This article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 2
The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are here (a few hours ahead of schedule!), providing the equivalent of a new movies’ worth of Star Wars action, taking us from the familiar dunes and canyons of Tatooine to the new Shinjuku-inspired city planet of Daiyu.
It’s in these steamy, grimy and Blade Runner-esque streets that we meet Haja, as played by Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani. Yup, fresh from his role as Kingo in the MCU, he’s made the leap to a galaxy, far, far away to make an instant impact as one of the most fun new characters in the show so far. With the Jedi now practically exterminated, Haja saw an opening and decided to pose as one, mimicking Force abilities with magnets and fake ‘mind tricks’.
We don’t have official confirmation how many episodes Nanjiani will appear in, though IMDb lists him as being in five of the six installments. If he’s a recurring character fans will be very pleased, as his debut is going down extremely well online.
Nanjiani himself hyped up his appearance:
Some are demanding Haja get his own fake Jedi spinoff:
Others are happy that Star Wars bringing in fun actors like this means they can get merch of them:
It’s currently unclear as to whether Haja was sincere about wanting to help Obi-Wan and Leia escape when his primary motivation appeared to be credits, though his admiration for a real Jedi didn’t seem like an act. But they didn’t have much of a choice but to accept his offer and, whatever else happens, his cargo ship did indeed save the pair from the Imperial Inquisitors.
We suspect Haja’s story isn’t over, so here’s hoping we see more of Nanjiani in Obi-Wan Kenobi, next week on Disney Plus.