The First “Obi-Wan Kenobi” Trailer is Straight-Up Thrilling
A distant figure approaches across the sands of Tatooine while the opening notes of a score that can only be from Star Wars introduce us, at long last, to our first look at Disney+’s upcoming series Obi-Wan Kenobi. That figure is, of course, Ewan McGregor’s Jedi master, who informs us at the top of the first official teaser trailer that “the fight is done…we lost.” Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place ten years after the events in George Lucas’s Revenge of the Sith, which finished Annakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen)’s descent from promising young Jedi into Darth Vader. In Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi was forced to fight, and maim, his former protegé. He never quite got over it.
Now, Obi-Wan has gone into hiding, while a young Darth Vader, at the behest of his master, Emperor Palpatine, begins his long, brutal quest at hunting down the last of Jedi and finishing them off once and for all. Bear in mind that in Revenge of the Sith, Annakin Skywalker murdered a room full of young Padawan warriors (Jedis-in-training for you not up to speed on your Star Wars lingo), and with so many of the Jedi dead or scattered to the galactic winds, Obi-Wan Kenobi is first on Darth Vader’s extermination list.
Newcomer Moses Ingram, a breakout star from Netflix’s Queen’s Gambit, plays a new villain in the series, a force-sensitive Inquisitor named Reva. “The Jedi cannot help what they are,” we’re informed in the trailer, “their compassion leaves a trail.” It’s a trail that Obi-Wan will no doubt leave, and one that Reva will follow to the ends of the galaxy.
This trailer is, in short, thrilling. Between the first-rate special effects to the return of McGregor in a role he was born to play, as well seeing Christensen finally get a chance to play Vader, rather than the striving, petulant Annakin, all equates to a series that looks incredibly promising. It’s also exciting to see the extremely talented Ingram in a meaty, mysterious role, as well as the always-excellent Joel Edgerton as Uncle Owen, a minor character in the Star Wars canon who will have a much larger part to play here.
Check out the trailer below. Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives on Disney+ on May 25, exactly 45-years to the day that the original Star Wars appeared in theaters.
Here’s the official synopsis from Disney+:
The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
The series also marks the return of Hayden Christensen in the role of Darth Vader. Joining the cast are Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor and Joby Harold.
For more on all things Star Wars on Disney+, check out these stories:
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Legendary “Star Wars” Composer John Williams Wrote the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” Theme Song
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” Series Reveals Poster, Cast & Release Date
C-3P0 Actor Anthony Daniels Teases Fussy But Heroic Droid’s Return to “Star Wars”
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Featured image: Ewan McGregor in “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Courtesy Disney+.
