Star Wars: Obi-Wan Introduces Another Expanded Universe Character

Lucasfilm recently dropped the first two episodes of their Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and it was definitely filled with surprises. The series had a bunch of nods to the prequels and even the original trilogy. The first episode featured the introduction of Vivian Lyra Blair as a young Princess Leia Organa, and she’s just as stubborn as the character we know and love. Leia’s stubbornness shows especially when they introduce us to her extended family. One of those family members is a character from the Children of the Jedi book named Celly Organa. Children of the Jedi was removed from Star Wars continuity, but Lucasfil some reason the series decided to utilize one of the characters.

Obi-Wan Kenobi features the Star Wars return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen as the titular Jedi and Darth Vader respectively. The two haven’t worked together since the last film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. During the three prequels, Christensen only played the Anakin Skywalker side of Darth Vader. MacGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi never came face-to-face with Darth Vader. Now, it seems that that changed on the set of the Disney+ series, and the experience left an impression on the actor. 

“I’ve never met Darth Vader,” McGregor told Total Film, which features the star as Kenobi on its latest cover. “I had rehearsed the scene with Vader, but not with the helmet on or anything like that. When we came to do the scene, when they shouted ‘action’, he had to come from behind me. I turned around, and fucking Darth Vader was coming at me. It was like I was six again. I’d never acted into Vader’s helmet. I’d never looked him in the eye.”

“It scared the shit out of me,” the actor added. “I’m not joking. It gave me a proper jolt of absolute fear. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not acting. That’s real. I’m really, truly frightened right now.’ And the same thing would happen with the Stormtroopers. I’d worked with Clone troopers before, but so many of them were CGI. I never worked with Stormtroopers, and, again, I was like seven years old again. Because when you’re actually faced with a Stormtrooper, with a blaster, it’s like: ‘Fucking hell.’ It’s like actual childhood memories of being scared. That’s how deeply it’s in us. I’ve acted for 30 years, and I’ve never been genuinely frightened when I’m acting frightened… But I had moments on this that were genuinely quite scary. It’s so funny.” 

Lucasfilm and the streaming service describe the series as follows: “During the reign of the Galactic Empire, former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi embarks on a crucial mission. Kenobi must confront allies turned enemies and face the wrath of the Empire.” The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series stars Ewan McGregor, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Sung Kang, Moses Ingram, Indira Varama, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rupert Friend, Simone Kessell and Benny Sadfie.

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