Obi-Wan Kenobi (miniseries) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Obi-Wan Kenobi |
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| Genre |
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| Directed by | Deborah Chow |
| Starring | Ewan McGregor |
| Theme music composer |
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| Composer(s) | Natalie Holt |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Production location(s) | Los Angeles, California |
| Cinematography | Chung-hoon Chung |
| Editor(s) |
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| Running time | 36–53 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Lucasfilm |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney+ |
| Original release | May 27 – June 22, 2022 |
Obi-Wan Kenobi is an exciting American space opera miniseries from the Star Wars universe. It was made by Lucasfilm for the Disney+ streaming service. The story takes place ten years after the Jedi Order was almost completely destroyed. This happened during the movie Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).
The series follows Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master who survived the attack. He comes out of hiding to rescue Princess Leia, who has been kidnapped. She was taken by the Galactic Empire's special Jedi hunters called Inquisitors. This rescue mission brings Kenobi face-to-face with his old student, Darth Vader.
Ewan McGregor plays Obi-Wan Kenobi, just like he did in the earlier Star Wars movies. Other actors like Hayden Christensen (as Darth Vader), Joel Edgerton, and Jimmy Smits also return. The show was first planned as a movie. But it was changed into a TV series after another Star Wars movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), didn't do well.
Filming for Obi-Wan Kenobi started in May 2021 in Los Angeles. It used special video wall technology called StageCraft. The series has music by Natalie Holt. The famous Star Wars composer John Williams also wrote a new main theme for Kenobi.
Obi-Wan Kenobi first aired on May 27, 2022, with two episodes. The other four episodes were released weekly until June 22. Critics generally liked the series. They praised Ewan McGregor's acting and the action scenes. The show also won awards, including Best Limited Event Series for Streaming at the 47th Saturn Awards.
Contents
What the Story is About
The series is set after the movie Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). In that movie, the Jedi Order was almost wiped out. Obi-Wan Kenobi's student, Anakin Skywalker, became the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
For ten years, Kenobi has been hiding on the planet Tatooine. He watches over Anakin's son, Luke Skywalker. But then, Anakin's daughter, Princess Leia, is kidnapped. She is taken by the Galactic Empire's Inquisitors. They hope to lure Kenobi out of hiding.
This forces Kenobi to confront Vader, who he thought was dead. Kenobi must face his difficult past and his feelings of guilt.
Episodes
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series has six episodes. Each episode tells a part of Obi-Wan's journey.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
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| 1 | "Part I" | Deborah Chow | Story by : Stuart Beattie and Hossein Amini Teleplay by : Joby Harold and Hossein Amini and Stuart Beattie |
May 27, 2022 |
| 2 | "Part II" | Deborah Chow | Story by : Stuart Beattie and Hossein Amini Teleplay by : Joby Harold |
May 27, 2022 |
| 3 | "Part III" | Deborah Chow | Joby Harold & Hannah Friedman and Hossein Amini and Stuart Beattie | June 1, 2022 |
| 4 | "Part IV" | Deborah Chow | Joby Harold & Hannah Friedman | June 8, 2022 |
| 5 | "Part V" | Deborah Chow | Joby Harold & Andrew Stanton | June 15, 2022 |
| 6 | "Part VI" | Deborah Chow | Story by : Stuart Beattie and Joby Harold & Andrew Stanton Teleplay by : Joby Harold & Andrew Stanton and Hossein Amini |
June 22, 2022 |
Main Characters
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Starring Roles
- Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi:
- A Jedi Master who survived Order 66. He lives in hiding on Tatooine and watches over young Luke Skywalker. McGregor was excited to play Kenobi as a "broken" man who has lost his faith. This version is closer to how Alec Guinness played him in the original movies.
Other Important Characters
- Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor:
- The highest-ranking Inquisitor of the Galactic Empire. He used to be a Jedi Temple Guard.
- Sung Kang as the Fifth Brother:
- An Inquisitor who works closely with the Grand Inquisitor and Darth Vader.
- Moses Ingram as Reva Sevander / Third Sister:
- A tough and ambitious Inquisitor. She secretly wants revenge on Vader for killing her Jedi friends during Order 66.
