Of all the various Star Wars spinoff properties that have been coming out over the past few years, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series is the one that fans have been eagerly looking forward to the most. With the series' first trailer just now being released, that anticipation should only get bigger and bigger from here.
The Star Wars series officially released the first trailer, thus showing the first footage we've seen of Ewan McGregor as the iconic Obi-Wan Kenobi since 2005. Though the trailer did not show much, it appears the show will pick up right where Revenge of the Sith left off, with master Obi-Wan, following the near-eradication of the Jedi Order, now hiding from the Galactic Empire, who's exploring every avenue they can to find him.
As of now, not much is known regarding what the show will be about. However, since it takes place after the events of Revenge of the Sith and before the events of A New Hope, one would speculate it will be a case study on what happened to Obi-Wan Kenobi during that time and how he managed to avoid the Empire while in hiding. Since the show will also feature the return of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, it will probably delve into how Kenobi coped with the loss and betrayal of his former best friend.
Star Wars fans are ecstatic to see where this show goes, particularly because of the return of McGregor as young Obi-Wan Kenobi. In spite of the Star Wars prequels not being well-received by the fans when they were released, McGregor's performance as Obi-Wan is unanimously regarded as one of the few positives those films brought to the franchise. Seeing him return to the role 17 years after his last appearance should get many to tune in when the series is released this coming May.
No matter what happens, one thing is for sure. Whether the series turns out to be good or not, we know McGregor is going to give it his all for this show. McGregor has never been one to mail in a performance as an actor, whether he's in a good movie or not. Even while being in an infamously maligned prequel trilogy, he still consistently portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi so well that it's regarded to this day as iconic. So much so that the same fans who hated the prequel trilogy are probably among the most excited viewers to see McGregor back in action.
Sadly, this also adds to the show's pressure to be good. Being a Star Wars spinoff is demanding enough as it is. However, keep in mind that as masterfully as McGregor portrayed Obi-Wan in the prequels, his best efforts did not ultimately deter fans from thinking those movies were bad. What they are hoping for with this upcoming series is not that McGregor will be good (because they know he will), but that the efforts in his performance go into a good overall story. If that doesn't happen, that could permanently damage the franchise. Needless to say, a lot will be riding on this show.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will be streaming on Disney Plus on May 25th, 2022.
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