Warning: This article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
One of the writers of Obi-Wan Kenobi has revealed that Commander Cody is the legacy Star Wars character that was almost included in the project. The limited event series, which aired on Disney+ between May 27 and June 22, 2022, was originally conceived of as a feature film trilogy following iconic Star Wars Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi (who was played by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy) before Solo: A Star Wars Story failed to succeed at the box office. It was then converted into a six-episode series in the vein of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, with Deborah Chow directing and prequel trilogy star Ewan McGregor returning in the title role.
Obi-Wan Kenobi featured many Star Wars characters who would naturally be involved in the plot line following the events of Revenge of the Sith, including Grant Feely and Vivien Lyra Blair playing younger versions of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, as well as the return of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. However, there were also some unexpected Star Wars cameos that occurred throughout the series, like Temuera Morrison as a destitute veteran of the Clone Wars. The Obi-Wan Kenobi finale also pulled out all the stops with two major cameos: Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine and Liam Neeson as the Jedi master Qui-Gon Jin, appearing for the first time since The Phantom Menace.
Obi-Wan Kenobi writer Stuart Beattie, who was also attached to the original film project, spoke to The Direct about a planned cameo that never panned out. His initial plan was to provide a huge role for the Star Wars legacy character Commander Cody, a Clone Marshal Commander who was also known as CC-2224. In the series, he would have acted as a "secret buddy" to Obi-Wan, now "driven by guilt" after having his biochip removed. Read Beattie's full quote below:
Yeah, yeah. Cody was the big one. I love the idea of Obi-Wan having a buddy on Tatooine. Like a secret buddy. So like the first time he goes into town, you see, Cody, and he’s following him through the streets and attacks him, takes him into an alley with a knife to his throat and says, “You’re dead.’”And then you realize, “Oh, no… Cody’s making a point.” Like, “Come on. You got to be more careful.”
And you realize, “Oh, Cody has now morphed from someone who was trying to kill him when we last saw them to someone who is now devoting his life to protect him.” Because by now he’s had the biochip taken out of his head, and now he realizes, “Oh my god, what I did was wrong.” And he has driven by guilt, as much as Obi Wan is driven by guilt. So you got these two kind of old warriors bickering like this old married couple, bitching about, “God, it was so much better when we had an army at our backs,” you know?
Commander Cody is a character who was introduced in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, so it makes sense that he would be a perfect fit for the timeline of the series. He was a huge presence in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, which also featured Obi-Wan. He served as Obi-Wan's second in command, and the two became close while fighting together.
Obi-Wan Kenobi certainly would have delighted fans of the animated series if Commander Cody had been included. However, it seems that the creators of the series ultimately decided to skew away from the canon of the animated series, focusing more on characters who were featured most prominently in the theatrical Skywalker Saga. This may have been a reaction to The Mandalorian and Boba Fett's many references to the animated shows, allowing more space for the characters that mainstream fans know and love to breathe.
Source: The Direct