Star Wars fans will soon revisit the galaxy far, far away for a highly-anticipated adventure in Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. Currently billed as a six-episode limited series, Obi-Wan Kenobi will highlight the former Jedi Master's time in exile on Tatooine as the gaps between Episode III and Episode IV fill in for the classic hero’s story.
The first look at Obi-Wan Kenobi finally debuted to the public a few weeks ago, giving a thrilling look at McGregor’s grizzled hero and some of the powerful Force-using villains against which he will do battle. Fans also learned that the series would premiere on May 25, which just so happens to be the 45-year anniversary of Episode IV’s 1977 theatrical debut.
While fans are certainly thrilled to see Obi-Wan’s return after a 17-year absence, the show’s release schedule is causing some conflict with Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel, which is set to begin streaming on June 8. This would mean that the first four episodes of Iman Vellani’s MCU debut would premiere on the same date as the last four from Obi-Wan Kenobi, potentially leading to diminished viewing numbers for both projects.
Well now, Star Wars has shared a fix to that potential conflict…but only sort of.
Ewan McGregor Announces Change for Obi-Wan
Star Wars shared a video on Twitter featuring Ewan McGregor, who offered an update about changes to Obi-Wan Kenobi's Disney+ release.
McGregor revealed that the series is now set to premiere on Friday, May 27, slightly delaying the debut date from Wednesday, May 25. After this, the series will return to releasing episodes on Wednesdays. Additionally, May 27 will see the release of the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, meaning the series is set to conclude on June 22.
McGregor's full announcement can be read below:
"Hello Star Wars fans. Thank you for all your incredible support and response to Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have some important news. Our premiere date is moving just a couple of days from Wednesday to Friday May the 27th. But here’s the exciting part: the first two episodes will premiere together. So make sure you tune in to both episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, streaming Friday, May the 27th, exclusively on Disney+."
The full video can be seen below:
How Will Change Affect Obi-Wan's Debut?
While this release date change for Obi-Wan Kenobi is only a couple of days, it causes a ripple effect that can't be taken lightly for multiple fandoms.
On one hand, the show now premieres one day after the Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim, CA, providing a hub for visitors to geek out over the show over its first weekend on Disney+. This will be an even bigger moment now with two of its six episodes having premiered, giving that much more for fans and cosplayers alike to discuss.
However, May 27 will also be the day that Stranger Things, one of the most popular streaming shows on Netflix, comes back for its fourth season after a two-year hiatus. This could make for a difficult decision on the part of many fans, as the entire Stranger Things season releases that day, on top of two entries for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
On Disney's side of the equation, this alleviates some of the stress from premiering side-by-side with Ms. Marvel, which will only have three episodes overlapping with Obi-Wan instead of four. There could be more changes over the next couple of months to lessen that conflict further, but for now, half of each series will get its own shine.
While the reasoning behind the decision is unknown, fans certainly have a lot to look forward to ahead of summer 2022.
The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi will now premiere on Disney+ on May 27.
