Obi-Wan Kenobi: what do Star Wars fans want to see?

We’re just days away from the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and excitement is reaching fever pitch.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is the latest Star Wars series to come to Disney Plus is bringing back Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to tell a new story set a decade after Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker’s epic lightsaber duel in Revenge of the Sith.

Although The Book of Boba Fett (the most recent Star Wars outing) was somewhat divisive— it currently sits at a rating of just 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, far lower than The Mandalorian’s 93% rating for both seasons— the hype couldn't be much bigger.

We’ve scoured social media and spoken to Star Wars fans to see what they hope to see cropping up in the new series when it launches on Friday, May 27. 

Could Qui-Gon Jinn return? 

A possible cameo from Liam Neeson’s Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, is one of the most common Obi-Wan Kenobi theories. There's just one problem with this theory: Qui-Gon Jinn was killed by Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. But other Jedi have managed to master the secret of communicating with the living.

Luke Bligh, co-host of the Star Wars Sessions podcast, said: “I’d really love to see Liam Neeson return as ‘Force Ghost’ Qui-Gon Jinn, guiding Obi-Wan Kenobi during these dark times… maybe he’d appear in Kenobi’s darkest moment to help him see his purpose in life: to look after a young Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker… The New Hope.”

There’s certainly precedent for this; Yoda even told Obi-Wan at the end of Revenge of the Sith that he would teach him how to communicate with his fallen Master, so we know he at least tried to reach out to Qui-Gon.

Liam Neeson effectively ruled out an Obi-Wan Kenobi appearance earlier this year when he told ComicBook.com he would be open to playing Qui-Gon once again “if it was a film”... but maybe he was just trying to throw us off the scent.

Will Satine Kryze make her live-action debut? 

Film journalist Jordan King told us that one of the things he'd "love Obi-Wan’s relationship with Satine to be dug into more deeply here as he lives with her loss.” 

For those who don’t recognize the name, Duchess Satine Kryze was a character introduced in The Clone Wars. Initially, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were assigned to protect her from bounty hunters, but over time, Obi-Wan and Satine formed a very close bond which could have led Obi-Wan to turn his back on the Jedi Order.

We’ve not seen the live-action Obi-Wan Kenobi acknowledge his relationship with Satine before... but that could be set to change. Ahead of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s release, Disney dropped a guide to the recommended shows and movies that you’d need to watch to get up to speed. 

Part of that selection includes episodes from The Clone Wars animated series and lots of Star Wars fans were quick to point out that some of these are from the Satine arc. 

Whilst it’s possible that Disney was simply looking for the canon episodes where Obi-Wan features most prominently to help promote the series, it’s still an exciting possibility and other fans are keen to see this too.

Is Princess Leia going to play a major part in the show?

Matt Hudson, Star Wars Sessions’ other co-host, pointed to another “extremely intriguing” theory about Obi-Wan’s off-world exploits, saying: “The theory that Kenobi is off-planet rescuing Leia is extremely intriguing; it would seem the only logical reason why he would leave Luke and Tatooine”.

According to plot leaks reported on multiple sites including StarWarsNewsNet and Making Star Wars, Leia’s rescue is thought to be one of the major plot points in the new series. She was bundled off to Alderaan under the care of Senator Bail Organa and his wife at the end of Revenge of the Sith, but perhaps the Empire learned where she was hidden.

As Matt suggested, Obi-Wan would need a pretty good reason to leave Tatooine (and Luke) behind. Perhaps some of the Inquisitors will be sent after Leia, and he'll have to save her?

Obi-Wan and Anakin’s reunion is going to be a very emotional moment 

The biggest selling point for Obi-Wan Kenobi has to be the “rematch of the century” that Anakin and Obi-Wan are going to have at some point in the show.  

Jordan King explained that his biggest wish for the series was to see the two together again, stating: “I want to feel that conflict between the man and the machine, and the push and pull of the former master and apprentice, brother and brother, between their resentment for one another and undeniable residual affection for the bond they once shared.”

Likewise, Matt Hudson commented: “I’m expecting an emotional adventure. Growing up with the Prequel Trilogy, these characters mean a lot, and to see Ewan and Hayden together again, who would've thought?! That in itself is a reason to celebrate.”

Showrunner Deborah Chow has confirmed that Obi-Wan does not yet know that Anakin survived their encounter on Mustafar and is no doubt going to struggle with Anakin's full transformation into Darth. So, the moment they do cross lightsabers likely going to be even more highly charged than the climax of Revenge of the Sith. 

Obi-Wan will win his duel with Anakin

When we got our first look at Hayden Christensen in costume as Darth Vader, he told EW “we’re going to see a very powerful Vader” in the show. However, Deborah Chow has stated that this version is “a Vader that isn’t quite as fully formed as A New Hope” (via EW). With that in mind, it’s quite difficult to predict who will come out on top when they face off again.

However, some fans are already convinced that Obi-Wan’s going to best the legendary villain for a second time. In the Reddit thread r/starwarsspeculation, user TheMediocreCritic explained how they believed that Darth Vader, despite his power, will be “angry, overcome by rage, and without focus” when he battles his former Master. Their anticipated rematch will then be a sort of turning point for Vader, forcing him to get a tiger grip on his emotions and help transform him into the more contained, terrifying villain of the original trilogy. 

Elsewhere, another user went even further than that, writing: “I’m not even certain Vader could have beaten Obi-Wan in A New hope if Obi-Wan didn’t stop fighting.” 

Regardless of the exact reason, there are certainly plenty of fans who believe that Darth might meet his match a second time when the series arrives.

Whether any of these theories actually come true remains to be seen, and there's always the danger of building up false hopes ahead of a new release beyond what's in store. Whatever happens, though, one thing is clear; the fans we spoke to are confident that the Kenobi team will deliver.

As Luke Bligh put it: "There's always some optimistic anxiety with a Star Wars release! We just hope it lives up to the hype - which there is A LOT for Kenobi. Let's just say: "I have a good feeling about this". 

Obi-Wan Kenobi hits Disney Plus on Friday, May 27 with a two-episode premiere.