'Obi-Wan Kenobi' series' bacta tank scenes were difficult but "zen" for Hayden Christensen to film

The series Obi-Wan Kenobi is getting a collector's SteeBook release on April 30, including bonus content. As a teaser for the release, a new behind-the-scenes clip from the making of Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals the difficulties of filming Darth Vader fully submerged in a bacta tank.

Star Wars fans are well aware that following the severe injuries he suffered in his fight against Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, Vader spent hours in the bacta tank as part of his medical treatment. This helped him heal not only from the burns he endured on Mustafar but also from any injuries he suffered as Darth Vader.

In a new clip shared by Variety, part of the exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the series, actor Hayden Christensen, co-producer and production designer Doug Chiang, and associate producer Stephanie Peters describe what went into bringing this moment on screen.

While Rogue One shows Vader's bacta tank and gives a shadowy look at the Sith Lord submerged in it, Obi-Wan Kenobi gives a much closer look at Vader and his injuries. That meant having to create the tank as well as Vader's room and make sure that while submerged in water, Hayden's prosthetics didn't malfunction.

"It was really important to test it out ahead of time to make sure the lighting was correct, the water color was correct, to make sure that the prosthetic held up, and there weren’t any air bubbles"

- Stephanie Peters

Everything had to be tested before Hayden could get in without any breathing apparatus.

For Doug Chiang, who's been working on Star Wars projects since 1999, it would've been better to continue the mystery, as revealing too much of Vader without his suit might remove some of his mystique. “In some ways, it’s better to be more mysterious,” he says, but adds that he was excited as the show gave an opportunity to "peel back the layers."

For Hayden, most of the focus was on learning how to hold his breath long enough. The actor reveals that the longest he was able to hold it was "around two and a half minutes." It gave him a chance to learn a new skill, and Christensen credits his diving coach for teaching him breathing techniques that allowed him to hold his breath for so long.

He details the Zen experience and says, “It was surprisingly peaceful in there.” For fans of the series, it was a chance to see Vader in a vulnerable state. No one will forget the moment Vader and Obi-Wan connected through the Force and sensed one another while Vader was submerged in bacta. It was one of the many highly emotional moments in the series between the two friends turned foes.

Obi-Wan Kenobi will arrive in 4K UHD on April 30, 2024.