By taking cues from The Mandalorian, the upcoming Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series can save George Lucas’ oft-derided prequel trilogy once and for all. Though shows such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars have done an excellent job at humanizing and expanding the story of the prequel trilogy, they’ve fallen short at changing the minds of many people in the larger adult audience. Obi-Wan Kenobi may be able to finally grow public support for the prequel films using flashbacks and live-action debuts, as well as a darker tone.
Obi-Wan Kenobi has been perhaps the most anticipated upcoming Star Wars property since it was announced in 2019. Featuring Ewan McGregor’s return to the titular role in a story set in between the prequel films and the original trilogy, Obi-Wan Kenobi seems to be an encouraging blend of fan-favorite familiarity and – with Obi-Wan Kenobi likely leaving Tatooine – exciting new ground. By taking cues from The Mandalorian, however, Obi-Wan Kenobi can simultaneously build goodwill for the films that introduced viewers to McGregor’s Kenobi in the first place.
The Mandalorian has seen incredible success since its debut in 2019 by seamlessly combining the exploration of new concepts, callbacks to previous Star Wars characters and locations, and innovative use of flashbacks. The second season continued this trend, bringing beloved Star Wars: The Clone Wars characters into live-action, even setting up a standalone Ahsoka Tano show and a Mandalorian season three arc for Bo-Katan. As Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place right after the prequel era, it can easily follow this example.
Despite the fact flashback sequences aren’t a Star Wars hallmark, The Mandalorian has used them to great effect. While the show’s flashbacks were meant to flesh out the titular character’s backstory, they also did what George Lucas’ prequel films failed to do – establish the Separatist battle droids as a believable threat. In a few quick shots of a gunship flying overhead and super battle droids mowing down civilians, The Mandalorian made the danger of a battle droid army visceral and real. Obi-Wan Kenobi can take a similar approach by showing flashbacks of the Jedi struggling against an unfeeling, indefatigable enemy.
Another prime candidate for Mandalorian-style flashbacks is Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow has promised viewers will “see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again” in a rematch that will break a Star Wars record, but spending time with Hayden Christensen outside the suit would be a much better use of the character. As some of the biggest criticisms of the prequel trilogy have to do with the dialogue and acting (which Obi-Wan actor Ewan MacGregor admitted was a challenge), the upcoming Obi-Wan show has a unique opportunity to further flesh out the Obi-Wan/Anakin dynamic in live-action.
Finally, in much the same way as The Mandalorian introduced Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze to live-action, Obi-Wan Kenobi can bring prequel-era characters to live-action. These characters will no doubt be affected by the events of the prequel trilogy, and through them, audiences can feel more of the weight that Order 66 and the fall of the Republic would have had on prequel era characters. For instance, it’s possible The Clone Wars’ Captain Rex could appear. One of the best aspects of The Clone Wars was its humanization of the soldiers in the Republic’s clone army (who were largely nameless and faceless in Lucas’ trilogy), and to do the same in live-action would be beneficial both to Obi-Wan Kenobi and the prequel films.
While too much time spent on prequel-era subjects may come off as unnecessary fan service, a tasteful amount could give more depth to Kenobi as a character. Regardless, Obi-Wan Kenobi won’t premiere until 2022, so audiences have no choice but to wait to find out what will happen and which characters will appear. Hopefully Lucasfilm will take cues from the success of The Mandalorian, and can use Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s unique time period to help close the debate on George Lucas’ most controversial works.
Key Release Dates
Rogue Squadron
Release Date:2023-12-22
