if just noted as a contributing factor to Obi-Wan’s current state of mind.
Inquisitors
The audience of Star Wars: Rebels saw a few ~somewhat~ recognizable faces in the trailers for Obi-Wan Kenobi with the Inquisitors. The Inquisitors are basically Vader’s dark force-sensitive task force, whose ultimate goal is to finish off the remaining Jedi left over from Order 66. In fact, two of the Inquisitors (The Grand Inquisitor and Fifth Brother) who appear in the Obi-Wan trailers are both main antagonists in the first two seasons of the animated television show. We also get a new Inquisitor in a character named “Reva”, who seems to be doing a lot of the talking in the trailers, and is likely the Inquisitor the show will focus on most (at least we hope so… because the others look TERRIBLE). Obi-Wan Kenobi is going to find it difficult to give us any Inquisitors who would really be a threat to Obi-Wan himself, but we hope to get some great action sequences complete with their inventive lightsabers all the same. One question we have going in is… why did the Inquisitors stop hunting him in the lead-up to Star Wars: Rebels.
Other Jedi & Characters
Since Star Wars is such an expansive universe with a myriad of different characters, fans often expect cameos from other characters who are “around” during the time period of each project. However, Obi-Wan Kenobi is so rooted in the characters of The Skywalker Saga that it feels almost unnecessary for the show to fill itself up with cameos. That being said, the time between The Clone Wars and The Galactic Civil War is full of characters we know and love from other source material, so it is possible that others will pop their heads in. It is unlikely they will over-shadow the plot of Obi-Wan & Vader with heavy-hitters who seemed to be on their own paths like Maul, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, or Ahsoka Tano. However, it is possible we get a nod to other characters like Hondo, Kanan Jarrus, Cad Bane, or Asajj Ventress, whether it be in the “present” timeline or in a flashback.
That being said, cameo or not, it is certainly important to show how Obi-Wan’s relationship with the other Jedi around him affected the character, and if he is even aware of the presence of other Jedi (aside from Yoda) surviving in the galaxy.
Obi-Wan & Owen Lars
As we have seen in the trailers, it looks like there will be some kind of verbal confrontation between Obi-Wan and Luke's uncle, Owen Lars. It is clear in A New Hope that Owen wants Luke not to engage in anything to do with the Force or the Jedi. Therefore, it only makes sense to further expand on the viewpoint of Owen, and even possibly advance that viewpoint forward using the events of the upcoming show. There is a similar confrontation in the Legends (aka non-canonical) comic book, Star War (2015) 15, in which Owen tells off Obi-Wan for trying to bring Luke under his wing. This will certainly be an important relationship to explore in order to transition into the Original Trilogy.
The Chosen One
As Star Wars fans, it seems we are always looking for an answer to the “Chosen One” mystery. It is extremely unlikely Obi-Wan Kenobi fully clears it up for us. However, during Obi-Wan’s appearance in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, Obi-Wan mentions that he believes that Luke Skywalker is The Chosen One. At the time, it seemed like an odd line to throw in as Obi-Wan had seemingly no reason to believe such a thing aside from the fact that Luke was related to Anakin. In fact, it is unclear why Obi-Wan even believes in the prophecy at all at that point, after Anakin’s fall to the darkness. As Rebels occurs after Obi-Wan, it is possible that it can provide answers as to why Obi-Wan believes that to be the case, or address whether or not he truly believes in the old Jedi prophecy at all. It is not likely we get the answers we are hoping for, but it is something we would certainly love, and seems like an opportunity to delve into Obi-Wan's relationship with the force and the prophecy.
Padmé & Anakin’s Relationship
Aside from a few comics, big/small screen Star Wars has done next to nothing when it comes to addressing Vader’s feelings toward his late wife, Padmé Amidala. Since Vader will be a pivotal character of the series, it would certainly be interesting to get a scene that gives us a sense of Vader’s feelings and possible regret following the events of Revenge of the Sith. In the canon Marvel comic, Darth Vader #5, Vader goes to visit Padmé’s tomb, and the mini-series could certainly be an opportunity to do something similar. However, it is likely the most we will get, given the short times-pan of the series, is a scene or two that touches on Vader’s current state of mind given the death of his wife. In addition, flashbacks are unlikely and unnecessary, as we already got so much screen time with the couple in the prequels, and it is unlikely for Natalie Potman to reprise her role as the character.
In Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, it is also implied that Obi-Wan knew of Anakin and Padmé’s relationship, but seemingly turned a blind eye. It would certainly be interesting to get some further detail on the level of knowledge Obi-Wan had prior to Revenge of the Sith, and see how that affects his point-of-view regarding Anakin’s turn to the darkness. It seems only right the former Queen of Naboo is mentioned in some way, shape, or form, given that she is one of the main characters of the prequels, and the pivotal contributing factor in Vader’s downfall.
Vader & Palpatine
Although Vader can certainly carry the show as the main villain, it is always on Star Wars fans’ wishlist to get a glimpse of our favorite wrinkly villain. It would certainly be easy to throw in the typical hologram Palpatine in a conversation with Vader, however, it may be more interesting if Vader’s pursuit of Kenobi is a solo-mission and not necessarily “ordered” directly by the Emperor himself. At this point in the timeline, Vader’s main purpose is simply to finish the work of Order 66, so it may actually be refreshing to see him calling the shots in pursuit of that goal. That being said, we would love to get a glimpse of the rigorous training and Palpatine-inflicted-torcher Anakin had to go through in his early years as a Sith Lord. Some flashbacks would certainly be welcome, and would help give us some insight into the state of the Siths’ relationship. Either way, we hope to see Vader using some of those same tactics when training the Inquisitors.
Birth of Ben Kenobi
One of the main themes that the show needs to absolutely nail down is bridging the gap between the Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Prequel Trilogy and the Ben Kenobi of the Original Trilogy. For the brief moments Obi-Wan appears in Rebels, the creators did a fantastic job of showing a transition from Obi-Wan to Ben. In his duel with Maul, he starts with a more prequel Obi-Wan form and transitions to a typical Ben form, which allows him to ultimately defeat the former-Sith.
Although we are sure to see nods when it comes to fighting style, Obi-Wan’s transition to the wise Ben with an upgraded knowledge of the force is something we are hoping to see in his character development. We expect to watch him come to peace with much of the traumas of his past in order to develop into the Ben we meet in A New Hope. In addition, in typical spin-off fashion, we may even get an explanation for where the name “Ben” comes from. In the 2013 Legends novel, Kenobi, it is said the name comes from a nickname given to him by Duchess Satine, so it is possible the show will nail that down as canon.
Qui-Gon Jinn
One of the most important plot-points in Obi-Wan’s story after the events of the prequels is his training to become “immortal” as a Force ghost. In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda assigns Obi-Wan training with his former-master Qui-Gon Jinn in order to manifest consciousness through the Force after death. We are hoping to get a snippet of this training, and therefore possibly a view of Qui-Gon. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Qui-Gon can only manifest himself as a voice, but we are hoping, by this point in the story, the Master Jedi will have completed his own training and will be able to manifest in a visual form. Either way, not having him guide Obi-Wan in his endeavors, whatever they may be, feels like a missed opportunity.
Bottom line is… give us Liam Neeson!!
Written by Nick Mandala
Edited by Tom Fitzgerald