Star Wars fans are excitedly poring over newly released photos of the widely anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi series and are already seeing some familiar faces — as well as some sinister new ones. Although many of the pics merely confirm casting fans have been aware of for months, some reveal previously unknown elements of the miniseries and even include a look at Kenobi’s new nemesis.
Of course, the photos, just released by Entertainment Weekly for its final print edition, are liberal in featuring the title character, played once again by prequel portrayer Ewan McGregor. Still, the pics do have some new info for the always hungry Star Wars fandom. One appears to show Kenobi in his new digs on Tatooine, but they appear to be a far cry from his cozy dwelling we saw in A New Hope. Perhaps the ramshackle cave is meant to establish the tone for the six-episode story. “We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten, somewhat given up,” McGregor told EW.
Another photo shows Kenobi in a more urban environment, similar to the lower levels of Coruscant. EW has revealed the photo shows the character on a brand new planet in the Star Wars galaxy, Daiyu. Daiyu “has a Hong Kong feel to it,” series writer Joby Harold revealed, “it’s got a graffiti-ridden nightlife, and is kind of edgy. It’s just got a different lane and a different feeling.”
It’s been known for a while now that actor/director Joel Edgerton would be reprising his role as Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen, but the new photos do indeed show the character looking very much the same as he did in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Owen appears to be in an intense staredown with what is perhaps the biggest reveal of all, a new character, played by The Queen’s Gambit actor Moses Ingram.
Ingram features as series antagonist, Force-sensitive Inquisitor, Reva. Reva is seeking out the Jedi in hiding following Emperor Palpatine’s Order 66, which purged the Jedi and effectively began the Empire. The Inquisitors or The Inquisitorius were a special unit of Force-sensitive individuals working directly with Darth Vader to root out the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy. While not specifically Jedi or Sith, they do know how to wield the Force, and, yes, they do use lightsabers (red ones, of course). Harold and director Deborah Chow describe Reva as ruthlessly ambitious.
As to how the series will progress or if we’ll end up seeing a lightsaber duel between Kenobi and Reva, we’ll only know when the series makes its debut in a few months.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere on Disney+ on May 25, 2022, the 45th anniversary of the release of A New Hope.