Breakdown Of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Sizzle Reel
Well, Star Wars fans, as reported previously, the official teaser trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi has been dropped and it is magical. Fans and I have been waiting on this moment for a long time now, and this clip gives us a taste of what we can expect from the new show, with commentary from the man himself – Ewan McGregor. Try not to cry with emotion or excitement, I couldn’t.
Now that it’s out, we are going to break the trailer down and look at some of the interesting things we can see from it.
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Immediately, the trailer shows us Kenobi in his final scene from Revenge of the Sith, where he has just handed Luke over to Owen and Beru Lars, with McGregor saying:
“There’s a hunger for this character to come back...the fans have waited long enough, you know.”
McGregor is fully aware that this is not just a simple case of reprising a character, but a momentous moment for Star Wars fans to see a continuation of one of the most popular characters from the entire franchise. He has proven time and time again that he knows the importance of this, which is one of many reasons why fans are so excited. They know that the expectation is high.
While plot details have remained pretty scarce, we know the story is going to take place years after the prequel trilogy, but still some time before the original trilogy. Kenobi exiles himself on Tatooine at the end of Revenge of the Sith in order to keep an eye on Luke Skywalker and protect him. This is where we also meet him for the first time in A New Hope, so it is a safe bet that most of the action will take place on the desert planet.
The teaser then goes on to show what appears to be concept art images, featuring a much older looking McGregor/Kenobi and images of a new starship. One of the images which caught my eye, is one showing a bunch of stormtroopers standing in a great hall very reminiscent of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Given that in the comic world Palpatine turns the Jedi Temple into his own palace, could this image be teasing this?
During the montage of artwork, series director Deborah Chow shares her thoughts on the series:
“Something that’s extremely exciting is the return of, obviously, Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is quite a dark time that we’re coming into with him, just being a Jedi, it’s not safe. There’s Jedi hunters out there.”
This could serve as a hint at some parts of the plot. The series is set during a time where any remaining Jedi are being hunted down by Darth Vader (and potentially his Inquisitors), so this could be the driving factor for any conflicts Kenobi will face in the show.
McGregor comments on the fact Kenobi has this one task left to him, which is to protect Luke. Chow then states that this is their starting point for the show and that the interesting thing will be seeing where it goes from there.
The screen then fades to black and one of the most instantly recognizable sounds in all of film history is heard – the iconic breathing of Darth Vader.
It was announced a few months back that Hayden Christensen would be reprising the role of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader alongside his old master, and it sent fans wild. Many are still unsure as to just how this will work, considering at this point in the timeline, Vader is completely dependent on his suit. It has been confirmed that we will see his face so it is possible that we may get some flashbacks from Kenobi’s or Vader’s perspective as well.
McGregor shares his thoughts on Christensen’s return saying:
“The most beautiful thing of all, is that it’s brought me back together with Hayden.”
Christensen received quite a lot of backlash for his portrayal of a younger version of one of cinema’s greatest villains, but his relationship with his master was definitely one of the better aspects of the prequel trilogy. You actually felt the bond between the actors. This is, in my opinion anyway, what made the final fight between the two in Revenge of the Sith even more emotional and heart-breaking.
Chow goes on to explain the decision to bring Hayden back:
“We couldn’t tell the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi without addressing Anakin or Vader.”
While some fans have shown some contention at the choice to bring Vader back, specifically citing it affects the dialogue between the two characters in A New Hope, it does make complete sense from a story-telling perspective. The character of Kenobi is naturally going to be haunted by what took place on Mustafar and feel a massive amount of guilt for Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side, so it does have to be addressed in some way.
It has been confirmed the two will face each other again in another epic battle and the released concept art (see title image) makes it look like it will be something spectacular.
The remaining seconds of the teaser trailer gives us a glimpse at McGregor’s training for the role, hinting at a lot of saber fights, and numerous images of both Kenobi and Vader flash across the screen hyping this new face-to-face to the max. Another very interesting image shows Vader sitting in front of a hologram in what appears to be his castle on Mustafar.
Despite only being 1 minute and 13 seconds long, the teaser trailer has done its job perfectly. We now have an idea as to what Obi-Wan Kenobi will look like with concept art hinting at some major plot points and settings for the show.
All we must do now is wait for an official trailer and the show’s release. One thing is for sure now, if fans were excited before, this trailer has just blown it right up. If you have not seen yet or just want to watch it again, check it out on Disney+. We challenge you not to feel the emotion we did.
Until next time!