When audiences last saw Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader on screen together, the Jedi master had defeated his former apprentice in a heartbreaking lightsaber duel inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Now, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has promised a rematch between both characters in the upcomingObi-Wan Kenobiseries for Disney+.
After their lightsaber battle on Mustafar concluded with Vader being engulfed in flames, Kenobi left the man he once considered a brother to his fate andexiled himself on Tatooine, where he would watch over Skywalker’s son Luke until the events ofA New Hope. As far as audiences who only watched the live-actionStar Warsfilms were concerned, Obi-Wan and Vader had not met again since that moment on Mustafar until they crossed paths years later when an older Kenobi joined a grown Luke on a mission to rescue Princess Leia from the clutches of the Empire.
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However, Kennedyverified rumors claiming Christensen would reprise his roleas Darth Vader in theObi-Wan Kenobiseries during Lucasfilm’s presentation at Disney’s Investor Day. “Obi-Wan Kenobi begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Revenge of the Sith, where he faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader,” Kennedy revealed. “Our fans will be thrilled that Hayden Christensen will be returning in the role of Darth Vader. This will be the rematch of the century.” Prior to the official announcement, rumors claimed Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker would also return through a series of flashbacks to important moments during the Clone Wars before he was anointed a Sith Lord.
Episodes ofObi-Wan Kenobiwill be directed by Deborah Chow, who previously helmed two entries inthe first season ofThe Mandalorianfor Disney+. “We couldn’t tell the story of Obi-Wan without Darth Vader,” Chow said during an interview with GamesRadar. “We will definitely see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again.”
During the initial release ofRevenge of the Sithand its predecessor,Attack of the Clones, audience reception towards Christensen’s performance as Skywalker was far from generous. However, the prospect of seeing the Canadian-born actor return to theStar Warsfranchise and have a second chance to portray the iconic Vader is exciting to many who grew up on and have beengenerally more favorable towards the prequels.
Of course, there is some question as to whether or not a rematch between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader will contradict the events ofA New Hope. During their lightsaber battle on board the Death Star in the firstStar Warsfilm, the dialogue between both characters suggested this was their first encounter since Vader left Obi-Wan to embrace the dark side.
