Aside from Sir Alec Guinness classically portraying the pivotal guru Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy, Ewan McGregor had the tall task of playing the younger version of the character in the prequel trilogy as well as the more recent titular follow-up series on Disney+. This might not be the end. Rumor has it that Ewan McGregor will be reprising the role yet again in the upcoming Ahsoka Season 2, as teased by Kristian Harloff of The Kristian Harloff Show.
As always with rumors, take these with a grain of salt. These are not official announcements. Kristian seemed reluctant to drop this tidbit near the end of a recent livestream, as it had yet to be confirmed by any of the trades. He claims this comes from a reputable source inside the industry.
Still, it's fun to speculate. Let’s consider the possibilities of how Ewan McGregor will return to Ahsoka!
Flashback or Force Ghost?
The first thing fans will be anticipating is how exactly we will see Ewan pop up as Obi-Wan, given that the timeline of Ahsoka is currently set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, long after Kenobi has passed on into the living Force. Of course, Obi-Wan has already appeared as a Force ghost in the original trilogy. We have seen Hayden Christensen reprise his role of Anakin Skywalker in multiple series in the form of both flashback and Force ghost.
Ahsoka made Anakin’s Force ghost an integral character in the first season, leaving it open-ended as to whether we will see more of him in later seasons. It seems less likely that the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi would also visit Ahsoka in the same series, for it may leave less of an impact than the reunion of Master and Apprentice, which would be hard to top. It might be more poetic if we see Ewan McGregor return in a flashback sequence, perhaps in the thick of the Clone Wars, donning his Jedi armor (from The Clone Wars animated series) just as Hayden had appeared in the World Between Worlds in the episode "Shadow Warrior."
Why Season 2?
There isn’t necessarily enough meat on the bone to warrant an Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 2 given the tight timeline and turnaround for the classic encounter with crazy Old Ben Kenobi who lives out past the Dune Sea in A New Hope. However, Ewan is so great in the role that it would behoove Lucasfilm/Disney not to utilize him at any opportunity. An entire flashback episode set during the Clone Wars with Ariana Greenblatt reprising her role as young Ahsoka interacting with Obi-Wan Kenobi would do a lot for her live-action character development and works in synergy with everything that has come before to make for great story-telling. Obi-Wan might not be Ahsoka’s Master, but her Master was his Apprentice, so they are essentially two sides of the same coin that represent the incredibly complex tapestry that is Anakin Skywalker. If we somehow get a live-action The Clone Wars episode inside Ahsoka, that would surely take things to the next level.
Will that be all, Captain?
Ewan McGregor seems genuinely interested in playing in the Star Wars sandbox again, so this rumor should have fans excited to be getting more Obi-Wan Kenobi. His chemistry with Hayden Christensen, especially in Revenge of the Sith and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, is off the charts. The possibility of seeing these three characters, which have only appeared together in Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, is making my nerd heart sing! Just imagine, at the very least, we get another scene or episode with one of the most beloved original Star Wars characters in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but what if the surprise is that this Ahsoka Season 2 appearance generates enough excitement among fans to justify another live-action Star Wars story set in the Clone Wars era with Ewan McGregor returning?
We'll have to wait and see what happens as Ahsoka Season 2 begins filming this year.