Obi-Wan Kenobi Characters Who Mean More Than You Think

One of the biggest draws going into watching "Obi-Wan Kenobi" on Disney+ was the return of the stars from "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith." Ewan McGregor was admittedly a huge selling point and bringing Hayden Christensen back didn't hurt the show's chances to please prequel lovers. "Star Wars" fans got to watch the adventures of favorite characters like Obi-Wan and Leia in an era they had never seen them in before. But it was some of the new characters the show added to the "Star Wars" universe that intrigue us the most. Many of them play a more important role than you may realize.

The show's A-plot focuses on the safe return of Princess Leia to her family, and characters with parts to play on both light and dark sides make their debut appearances in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Most significantly, there's the Inquisitors, Vader's personal squad of evil Jedi trainees. But many of the characters Obi-Wan encounters might have a chance of returning in future "Star Wars" projects. Regardless of the part they play, these characters mean more than you think.

One of the new fan-favorite characters to emerge from the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series has got to be Moses Ingram's Inquisitor Reva. The actress previously known for performances in "The Queen's Gambit" and Joel Coen's "The Tragedy of Macbeth" brings a fierce face to the dark side as Vader's conflicted pupil. Equal parts intimidating and sympathetic, Reva's internal conflict drives the show forward. Her arc is one of the most interesting and unique aspects of the miniseries.

Reva struggles with her commitment to Vader and the dark side throughout "Obi-Wan Kenobi." She recalls the day she watched Anakin Skywalker kill her fellow Jedi younglings, which gives her an important connection to the events of "Revenge of the Sith." This uncertainty motivates her to climb the Inquisitorial ranks, at least until Obi-Wan opens her mind to a new path.

Reva's characterization is important to the "Star Wars" universe because she is something of a rarity — a dark Jedi who finds the light again. Her plotline is aspirational, demonstrating that not all who fall to the dark side are doomed to stay there, as Anakin himself famously discovers at the conclusion of "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi." 

Actor Rupert Friend turns in an intimidating performance as the white-faced Grand Inquisitor in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." The dark Jedi is Vader's right hand, much to Reva's chagrin. In the second episode of the series, she stabs him with a lightsaber, which seems like his demise at the time. However, the chilling villain returns in Part V to betray Reva, prove his loyalty to Vader, and reclaim his title as Grand Inquisitor.

Dedicated "Star Wars" fans will notice this isn't the first appearance of the Inquisitor. The character made his debut in "Rebels," which means his tenure as Vader's right hand lasts for more than a decade. This makes him a powerful player in the events that take place between "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope."

Initially, the Grand Inquisitor's death confused fans who were familiar with the character from "Rebels," but his return resolved the perceived canon issue. At that point, it becomes clear Vader has been aware of Reva's lack of loyalty for a while and the Grand Inquisitor faked his death as part of the plan to expose her. How exactly he survives a lightsaber wound to the gut is left up to interpretation. Later in the show, Reva survives a wound from her own lightsaber, leading some to conclude that perhaps the Inquisitors lightsabers are not as powerful as the ones from the days of the Republic.

It's easy to write off the Jedi impersonator played by Kumail Nanjiani as the show's main source of comic relief and call it a day. The accomplished comedic actor certainly channels plenty of silliness, but by the end of the show, Haja Estree ends up playing a vital role to the future of "Star Wars."

When Obi-Wan first finds Haja in the second episode, he is pretending to be a Jedi and scamming poor families out of their last handfuls of credits. However, the Jedi Master recognizes the value in Haja's belief in the power of the Force. Seeing Haja as more than just a trickster, Obi-Wan coerces him into helping the effort to save Leia. Haja represents a class of people who still remember the Jedi. After Palpatine's successful attempts to erase the Jedi from the history books (via IGN), the fact that someone out there still knows and believes gives Obi-Wan hope.

Haja's actions are also implied to be important to the plot, even if their significance isn't necessarily shown directly to the audience. In the final episode of "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan entrusts Haja to return Leia safely to Alderaan. Presumably he holds up his end of the bargain, as we see Leia with her family at the end. This means it's safe to say without Haja Estree, Leia wouldn't have been around to kick off the events of "A New Hope."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi" successfully deploys one of the best Easter eggs (via Inverse) in "Star Wars" history right in plain sight. Most viewers probably wouldn't get the reference as it's hidden in the credits, but some hardcore "Star Wars" fans recognized the name "Corran" the first time it flashed on the screen after the second episode. This can only be a reference to Corran Horn, an extremely famous extended universe (EU) character in the legends canon featured in the "Rogue Squadron" novels. He is an ace pilot that eventually follows the Force down the path to become a Jedi.

In Part II of "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Ben meets the Jedi impersonator Haja Estree. Right before this encounter, Haja is scamming a mother (Marisé Álvarez) and her son (Indie DesRoches). However, ultimately Haja and Obi-Wan end up saving the family. It turns out the name credited to DesRoches' character is Corran, while Álvarez's character is named Nyche. This family has a lot of history in the Legends canon lore that is mentioned throughout the miniseries, reinforcing the theory that the child in these episodes is the Corran Horn. The most obvious sign is that in Legends, Corran's mother is named Nyche, the same name she is given in "Obi-Wan." Digging further into Nyche will allow us to fully analyze all of the references to Corran Horn in "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Nyche Horn is another character from Corran Horn's story. She is his mother and primary caretaker while he is young. His father, Valin Halcyon, was the son of a Jedi who survived the Great Jedi Purge — the Legends equivalent of Order 66. Changing his name to Hal Horn, he was adopted by a Corellian family and grew up on the home planet of Han Solo. Eventually, he met Nyche and she gave birth to Corran, their Force-sensitive son who one day goes on to be a Jedi. Whether that is still the boy's fate is yet to be determined. 

