Darth Vader Images From ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Series
The much anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi series was first announced in December last year with exciting casting details including none other than Hayden Christensen who will be reprising his role as Darth Vader. The last time we saw Christensen in the Star Wars universe was in the tragic ending of the prequels in Revenge of the Sith. It is most exciting to see him return in his iconic role where he will be having the “rematch of the century” with his former master, mentor, and friend Obi-Wan Kenobi.
While one could only speculate how Christensen's role would play out in the series, new concept art have been leaked recently, revealing most intriguing details, and possible connections to main themes and storylines in the series. With that in mind, please proceed with caution as there are POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD.
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Courtesy of Star Wars News Net, fans are treated with never before seen concept art. They appear to be specifically made for Obi-Wan Kenobi. All three pictures point toward a single direction: the appearance of a battle-damaged Vader without his iconic black-clad suit. The last time viewers had a brief glimpse of helmet-less Vader was in the meditation chamber scene in Empire Strikes Back, and again in his final scene on the Second Death Star in Return of the Jedi.
The first picture resembles a chilling image of the practically handicapped Darth Vader, which could potentially manifest in a scene of him being taken care of by medical droids and equipment while his suit is under maintenance. After his defeat by Obi-Wan on Mustafar, such a scene reveals his vulnerabilities under the dark menacing suit. Without his suit, he is nothing but a near dead being. The suit contains all his life support systems, such as the breathing mask in the third picture. It also represents the shackles binding him to his sinister master's will. This is underscored by his apparent dark red eye sockets and yellow eyes in the image, echoing his tragic fall to the Dark Side in contrast with the bright-eyed innocent boy from Tatooine.
The appearance of a bacta tank in the second picture further expand the audience's understanding of Vader's life beyond his suit. His life now appears to revolve around periodic use of the bacta tank. Bacta tanks are widely used in the Star Wars universe as a medical pod for healing a myriad of conditions including major injuries. The image of Vader in a bacta tank is nothing new. There was a scene depicting Vader in a bacta tank in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story when Director Krennic visited his fortress on the fiery Mustafar.
With the return of Hayden Christensen as one of the core cast members of the series, one could hope for longer drawn out scenes with Vader revealing at least part of his face as opposed to a brief cameo. We may potentially even see a duel with Obi-Wan while he is unmasked, forcing the former master to confront his fallen apprentice eye-to-eye. This would echo the memorable fight scene between Darth Vader and Ahsoka Tano on Malachor in Star Wars: Rebels animated series. Ahsoka slashed open the mask, allowing the former Padawan a glimpse of Anakin Skywalker before the rage of the Dark Side of the Force reflected in his eyes, and the fight ensued. On the other hand, many have brought up that Christensen could be playing pre-Mustafar Anakin Skywalker in flashback scenes. One could only hope for a substantial amount of screen time of Christensen in Vader suit.
Filming for Obi-Wan Kenobi has reportedly finished, and the series is scheduled for release some time in 2022.
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Source(s): Star Wars News Net