Will there be an Obi-Wan cameo in the Ahsoka series?

Hello there!

With Ahsoka just three weeks away, hype, speculation, and theories are rampant among fans and journalists. With all the different characters involved, this series looks to be action and plot packed. We have confirmation of several characters from Star Wars: Rebels that are being brought into live-action for the very first time. In addition, we also know that Hayden Christensen will be once again reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader as well as the debut of other dark side users. With all these characters being brought into production, is there any room for an old friend?

Ewan McGregor recently returned to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in his own solo miniseries. While the reviews were quite mixed, a plethora of fans have been anticipating MeGregor’s return and believe that Ahsoka is the perfect opportunity. However, with a stacked cast, and an intricate plot featuring the world-between-worlds, it’s certainly debatable whether there is any room to organically fit Kenobi into the story. From what we have seen in the past, it’s a lot more well-received when a character returns and can positively contribute to the plot rather than a needless cameo. Therefore, in what way could Kenobi’s appearance benefit the telling of this story?

While we haven’t seen any footage of it in the current trailers, many rumors suggest that there will be a Clone Wars flashback at some point in the series. Of course, Kenobi, Anakin, and Ahsoka were practically conjoined at the hip for throughout the Clone Wars until Ahsoka left the Jedi Order. Similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka could contain a flashback scene during the Clone Wars to tell a short story that parallels the plot of the series at large. This is certainly the single best way to Organically fit Kenobi into the series. Using Kenobi to tell a tale in a way that would give us more insight into present-day Ahsoka’s thoughts and attitudes almost seems like a no-brainer if Kenobi is to be included.

We’ve seen a lot of Force Ghosts throughout history to be the cherry on top of a perfect Star Wars ending. However, Using Kenobi, or even Anakin in this scenario would be repetitive. Additionally, as previously stated, there are more creative ways to bake nostalgic characters into the series where you get more than simply just the nostalgia. While using both force ghosts and flashbacks certainly wouldn’t harm the production, the repetitive force ghost is something that some fans may have grown tired of.

Just looking back roughly a year ago, Liam Neeson returned as Qui-Gon-Jin for a brief force ghost cameo in the finale of the Kenobi series. Not only was that entire series questioned as a whole, but many, including myself, believe that even as a force ghost, Qui-Gon could have been featured in far more interesting points in the series. Not hearing Qui-Gon’s voice calling out to Obi-Wan while in the rubble during his second duel with Vader in the finale was something I was deeply disappointed by after seeing a clearly missed opportunity. After several series like Kenobi, it’s clear that Kathleen Kennedy and Bob Iger understand that understand how their productions have not been received as planned. Making better use of marquee characters would be a great way to change things up in the galaxy far, far away.

As we already see in the trailer, Ahsoka mentions Anakin by name. This is hard evidence that even when Christensen is not physically present, just his name will be used in a way to further the plot. With this being established, just Kenobi’s name could have a similar effect. While mentioning Kenobi without Ewan McGregor making an appearance may feel like a slap in the face of Hardcore Kenobi fans, just a mention of the great Jedi Master could still be used in a productive way if done right.

Regardless of how Kenobi may or not be featured, the truth is Kenobi has already played a viable role in Ahsoka’s life. Kenobi’s influence has contributed to who she is and who she will continue to be for the series. Whether or not McGregor shows up, it’s safe to say Kenobi has already done his fair share for the once-young Jedi padawan.