No sooner had we reached the conclusion of The Book of Boba Fett, and more delicious Disney+ content – freshly served up from the piping hot Mos Eisley Cantina – was made available for deepthroating by the Star Wars community. The news that the forthcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series wouldn’t be dropping on International Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you!), soon became a blow softened by nostalgia once fans realised that 25th May would mark the 45th anniversary – to the day – that Kenobi’s character was first seen on screen in ‘A New Hope‘. So what can we expect from Ewan McGregor‘s foray into those iconic brown boots for the first time in 17 years?
CULTR takes a look at our 5 predictions for the upcoming series, and how Obi-Wan became more powerful than you could possibly imagine…
Communications With Yoda
It’s worth recalling, at this point, only two Jedi remain in the Galaxy following Order 66, and given how close Obi-Wan and Yoda became during the tail-end of ‘Revenge of the Sith’, we expect further communication between the two here. Firstly, on account of Grogu‘s increasing popularity within the fanbase (surely Disney wouldn’t miss a trick in marketing the O.G to the younger demographic and new breed of fans)? But also on account of their role in Luke‘s future. Whilst Yoda remains in exile on Dagobah, we can gauge – from The Empire Strikes Back – that the two Jedi always had some form of agreement in place where his training would be passed over to the Green maestro when the time was right. With that in mind, Kenobi would surely be in frequent discussions to update him on Luke’s childhood/progress?
Uncle Ben
“With great power comes great respon….” No, not that one! The whole reason for Obi-Wan (or ‘Ben‘ as he now refers to himself) is living a life of solitude in the dusty hills of Tatooine is to cast a watchful eye over his former Padawan‘s son, now living with the Lars family. Presumably, hiding on a planet coated in sand was deemed the appropriate deterrent to ward off the Galaxy’s most dangerous Sith Lord. With this in mind, we expect to see frequent footage of a young farm-boy Luke, and his blossoming relationship with the ageing recluse who occasionally pops up to duel Tusken Raiders on his behalf.
The rise (and fall) of Darth Maul
To those blessed with a Star Wars knowledge deeper than the dogmatic, narrow-minded view of the original 9 films, one intriguing plot-line rests in the idea that a key adversary is waiting for the Obi-Wan on the Dunes. After gaining theoretical entry to the Paralympics in ‘The Phantom Menace’, Maul – now the leader of crime syndicate Crimson Dawn – has escaped the capture of Ahsoka Tano during the finale of ‘The Clone Wars‘ and is bloodthirsty for revenge against the Jedi who savagely severed his limbs. This battle has already been played out in Rebels, where a wounded Maul lays defeated in Kenobi‘s arms, asking (RE: Luke) “is he the chosen one?”. A similar role-play in live-action format would prove a truly tantalising prospect, sure to send the fanbase into overdrive.
Reunion with force ghost Qui-Gon
One of the most widely loved characters of the prequels, Kenobi‘s former master Qui-Gon Jinn enjoyed a fairly limited timespan on our screens, following his death in Episode I. Wise, bold, and graceful in his force use, Jinn‘s role as Obi-Wan‘s mentor played a huge role in the man Kenobi eventually became and during the tail-end of Episode III, Yoda eluded to Jinn‘s newly learned skill of communicating from beyond the afterlife. Fitting perfectly with the age profile of Liam Neeson, the events of the Kenobi series – set within a decade of Revenge of the Sith – must surely include direct communications with his former ally, who can also be heard speaking to Rey during the finale of Rise of Skywalker.
Showdown with Vader
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this….” The rumoured showdown between the once sibling-like pairing is a contentious point with fans of the series, as we were led to believe during A New Hope, that Obi-Wan and the newly-titled ‘Master of Evil‘, Darth Vader, had not faced off since that dramatic battle on Mustafar. However, with Hayden Christensen‘s re-casting as Anakin/Vader confirmed, Ewan broke the news that the two do indeed reunite once more during the series, adding: “I think it’s really going to satisfy Star Wars fans. The writers and I – and everyone – think we’ve crafted a very fine storyline. I think people are going to like it.””. Personally, if it means we get to witness Vader opening another Rogue One-esque can of whup-ass on proceedings, we can’t wait!
With just a few short months to now wait until McGregor‘s eagerly anticipated return to our screens, which details would YOU like to see in the new series? Get in touch with us via our socials to take the high ground and air your views…
Help me CULTR readers, you’re my only hope.
