Star Wars fans cast in Obi-Wan Kenobi series

Many Star Wars fans dream of getting to appear in a professionally made Star Wars film or TV show. Some, such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett actor Ming-Na Wen, get to live out their dreams every single day. Others just get lucky, even if their Star Wars debut puts them in the background behind the main cast. This was the case with some fans during the filming of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series.

Recently, Variety reported that many of the extras that may appear in the final Obi-Wan Kenobi series were actually already fans of a galaxy far, far away. This news came from an interview with Pen15 creator Maya Erskine, who appears in the series in an unknown role.

“The extras were incredible on the set, and a lot of them were mega Star Wars fans,” she said. “One guy, he was so nice and he lifted up his sleeves and had Star Wars tattoos over his whole body. And they build droids. There are lot of Star Wars fans that build droids, and then the production companies will rent [them] from the fans.”

This is not the first time Star Wars has relied on fans to “fill in” the universe on the small screen, so to speak. The Mandalorian recruited members of the 501st Legion to appear in the show’s first season finale. The group was already equipped with accurately and expertly crafted stormtrooper armor and were asked to play troopers in the episode.

Many Star Wars fans spend countless hours familiarizing themselves with the history and lore, creating their own content, and refining their various skills to celebrate their love of this franchise. Even if not everyone does so with the goal of being in a Star War, no one deserves it more than the people keeping the stories, characters, and themes alive.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to premiere exclusively on Disney+ in 2022.