Obi-Wan Kenobi will soon release on Disney+, and the anticipation from the Star Wars fanbase couldn't be any higher. From director Deborah Chow, who previously worked on The Mandalorian, the six-episode limited series is set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and will follow Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi as he watches over a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine.
Star Wars: Rebels and Rogue One began bridging the 19-year gap between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. Obi-Wan Kenobi will have its own story to tell within that time period, meaning that there will likely be some appearances from familiar characters. Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader is confirmed to be returning as a major player, as well as some of the Inquisitors from Rebels.
Rupert Friend, who will be portraying the Grand Inquisitor, recently teased that there would be "wonderful cameos" throughout the show's six episodes. Many fans have theorized that Liam Neeson could possibly be one of these characters to make a return to the galaxy far, far away, but comments from the actor specify that he would only like to appear in a film.
The actors have been fairly tight-lipped about the series as a whole, and so has Chow. However, recent comments from the director support the idea that there will be multiple familiar faces throughout the series.
Returning Characters in Obi-Wan Kenobi
In an interview with Total Film, via GamesRadar, Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow sat down to discuss the series and even teased that there will be multiple characters returning that Star Wars fans are familiar with.
Chow revealed that there are definitely "some surprises" when it comes to who will show up in the series, saying that she had to think about "who is important in Obi Wan's life:"
"Obi-Wan’s going on a journey. There’s going to be different people that come into his life. One of the things I was trying to do with this series was to have the legacy, and who is important in Obi-Wan’s life, and to also have some new characters. So it’s going to be a mixture of the two. But I do think there are some surprises to come. I hope."
There has been a debate among the fandom about whether the series will span multiple seasons or if it will just be a limited six-episode series. Chow stated that Obi-Wan Kenobi was created with "a beginning, middle, and end" in mind but also left open the possibility "that there can be more stories" to tell from "all over the timeline:"
"We really did conceive this like a beginning, middle, and end. It is one big story, and it was always meant to be. You can never tell what happens in the future. But, if another series were to happen, it would be the same process of making sure that there was a real story to tell. Ours is obviously very connected to the prequels, but I love the idea that there can be more stories that are all over the timeline."
Who Will Appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Director Deborah Chow stated that she was able to bring in characters that are "important in Obi-Wan's life." Throughout the prequel trilogy, there are a number of people with whom the character is acquainted but only a handful that would fit the description of "important."
Obviously, the first to come to mind is Obi-Wan's master and mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn. Liam Neeson blatantly stated that appearing in a TV series would not interest him, but as actors often do, this could simply be a tactic to throw the spotlight elsewhere so nothing gets leaked. It is important to remember one of the final scenes from Revenge of the Sith when Yoda tells Obi-Wan that he will teach him how to communicate with Qui-Gon's Force ghost.
That scene would be a perfect explanation for how Qui-Gon could show up, and after everything Obi-Wan endured in the third prequel film, it would make sense for him to seek out his master's guidance.
Another character that was definitely important to Obi-Wan was his love interest, Satine Kryze. Satine was the Duchess of Mandalore in The Clone Wars, and even though she perished in Obi-Wan's arms during Season 5 of that show, it wouldn't be a surprise if the two appear in flashbacks together as Obi-Wan reminisces about life "before the dark times."
Jimmy Smits' Bail Organa is another character that could be classified as close to Obi-Wan. While the pair didn't spend a significant amount of time together during the prequels, Obi-Wan did entrust Bail with raising Leia, and reports have already stated that both of those characters are likely to appear at some point in the series.
The final character that could show up in Obi-Wan Kenobi is Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka. Making her live-action debut in The Mandalorian and then having her story continued in The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka has been a popular character in the Star Wars universe as of late. It is entirely possible that she kept in contact with Obi-Wan after the events of Order 66, and it would also not be a surprise if she showed up in flashbacks as well, just like Satine.
Whatever the case may be, Chow has at least addressed the possibility of multiple familiar characters appearing in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Fans won't have to wait much longer to see if their theories are right, as the series is just around the corner.
Obi-Wan Kenobi's first two episodes will premiere on Disney+ on Friday, May 27.
