First Images from OBI-WAN KENOBI Show a New Villain

Ewan McGregor returns as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a series of the same name in mere months. The actor first portrayed the young Kenobi in 1999’s The Phantom Menace. In the Disney+ series, Kenobi is older, presumably leading a hermit life on Tatooine as he watches over Luke Skywalker from afar. We’ve seen a poster for the show, but now we have the first images for Obi-Wan Kenobi courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. In its final print edition, the magazine has a feature on the upcoming show with plenty of Ewan McGregor’s beard, a new villain, and a new planet.

Entertainment Weekly magazine cover featuring Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Entertainment Weekly

The images focusing on only Obi-Wan don’t give us a ton of new information. He’s wearing the Jedi robe look you expect. And Obi-Wan, well, he’s in a rough place. McGregor tells Entertainment Weekly, “We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten, somewhat given up.” As far as we know, Obi-Wan’s leading a sparse, solitary existence, so that’s not surprising.

Obi-Wan won’t be without action though. The series will introduce a new villain, though it’s a familiar type of villain: Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram). Governed by Darth Vader, the Inquisitorius program had the task of hunting down any Jedi who survived Order 66. They featured prominently in Star Wars Rebels, as well as the Darth Vader comic book series and Jedi: Fallen Order video game. We already know Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Vader, but a comment from Ingram suggests the Grand Inquisitor may appear too (a rumor that has floated around fan sites recently).

The other more exciting image reveals Obi-Wan on the planet of Daiyu. According to writer Joby Harold, Daiyu “sort of has a Hong Kong feel to it. It’s got a graffiti-ridden nightlife, and is kind of edgy. It’s just got a different lane and a different feeling.” I’m getting Madripoor vibes. Also I’m relieved the show will not take place entirely on Tatooine. You know what they say about sand.

Obi-Wan Kenobi also recently received its first trailer release. Take a look here to see all the Easter eggs and insights you may have missed.

Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ on May 27, 2022.

Featured Image: Lucasfilm

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.