Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen Surprise in Star Wars Celebration Video: "Hello There!"

By Cameron Bonomolo

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It's a reunion nearly two decades in the making. Seventeen years after the lightsabers of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker clashed in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are back together in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. The limited series, streaming Friday on Disney+, touts the rematch of the century between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, meeting a decade after the events of Sith. On Thursday, it was the reunion of the century when McGregor and Christensen stepped out on stage together at Star Wars Celebration 2022.

"Hello there," McGregor said during Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase panel, reciting the iconic line made famous by his Obi-Wan of the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Alec Guinness before him. Added Christensen, suiting up as Vader for the first time since 2005, "We are back." 

Obi-Wan Kenobi begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Revenge of the Sith, where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat: the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

"The thing that was most exciting was being on the set and watching the two of them get excited," Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy previously told Empire about McGregor and Christensen's on-screen reunion in Obi-Wan. "They hadn't seen one another in a long time. I was surprised at just how incredibly emotional it was for each of them to find themselves back in these roles, and just realizing how important Star Wars was to each of them. It was the beginning of their careers."

McGregor and Christensen starred together in 2002's Episode II – Attack of the Clones before Obi-Wan and Anakin's fiery falling out in 2005's Revenge of the Sith, the conclusion of creator George Lucas' Star Wars prequels trilogy. Interviewed by EW, McGregor said it was "spine-tingling" seeing Christensen wearing the armor of the Dark Lord Darth Vader on the set of Obi-Wan. 

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"It was just amazing to see Hayden, full stop," McGregor said. "I'm so close with him, we've stayed in touch over the years, but we haven't seen each other for a long time ... We had this long catchup. It was so lovely."

He continued, "It just had been years since we actually saw each other. Not for any reason other than just locations ... but I love him so much. We have a very special bond of making two of those first three films together." 

Starring Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Benny Safdie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is streaming May 27 on Disney+.

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