Star Wars fans have waited for years to see a solo project centered around Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi. On May 27, those wishes will finally come true when the first two installments of a six-episode limited series titled Obi-Wan Kenobi are released. A teaser trailer for the show has already made itself known, and multiple images have also been revealed of McGregor as well as other characters such as Rupert Friend's Grand Inquisitor.
After the Skywalker Saga ended with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that the majority of future Star Wars projects would be in the form of Disney+ shows. To date, the most popular series on the platform is The Mandalorian, which debuted at the same time that Disney+ launched in 2019.
Many became instantly hooked when they saw the cliffhanger of the first episode - a life form of the same species as Yoda, but in baby form. Mando's bond with Baby Yoda quickly became the center of the entire series, and even though they were separated at the end of Season 2, they reunited in The Book of Boba Fett.
With Obi-Wan Kenobi just around the corner, more rumors and developments have begun to see the light of day. The latest bit of news has to do with a new character that will be present in the show - a sidekick that fans may fall in love with.
New Droid in Obi-Wan Kenobi
Warning - the remainder of this article contains potential spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Past rumors have stated that Princess Leia Organa will be an important character in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+. The reports say that Obi-Wan will be forced to leave Tatooine to rescue Leia as she is held prisoner on another planet.
According to Star Wars News Net, Leia will be 10 years old and will be accompanied by a small red and white droid when she appears in the series. The report says that the droid will often be seen flying over her head, is round-shaped, and looks like an alien saucer.
The rumor also states that this guardian drone was designed to specifically resonate with viewers in the same way as other small characters such as The Mandalorian's Baby Yoda and Jedi: Fallen Order's BD-1.
It is said that Leia's little sidekick was inspired by robots from the 1987 film Batteries Not Included. This movie was produced by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, and the droid in the upcoming show will likely serve as a nod to her work. Here is an image of a robot from Batteries Not Included:
The report didn't specify the capacity of the droid's role, how often it will appear in the show, or its potential name.
Sidekicks in Star Wars
A recurring element from every era of Star Wars are companions of all shapes and sizes. The most popular in today's fandom is definitely Baby Yoda, but a lot of other characters have fit the same role throughout the saga. In the prequel trilogy, R2-D2 was often seen by the side of Anakin Skywalker and even helped him get out of trouble on more than one occasion. R2 was present in the original trilogy as well but accompanied Luke Skywalker instead of Anakin.
In the early stages of Jedi: Fallen Order's story, the main protagonist, Cal Kestis, befriends a small droid of his own known as BD-1. Just like R2, BD aids Cal when he gets into sticky situations, and is by his side as a friend throughout the rest of his journey. The sequel trilogy introduced three new characters that took on the role of the cute sidekick. BB-8 debuted in The Force Awakens, and then D-0 and Babu Frik joined the Resistance in The Rise of Skywalker.
Hearing that Leia could possibly have a small droid of her own is not surprising considering she is only 10 years old and on another planet by herself. However, the reports suggest that other characters had better be on the lookout because this droid may be small in stature and harmless to the eyes, but it has one task - protecting the Princess of Alderaan.
