Star Wars fans seem more than excited to revisit Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi through his eponymous show on Disney+. Based on that epic first trailer (which included John Williams’ “Duel of the Fates”), fans of the prequel trilogy are getting everything they could want. Though excitement is high, one thing that’s probably lingering in fans’ minds is the fact that the program’s run will be a bit more fixed than Lucasfilm’s other TV ventures. Unlike The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, it’s been billed as a limited series. Some may still be wondering if there’s any chance it could run longer, and the producers have now shared some thoughts.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to run for six episodes, which will follow the titular Jedi 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith and 10 before A New Hope. In this new tale, he’ll travel from the desert planet of Tatooine to other galactic locales and contend with some villains (possessing Darth Vader connections) along the way. There’s seemingly a lot of story packed in here, though fans know there’s plenty of room for more to occur before Kenobi crosses paths with Luke Skywalker. On that note, director and executive producer Deborah Chow recently spoke about how she views the story she’s telling:
It was definitely conceived as a limited series, and it is one big story with a beginning, middle, and end. The approach has always been that it is one full story.
The Mandalorian alum’s comments seem to suggest that she sees it as a self-contained story. Fans may find pros and cons with this. The biggest pro is that viewers won’t have to worry about any kinds of cliffhangers, as all immediate plot threads will likely be wrapped up by the finale. A major con, however, would be that this could be the only new story planned for Ewan McGregor’s hero.
Though Deborah Chow is alluding to a more finite story, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s comments in the same EW cover story are somewhat less fixed. The veteran producer revealed that a potential second season is “certainly something we talk about.” She says that this is “mainly because everybody came together and had such an incredible time. Ewan had an incredible time. Hayden had an incredible time.” Even in the past, Kennedy has mentioned how she was “surprised” by how “excited” the two actors were to reunite. Despite that though, there’s a major condition regarding a proposed follow-up:
So certainly from that point of view, everybody involved would love to see this not end. But we have to really spend our time asking the question: Why would we do it? If we were to decide to do anything more with the Obi-Wan character, we'd have to really answer the question why?”
Lucasfilm’s creative braintrust seems to be proceeding with caution when it comes to any further adventures with Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan. It’s hard to deny how cool it would be to see more of him down the line. But if this is the actor’s last go-around as the fan-favorite hero, I’m sure Deborah Chow, Kathleen Kennedy and co. will ensure that he goes out with a bang.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on May 25th, so fans will want to have that Disney+ subscription in order to see it. As you wait for its debut, also be sure to stay in the know on other upcoming Star Wars movies and shows and check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule.
