The Obi-Wan Kenobi series starts with the Jedi at a "traumatic moment", reveals producer

Ewan McGregor in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Prepare for the return of the Jedi. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series will see Ewan McGregor once again playing the famous Jedi Knight. However, whereas Obi has classically been a relatively laid-back Master, the new show – which takes place on the Star Wars timeline between Episode III and IV – finds him in a perilous place as the Empire takes charge of the galaxy. 

Speaking to SFX Magazine for the new issue, featuring Stranger Things on the cover, the series' producer Michelle Rejwan teased how Obi-Wan's "quite lost".

"[We find him in] a pretty traumatic moment, where he’s lost so much, where he’s been hiding, where his apprentice and brother, Anakin, has gone to the Dark Side, and he’s been living with that for a decade," Rejwan says. "We’re really finding him in a place where he’s quite lost, and Ewan was a major part of that conversation."

The producer added that Darth Vader, who will once again be played by Hayden Christensen, was "always part of this story". 

"Because he and Anakin Skywalker are such important characters to Obi-Wan, in the shadow of the events of Revenge Of The Sith," Rejwan continues. "He’s living with how things were left with Anakin on Mustafar, leaving him to die in an incredibly tragic way, because he had no choice. He’s been living with quite a bit of guilt and reflection over this period."

You can check out the full interview with the Rejwan in the current issue of SFX Magazine, which features Stranger Things season 4 on the cover. 

The first two episodes of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series are available from May 27, with episodes following weekly on Wednesdays. For more from SFX, make sure to sign up to the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.

Richard is a freelancer journalist and editor, and was once a physicist. Rich is the former editor of SFX Magazine, but has since gone freelance, writing for websites and publications including GamesRadar+, SFX, Total Film, and more. He also co-hosts the podcast, Robby the Robot's Waiting, which is focused on sci-fi and fantasy. 

With contributions from