The Obi-Wan Kenobi Teaser: Luke, The Inquisitors, Cal Kestis, and More Epic Easter Eggs
It's finally here. First announced in 2019, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series is possibly the most highly anticipated Star Wars production -- ever. On March 9, 2022, Disney finally released the teaser trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Every second of footage is full of exciting new details about the series, including some of the familiar faces it will be bringing to live-action. We'll be breaking down the major takeaways from the trailer, some theories about the characters and plot details, and a synopsis of everything you should watch before the Kenobi series drops on May 25th.
Young Luke and Leia
Back in July, rumors began circulating that Disney was casting child actors to play young Luke and Leia. Those rumors have been fully confirmed! The Kenobi series is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, so Luke and Leia are about 10 years old. It is still unclear how much we will be seeing of them.
In the teaser, we get a shot of Obi-Wan keeping an eye on Luke from afar. Luke is clearly pretending to be a pilot and many have pointed out that his goggles could even be the same ones that Anakin wore in The Phantom Menace. This could very well be the closest we ever get to Luke in the Kenobi series. Obi-Wan may have a brief interaction with him, but Disney (and fans) probably won't want to give Luke too much action in order to maintain his character's seclusion leading up to A New Hope.
Leia may be playing a much bigger role, though. Disney has not released the name of the actor playing Luke but we do know that Bird Box's Vivien Lyra Blair will be playing young Leia. Sadly, she didn't appear in the teaser. Leaks and comments from people working on the series put Leia at the core of the show's plot. She is basically the reason that Obi-Wan is dragged back into adventure from his life as a hermit.
Leia's role in the Kenobi series will serve an important function: revealing how Leia knew to contact Kenobi for help in A New Hope. She clearly already trusted him a lot when she sent him her SOS, so it will be interesting to see how that bond was formed.
The Inquisitors and Star Wars Rebels
Star Wars fans who have not watched the animated Star Wars Rebels series will probably want to get started on it. If this teaser clarified anything about the Kenobi series it's this: the Inquisitors have arrived. Dave Filoni first introduced the Inquisitors on-screen in Rebels. They went on to become central antagonists in the Jedi: Fallen Order video game (more on that below). Now Disney is bringing them to live-action.
The Inquisitors may look like Sith but they are more like Jedi mercenaries. Many Inquisitors were originally Temple guards from the Jedi Order. Palpatine turned them to the Dark Side to hunt down surviving Jedi following Order 66. They are not technically Sith, but "dark agents". They also took in force-sensitive children, some of whom went on to become Inquisitors themselves.
The Inquisitors seen in the Kenobi teaser look incredible, to say the least. The series's Big Bad is an Inquisitor known as Reva, played by the talented Moses Ingram, known for her performance in The Queen's Gambit. Director Deborah Chow describes Reva as "ruthlessly ambitious". This is spot on by the looks of it. The teaser is barely a minute and a half long, but Reva is front and center and clearly a force to be reckoned with. She appears to be hunting down Kenobi and even comes face to face with Owen at one point.
Reva's boss is the Grand Inquisitor, a major antagonist from Star Wars Rebels. We don't see as much of the Grand Inquisitor in this teaser, so it is still unclear how much he will come into contact with Kenobi. The Grand Inquisitor is played by Rupert Friend, whose villain voice sounds fantastic, even if his makeup doesn't quite live up to the animated series. If you only need one reason to watch Star Wars Rebels before Kenobi is released, the Grand Inquisitor is it. He will clearly be a pivotal bad guy in the Kenobi series, so fans will be able to appreciate him and the other Inquisitors much more after checking out Rebels.
Cal Kestis and the "Jedi Straggler"
So much about the Kenobi series is still up in the air. There's so much that fans would love to see -- from Ahsoka Tano to Qui-Gon's Force ghost. A rumor has been floating around for a little while now about a "Jedi straggler", a Jedi who survived Order 66 and is now searching for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Many are hoping that this Jedi is none other than Cal Kestis, the protagonist of the Jedi: Fallen Order video game.
