What the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney Gallery episode should show
By Kieran Burt
Both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett received behind the scenes episodes detailing how the shows were made, so it’s reasonable to assume that Obi Wan Kenobi will get similar treatment. In anticipation of its arrival, here are five things that should appear in the show.
The first aspect that should be detailed concerns the early development of the show. It’s been well documented that Obi Wan Kenobi was initially supposed to be a film, and if that did well then an additional two were planned. A director was attached, and it seemed production was ready to start. However, due to the poor performance of Solo, all none-sequel trilogy films were cancelled, including Kenobi.
Now, the story of Kenobi would be adapted for the Disney+ show, but it would be interesting to see how far into production the Obi Wan Kenobi film was before it was cancelled, how the cast and crew felt about it, and the process of adapting what they already had into a Disney+ show. This would be an excellent way to start the Gallery, as it’s a point that would hook audiences in right away.
Obi Wan Kenobi is the first project that brings the Inquisitors to live action, along with Fortress Inquisitorius from Jedi: Fallen Order. The Inquisitors originated in Star Wars: Rebels, an animation project helmed by Dave Filoni. There was also a huge controversy about how the Grand Inquisitor was depicted in live action. It would be great if a segment of the Gallery episode could go into bringing these elements from other parts of the canon, why they felt that was important and how it was done. Dave Filoni had a role in shaping the Inquisitors and wider canon issues in Obi Wan Kenobi, so it would be great for him to come in and talk about that.
Another villain that Obi Wan Kenobi brought back is Darth Vader. As Deborah Chow revealed, his role in Obi Wan Kenobi wasn’t a given. There were “big conversations” about bringing back Vader at Disney, and it would make for an interesting behind the scenes look if the audience is given an insight into these conversations. Another aspect linking to this is the decision to bring Hayden Christensen onboard, and the conversations surrounding that.
It’s also well known that even once Kenobi was greenlit as a TV show, its production wasn’t smooth. In fact, the show got delayed due to script rewrites. Kathleen Kennedy revealed that Obi Wan Kenobi was originally “too bleak” and needed intensive work. Their original writer, Hossein Amini, was replaced with Joby Harold in order to brighten the show. Another reason for script rewrites is that the show seemed to be too similar to The Mandalorian. This reason hasn’t been confirmed officially however. The Gallery episode on Kenobi would be an excellent opportunity to delve into this, offering more insight into how the story of the Jedi Master changed and evolved.
A final aspect the Kenobi should dive into is the decision to bring Leia into the show in a prominent role. Audiences were shocked and surprised when Vivien Lyra Blair appeared playing Princess Leia, and made her such a huge role in the show. The casting of Leia was extremely important to get right, so to know what Lucasfilm saw in Vivien Lyra Blair and what qualities they were looking for would be fascinating.
The Obi Wan Kenobi Gallery episode provides an amazing opportunity to dive deep into the production of Obi Wan Kenobi, especially given the show’s long and troubled production timeline. An answer to any of these aspects would make for an interesting Gallery episode, and one that hopefully avoids the cast and crew hyping up a show that has already come out.