Obi-Wan Kenobi writer and executive producer Joby Harold explains why the series had to include a young Princess Leia. After first being played by Ewan McGregor in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the character would appear in both subsequent sequels, with his journey seemingly concluding in Star Wars: Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith. Much to the rejoice of fans, however, McGregor's Obi-Wan is now back with his very own show on Disney+, bridging the gap between the character's journey in the prequel trilogy and the original Star Wars trilogy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi has been a hit with audiences and critics so far, portraying a weaker and more isolated version of the iconic Jedi than many are used to. Although trailers for the show revealed that a young version of Luke Skywalker would be making an appearance, the show also heavily features a young version of Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair), much to the surprise of many fans. Young Leia has played a pivotal role in the show's story thus far, with Obi-Wan reluctantly leaving Tatooine (and Luke) to recover her after she is kidnapped. In addition to McGregor and Blair, Obi-Wan Kenobi features performances from Hayden Christensen, Moses Ingram, Sung Kang, Rupert Friend, and Kumail Nanjiani, among others.
In a new interview with THR, Harold explains why young Leia was so important to the story of the show. With Obi-Wan committed so fully to watching over Luke at the start of the series, Harold explains, the writers needed something powerful that would pull him away from Tatooine. Ultimately, Harold believes that Leia was the only person that Obi-Wan would leave Luke for. Check out Harold's full comment below:
"The notion of Leia on the board was always the most interesting way of getting Obi-Wan out of hiding. If you think about it, there’s nothing else that could bring him out. He’s not going to leave Luke for anybody except Leia. Why else would he abandon that post? The notion of him looking over Luke and not looking over Leia was always a question for everybody once you realize the importance of those two characters side by side. So we had that be a question we confronted head on. Bail [Jimmy Smits] says to Obi-Wan in the cave, “Why him and not her?” So she’s the only thing that I believe he would leave Luke for. There’s nothing else he would be called to do where he wouldn’t stay by Luke’s side. I’m so glad that we were able to keep it a surprise for as long as we were and that I no longer have to use her code name. It’s nice to be able to say Leia out loud. Leia."
After the traumatic events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which included the slaughtering of most of the Jedi, the death of Padmé, and the apparent death of Anakin, it's understandable that Obi-Wan has exiled himself, concerned only with looking after Luke. With such tragic events in his past and such a singular focus moving forward, Harold's comments about Leia being essential to setting up Obi-Wan's story do ring true. The show has aired 4 of its 6 episodes so far, but it's clear that Leia will continue to play a pivotal role in the story moving forward.
In an age where leaks and rumors are constantly spoiling surprises in popular shows and movies, it's remarkable that Leia's heavy involvement in Obi-Wan Kenobi was kept a secret for so long. In fact, the show, in general, has been full of surprises thus far, with young Leia continuing to bring out new sides of Obi-Wan that audiences haven't seen before. It remains to be seen what is next for Leia and Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but the two clearly make a strong duo and, at this point, it's hard to imagine the show without her.
Source: THR
