Star Wars scribe Joby Harold digs into why Obi-Wan Kenobi is the most important character in the galaxy.
I think at the beginning, you feel the intimidation, for sure.
Youre lying if you say you dont, Harold tells Den of Geek over Zoom.
You feel the weight of that.
Obi-Wan Kenobiwill premiere at an interesting time for the franchise.
How did the man on Mustafar end up at peace?
That felt like a story.
In other words, every generation ofStar Warsfandom is a Kenobi generation.
On the other hand, almost every youngStar Warsfan has enjoyed a brand-new onscreen adventure starring Obi-Wan.
Why doesStar Warsalways go back to Obi-Wan and not Luke, Darth Vader, Leia, or Boba Fett?
What makes Obi-Wan so much more important?
Obi-Wan was the soul of [the Original Trilogy.]
It was through Obi-Wans eyes, through his words, that we all came to understand that bigger world.
Because of that, hes always been, to me, the character that was the most compelling.
As much as it was the Skywalker story, Obi-Wan was the entry point.
The same is true of Prequel Obi-Wan.
You could easily end up repeating yourself.
Harold agrees: It has to be its own story.
Fortunately,Obi-Wan Kenobibrings plenty of new elements to the table.
Gone are the Republic and the Separatists of the Prequels, replaced by an Empire on the rise.
The Jedi no longer command armies but are hunted down by them.
Obi-Wan himself is in a very different place emotionally than where fans left him in 2005.
Unsurprisingly, this Obi-Wan feels completely defeated and like his heroic Jedi days are over.
Part of the joy of this was, weve all imagined where Obi-Wan was.
But in 2022, the Prequel Trilogy is enjoying a well-deserved re-examination.
Even Ahmed Bests divisive Jar Jar Binks gets standing ovations at Star Wars Celebration now.
This year, hell do it again for a third.
As far as legacy characters go, hes the biggest, Harold says.
Youre entering everything that George built, to me, because Obi-Wan is the custodian of that.
Hes the guy who says, Come with me.
The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere on May 27 on Disney+.