However, a report from Making Star Wars says that this Jedi is someone named "Nari". Of course, this could be a code name used on set or simply a rumor. Or this new Jedi could truly be a completely new character named Nari and not, in fact, Cal Kestis. Still, it would make sense for Cal to be this "Jedi straggler". The whole plot of Fallen Order is basically Cal being hunted by Inquisitors while searching for other Force sensitives. It would make sense that the Inquisitors have chased him to Tatooine or that his quest has led him to Obi-Wan.
One particular shot from the Kenobi teaser is pretty suspicious. Pictured above is a screenshot of that scene. It shows the back of someone Reva is ambushing. There are a few things that hint at this person potentially being Cameron Monaghan, who played Cal in Fallen Order.
While his hair is darker than it appears in the game, this actor's hair has a very similar shape and texture to Monaghan's. As he raises his arms, we can also see what looks like a tattoo on his left hand. Cal had at least one tattoo in Fallen Order and five years have passed since then, so he could certainly have gotten more. If we look even closer, even the way this actor moves as he gets up is very similar to Cal's motion in Fallen Order and, of course, Monaghan did motion capture for the game.
Darth Vader and Hayden Christensen
Arguably the most exciting detail released about the Kenobi series is the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. Christensen had a rougher time in the shadow of the prequels than Ewan McGregor did. Luckily, Dave Filoni's animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series has helped fans come to appreciate the prequels much more. Christensen was met with massive excitement from fans when his return to Star Wars was announced (in the Clone Wars series, Anakin was voiced by Matt Lanter, not Christensen).
The only nod we get to Vader in the Kenobi teaser is a second of ventilator breathing audio at the very end. This isn't surprising, though. Disney is going to build up to Vader's return. He and Kenobi will be crossing paths in some capacity and many fans are hoping for an epic rematch of their battle on Mustafar. Anakin has had 10 years to deepen his hatred for Obi-Wan, while Obi-Wan has been grieving for the death of his friend, essentially his brother, for a decade. So, when they finally meet again, it is going to be a legendary moment in Star Wars history.
Hopefully, Disney doesn't keep Hayden Christensen under the Vader suit the entire time, though. It would be interesting to see some flashbacks of Obi-Wan and Anakin, especially with the addition of live-action Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka has already appeared in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, played both times by Rosario Dawson. For those who are not familiar with her, Ahsoka is a fan-favorite character from the Clone Wars animated series, where she was Anakin's padawan. Their relationship (and its downfall) was important in the lead-up to Anakin's turn to the Dark Side, so it would be amazing to see her and Anakin (or Vader) meet in live action.
What to Watch Before the Kenobi Series
The Kenobi series doesn't come out until May 25th, so there's still plenty of time to get caught up on some of the Star Wars content connected to the show. A good place to start is Star Wars Rebels. This animated series was marketed toward kids, but don't let that fool you. The plot and characters have great depth once the series gets rolling and showrunner and Star Wars genius Dave Filoni does not disappoint. Rebels will give you a look into what some other Jedi were dealing with in the fallout from Order 66 and introduce the Inquisitors.
If you want to dive into Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship more, and meet Ahsoka Tano, check out Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This series is pretty long, though, so you may not have time to watch it all before May 25th. Many fans are in agreement that you can safely start at Season 3, where the show really starts to get good. The Clones Wars deepened Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship and explored Obi-Wan's character more in the time between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
For those who have the time and tech, playing Jedi: Fallen Order is also a great idea, if you haven't played it already. Even if Cal Kestis does not make an appearance in the Kenobi series, Fallen Order shows off the power of the Inquisitors really well. Cal is actually in a very similar position to Obi-Wan at the beginning of the game, hiding out on some remote planet while concealing his Jedi past.
The Return of a Legend
The Kenobi series is on track to be the biggest series ever on Disney+, likely even bigger than The Mandalorian. Obi-Wan is one of the most universally beloved characters in the entire Star Wars universe. Seeing Ewan McGregor return to his role as Obi-Wan will be nothing short of incredible. The glimpse Disney released today was only a teaser trailer and already Obi-Wan Kenobi looks absolutely jaw-dropping. The Game Nexus will be reporting updates and breakdowns for future trailers as soon as they drop, so make sure to check in for more on the Kenobi series!