Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Smashing Records On Disney+

Last week saw the early arrival of Ewan McGregor back in action as the late, great Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in the appropriately titled prequel series, "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Swinging at the classic tales of old like "Shane," "True Grit," and the other beloved westerns, McGregor has slipped effortlessly back into the role he first braved an incredible 23 years ago. The new series sees him in an adventure ten years after "Revenge of the Sith," with the Jedi close to being wiped out and one former friend turned enemy getting ever closer for a rematch.

With the anticipation already at unspeakable highs, the powers-that-be decided not to make fans wait any longer last week and announced that the first two episodes would be released early during the Star Wars Celebration. That was a smart move, as Kenobi's comeback (with a little Leia in tow) has just broken a brand-new record on the show's hosting streaming service, Disney+.

Following the release of Part I and Part II of "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Lucasfilm has confirmed following the Star Wars Celebration that the show is "the most-watched Disney+ Original series premiere globally to date, based on hours streamed in an opening weekend." It comes as hardly a surprise given that this is the first "Star Wars" show to date that focuses on a main character from the original Skywalker Saga: Boba Fett was little more than a secondary villain before "The Book of Boba Fett," and while the main character of "The Mandalorian" is now a huge part of the "Star Wars" franchise (one who is also confirmed to be returning for a fourth season), he opened his series as a total newcomer. 

Following the considerable view-count of McGregor's comeback as everyone's favorite Jedi, a ripple effect bled out to other beloved bits of "Star Wars" content on the streaming service, too. It was confirmed that views on other Disney+ Star Wars content actually tripled during that same weekend, meaning that the original films and the prequels were given a once over by fans, as well. This makes sense: after catching up with old friends, it's understandable to go back and see why we learned to love them in the first place. And who knows — perhaps even more viewers will turn out in coming weeks, as the six-part "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series continues on Disney+.