Yesterday saw the release of a brand-new Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer at Disney Investors Day, and with the video quickly racking up over 7 million views in its first 24 hours, there is a lot of attention on the return of Ewan McGregor’s returning Jedi master, which arrived on Disney+ on May 24. Despite being absent from the trailer, Hayden Christensen will also be making his Star Wars comeback in the series, and an exclusive first look image has been released via Entertainment Weekly showing the Sith Lord at the height of his formidable powers.
Christensen and McGregor last appeared in the Star Wars franchise almost 20 years ago, in the final movie of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of The Sith. Their climactic battle led to Anakin Skywalker being transferred into the iconic suit of Darth Vader, and it is in this guise he is seen in the new image. There have been several reports that three actors play the role of Vader in the series, so it is unlikely that Christensen is inside the suit in the new image, but once the mask is on, the face underneath becomes irrelevant.
Courtesy of LucasFilm via Entertainment Weekly
Standing in his meditation chamber, the figure of Darth Vader is as imposing and menacing now as he was when first introduced in 1977. While there is not too much known about the series plot when it comes to Vader’s involvement, another epic battle between Jedi master Kenobi and his former protégé will feature in what has been dubbed as the “rematch of the century” by Star Wars president Kathleen Kennedy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Will Face A “Very Powerful Vader,” Says Hayden Christensen
It has been a long journey to get McGregor and Christensen back in their Star Wars roles, and many fans had given up hope of it ever happening. Now that it is, the question is how will the series bridge the gap between Revenge of The Sith and A New Hope? When asked what the series version of Vader will be like, Christensen simple said, “We’re going to see a very powerful Vader.”
On the subject of whether Vader will be seen for only the second time fully without his helmet in the Star Wars series, Christensen wasn’t quite so forthcoming. He said, “I wish I could tell you. I’m sworn to secrecy.” There have been rumors that Christensen only spent a short time on the set of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and was mostly there for shots that physically required him to be seen on screen, while other shots during fight scenes and other scenes when Vader is fully suited up used alternative actors. If this is correct, then it is expected that we will see the face of Anakin Skywalker once more, either as Vader or in flashback sequences.
While the series is definitely focused on McGregor’s Kenobi, writer Joby Harold told Entertainment Weekly that Vader was always there, and it is just a question of how close he comes to the story. “His shadow is cast across so much of what we do,” Harold said. “And the degree of his proximity to that shadow is something that we’ll discover. But he is very much a part of the show emotionally for Obi-Wan, and possibly beyond that as well.”
With the series still over two months away, Disney is already ramping up the hype for the series, and by the time it arrives on May 25th, exactly 45 years since the release of Star Wars, we will get to see the two cinematic icons dueling it out once more on screen.
