Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Bringing Back Another Fan-Favorite Character And Actor From The Prequels
With Season 1 of "The Book of Boba Fett" now in the rearview mirror, Disney is gearing up for its next big "Star Wars" release with "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Ewan McGregor is returning to reprise his role as the titular Jedi Knight for the first time since "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith" was released in 2005 (not counting his vocal contributions to "The Force Awakens" and "The Rise of Skywalker"). Fans fondly remember McGregor's performance as a father figure to Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), which culminated in the fall of Obi-Wan's apprentice to the dark side.
The show already boasts a dream cast for fans of the "Star Wars" prequels, including the return of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader as well as Bonnie Piesse and Joel Edgerton as Beru and Owen Lars. New additions will include "Eternals" star Kumail Nanjiani and "Game of Thrones" alumna Indira Varma, bringing new faces to the galaxy far, far away.
With the premiere date for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" drawing near, more information is coming to light, whether Disney wants it to or not. Now, reports indicate the casting of one more fan-favorite character from the prequels.
Jimmy Smits is slated to return as Bail Organa, the democracy-minded Senator of Alderaan
Bail Organa, the Senator of Alderaan in the "Star Wars" prequels, is making a return in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and will again be played by Jimmy Smits, according to Making Star Wars. Though his appearance is not confirmed by Disney, firsthand accounts place the actor on set with Ewan McGregor, a rare leak to emerge from a show that has kept all but a few casting choices shrouded in Sith-like secrecy.
The end of "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" saw Organa adopting Padmé Amidala's (Natalie Portman) infant child, Leia, in order to hide her from Darth Vader. While Leia grows up to be the fierce princess we know and love in the original trilogy, as played by Carrie Fisher, it's unclear what happened to her adoptive father in the time between "Revenge of the Sith" and "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope."
While it must be stressed that this casting has not been confirmed by official sources, the presence of Bail Organa in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" makes a great deal of sense, given the appearance of Owen and Beru Lars, Luke's uncle and aunt, who also appear at the end of "Revenge of the Sith." It seems that "Obi-Wan Kenobi" intends to focus on the Skywalker twins' upbringings during the reign of the Galactic Empire, a rare bit of history that has gone unexplored by the "Star Wars" canon.