Hello there. If you’re reading this, you must be a Star Wars fan. Even if you’re not a die-hard fan, you would probably have heard of the name we’re discussing here.
The first time we heard the name ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ was in 1977’s Star Wars (also known as Episode IV: A New Hope), when Princess Leia sent a holographic message to the former Jedi (played by the late great Alec Guinness) with the immortal words ‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope’.
Then came the prequels (Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack Of The Clones and Episode IIII: Revenge Of The Sith) which introduced a younger version of Obi-Wan played by Ewan McGregor. He started out as a brash padawan in Episode I and ended with Episode III’s fateful showdown against Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker. That fight ended with Obi-Wan cutting down and leaving Anakin for dead, only for Emperor Palpatine to rescue him and turn him into Darth Vader.
However, there has always been a gap in Obi-Wan’s story. What happened in between the end of Episode III (where Obi-Wan took the newborn Luke Skywalker to Tatooine to be raised by his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru) and the beginning of Episode IV? What was Obi-Wan Kenobi doing then?
Sure, the Jedi Master did make an appearance in the animated series Star Wars Rebels, but he was only in it for one episode (though a very significant one in which he settles the score against an old adversary), but other than that, there have been precious few stories about what Obi-Wan was up to in between Episodes III and IV.
Well, that has now changed with the new six-episode Disney+ Hotstar series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which sees McGregor reprise his role as the reclusive Jedi.
Set 10 years after the events of Episode III, the show kicked off with a two-episode premiere last Friday (May 27), which sees Obi-Wan in hiding on Tatooine, secretly watching over Luke. However, a group of Jedi-hunting Inquisitors led by the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) are scouring the galaxy for any last remaining Jedi, and one in particular, Reva (Moses Ingram) has a special interest in Darth Vader's former master.
Return of a former Jedi
Fortunately, the lack of Obi-Wan stories set between Episode III and IV didn’t prove to be too much of a hindrance to McGregor.
During an exclusive one-on-one virtual interview with StarLifestyle, the Scottish actor said it helped that he had already played the character in the prequels, and that he had the late Alec Guinness’ performance to fall back on.
“I just had no doubt about who he was. I feel that I already know who he is from Alec Guinness' amazing creation of the part in the 70s,” he said. “I hadn’t watched Clone Wars or Rebels, but I already get a strong sense of Obi Wan Kenobi from the original trilogy and the prequels.”
At the end of Episode III, the Jedi order is all but destroyed and those who aren't killed have gone into hiding and they can't communicate with one another, McGregor explained.
"So, when we start the show, Obi-Wan is not living as a Jedi or using the Force anymore. For 10 years, he has been in hiding, living a pretty solitary life, and not able to use the Force," he added.
"In a way, he's lost his faith. It's like somebody who's stepped away from their religion or something, if you like. The only link to his past life is looking over Luke Skywalker, whom he's delivered to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.”
A renewed hope
McGregor says he didn’t feel like there was any business left unfinished after Episode III, as he felt he had already done the best he could with the prequel trilogy.
“I very much enjoyed being part of the Star Wars legend, but I never imagined I would play him again,” the 51-year-old actor said, adding that he only had renewed hope about returning to Obi-Wan recently, when he started feeling more warmth from fans towards the prequels.
“The prequels weren’t very well received when they came out, because George was trying to do something different and new, and explore the new technology he was pioneering,” he explained. “But people never really warmed to it at the time. But recently, I met the people that we made them for, people who were kids when they came out, and have this great fondness for them.”
According to him, the first thing he did as Obi-Wan since 2003 was a casting screen test with a few actors. “We borrowed a bit of The Mandalorian's stage on a Sunday when they were off. I walked into the dressing room and there was a sort of Obi-Wan-ish costume hanging in the wardrobe,” he recalled.
“Putting that on was just really crazy, after all that time. And then walking out onto the set was crazier because there are so many Star Wars fans in the crew, and there was a sort of buzz about Obi-Wan walking back on stage!
“But when we did the actual scenes with these other actors, I was doing a sort of vague English accent and it wasn't really Obi-Wan's voice at all. And I was, ‘Oh dear, that's not very good!”
“Luckily, we had months before we actually started shooting, so I went back and did some homework on Alec Guinness and what I'd done before in the original films. Playing him, I felt totally like Obi-Wan had always been there and was ready to come out any minute. But just his voice needed a bit of work!”
McGregor also reckoned that the new series will go a long way in connecting the dots for Obi-Wan.
“I’ve always felt there had to be a good story between Episode III and IV. And it was really nice to see all those strands between those two films from the series,” he said. “It’s true we don’t know where he comes from, but we might know a little bit more after this series.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, with new episodes out every Wednesday.
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