The Force is strong with this oneI
By: Illuminate IC Staff Writers
“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the Disney+ series based on the beloved “Star Wars” character (once again inhabited by Ewan McGregor, who played the Jedi Master in the prequels), has had a long and winding path to Disney+. But it’s nearly here and there’s a brand-new trailer. Perhaps balance is returning to the Force.
The trailer offers a new view of Kenobi’s hiding-in-the-desert years, with Inquisitors (dark Jedi-hunters) hot on the trail of our favorite Force-wielder, and him keeping a close eye on a young Luke Skywalker.
The show takes place a decade after the events from Revenge Of The Sith, with a young Darth Vader in power. “The fight is done,” says Ewan McGregor as the titular Jedi Master in a voice-over. “We lost. Stay hidden.” His words are accompanied with footage of Obi-Wan traveling around Tatooine in on an Eopie, observing a young Luke Skywalker from afar.
A proposed Obi-Wan Kenobi-centered spin-off has been in the works since at least 2017, when director Stephen Daldry and “Drive” writer Hossein Amini attached to direct a feature-length version of the story. After the middling box office of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” spin-off movies were scrapped with more emphasis being placed on potential Disney+ series. The series was announced at the D23 Expo in 2019, with McGregor joining Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy for the big news. (This is also where they announced that Hayden Christensen would be returning to the franchise as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.)
The show premieres exclusively on Disney+ starting on May 25, which is also the 45th anniversary of the first “Star Wars” film.