I’m Glad ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Didn’t Follow Its Original Plan for Ben and Luke

Obi-Wan Kenobi has come and gone, but we’re still thinking about the series as a whole, and it does seem as if we’re still getting new information about it! Star Ewan McGregor was recently talking about the inspiration for the series and how it changed throughout its time prior to filming, and it is interesting to see where the show could have gone versus where it ended up going—meaning that we could have just seen Ben and Luke Skywalker together, but I’m glad that’s not what ended up happening.

McGregor was at Fan EXPO in Boston this weekend and spoke a bit about the series (with quotes from ComicBook.com): “It was going to be a story about me and Luke. It was always going to be that, and that was one of the genius moments where everyone went, ‘Wait a minute,’ and then changed it,” McGregor said. “That’s the beautiful thing about how passionate Disney, Lucasfilm, all of us are, who are involved with it is from the beginning is we try really hard not to let anything of the bad just to protect your experience of seeing it for the first time.”

Luke Skywalker is obviously in the show and played by Grant Feely, but he’s not really a major part throughout the majority of the series, coming into play towards the end. The important part falls to Leia, played by Vivien Lyra Blair, and it’s a move for the show that instantly makes it more special than if it had been Ben and Luke.

The importance of Leia

I was always going to like this series. It wasn’t a question. I love Ewan McGregor and his take on Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I was instantly into the idea of Hayden Christensen coming back as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, but the minute that it was clear that Leia was going to be the one that Obi-Wan was with the most throughout the show, it took on a whole new meaning for me.

And part of that plays into McGregor’s comments about it being a surprise. It felt like such a shock having Leia as the focus that I instantly gasped and cried as I saw it. That alone made the switch worth it for me. It was easy to assume that Ben was going to see Luke and be on Tatooine. Seeing him on Alderaan and trying to find and save Leia? And then meeting her and seeing just how much she was like her parents? All of that holds an emotional weight that I just don’t think Luke would have, and it’s incredible to see play out.

So I’m glad the show switched it, and I’m glad we got to see how Ben would interact with Leia in this way instead of keeping him stuck on Tatooine with Owen, Beru, and Luke. In this case, this was the right move, and I hope we get to see more of what the show could have been in the future. But I also hope that this isn’t the end for McGregor’s Obi-Wan, either.

(featured image: Lucasfilm)