It seems like only yesterday that Disney first announced plans for a live-action “Obi-Wan Kenobi” TV series and now we’re at the threshold of the show’s May 27, 2022 premiere, when we’ll finally see what transpired in the time gap between “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” and “Star Wars: A New Hope,” which incidentally just celebrated its 45th anniversary this week.
The “Obi-Wan Kenobi” miniseries on Disney Plus (opens in new tab) will deliver six rousing episodes all directed by Disney veteran Deborah Chow (“The Mandalorian”). The first two installments of the new Star Wars series arrive today, May 27, followed by regular weekly episodes ramping up to a June 29 finale.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” picks up a decade after the purging event of Order 66 witnessed in 2005’s “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.” This limited series reveals the Jedi Master’s secret life on Tatooine guarding young Luke Skywalker while staying out of the crosshairs of vicious Jedi hunters called Sith Inquisitors whose sole job is to eliminate any remaining Jedi.
These heartless assassins report directly to the Grand Inquisitor and are headed up by Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister, who were previously introduced in “Star Wars: Rebels” Season 2. Darth Vader will be a vital addition to the drama and speculation has run rampant that we’ll see a confrontation with his former master, whose skills might be a bit rusty after ten years in exile. Come on. Let the lightsabers sizzle!
If you’re looking for more “Star Wars” universe deep dives, check out our guide to watching the Star Wars movies in order and complete list of the Star Wars movies, ranked best to worst.
Following a prolonged vacation from the Star Wars Universe, Ewan McGregor slips back into the flowing robes of the iconic Jedi Knight who’ll one day lead Luke Skywalker toward his destiny. Hayden Christensen also returns to suit up in Darth Vader’s black garb after a 17-year absence. The rest of the main cast includes Rupert Friend (The Grand Inquisitor), Moses Ingram (Seventh Sister), Sung Kang (Fifth Brother), Joel Edgerton (Owen Lars), Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), and Grant Feely (Luke Skywalker).
For the storyline to resonate with viewers at the highest level, it’s crucial to remember that this is a fragile, formative time for Obi-Wan. Ten years removed from the events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” he’s no doubt still carrying a tremendous amount of guilt and remorse over the death of his own master, Qui-Gon Jinn, as well as the downfall of his Padawan learner Anakin Skywalker and that unfortunate turn to the Dark Side by Palpatine. Â
His internal failures at preventing Qui-Gon’s murder at the hands of Darth Maul and keeping Anakin on the proper path will remain an open wound as he keeps vigilant watch over Little Luke, who’s growing up fast on Owen and Beru Lars’ moisture farm. (Must be all that nutritious blue milk!)
Also of note, Obi-Wan is apparently unaware that Anakin is still alive and was rescued from the lava shoreline on Mustafar after their heated showdown. He’s using a basic blaster weapon instead of his lightsaber in the trailers, since that would immediately tip anyone off as to his alignment with the Jedi Order. And the legendary space wizard is further impaired due to the fact that he can’t risk using the Force since Inquisitors (or Darth Vader) would immediately sense his presence and discover his hiding place.
Needless to say, this is a vulnerable Obi-Wan that we’ve never seen before and with his impairments it will be interesting to see how his wits and instincts make up for any handicaps.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” lands on Disney Plus (opens in new tab) starting May 27.
If just watching Disney’s latest Star Wars show isn’t enough for you, check out our picks for the best Star Wars deals, Star Wars books and the best Star Wars Lego sets available now.
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