Skip to main content

What Star Wars fans want to see from Obi-Wan Kenobi series

Outside of a sequel trilogy, a solo Obi-Wan Kenobi movie or TV series has arguably been the most in-demand Star Wars project among fans. Especially given the timing, the very concept seems like a slam dunk for Lucasfilm, as Ewan McGregor’s turn as the titular Jedi Master was perhaps the best thing to come out of the prequel trilogy and the actor is at the perfect age to take on such an endeavor. The vague premise and concept practically write themselves and, after years of speculation and outright lies from the star himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi is finally a go at Disney+ in a limited series format — and it premieres in just about two months from now.

Series director Deborah Chow and writer Joby Harold have quite the task on their hands, but the long-awaited trailer for the show is dripping with promise. Chow, in particular, has already tested her mettle on the acclaimed The Mandalorian, so veteran Star Wars fans should be hopeful of the final product. Though the concept of Obi-Wan Kenobi is clear as day on paper, there are certain boxes to tick and hurdles to jump to help ensure the series measures up to the Jedi’s storied legacy in the Star Wars universe and in pop culture. Here’s what we’d like to see from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Recommended Videos

1. A story unconcerned with excessive fan service

A close-up of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the series of the same title.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Something that can, unfortunately, be said for some Star Wars and Marvel TV shows on Disney+ is that they focus too much on fan service that is detrimental to its storytelling. The Mandalorian has been off to a roaring start in these first two seasons, but the second season started to signal Lucasfilm getting too greedy with the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula. A consistent problem with several of the MCU shows has been concerning themselves too much with cameos and in-universe advertisements for future projects, and that issue aggressively bled into Star Wars with The Book of Boba Fett.

The titular bounty hunter ended up taking a back seat in large parts of his show, with a plot that focused more on fan service than the story at hand. Obi-Wan Kenobi shouldn’t suffer from this issue, as the draw of its lead is gargantuan and this is more of an isolated event series rather than part of the mini cinematic universe. Nonetheless, fan service will always be something that needs to be approached with care and moderation in massive IPs like this.

2. Exploration of the galaxy outside of Tatooine

A new Star Wars movie or show going through the sand planet of Tatooine has grown to incite collective fandom groans rather than nostalgia at this point. It’s the equivalent of the Pokémon franchise constantly pushing Charizard and Pikachu in new games, anime, etc., and Lucasfilm has shown that it truly can’t seem to help itself considering the sequels’ Jakku is merely Tatooine 2.0.

The Fifth Brother and his Stormtroopers patrol Daiyu in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Thankfully, the Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer has already been soothing those fears, as it’s been confirmed he’ll explore the new planet of Daiyu. It’s been said this locale will take inspiration from the neon-lit nightlife of Hong Kong, which is certainly encouraging from a visual standpoint. The show will ideally balance the new (or at least different) locations with Tatooine, as Obi-Wan’s purpose is inherently tied to the planet due to being tasked as Luke Skywalker’s watchful guardian.

3. The ongoing threat of the Inquisitorius

Giving the great Obi-Wan a threat that measures up to his skill and wisdom is canonically a tall order. Aside from being a bona fide Jedi Master, he’s debatably the kind of Master all others in the Council should strive to be — Yoda included. The Order was stuck with puritanical beliefs that demanded emotional repression of its members, effectively having a hand in creating Darth Vader. That’s why the most imposing and ongoing threat that Obi-Wan can face in this series is a combination of the Empire’s Inquisitorius and the context of the time.

Forcing the Jedi into hiding and on the run is the perfect handicap to make the stakes of a prequel show feel real. Each of the Inquisitors is lethal in their own right, but is comfortably out of their league when it comes to Kenobi himself. He has to hide his prowess in the Force and avoid showing his lightsaber in public. The trailer looks like this will be tackled well in the series, with the Imperial lapdogs trying to exploit the Jedi Master’s compassion and empathy to snuff him out. And what’s compelling about this as a plot device is that it’s both a physical conflict, as well as a (surely) fascinating conflict of morals.

4. Tasteful use of flashbacks to Obi-Wan and Anakin’s Clone Wars days

While fan service can easily become a detriment to a show, game, book, or movie, it’s been known since 2020’s Disney Investor Day stream that Obi-Wan Kenobi would bring back not only Darth Vader, but prequel trilogy actor Hayden Christensen as well. Luckily, the narrative can easily justify Anakin being here for reasons aside from merely appeasing longtime fans with an Easter egg.

