With Obi-Wan Kenobi finally streaming on Disney+, many fans were surprised to realize the titular Jedi Master (Ewan McGregor) spent ten years in exile unaware that Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) had survived and was terrorizing the galaxy. In a new interview with The Wrap, Obi-Wan Kenobi writer Joby Harold explains how the writers’ room decided to play with the shocking reveal.
According to Harold, the question about what Obi-Wan knew about the actions of the Empire rose as the series was still in early development. There was not an initial pitch to convince Disney to let Harold use Obi-Wan’s ignorance as a plot device, and the writer actually learned the truth about the Jedi Master long before the show gained shape. As Harold tells it:
“That was actually not something I pitched originally. That was something I discovered along the way, and sort of had to confirm with Pablo [Hidalgo] and really think, ‘Hold on a second, what does he actually know? Does he know the moniker Vader? What would that mean? Can he associate the two? What was he cognizant of? How isolated is he? Where’s Vader at that time? Where’s his reputation and how well known is he?’ and all those pieces of the puzzle.”
To figure out what exactly Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s writers could do with the series, Harold had to constantly consult with Pablo Hidalgo, an executive producer for the Star Wars universe who serves as the guardian of the canon. Hidalgo also has a credit as story consultant on Obi-Wan Kenobi, underlining just how important he is in keeping all the intertwined productions cohesive.
As Harold explains it, Star Wars‘ canon is much more consistent than other franchises, which sets clear boundaries about what writers can and cannot do when working on a new installment of the galactic franchise.In Harold’s words:
“The spectacular thing about ‘Star Wars’ versus some of the other big franchise-y IP stuff I’ve been lucky enough to work on is everything’s so buttoned up. In regards to canon and the things you can do and the things you can’t do, very, very quickly you find out what’s on the table and what isn’t. Everything’s an email or a phone call away. You sort of have a big idea and you say, ‘Hey, can I do this?’ And someone goes, ‘No’ and you go, ‘Okay fine’ (laughs). Or they say, ‘Yeah, you’re allowed to do that,’ and then we canoodle and see if it bears fruit. Pablo is this sort of mad genius, and he was incredibly helpful, and always available. And I’ll be forever grateful for his help because you can hunt any idea if he can say, ‘Yeah, if you want. You’re OK there.’”
Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi follows the titular Jedi Master as he struggles to keep hidden and protect a young Luke Skywalker from the Empire. The series explores how the Jedi’s fall and Order 66 broke the old Jedi Master, showing how Obi-Wan questions his faith in the Force. Obi-Wan will also be torn between training Luke to defend himself or making sure he keeps his Force sensitivity hidden from his father, Darth Vader. Finally, the series brings Christensen back to the role of the Sith Lord and shows the first live-action interaction between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader since the prequel trilogy. In the new show, Obi-Wan also has to deal with Inquisitors, Jedi hunters on the service of the Empire who track down survivors from Order 66. The series stars Moses Ingram as a force-sensitive Inquisitor named Reva who is tracking down Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the last great Jedi to evade the Empire.
In addition to McGregor and Christensen, Obi-Wan Kenobi brings back Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse, who played Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in the final act of Revenge of the Sith. The show’s cast also includes Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is directed by showrunner Deborah Chow, who made her Star Wars debut with Chapter 3 of The Mandalorian. The series was penned by Joby Harold. The limited series is executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, and Joby Harold.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi come exclusively to Disney+ every Wednesday.
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