In "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Nyche and Corran are traveling alone but the status of his father is unknown. Though it's likely that he is still alive, since Nyche and Corran are attempting to return safely to Corellia where Hal presumably waits for them. If a show as high profile as "Obi-Wan Kenobi" introduced these two characters, it seems unlikely that this is the last we've heard of them. Perhaps in the years to come, Indie DesRoches will come to reprise his role in an upcoming "Rogue Squadron" movie.

The Fifth Brother (Sung Kang) doesn't get a ton of screen time in "Obi-Wan Kenobi," but his inclusion brings up some questions for hardcore "Star Wars" fans. The gray-skinned Inquisitor might seem like a lowly henchman, but he winds up a survivor. He is first introduced in "Rebels" Season 2 where he works together with his fellow Inquisitor the Seventh Sister to track down the crew of a light freighter called the Ghost. He is a seasoned Jedi hunter, but not much is known about his backstory.

However, a lot is known about his eventual fate. The Fifth Brother's prominent role in his season of "Rebels" is cut short by a legendary dark Jedi. In the final arc of Season 2, in one of the best episodes of "Star Wars" animation, the Inquisitors are sent to pursue the Ghost crew on planet Malachor. Unbeknownst to anyone, Darth Maul is hiding on the fiery planet. In the second part of the two-part finale, the Fifth Brother attempts to take on Maul and meets his demise at the hands of the horned Sith.

Plenty of "Game of Thrones" fans immediately recognized Indira Varma from the HBO series, but her supporting role on "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is more vital than you might think. As Tala Durith, Varma plays a rebel spy working for the Empire. She winds up being a linchpin for Obi-Wan's rescue mission working out in the end and helps save his life on multiple occasions.

In the final moments of the third episode, Obi-Wan is overpowered by Vader and in a bad way. Tala provides a distraction that gives him enough time to escape. This speaks to the core of her character. Tala consistently puts herself on the line for the Rebellion, and eventually gives her own life to save Obi-Wan and Leia. She is vital to the plot, but she's also a fascinating foil to Reva (via Collider). Both women are traumatized by the violence they've been forced to inflict in the name of the Empire. Instead of channeling her rage like Reva, Tala is inspired to help people. One character has a selfish motivation while the other is completely selfless, representing divergent responses to carrying the Empire's evil plans.

In the middle of the series, Obi-Wan is brought to the command base of "the Path" on Jabiim. This intergalactic network operates like an underground railroad of sorts, moving Force-sensitive children around the Galaxy and making sure they evade the Empire's hunt. Roken (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) is the commander located at the Jabiim facility who is initially reluctant to help Obi-Wan shield Leia from the Empire. It doesn't take long for Obi-Wan to convince him of the gravity of the situation, and soon Roken becomes one of the protagonist's most trustworthy allies in "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Alongside Tala, Roken is crucial to making sure Leia gets back to the Organa family at the end of the series. But on a thematic level, he is yet another character who has faced loss at the hands of the Empire. He reveals to Obi-Wan that he was once married to a Force-sensitive woman who was hunted down and killed by the Empire. Like Tala, Roken uses this grief to inspire him to fight and lead. When we last see him, Obi-Wan tells him he is a good leader, and he needs to see the Rebellion through. Roken tells the Jedi he is just here to start it, strongly implying the character doesn't make it to see the rebels overtake the Empire. He is a tragic character in this way, but an important one who represents the everyday heroes of the Rebellion that "Star Wars" doesn't focus on enough.

The human stories that surround the bombastic plot of "Obi-Wan Kenobi” make up much of the thematic thrust of the show. Sully Stark ("Pen15" star and creator Maya Erskine) is a minor supporting character who flies for the Path. She is a young human rebel-to-be who helps rescue Jedi and Force-sensitive beings from the Empire. Like Tala, Reva, and Roken, Sully grapples with loss. Unifying these characters is their shared question of how to process grief.

In the fourth episode of the limited series, Sully witnesses the death of her friend and fellow pilot Wade. The way she reacts gives the moment gravity, strongly implying this is the first loss Sully has suffered on the battlefield. We see many of the other side characters years after they've experienced a similar moment, but they've all definitely had their version of this moment. Whether it be the death of Roken's wife or Reva living through Order 66, all these characters have a turning point that defines their morality. With Sully, we get to see her turning point happen in real-time and watch as it reinforces her commitment to the Path.

The yellow-skinned female Inquisitor who serves Vader in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is known as the Fourth Sister (Rya Kihlstedt) and gets her origins from "Star Wars" comics. Even though she doesn't have an important role to play in "Obi-Wan Kenobi," fans have still latched onto what the series shows of the Fourth Sister (Reddit). Considering the fanfare around her, it would be foolish for Disney not to bring her back for future "Star Wars" content.

In the fifth issue of comic "Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle," the Fourth Sister is impersonated by a rebel commander who hijacks her armor in order to break into Fortress Inquisitorius for a rescue mission. In this comic, we see the armor that she eventually wears. The most striking part of this image is her helmet, which resembles a Mandalorian helmet but with the black and red color scheme of the Sith. It is similar to the Inquisitor helmets seen in "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," but the design is distinctly much more similar to what Boba Fett wears. Perhaps we will be seeing her in future seasons of "The Mandalorian" to find out the truth behind her armor.