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Star Wars: 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' pulls back curtain on series villain, a Force-sensitive Jedi hunter
The character played by Moses Ingram is tasked with hunting down the last of the Jedi.
After the Jedi Order tragically crumbled in the wake of Anakin's betrayal and Palpatine's hostile takeover of the galaxy, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) decided to live out a quiet existence on Tatooine, where he vowed to watch over a young Luke Skywalker.
Well, "quiet" is kind of relative term because the disgraced Jedi Knight won't have much downtime in exile when his long-awaited television shows arrives on Disney+ at the end of May. After several years of speculation and casting news, Entertainment Weekly has delivered a slew of first look images and plot details for the Star Wars spinoff, which takes place a decade after Revenge of the Sith.
In particular, we now know who the main villain will be: a Force-sensitive Inquistor named Reva (Moses Ingram), who is tasked by the Empire with tracking down the last-remaining Jedi that were able to escape the Emperor's nefarious purge. Described as "ruthlessly ambitious" by writer Joby Harold and director Deborah Chow, the Inquisitor is one of three major baddies — the other two being the Grand Inquistor (it's still unclear who is playing this character) and the iconic Sith Lord himself, Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen).
"They share a common dark-side goal," Ingram said of the ill-intentioned trio. "They're on the same team."
When the show begins, Obi-Wan (now known as "Old Ben" to the locals) is "rather broken, and faithless, and beaten," McGregor explained. The once-great warrior of the Clone Wars has "somewhat given up," constantly dwelling on the thought of his talented student being swayed to the Dark Side of the Force. Of course, he's got a real shot at redemption by protecting Anakin's son, now under the guardianship of Owen and Beru Lars (played by returning prequel actors Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse).
"Thank you, George [Lucas], for casting Joel Edgerton as Uncle Owen," Chow (a vet of The Mandalorian) reportedly said with a laugh. "That's all I can say."
Interestingly, not all of the action will be set on Tatooine. Obi-Wan is headed off world to visit other planets like the Hong Kong-inspired Daiyu. "It's got a graffiti-ridden nightlife, and is kind of edgy," Harold teased. "It's just got a different lane and a different feeling."
What exactly forces Old Ben to abandon his post in the Outer Rim? Is he perhaps running missions for the fledgling Rebel Alliance on behalf of Senator Bail Organa? We'll know for certain when Obi-Wan Kenobi will rise from the desolate sands Wednesday, May 25.
Sung Kang (F9), Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals), Rupert Friend (Hitman: Agent 47), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), Simone Kessell (The Crossing), and Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) co-star.
