This will be a day long remembered. After nearly two decades of waiting, Star Wars fans received their first look Ewan McGregor's return to the galaxy far, far away in the newly released Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer. Accompanied by voice-overs and epic renditions of themes from the prequel trilogy, the trailer established the darkness Obi-Wan finds himself surrounded by as he's pursued by the Empire's Inquisitors.
That's not all. This morning also saw the drop of a new Entertainment Weekly cover centered on the show, in addition to a handful of images that revealed Kenobi's living conditions on Tatooine and a new adversary, Reva. Also known as the Third Sister Inquisitor, this foe appears to be taking center stage as the hunt for Obi-Wan commences... until Darth Vader takes matters into his own hands.
While rumored and expected, the release of the trailer was still stunning and scratched the itch for millions of fans worldwide. The footage serves as a strong tease for the odds stacked against the Jedi Master - there's even a notable lack of Obi-Wan's lightsaber. But he's going to need it, especially if he's to defend the Skywalker twins and himself from the dark warriors seen in several of the stills released from the trailer.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Stills Focus on Inquisitors
Disney released six official stills from the new Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer. The images, as seen below, center around the Inquisitors and titular Jedi Master.
Obi-Wan watches over the young Luke Skywalker from afar:
Indira Varma's Imperial officer is on the prowl in the sands of Tatooine:
Several Inquisitors meet in their base, Fortress Inquisitorious:
The Grand Inquisitor threatens a civilian with his double-bladed lightsaber:
Reva, the Third Sister Inquisitor, scans the streets of Daiyu from a rooftop:
And from the surface, the Fifth Brother leads the hunt with a squad of stormtroopers:
He Cannot Help It
Obi-Wan Kenobi is in for an up-hill battle.
The Jedi in Star Wars Rebels had their hands full with just the Grand Inquisitor, followed by a few more after his defeat, and it took Maul's help to strike them down on Malachor. Kenobi is as capable a warrior as any, but he's been out of practice for some time, and seemingly every resource at the Empire's disposal is after him.
The shot of the Jedi Master watching over Luke Skywalker encapsulates the sadness that Ewan McGregor described for his character is perfect. He's a rat in the desert, as Maul said. There's little else for Obi-Wan to do in fulfilling his duty to protect the boy than ensure that he remains out of harm's way. In spite of the depressing circumstances, there's a beauty to the simplicity of Luke's adventurous spirit bringing small joy to Obi-Wan.
Indira Varma's officer is still without a name, but she must be of some importance if she was worthy of a shot in the trailer. Perhaps her character is the one responsible for identifying Kenobi's whereabouts on Tatooine? She certainly won't bring the physical prowess that many of the Jedi's other enemies will, but an intelligent mind is more than enough to pose a threat.
Of course, the prime feature from the trailer was the first live-action look at the Inquisitors. The Red Blades are seemingly everywhere, threatening to overwhelm and expose Obi-Wan at any moment. Rupert Friend's Grand Inquisitor provided a monologue during the trailer, and he looks as cruel as ever with his spinning lightsaber drawn (though the character has an oddly massive head for a Pau'an).
Sung Kang's Fifth Brother Inquisitor appears to be a seamless translation from the Rebels animation, providing a strong presence on Daiyu without uttering a word. Notably, there's a new, previously unseen Inquisitor in the conference room on Fortress Inquisitorious. The show will undoubtedly divulge more information about her, but for the moment that villain's identity is a mystery.
Reva is by far the most interesting bunch. There appears to be something personal in this hunt for her. It could purely be ambition, the drive to ascend to the top of the Inquisitorious and earn Darth Vader's favor. But it seems like there's something more, an unknown connection to Obi-Wan. She's clearly dangerous, has some sort of plan to capture him, and will stop at nothing to see the Jedi's demise.
Obi-Wan Kenobi debuts on Disney+ on May 25.
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