The ghost of Anakin and the return of Hayden Christensen
Keeping along these lines, if Lucasfilm sticks to the script and have the Kenobi movie set a short number of years after Revenge of the Sith, with Obi-Wan roaming the desert as he protects a young Luke Skywalker, having the crypto-Jedi haunted by his past will be an essential plot point. Fans are begging to see an Obi-Wan traumatised by the events of Episode III, the fall of the Jedi, and most importantly of all, the fate of his friend Anakin Skywalker. The Obi-Wan we find at the film’s start needs to be haunted by the ghost of his former pupil, not literally of course, but his dreams instead permeated by memories of Mustafar and all that transpired there. This is assumed to have occurred anyway, but to witness these dark times on film would delight many a fan. And if we are to see flashes of the man once known as Anakin, let’s get over past grievances and bring Hayden Christensen back into the fold. After all the antipathy towards his work in Star Wars, he deserves a little better, and in 2020, he might just get it. After all, he is Anakin Skywalker, his is the face that should haunt Obi-Wan’s dreams – the author of all his pain.
Finally the return of that beloved Jedi
Now, this is the least likely scenario, but it’s one that would raise the roof among the Star Wars fandom and finally deliver something they have long been clamouring for. Yes, I am talking about the return of Jedi Master Mace Windu. The character who seemingly died at the hands of Darth Sidious and Anakin during Episode III, should, mirabile dictu, finally return in the Obi-Wan solo movie. For those who aren’t plugged into the fandom, the death of Windu isn’t something that is taken as gospel, many believe he did, or rather should, survive his fall, and have therefore been waiting with bated breath for the character’s return. So why not make it here?
Let me attempt to adumbrate events little: Kenobi needs a foil, Lucasfilm would surely like to include a lightsaber duel, so what if Mace returned but not as the man we remember? Perhaps the Jedi Master was only rescued from death by those who nearly sent him to it? Palpatine capturing the broken warrior, torturing him mentally, physically, and cruelly keeping him alive until he is forcibly turned, not into a Sith, but something far more humiliating – serving Vader as one of his Inquisitors. It’s a little out there but it would be dramatic stuff indeed and a tragic turn for the character. Having to be lowered to such a level and then forced to hunt down surviving Jedi as a broken shell of his former self, until finally coming upon Obi-Wan in the dunes of Tatooine? Well, that’s a movie right there and would more than tick a few boxes among the Star Wars faithful. Can Obi-Wan save Windu in a way he couldn’t save Anakin? All while keeping Luke a secret from the Empire? It would certainly be an interesting and insidious way to bring the beloved character back into events.
The film has to be consequential
No matter what Lucasfilm decided to do with a Kenobi movie should we receive it, most importantly of all they need to create a film of significance. It can’t just be the fun adventures of Obi-Wan, the movie has to change the way we look at the character going forward and the lens through which we view his later interactions with Luke, Maul, and the rest. Anthology movies are all well and good, but there has to be a reason beyond that of selling tickets. The films themselves have to create larger consequences for the world and the characters that populate them. This is the prime task of Solo: A Star Wars Story and would be just as essential for a movie starring Obi-Wan.
What do you want from the Kenobi movie? Let us know in the comments below…
Samuel Brace
Originally published May 12, 2018. Updated September 1, 2018.