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith highlighted it best, as McGregor’s Obi-Wan and Christensen’s Anakin had a tragic brotherly bond that would strike a powerful chord with the characters 10 years after the fall of the Republic — and for the fans watching 17 years since the release of RotS. It would certainly need to be handled by deft hands, but concise flashbacks to the Master and the Apprentice’s days during the Clone Wars could be exceptional to punctuate the tragedy happening with Kenobi emotionally in the present.

5. A Kenobi vs. Vader rematch that’s both spectacle and emotional

When homing in more on Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship, one even more specific, but no less spectacular, selling point of the upcoming Disney+ series is the “rematch of the century.” It’s been touted as such since the synopsis given at the Investor Day stream and, naturally, has a lot of expectation riding on it. A rematch on a scale like this has all of the moving pieces necessary to make this climax feel powerful and sincere, but also runs the risk of feeling cheap and unnatural if fumbled.

Official Lucasfilm concept art of Kenobi vs. Darth Vader for Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Darth Vader’s ominous and unmistakable breathing heard at the end of the Obi-Wan Kenobi teaser trailer shows that Lucasfilm knows where to tug at fans’ hearts, and while the thought of this fight falling short is frightening, it also has incredible potential. Given the characters’ aforementioned rich, beautiful, and heartwrenching history, a fight between these two needs to be equal parts explosive spectacle and profoundly emotional. All the substance is there, and it will be exciting to see what Chow and Harold have in store.

Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ May 25.

Guillermo Kurten
Freelance Writer, Entertainment
A University of Houston graduate in Print Media Journalism, Guillermo has covered sports entertainment and practically all…
After Obi-Wan Kenobi: The case for a Darth Vader Star Wars series
Darth Vader igniting his lightsaber in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Lucasfilm's Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series has wrapped its six-episode run and put the titular Jedi Master on one more collision course with the galactic horseman of the apocalypse that is Darth Vader. Part VI of the series fittingly ended the series on a dramatic, emotional, and cathartic close between the two before their final bout in A New Hope. But, how well-orchestrated their last fight in Obi-Wan Kenobi was could be telling for a Star Wars show focused on the Sith Lord's exploits.

How Disney was surprisingly willing to show Vader's unfiltered rage and the visceral momentum of the armor-clad villain in action could be a great opportunity for Lucasfilm to show a solo series that shows a side of the Force that hasn't been explored too deeply on-screen.
The Great Jedi Purge

Read more
What’s next for Star Wars after Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the 2022 Disney+ series.

With Disney+'s long-anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi series wrapping -- unless it's decided that it will no longer be "limited" -- it's no secret that Lucasfilm has plenty in store down the road. Especially so after the recent Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim revealed a batch of news for the likes of Andor and the upcoming Jude Law-led series.

But putting aside what's already set in motion behind the studio's closed doors, Lucasfilm should look to where else the franchise should expand thematically. Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing media IPs in the world, but throwing more kinds of stories into the mix alongside fan-favorite legacy characters will be the key to ensuring the franchise's longevity, renewed creativity, and ability to avoid fatigue.
Leaning harder into the post-Empire years

Read more
Are the Star Wars prequels actually good?
Anakin fights Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith.

Ten years ago, great jubilation arose among the Star Wars faithful when Disney acquired Lucasfilm and subsequently announced Star Wars sequels featuring the original trilogy characters. Finally, we could move past the sins of the prequel trilogy -- Episodes I, II, and III, all written and directed by George Lucas -- with "real" Star Wars movies that would eclipse our blighted memories of Lucas' miscalculations. Sure enough, when The Force Awakens debuted in 2015, fans and casual viewers alike proclaimed its fidelity to the holy trinity of original Star Wars movies. It might be a little derivative, but doggone it, it looked like original Star Wars. More importantly, it felt like original Star Wars.

It didn't take long for folks to change their tune. Now the sequels -- The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker -- are much maligned for their lack of cohesive vision and their reliance on tired material. Meanwhile, the prequels have undergone fresh appraisal, and the excitement among fans is off the charts for prequel-related shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi. After suffering two decades of derision, are the prequels suddenly considered good now? How did that happen?

Read more