“Star Wars” fans have been waiting nearly 17 years for Ewan McGregor to return to the franchise as Obi-Wan Kenobi, and that moment is just around the corner thanks to the eponymous Disney Plus series. The show doesn’t premiere until May 25, but Disney has debuted the first trailer for the series and it’s full of tantalizing clues and Easter eggs.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is Disney Plus’ third “Star Wars” series following “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett.” This new show comes from director Deborah Chow (who was behind the camera on a couple “Mandalorian” episodes) and writer Joby Harold. As every “Star Wars” fan knows, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will reunite McGregor and Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen after the duo were front and center in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.”
Watch the official “Obi-Wan Kenobi” trailer here, and scroll down the list below for the 11 biggest takeaways from the first footage.
Welcome Back to Tatooine
The opening shots of the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” trailer establish a setting familiar to all “Star Wars” fans: Tatooine. The series is set 10 years after the events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” which ended with Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader after Order 66 eliminates the majority of the Jedi around the galaxy. Obi-Wan (McGregor) lives a secret life in Tatooine watching over a young Luke Skywalker as the Empire seeks to wipe out the remaining Jedi.
Young Luke Skywalker
One of the buzziest moments of the trailer is this first look at a young Luke Skywalker playing in his home on Tatooine. Obi-Wan is watching over Luke and keeping him safe, as it’s likely the boy is Force-sensitive considering he is the son of Anakin. Similar to the Luke we meet in “A New Hope” as played by Mark Hamill, child Luke is living with his uncle Owen and aunt Beru.
Ewan McGregor Returns
Ewan McGregor has returned to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi 17 years after the character’s fiery showdown with Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.” The actor recently told Entertainment Weekly, “We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten, somewhat given up.” McGregor added last November in a Disney+ sizzle reel, “There’s a hunger for this character to come back. The fans have been waiting long enough, ya know?”
John Williams' 'Duel of the Fates' Is Back, Too
As Variety exclusively reported in February, original “Star Wars” composer John Williams is conducting the main theme for “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Perhaps the most awe-inspiring moment of this first trailer for “Star Wars” fans is when Williams’ operatic “Duel of the Fates” music plays over the opening studio titles and this menacing shot of an Empire fortress. “Duel of the Fates” is one of Williams’ most bombastic pieces of score music and is famously used during Obi-Wan and Anakin’s climactic “Revenge of the Sith” battle. Its use in the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” trailer points to a reunion of friend and foe in the new series.
Williams’ “Star Wars” scores are legendary. He won an Oscar for the original in 1977 and received nominations for five of the sequels (“The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” in 1980 and 1983, followed by “The Force Awakens,” “The Last Jedi” and “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2015, 2017 and 2019).
Moses Ingram Is Inquisitor Reva
“The Queen’s Gambit” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth” star Moses Ingram gets her most sizable role to date by playing Inquisitor Reva in “Obi Wan-Kenobi.” According to Entertainment Weekly, Inquisitor Reva is a “force-sensitive” henchman for the Grand Inquisitor, who “seeks out Jedi-in-hiding for the Empire.” Showrunner Deborah Chow and writer Joby Harold describe Reva as “ruthlessly ambitious.” Might Reva have a change of heart in her pursuit of Obi-Wan and join the good side? Casting Ingram opens up a ton of possibilities for the emotional depth of the character. Ingram told EW her character is “all heart.”
“They share a common dark-side goal,” Ingram added to EW about the show’s villains: Reva, the Grand Inquisitor and Darth Vader. “They’re on the same team.”
Joel Edgerton Returns as Uncle Owen
Joel Edgerton had brief appearances in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” as Luke Skywalker’s uncle Owen, and now the actor returns to the part in “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Expect Edgerton to have a more fleshed out and sizable role in the new Disney Plus series, as evidenced by several shots of his character being threatened along with the Tatooine community by Inquisitor Reva and the Empire.
While fans have known about Edgerton’s return, the actor has stayed silent on the series in interviews. As he told ComicBook last year, “I’m unable to discuss [the series] and potentially totally as in the dark as you are. We all know the universe of ‘Star Wars’ is on serious lockdown. … I think that whoever’s creating these things are creating them with the fans in mind, knowing that they hold the keys to that universe. To deviate too far from what you might expect could mean death by lightsaber and yet, to not introduce surprises within that mix is death to creativity.”
A New Planet Is Introduced
“Obi Wan-Kenobi” won’t be entirely set on Tatooine. The first trailer provides a first look at a new planet called Daiyu, which writer Joby Harold told Entertainment Weekly “sort of has a Hong Kong feel to it.” It’s got a graffiti-ridden nightlife, and is kind of edgy. It’s just got a different lane and a different feeling.” What brings Obi-Wan and other characters to Daiyu remains a mystery, but it appears there will be at least one action set piece involving Reva on the planet.
The Ensemble Cast
Most of the first trailer for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” is devoted to the tension building between Ewan McGregor’s Jedi and Moses Ingram’s villainous Inquisitor Reva, which means there’s an entire cast of new characters left to discover in the series. The trailer gives a brief first look at “Game of Thrones” actress Indira Varma as an Imperial officer. Further details on her character remain under wraps. Additional “Obi-Wan Kenobi” cast members with undisclosed roles include Kumail Nanjiani, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie, Maya Erskine and Rory Ross.
The Grand Inquisitor
Say hello to the Grand Inquisitor, one of the main villains of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” alongside Inquisitor Reva and Darth Vader. The character was first introduced in animated form in “Star Wars Rebels” and is the highest-ranking Inquisitor within the Galactic Empire. “Homeland” actor Rupert Friend stars as the Grand Inquisitor in the series. The character reports to Darth Vader, which is where Hayden Christensen’s return will most likely factor into the series.
An Older Obi-Wan
During McGregor’s appearances as Obi-Wan in George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, the character was often at the center of action sequences. However, Obi-Wan is largely an observer in this first trailer for the series. Viewers don’t get to see any big moments of Obi-Wan using his lightsaber or fighting Darth Vader — a scene that was teased last year in official concept art for the series. Obi-Wan watches Luke on Tatooine and sees something shady-seeming on Daiyu. It appears the series will track Obi-Wan as he goes from observer to fighter in this new battle against the Empire.
Where Are You, Darth Vader?
The most notable absence from the first “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series is Darth Vader, whose infamous breathing is only heard as the title card flashes on the screen. Hayden Christensen is confirmed to be returning to the role of Anakin, who is now the fully fledged and costumed Darth Vader.
“I think it’s no secret that Hayden Christensen comes back and we got to play scenes together again as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and it was just fantastic to work with him again,” McGregor told Forbes this year. “It was a great experience. Deborah Chow directed all the episodes and she’s really good. … She really knows the ‘Star Wars’ world, inside out, far more than I do. [Laughs] We just had a great time.”