It has already been confirmed that the upcoming rematch between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader will make their final duel in A New Hope better. Thanks to an in-depth Star Wars magazine profile, new insights have been revealed about what audiences can expect from the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series coming to Disney+ on May 27. This includes the relationship between Obi-Wan and his former apprentice-turned-Dark Lord of the Sith, confirming that their dynamics will be improved as this series bridges the gap between the prequel and sequel eras of the Skywalker saga.
Taking place 10 years after Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series will see Obi-Wan in exile on Tatooine as "Ben", watching over young Luke Skywalker who will one day become the galaxy's new hope. During this time, it's been confirmed that Vader will face his former master once more, locking lightsabers in a rematch for the ages following their duel on the lava world of Mustafar. However, this never-before-seen battle will be years before their final duel on the Death Star as seen in 1977's A New Hope, which saw Vader striking Obi-Wan down, resulting in the Jedi Master becoming one with the Living Force.
Now, new insights have been revealed by Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow in Vanity Fair's Star Wars profile, covering not only this series, but also Andor, Ahsoka, and The Mandalorian. According to Chow, a big topic of debate at Lucasfilm was whether or not a rematch between Darth Vader and Kenobi would take away from the New Hope duel or enhance it. In the profile, Chow stated, "I felt like it was quite hard to not [include] the person who left Kenobi in such anguish in the series. I don’t know how you could not. I don’t think he ever will not care about him. What’s special about that relationship is that they loved each other.”
It seems that Chow and Lucasfilm are confident that this new rematch will enhance their final duel, expanding upon their relationship while highlighting the fact that Obi-Wan still loves the Sith Lord who was once his brother. Following their Mustafar duel and Vader's resentment for the injuries sustained, which forced him into his iconic life-support armor, their rematch should be even more emotionally charged than the one aboard the Death Star. As such, it can only make their fateful Death Star duel that much better, enriching their relationship for the audience who knows what's on the horizon.
It sounds like Lucasfilm intends for this new rematch not to overshadow A New Hope, but to improve it and what came before in Revenge of the Sith. Their battle will hopefully be an iconic bridge between trilogies that no Star Wars fan should miss. While it's unclear how "Ben" will be able to resume his exile in the aftermath of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the opportunity to see the Jedi master clash with Vader in the modern era is a massively exciting opportunity that Lucasfilm will hopefully be able to pull off.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres its first two episodes May 27th on Disney+