Plans for Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 have yet to be announced, but should it happen, the best possible story would be to have Obi-Wan travel to Mandalore. While Obi-Wan Kenobi was initially promoted as a limited series, Obi-Wan actor Ewan McGregor has said multiple times that he would be open to returning for a possible Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2. That said, even with the star of the show and the audiences clearly being open for more of Kenobi, continuing Obi-Wan’s story from where season 1 left considering all canon limitations is a big challenge that can only be solved with creative, out-of-the-box story decisions.
While the Star Wars prequels were received with a lot of criticism, Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi was always considered a highlight of the saga even by those who did not like Episodes I, II, and III. The appreciation for the prequel trilogy had noticeably increased in the last few years, and so did the demand for an Obi-Wan movie or show centered on Ewan McGregor’s version of the character. An Obi-Wan movie eventually entered development, but after Solo: A Star Wars Story’s failure and The Mandalorian’s success on Disney+, the project became a limited series. Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi reunited Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen for the first time since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and it filled a significant gap in Obi-Wan’s story.
One of the strengths of Obi-Wan Kenobi is how it was able to deliver everything audiences could expect from an Obi-Wan show set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith in an organic way. Obi-Wan Kenobi did not feel like it had a checklist of events to guide the story, and yet it was able to answer pretty much every question audiences had about Obi-Wan’s time in Tatooine before A New Hope. The only downside of that approach is that it made the prospect of an Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 less likely, as it did not leave many loose threads for a new story. In fact, Obi-Wan Kenobi walked a thin line in terms of canon, as it took place relatively close to A New Hope. Creating an Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 that is exciting but that also does not break canon is a difficult task, and it is the main reason why some argue that it should not happen. That is why the best strategy for Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 would be to take Obi-Wan to Mandalore, a planet that is connected to Obi-Wan’s past, full of potential storylines, and that is far away from the original trilogy characters.
Obi-Wan’s History With Mandalore Explained
Ten years before the events of Star Wars: Episode – The Phantom Menace, padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn were sent to Mandalore to protect the newly appointed Duchess Satine Kryze. Duchess Satine was being targeted by a rival Mandalorian group who wanted the power, and the only way the Jedi found to protect the Duchess of Mandalore was by having her and Obi-Wan constantly move from one place to another. Obi-Wan and Satine spent a year on the run, a time in which they created a strong bond.
Obi-Wan reunited with Satine in Mandalore 20 years later during the Clone Wars, and the situation was quite similar to that of two decades ago. Duchess Satine’s neutrality in the Clone Wars sparked a conflict with the Death Watch, a Mandalorian dissident group who wanted to restore Mandalore’s old ways. The Death Watch caused a great amount of instability in Mandalore and in the Republic itself, which raised the tension between the planet and the Galactic Senate. After assisting Satine in her crusade against the Death Watch, Obi-Wan eventually returned to Mandalore after finding out Darth Maul had taken over the planet – a tragic Clone Wars arc that ended with Satine’s death. Obi-Wan also had an important role in the events leading up to the Siege of Mandalore, advising against the Jedi’s involvement in the Mandalorians’ history.
Why Obi-Wan Should Go To Mandalore In Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 2
While the Disney+ Star Wars shows have succeeded in combining the live-action Star Wars universe with the lore from the animated series, Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1 had no mentions of Satine. Considering how close to the end of Clone Wars Satine’s death happened, it was a missed opportunity not to have Obi-Wan remember her during his exile on Tatooine. Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 can incorporate that important part of Obi-Wan’s story by having Kenobi go to Mandalore on some sort of mission.
More than paying off Obi-Wan’s personal Mandalore history, having Kenobi go to a distant yet important planet would avoid one of Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1’s biggest problems – tackling characters and events that are too closely connected with A New Hope. Obi-Wan Kenobi stretched the Star Wars canon to make its story work, and it could not avoid some noticeable Star Wars retcons. The biggest of them is establishing that Leia had become great friends with Kenobi years before the iconic “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi” message. If Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 continues to focus on planets like Tatooine and characters like Luke and Leia, other significant Star Wars retcons would be bound to happen.
In Mandalore, on the other hand, Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 would have the chance to tell a new, exciting Obi-Wan adventure that does not necessarily involve Darth Vader and the Empire. Obi-Wan Kenobi felt way too predictable considering it dealt with so many characters from the original trilogy, a problem that Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 could fix if it has a storyline set in Mandalore.
Obi-Wan In Mandalore Fixes Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 2’s Villain Problem
A potential Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 would have a major villain problem. Darth Vader as the Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1 villain was already a tricky choice considering that it had never been settled whether Obi-Wan and Vader met between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Obi-Wan Kenobi establishes that not only did Obi-Wan and Darth Vader meet before A New Hope, but they also fought twice. Bringing back Darth Vader as the Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 villain would be even more tricky, and it would risk lessening the impact of the characters’ encounter on the Death Star. Likewise, having the Inquisitors hunting Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 would feel like a rehash of season 1. Last, another Star Wars villain commonly associated with Obi-Wan is Darth Maul, but Maul doesn’t work as Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 villain as Star Wars Rebels already told the story of their final rematch.
Without many Force-sensitive characters for Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 to use as antagonists, the next best villains for the show would be Mandalorians. Mandalore was conquered by the Empire after the Clone Wars, but there were still several Mandalorian factions operating on the planet, on its moon Concordia, and across the galaxy. Even if Obi-Wan does not necessarily go to Mandalore, Mandalorian characters like the Nite Owls or the Death Watch could still serve as the antagonists for Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 2 Can Connect Obi-Wan With The Mandalorian
Having Obi-Wan visiting Mandalore or interacting with Mandalorian characters would organically connect Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 with Star Wars’ most important live-action show, The Mandalorian. The first-ever live-action Star Wars TV show, The Mandalorian, is returning for season 3 and has become one of Disney+’s flagship titles. The Mandalorian’s success is such that a universe of TV shows centered around the story of Din Djarin and Grogu is being created. That includes The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew. Obi-Wan Kenobi is not part of the “Mandoverse” as it takes place almost 20 years before the events of The Mandalorian.
However, with Obi-Wan interacting with Mandalorians in Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2, Star Wars would create a thematic connection between its longest-running live-action show and one of its most promising productions. The most important thing is that it would not be gratuitous, as Obi-Wan’s history with Mandalore is more than enough justification for the planet or for Mandalorians to appear in Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2.