Obi-Wan Kenobi, a decent effort bolstered by Ewan McGregor’s strong lead performance, was initially conceived as a limited Disney+ series. Despite no official plans for further instalments, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen continue to advocate for reprising their roles in a galaxy far, far away.
Ewan McGregor is set to receive a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame on Thursday 12, ahead of the occasion, he spoke to Variety about his career, focusing particularly on his remarkable tenure as Obi-Wan Kenobi, initially as one of the leads in the Star Wars prequels and years later in the Disney+ series that reunited him with Hayden Christensen.
After praising Alec Guinness’ iconic portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi, he expressed a willingness to revisit the role for another season if the opportunity arose: “I do hope we get the chance to do another one…between where we left off in the series and when Alec Guinness appears alongside Luke Skywalker, I think there are a few more stories to tell in there.” Afterward, he finally had to fulfill a young Luke and wandered into the desert, whereupon he was greeted by the powerful ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn, which ultimately enabled him to become one with the Force years later instead of merely dying at Vader’s hands – a plot point that had been foreshadowed in Revenge of the Sith.
While the notion of an early Obi-Wan-Vader confrontation in A New Hope’s timeline is intriguing, it still feels like a significant narrative stretch, even with the subsequent addition of continuity points linking Revenge of the Sith to the original film. In reality, fans might contend that this move added another layer of depth to the narrative by introducing Leia and Luke into the pivotal action sequences. Ben Kenobi’s spectral presence was reestablished in Star Wars Rebels, situated closer to the events of A New Hope, where he engaged and ultimately defeated an aged Darth Maul still seeking vengeance. On top of that, some canon comic book series feature Obi-Wan operating around Tatooine, accomplishing notable feats, which suggests that his ‘Tatooine period’ was already remarkably active and eventful. While dispatching him on yet another interstellar adventure may seem premature, we’re open to exploring his return as a Power ghost in future endeavors within the established timeline.
Christensen is poised to receive an extended second run as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in Star Wars due to his expanded role as Ahsoka Tano’s mentor, potentially reappearing in a major film under Dave Filoni’s direction, given the sequels’ surprising oversight despite a brief voice cameo alongside other Jedi Knights in The Rise of Skywalker. The actor remains committed to working alongside his friend whenever possible: “If it means getting to do more with Ewan, then that’s a no-brainer – but I genuinely hope that he reprises the role.”
With The Acolyte now formally cooked after attempting one thing new, The Mandalorian & Grogu (the following Star Wars film) sounding like an enormous ball of Jon Favreau-helmed fanservice, and the extra doubtlessly refreshing Star Wars theatrical releases nonetheless with their scripts within the oven, we should not rule out Disney and Lucasfilm giving Obi-Wan Kenobi a second go to attain a straightforward aim with probably the most conservative followers. While the franchise aims to attract new fans and thrive in the long run, its current approach may inadvertently achieve the opposite, leading to stagnation rather than growth?
