Veteran Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor is just now getting a chance to talk about the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which will be streaming on Disney+. Despite a fifteen year absence, McGregor, 48, is still excited to reprise his beloved role, and has even dropped some hints about the direction the Jedi Master will take during this new adventure.
McGregor first took on the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which at the time meant filling in the impressive wake of Sir Alec Guinness, in 1999, for Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Like the rest of the prequels, Episode I isn’t remembered with much fondness (though that may be change with The Rise of Skywalker), but McGregor’s performance as the young, rule-abiding Kenobi forced to look after an unwanted apprentice in Anakin Skywalker is regarded as a highlight of the trilogy as a whole. McGregor (who by coincidence is the nephew of Wedge Antilles actor, Denis Lawson) added a youthful step to an otherwise authentic reprisal of the Alec Guinness character, for which fans still respect him to this day.
After Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, it was thought that McGregor’s time with the franchise - and Star Wars films as a whole - would be over. But back in August, the actor was introduced on-stage by Lucasfilm producer Kathleen Kennedy, during the annual D23 Expo in Anaheim. It was confirmed that, despite his denial in interviews, McGregor had been contracted since 2015 to come back to Star Wars and take up his lightsaber once more. Speaking with Men’s Journal about the Obi-Wan Disney+ series, McGregor couldn’t reveal much, but he does share that he believes the story will take a good look at the trauma Obi-Wan suffers following the events of Revenge of the Sith.
Though originally planned as a film, the Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff is now confirmed as a limited TV series, made up of “six hour-long episodes,” according to McGregor. In those six episode, it appears we can expect the series to deal with Obi-Wan’s head space following the catastrophic Order 66 that saw the Clones turn on their Jedi allies and kill almost every single one. The pain from the loss of his friends as well the guilt felt over being one of the very few survivors will surely have an effect on Obi-Wan, and it’ll be fascinating to watch McGregor bring that side of Obi-Wan to life on screen.
“The storyline sits between Episode III and Episode IV. The Jedi Order was falling apart [at the end of Sith]. It will be interesting to take a character we know in a way and show him - Well, his arc will be quite interesting, I think, dealing with that the fact that all the Jedi were slaughtered with the end of Episode III. It’s quite something to get over.”
Excitement and speculation are running wild for the as-yet-unnamed Kenobi show. Fans have wondered, and argued over, whether or not the entire series will take place on Tatooine, the desert homeworld of Luke and Anakin Skywalker on which Obi-Wan committed to a self-imposed exile during this time frame. The tantalizing possibility that Darth Vader or the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn (originally played by Liam Neeson) might make appearances is also not far from the minds of Star Wars fans. Some even think there’s a chance McGregor will appear, unannounced, as a Force Ghost in the upcoming The Rise of Skywalker. Though he let his own thoughts on the character slip, McGregor isn’t giving us any additional details. But no matter what happens on-screen, it seems clear that Obi-Wan is glad to be home at last.
Next: Everything We Know About Star Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Show
Source: Men’s Journal
