It's surreal to think about what a worldwide phenomenon Star Wars has become since its humble beginnings as a fun pew pew space movie in 1977. At the time, few would have expected the relatively mature (if simplistic) story to branch out into what many consider to be the ultimate family bonding experience, bringing in fans of quite literally all ages. But with a wider audience comes the question of how to appeal to the greatest number of people, and that may have affected the franchise's latest entry in a surprising way.
When the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series was originally announced by Disney, fans went absolutely bonkers at the idea. Ewan McGregor's performance as Obi-Wan is largely considered one of the high points in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, so a return to the role seemed all but inevitable. But not long after the announcement, things got a little turbulent with the production's progress, leading to a delay in filming that left many fans wondering what happened (or if the show was still happening). It turns out that the script itself was to blame, but not for the reason many would expect.
President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the extended process of bringing McGregor's Obi-Wan back to Star Wars, and she finally addressed why the show took so long to finally finish production. Interestingly enough, the scripts for the series were deemed a bit too dark for what she wanted to go for, so the team went back to the drawing board in 2020. "We're looking, ultimately, to make a hopeful, uplifting story," Kennedy explained. "It's tricky when you're starting with a character in the state that Obi-Wan would be in coming off of Revenge of the Sith. That's a pretty bleak period of time. You can't just wave the magic wand with any writer and arrive at a story that necessarily reflects what you want to feel."
It makes sense that Kennedy would want to go in this direction, given the timeline of events. Revenge of the Sith ended on a pretty downer note, with the Jedi order being nearly hunted to extinction and the oppressive Galactic Empire rising to power. So in that context, more hopelessness in the stories taking place immediately afterward might feel like a bit much for a franchise that has always revolved around a battle between good and evil.
But it would also be understandable if some fans feel let down by this news. Star Wars has arguably been suffering from an abundance of repetition lately, with every story seemingly shooting for an ultimate happy ending and optimistic feel. But as truly excellent entries like The Last Jedi, have shown, there's still room for fresh ideas, and darker storylines can invoke some powerful feelings from viewers.
That's not to say that Obi-Wan Kenobi will definitely be a letdown now given its new direction. In fact, it will likely be a huge success, given McGregor's popularity in the role and the always fantastic directing skills of The Mandalorian's Deborah Chow. Still, it might be hard to dismiss thoughts of what could have been. Optimism is necessary in life, but without something dark to bounce off, it kind of just turns into a really happy echo chamber.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere May 25th on Disney Plus.
Source: Entertainment Weekly