Following the success of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the best course for its title character's future could be a Star Wars reboot with a new take on A New Hope and a reworking of its canon. Ewan Mcgregor is undoubtedly popular in the role of Obi-Wan, and a return to the big screen revisiting his story arc from A New Hope could incorporate some of the more recent Star Wars material into the original trilogy. And the timing for a Star Wars reboot may be perfect now, with no plans for Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 officially announced yet.
A New Hope initiated what would become one of the most iconic film series in cinema. But it is commonly known that at the time of the first Star Wars film's release, much of the story for the rest of the original trilogy hadn't been fleshed out yet. Details like Luke Skywalker being the son of Darth Vader weren't confirmed until a reworking of the script for The Empire Strikes Back. And Leia wasn't meant to be Luke's brother until the making of Return of the Jedi. At the time, A New Hope left its audience with many questions, with some of its mysteries finally answered in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
A reboot of A New Hope could expand upon the show's scope, leaving larger room for more stories. A lot of Star Wars content has been released since Disney acquired the brand. Many of their efforts have focused on the period of time between Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The exploration of that gap has seen highs and lows with well-received movies like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and underachieving movies such as Solo: A Star Wars Story. An issue with many of the newer releases, including the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, is that the stories are restricted due to A New Hope canon. Star Wars has long had to tip-toe the line, trying to keep the original story's precedents intact.
One of the drawbacks of Obi-Wan Kenobi was that audiences already know how Obi-Wan's story ends, so while the show provides more context, it still feels partly empty. The Obi-Wan Kenobi finale ends the series with not much to wonder about what happens to Obi-Wan between the show and A New Hope. Disney has been careful not to disturb the timeline, but they also can't afford another entry in the series with no stakes due to pre-established canon.
The many additions that have been added to Star Wars canon remind viewers that the original movie sorely lacks details. The Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels series alone have added enough to warrant revisiting A New Hope. A reboot would not only allow a fitting end to the Obi-Wan and Darth Vader feud but could improve upon his relationship with Luke and provide further context to Leia's message to Obi-Wan. The reboot could also tie in a character like Ahsoka, who was absent from Obi-Wan Kenobi, but who, as Anakin's padawan, plays an integral role in the series.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series has shown the limitations of exploring the "Ben" Kenobi era, and there are similar restrictions for other Star Wars content that explores the rise of the Empire timeline. But a reboot of A New Hope would certainly open up more opportunities for Ewan Mcgregor to reprise his role as the famed Jedi as well as deepen the possibilities for the franchise as a whole.
