Obi-Wan Kenobi writer Joby Harold discussed an important Star Wars tie-in that links to the Sequel Trilogy antagonist, Kylo Ren.
Star Wars fans have helped make the new event series Obi-Wan Kenobi one of the biggest launches in the history of Disney Plus. The series, which follows Ewan McGregor’s former Jedi Master, who now goes by Ben, 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith on a dangerous mission that includes a special appearance by a young Princess Leia Organa.
The appearance of a young Princess Leia and the showcasing of her relationship with Ben also shed light on how she always held him in high regard, adding more of an emotional weight to her iconic line from Star Wars: A New Hope, “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” And perhaps even more interesting is how her close connection with the Jedi Master served as an inspiration in naming her son Ben Solo, who would go on to become Kylo Ren, after him.
Obi-Wan Kenobi writer Joby Harold discussed with The Hollywood Reporter how the series aimed to showcase the relationship Ben had with young Leia, and how it really impacted her into the future of the Star Wars franchise, and even played a role in honoring his legacy by naming her son after him, although he ends up repeating the same mistakes as his grandfather when he becomes Kylo Ren:
“It was very helpful to know where they were going because it answers the question of, ‘Why him?’ So, ‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope,’ feels less arbitrary as a choice and a decision now that we know the depth of the history they have together. The context within which Leia says that in A New Hope is now canon, and it’s clear. So it will be articulated as the show continues, but I liked the fact that it helped reinforce and better articulate a little piece of the jigsaw that is already in place. If you watch all of the Star Wars stories in a row right now, you’d be like, ‘Of course, she’s going to go to Obi-Wan.’ She also ends up naming her son, Ben [Adam Driver]. So I liked the fact that he was a big component in her life, as much as he was in Luke’s life up until now. It felt right after everything that happened with Anakin and those two children that he would be there for both children, to the degree he now has been in canon.”
Star Wars: A Story Of Legacy And Family
Obi-Wan Kenobi so far has been a showcase in filling out more of the gaps between each of the Skywalker Saga films by involving some new narrative details that add more meaning to some previously-established legacy characters and moments. By involving Ben and young Leia’s relationship into this adventure, we now have more of an emotional understanding for the rest of the films that are set after this event series, especially in regards to how that legacy carried on in Kylo Ren’s real identity being named after the legendary Jedi master that protected Leia’s life.
Directed by Deborah Chow from Joby Harold’s scripts, the series stars Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie. The series will also see the return of legendary Star Wars composer John Williams, who scored a theme.
The first four episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are on Disney Plus now, with new episodes airing every Wednesday. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the series, Kylo Ren, and the future of the Star Wars franchise, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: THR
