Obi-wan Kenobi trailer: Ewan McGregor returns to Star Wars universe, fans say ‘been waiting our whole lives for this’

The first teaser-trailer for the upcoming Star Wars spinoff series Obi-wan Kenobi was released late last night. The series, which follows the journey of the iconic Jedi after the events of Revenge of the Sith, sees Ewan McGregor return to the role after 17 years. The trailer, which also introduces some fan favourite characters in a live-action debut, has the Star Wars fans quite excited. (Also read: Ewan McGregor is up for an Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars spinoff)

Obi-wan Kenobi was first seen in the very first Star Wars film (A New Hope, released in 1977), where he was played by Alec Guinness. We got a look at the younger Obi-wan in the prequel trilogy two decades later, where his journey from padawan to Jedi master was detailed. The series teaser opens with a broken and battered Obi-wan living in self-imposed exile, having been betrayed by his protege Anakin Skywalker. We see him keep an eye on a young Luke Skywalker.

It is then that the teaser kicks off into high gear as we see new Jedi characters and the live-action debut of fan favourites- the Inquisitors. The Inquistors were Jedi hunters for the Galactic Empire, featured in the animated series Clone Wars (2008-14) and Rebels (2014-18). The Grand Inquisitor is hinted to be the series’ primary antagonist. The dying moments of the teaser also make a veied reference to the big bad in the Star Wars-verse- Darth Vader. Hayden Christensen is set to return as a young Vader in the series for the first time in 17 years.

The most iconic part of the teaser, for many fans, was the use of John Williams’ legendary musical score from previous Star Wars films. The teaser is set to the popular Duel of the Fates, which John composed for The Phantom Menace (1999) and also Battle of the Heroes, which was featured in Revenge of the Sith (2005). A fan noted, “The music combined with Darth Vader breathing at the end gave me chills!”

Fans are predictably going wild. In comments on social media and YouTube, one sentiment was common: this was a long time coming. “The most phenomenal SW trailer ever,” commented one fan. Another fan wrote, “As a kid who grew up watching Star Wars all his life, this just brings a much needed smile on my face. Can’t wait!” A third fan summed up the general mood as he wrote, “Seems like I have been waiting my whole life for this”.

Obi-wan Kenobi will join two other series in the extended Star Wars universe- The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. However, given that this series is set decades before the other two, chances of cross-overs are slim. Fans are hoping to see some characters from the books or animated series though.

The series will premiere on Disney+ worldwide on May 25, and is expected to stream in India on Disney+ Hotstar on the same day. It also stars Joel Edgerton, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, and Kumail Nanjiani.