- Vivien Lyra Blair as Leia Organa:
- Anakin Skywalker's daughter and Luke's twin sister. She is a princess from Alderaan who gets kidnapped.
- Kumail Nanjiani as Haja Estree:
- A street-smart con artist on the planet Daiyu. He pretends to be a Jedi.
- Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader:
- Kenobi's former student who became a powerful Sith Lord. He is the father of Luke and Leia. James Earl Jones provides Vader's voice, as he has in other Star Wars films.
- Indira Varma as Tala Durith:
- A former Imperial officer who helps Jedi escape the Empire.
- O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Kawlan Roken:
- A leader in a network that helps Jedi hide from the Empire.
- Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars:
- Luke's uncle and a moisture farmer on Tatooine. He is worried about Kenobi's presence.
- Bonnie Piesse as Beru Whitesun Lars:
- Owen's wife and Luke's aunt.
- Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa:
- Leia's adoptive father and a Senator.
- Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine:
- The evil ruler of the Empire and Darth Vader's master. He appears briefly.
- Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn:
- Obi-Wan's deceased master. He appears as a Force ghost.
How the Show Was Made
Early Ideas
In 2013, Disney announced plans for new Star Wars spin-off movies. Fans really wanted a movie about Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ewan McGregor, who played Kenobi before, was interested in coming back. A movie was planned with Stephen Daldry as director and Hossein Amini as writer.
The movie was going to be called Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story. It would show Kenobi protecting a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine. However, Disney changed its plans for spin-off movies. This happened after Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) didn't make much money. Lucasfilm then decided to focus on TV series for Disney+.
Development and Writing
In 2019, it was announced that Ewan McGregor would star in a new Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+. The series would be set eight years after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Deborah Chow was chosen to direct all the episodes.
The series was put on hold in early 2020 because Lucasfilm wasn't happy with the scripts. They wanted a more hopeful story. Joby Harold was then hired to rewrite the series and become the main producer. Filming was delayed until March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series was officially titled Obi-Wan Kenobi in December 2020.
The show was planned as a limited series, meaning it has a clear beginning, middle, and end. However, the cast and crew enjoyed making it. So, there's a chance more episodes could be made if there's a good story to tell.
Filming
Filming for Obi-Wan Kenobi began on May 4, 2021, in Los Angeles. Chung-hoon Chung was the cinematographer. The series used StageCraft video wall technology. This technology creates virtual sets around the actors. McGregor said this made filming much more enjoyable than the old blue and green screen methods. Filming finished by September 2021.
Music
Natalie Holt composed the music for the series. She is the first woman to score a live-action Star Wars project. The famous Star Wars composer John Williams also wrote a new main theme for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Williams wanted to write a theme for Kenobi because he was one of the few main characters he hadn't given a special theme to.
Holt said the new theme was thoughtful and hopeful. It captured the spirit of the show. She also created themes for new characters. She used different real-world music styles to represent different planets in the series.
Promoting the Show
A short preview of the series was released in November 2021. The first full trailer came out in March 2022. Fans loved hearing John Williams's "Duel of the Fates" music in the trailer. This music hinted at a big reunion between Kenobi and Darth Vader.
A second trailer was released on May 4, 2022, for Star Wars Day. Many people noticed the appearance of Darth Vader in this trailer. The series was also promoted at Star Wars Celebration. This event included a special screening of the first two episodes.
Volkswagen also released a commercial for the series. It featured R2-D2, C-3PO, and Ewan McGregor. Special Star Wars-themed cars were also created. A product program called "Obi-Wan Wednesdays" revealed new toys and items related to the series each week.
Release
Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered on Disney+ on May 26, 2022. The first two episodes were released together. The remaining four episodes came out weekly until June 22. The show was originally set to premiere on May 25. This date was the 45th anniversary of the first Star Wars movie.
Documentary Special
A documentary called Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return was released on September 8, 2022. It shows how the series was made. It also explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
Comic Miniseries
In June 2023, a comic miniseries based on the show was announced. It is called Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. It started in September 2023 and is published by Marvel Comics.
In Spanish: Obi-Wan Kenobi (serie de televisión) para niños
