Writer Joby Harold reveals how the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader rematch sets up the Jedi Master's future Star Wars arc. Lucasfilm is finally bringing back Ewan McGregor to the franchise after years of clamor from fans. But his return as Obi-Wan Kenobi is shaping up to be worth the wait as his own Disney+ series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, will also see Hayden Christensen reprising his role as Darth Vader. The pair will encounter each other in what Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy dubs the "rematch of the century."

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series has gone through a couple of iterations before it locked in on the narrative it has now. It was originally going to be part of Lucasfilm's Star Wars anthology of movies, but on the heels of Solo: A Star Wars Story's failure at the box office, it was reworked to be a small screen project on Disney+. But even after it was announced, it faced a couple more hurdles, including a script rewrite where Harold was brought to further differentiate it from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni's The Mandalorian. Now, it's a six-episode limited series that will follow Obi-Wan Kenobi as he evades the Empire's minions who are hunting down Jedi who survived Order 66.

Related: Maul’s Obi-Wan Return Would've Ruined His Final Kenobi Duel

There are a lot of things to be excited about in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but arguably its biggest draw is the rematch between the titular character and Darth Vader. But aside from staging what could very well be one of the most iconic Star Wars moments, the duel will springboard Obi-Wan's future arc. As per Harold in a new interview with EW, the match-up will force the Jedi Master to reconcile with his past which would allow him to fully move forward.

"Part of the journey of what he goes through is reconciling that past and coming to understand it and coming to understand his place in it. And that journey and the places he has to go emotionally as well as physically, and some of those battles he has to fight, are very much to do with facing that past and understanding who he was, his part in his own history, in the history of others."

Obi-Wan Kenobi battling Darh Vader aboard the Death Star in Star Wars A New Hope

McGregor previously said that Obi-Wan has a lot of guilt about what happened to Anakin Skywalker. He feels bad that he didn't catch right away that he's being lured to the Dark side by Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). This also convinced him that he utterly failed his Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) who ordered him to take over Anakin's training just before he died. It's safe to say that this would be at the heart of Obi-Wan's struggle in his upcoming Disney+ series. It's worth noting that when he appeared in A New Hope, he seemed more at peace with what happened; instead, he was more focused on setting the motion for the Rebellion's move against the Empire with the reunion of Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Luke (Mark Hamill).

Currently, Obi-Wan Kenobi is officially listed as a limited series. This means that there are no plans for a second season. If Disney and Lucasfilm don't change their stance on this, the show is potentially the last time fans will see McGregor reprise his role as the legendary Jedi unless it's via a cameo. Given that, expect that director Deborah Chow has every intention of making sure that the Obi-Wan and Darth Vader fight delivers on every front.

More: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker Almost Left The Jedi Order Together

Source: EW

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