Fans likely want to revisit key moments from the Star Wars saga before Obi-Wan Kenobi begins, but they'll also want to check out other movies and TV shows outside the franchise. The trailers make clear the series will hit on classic touchpoints from a galaxy far, far away, but unexpected sources like Logan and Joker serve as a template for how to consider the series, according to director Deborah Chow.
The series also represents the first time Star Wars fans are meeting young and talented actors like Moses Ingram, making her turn in The Queen's Gambit essential viewing before the show starts. Obi-Wan Kenobi also affords a chance to revisit the outstanding acting from returning leads Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen both in and out of the Skywalker Saga.
Joker likely wins the trophy for movies most Star Wars fans would never think of in connection to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Chow referenced the 2019 movie starring Joaquin Phoenix in an interview where she specifically cited it being a character showcase for a franchise icon, making it an intriguing movie to watch before the series.
Star Wars focuses on plot and action more than anything else, meaning the new series presents the first true opportunity for anything approaching a character study in the franchise.
Star Wars: Rebels
Star Wars: Rebels takes place just prior to the original trilogy, and the animated series emerges as a must-watch before Obi-Wan Kenobi for several reasons. The Inquisitors make their debut here, including characters who will appear in the live-action show.
Star Wars fans know the Inquisitors hunt Jedi across the galaxy and their targets include Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. The latter encounters an older Obi-Wan in a classic moment that brings full circle his relationship with Darth Maul.
The Queen's Gambit
Moses Ingram plays Reva, the Third Sister pursuing Obi-Wan, who factors heavily in the trailers for the upcoming series. She promises to be a fantastic addition to Star Wars, as her turn as Jolene in The Queen's Gambit revealed.
Jolene befriends Beth in The Queen's Gambit, one of the most popular Netflix original series based on books, during their childhood in an orphanage. Ingram displays determination as Jolene, something Reva seems to have in common.
Attack Of The Clones
Many fans likely recognized Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in the trailer for the series. Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse return as Luke Skywalker's adoptive family, making their debuts in the roles in Attack of the Clones worth watching before the show.
Owen and Beru play a small role in the saga but a key one. The upcoming series hints at conflict between Obi-Wan and Owen, developing a relationship the prequel trilogy never explored in any detail, but books and comics did outside canon.
Shattered Glass
Hayden Christensen recently spoke about his appreciation for fans' admiration for the prequel trilogy, after years of negativity surrounding the movies and his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker. Shattered Glass proves Christensen's acting skills were never the issue.
This 2003 movie showed Christensen's range as disgraced journalist Stephen Glass, who fabricated many of his articles for The New Republic in the 1990s. Obi-Wan Kenobi offers a chance for Christensen to show how good of an actor he is in his most iconic role.
Clone Wars
The best episodes of the Clone Wars animated series explored the relationship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in a way the movies never could. With time and space to dig deep, the series contributed hours of essential viewing ahead of the new show.
The fact that Christensen returns to Darth Vader when any actor could play the Sith Lord for Obi-Wan Kenobi suggests flashbacks, which likely involve the Clone Wars. If so, the series becomes even more integral to watch.
Fargo
Little doubt exists about Ewan McGregor's talent as an actor, but if fans want a taste of what he's capable of in long-form television, Fargo is a great show to watch before Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGregor plays brothers Emmit and Ray Stussy in season three.
The show allows McGregor to play against type and dig into the nuances of both brothers, taking his time to build a complex performance. McGregor gets six hours - as much time as he had in the entire prequel trilogy - to explore Obi-Wan in the new show.
Return Of The Jedi
Obi-Wan Kenobi hinges on a crucial moment from Return of the Jedi, and the movie is absolutely required viewing before the show. Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker "Obi-Wan once thought as you do" in regards to Luke's belief that Vader can turn back to the light. This opens a massive hole in the Skywalker saga the new series aims to exploit.
Obi-Wan leaves Anakin for dead on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith, which seems to contradict Vader's statement twenty years later. The new series brings Obi-Wan and Vader back together and it's clear this moment will finally get an explanation.
Logan
Deborah Chow also referenced Logan as a movie she thought of when developing Obi-Wan Kenobi. The movie ranks among the best X-Men movies, making it a must-watch in any case, but the movie shares intriguing parallels with the upcoming series.
Hugh Jackman plays an older, beaten-down Wolverine in Logan, much the same as Ewan McGregor seems to approach Obi-Wan. Both men survive on the fringes long after they've lost everything and both search for meaning and purpose in their lives.
Revenge Of The Sith
Revenge Of The Sith tore Anakin and Obi-Wan apart and as the last narrative stop on their journey before the new series, it's a movie that fans should watch. Anakin's fall to the Dark Side leads to a cataclysmic duel with his friend and mentor, ending in tragedy for both.
The movie closes out the prequel trilogy but almost twenty years later, is part of the greater fabric of the Star Wars saga. As Revenge of the Sith did the original trilogy, the new series likely leads to fans revisiting the entire story with a new perspective.