Obi-Wan Kenobi stands alone of the live-action Star Wars TV shows for bringing back two of the biggest stars from the films with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen as Obi-Wan and Darth Vader once more. Even characters like Bail Organa, Owen Lars, and Princess Leia have had parts to play, but what about the new characters? Moses Ingram plays Reva, the Inquisitor responsible for drawing out Obi-Wan and setting him up with Vader for a long-awaited rematch. Ingram spoke with CinemaBlend ahead of the show about the perks of playing a new Star Wars character among these legends.
Inquisitors are actually the main villains of Obi-Wan Kenobi (with key differences from Sith), and a number of that order appeared in animation in the first two seasons of Star Wars Rebels. Reva didn't appear in Rebels, however, and Moses Ingram originated the role in the galaxy far, far away. She shared her experience in stepping into Reva's shoes for the first project that featured the Inquisitors in live-action:
It's super exciting, and I think a favor from the universe that she's new, because then there's less that I have to be certain that I make happen. I'm sort of a little freer to play and originate her in this way that I think is really cool. That's been a lot of fun for me.
Unlike characters like Obi-Wan and Darth Vader whose ultimate fates are already decided by the events of the original Star Wars trilogy, Moses Ingram had more of a blank slate to play Reva. Her comments echo what director Deborah Chow had to say regarding the “trickiest thing” about telling a story featuring Obi-Wan and Vader between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope without contradicting long-established canon in the Star Wars timeline. Reva’s storyline won’t even contradict Star Wars Rebels, depending on what happens with the Grand Inquisitor!
Of course, Reva herself was determined to the point of recklessness to be part of hunting down Obi-Wan so that she could deliver him to Vader, and the long-awaited lightsaber duel between the two former friends indicated that Vader has had some pretty specific Mustafar revenge on his mind for some time. Moses Ingram shared what it was like for her to come in as Reva for this saga involving these legends of Star Wars, saying:
Super exciting because everyone knows Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. They're like the quintessential archetypal hero and villain. Just being around them, seeing them in costume on set, there'd be many times where I'd have to double take and check myself. Like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe that this is happening. I can't believe that this is happening.' And the closer we get to people seeing it, I think the more surreal that it gets, that I had anything to do with what we're about to see.
I think it’s safe to say that plenty of fans would have the same reaction to seeing Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in costume on set! Obi-Wan Kenobi may be the first and only live-action project that features Ewan McGregor’s version of Obi-Wan actually facing Hayden Christensen’s suited-up Darth Vader, and they were both very excited about it. As for Reva… well, involving herself in this saga could lead to a great deal of power or a lot of pain, depending on how the rest of the limited series unfolds.
Reva’s lack of a presence in Star Wars Rebels, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the original trilogy does raise the question of whether or not she’ll survive the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi, but if certain rumors prove true, then she could have a future ahead of her. Besides, Rebels found a way to write out major Force-users for the span of the original trilogy without killing them off, with Ezra Bridger and his potential return in Ahsoka. Perhaps there is a future for Reva as well.
If the first four episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi have proven anything, it’s that knowing how the story ends for Obi-Wan and Vader doesn’t mean that this chapter in their story will be predictable. See what happens next with new episodes of the limited series on Wednesdays at 12:01 a.m. PT with a Disney+ subscription.
