Just four weeks from release, anticipation is sky-high for Obi-Wan Kenobi – a six-episode Disney Plus original series premiering May 27, the same week that Star Wars marks its 45th anniversary since premiering in theaters. 

Ewan McGregor returns as the titular Jedi Knight, Hayden Christensen is back as Darth Vader . . . and there’s quite a few unknowns in this series set 10 years after Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. What should we expect? 

We’ve convened two Star Wars megafans – former Star Wars Celebration speaker Aaron Welty, and historian/storyteller Gabriel Greaves – to unpack why they’re excited about this series, with host Roger Palmer and guest host Josh Shepherd keeping the conversation moving. Aaron appeared previously to discuss The Mandalorian, and Gabriel has been a guest multiple times. 

Many insights arise from reviewing two recent Star Wars series, The Book of Boba Fett and The Bad Batch season one, which are more connected to Obi-Wan than many may assume. Get ready for a deep dive into the lore and legends of a galaxy far, far away . . . plus thoughts on the art of sci-fi storytelling and info on real-world inspirations for the saga. 

Asking Hard Questions about Boba Fett

Obi-Wan Kenobi will share the setting of desert planet Tatooine, and perhaps some focus on Tusken Raiders’ culture, with this year’s Boba Fett TV series. 

Yet both Nielsen ratings and online buzz reveal that The Book of Boba Fett fell short of many fans’ expectations. Why didn’t it work for many viewers? Is there a way to make sense of Fett’s dramatic shift in character from the original trilogy? And did the Cade Bane storyline not quite deliver, or did we miss something?  

Listen in for answers that draw not just from past films, but Star Wars comics, novels, video games, and even unproduced TV episodes. There’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye. Aaron Welty recommends watching the three-part Boba Fett story arc from The Clone Wars (season two), to better grasp the story context. And also The Godfather trilogy, wherein the varied “family loyalties” are mirrored in the social ecology of Tatooine.

“Boba was a criminal who became a mercenary, then became a gun for hire, then became an advocate for the tribes,” says Gabriel Greaves in the conversation. “He related to the Tusken Raiders because his own people were multi-racial and faced prejudice.”

Drawing from a love of the saga and his studies of indigenous peoples, Gabriel answers some popular critiques of The Book of Boba Fett and casts the flashback events in a new light. 

More Saga Connections 

Producers of Obi-Wan Kenobi have made a big deal out of how they’ll be diving into this era’s galactic-wide transition from democracy to dictatorship. 

“The Empire is in the ascendancy,” said producer Joby Harold in an interview. “All the horrors that come with the Empire are being made manifest throughout the galaxy, so everything that was in the prequels has crumbled.” 

Fans who follow the saga as it has unfolded in various animated series know Emperor Palpatine’s rise to power all too well. Later seasons of The Clone Wars deal with early rumblings of the Empire, which fully operational by The Bad Batch series – which has its own season two coming soon. 

Crucially, the new Obi-Wan series will depict the Sith Inquisitors for the first time in live-action. These Force-aware dark knights, doing the bidding of Darth Vader, are seeking out the few remaining Jedi who slipped by the mass annihilation that occurred galaxy-wide when Palpatine issued Order 66. 

To catch up on the wider context, fans may want to watch the first three episodes of The Clone Wars Season Seven which introduce The Bad Batch and their escape from Imperial control. Aaron Welty also anticipates that several story elements from the 2013 novel titled Kenobi by John Jackson Miller will be integrated into this TV series.

Sith Inquisitors, also called Imperial Inquisitors, play a big role in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order as well as in several episodes of Star Wars Rebels, notably “Rise of the Old Masters” (season one) and “Shroud of Darkness” (season two). 

Whether you’re a diehard fan, or wondering why so many are obsessed with Star Wars, this in-depth podcast helps set the stage for a limited series the whole world will be talking about – Obi-Wan Kenobi, set to premiere May 27 with two episodes. 

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Josh Shepherd

Freelance journalist Josh M. Shepherd covers culture and family entertainment for several media outlets. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

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