In hindsight, Obi-Wan has always been a tragic hero — having lost so many people to the war — but no Star Wars project has focused on that aspect of the character as much as the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show on Disney Plus will.
That’s what Ewan McGregor himself recently revealed during an extensive profile run by Entertainment Weekly on the highly-anticipated, galaxy far, far away project. Talking about how this version of Kenobi will differ from the rather lively and quippy persona we came to know and love in the prequel trilogy, this is what McGregor revealed.
“He’s a broken man after what happened with the Jedi Order at the end of Episode III, but also what happened with Anakin; that he lost him to the dark side. He feels an enormous amount of responsibility for that, and guilt,” he said.
While the fall of the Chosen One wasn’t strictly Obi-Wan’s fault, he did fight Anakin, and almost killed him, on the molten banks of Mustafar. Meeting his old apprentice again during Obi-Wan Kenobi, and having to fight him again as Darth Vader,will definitely serve as a closure for the Jedi Master. Though whether that confrontation also helps him confront his inner demons is something that only the show can answer.
Still, the mentor figure we see in A New Hope is not something fans would describe as a “broken man,” so this journey must probably end with some sense of catharsis for the old Kenobi.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is slated for a May 25 release on Disney Plus.