After years of waiting and listening to rumors, fans finally know whenStar Warsis bringing Obi-Wan Kenobi back to the screen.Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobihas been in some form or another of production since 2015. It was originally planned to be a movie, but that was before the massive success of Disney’s streaming platform and shows likeThe Mandalorian. Now,Obi-Wanis set to arrive on Disney Plus in 2022.
Of all the existingStar Warscharacters Disney could give a show to, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a good bet. Both film iterations of the characters have been fan favorites. For the Disney Plus show, prequel starEwan McGregor will be reprising his roleas the Jedi master. Disney is packing big hitters behind the camera as well. Deborah Chow, whopreviously worked onThe Mandolorian, will be directing theObi Wanseries.
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There’s a good chance thatStar Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobiwill be a great show. If it is, it will be so somewhat in spite of itself. Disney is better at makingStar Warsshows than films, butObi-Wanhighlights an ongoing issue that the studio is struggling to manage.
Blast from the Past
Star Warshas been obsessed with its past since credits rolled onReturn of the Jedi. The prequel trilogy is the most obvious example. Disney has kept the backward focus withRogue One,Solo, and their Disney Plus shows. Even the sequel trilogy centered itself thematically on the history of the Skywalker and Palpatine bloodlines.
TheStar Warsgalaxy hasn’t become as strong as it could be because of all the backward-looking. Disney should be telling newStar Warsstories and exploring new elements of the galaxy. Instead,Star Warshas become stuck on one set of characters in one small span of time in the galaxy’s history. When films have attempted to progress and changeStar Warslore, likeRian Johnson’sThe Last Jedi,Disney has walked back those changes.
Stories about the past of theStar Warsgalaxy aren’t inherently bad. It’s just harder to get invested when a story’s ending is already known. If Disney wants to dig in the depths ofStar Warslore,why not a Jedi origin story?
Obi-Wan is a great character, but he died in his first film outing. Since then, the character has already been revisited in films and spin-off shows. Theprequels gave Obi-Wan a perfect origin story, and they left few questions remaining about him as a character. The new show couldaddress Obi-Wan’s change in personalitybetween the prequels and the original trilogy. Does that really warrant an entire show, when there’s so much more in theStar Warsgalaxy that’s yet to be explored?
It seems that Disney doesn’t have much of an interest in truly expandingStar Wars. The nextStar Warsshow to hit Disney Plus will beStar Wars: The Bad Batch, which takes place betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope. After that will beThe Book of Boba Fett, which is set during roughly that same time period. There has been little word about the nextStar Warsfilm trilogy. It is still set to becontrolled by Rian Johnson, who has made a reputation for wanting to push the boundaries ofStar Wars. Maybe with that endeavor Disney can dig itself out of the nostalgia hole.
Forging Ahead
Whether or notStar Warsneeds new stories and new life,Obi-Wan Kenobiis coming to Disney Plus. The showbegins shooting this month, and it features a stellar cast and excellent production team. Disney and everyone involved have said very little about what the show’s actual plot will be.
The last time fans saw Obi-Wan was inRevenge of the Sith. He watched his apprentice Anakin turn to the dark side and become Darth Vader. At the end of the film, Obi-Wan likely thinks Anakin is dead, though the movie doesn’t clarify this. TheStar Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobishow will pick up ten years after this moment.
Ewan McGregor isn’t the onlypreviousStar Warscast member coming backforObi-Wan Kenobi. Hayden Christensen will be returning as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse, who played Luke’s uncle and aunt in the prequel trilogy, are also among the show’s cast.
IfThe Mandolorianis anything to judge by,Obi-Wanwill be great despite the lack of any real surprises it presents. Of course, it could be closer toSolo, but that’s a possibility better left unimagined. Either way, fans will have to wait.Obi-Wandoesn’t have an official release date but could come to Disney Plus in 2022. Disney has no intention of letting anyone get bored while they wait.The Bad BatchandThe Book of Boba Fettwill be out this year, and it looks likeAndorandAhsokacould be just around the corner as well. If a nostalgia trip is what Disney is offering, at least its a busy one.
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