Obi-Wan Kenobi is probably the Star Wars character most deserving of an anthology movie, yet none is currently planned. Apparently, this is because the main saga isn’t done with him.
This December, the Star Wars saga expands with Rogue One, the first in what is shaping up to be an extensive series of standalone movies not following the main Skywalker saga.
There’s also a Han Solo origin story and potential trilogy planned, and a Boba Fett movie almost happened (and might still, down the line).
But what about Obi-Wan Kenobi? The fan-favorite character is surely one of Lucasfilm’s top choices for a solo movie, especially considering that Ewan McGregor is down to reprise his role?
Well, it seems like an Obi-Wan movie is indeed in the pipeline, but not yet. Because, intriguingly, there’s still more to come for the deceased Jedi in the current trilogy.
Entertainment Weekly writer Anthony Breznican, who has close ties to Lucasfilm, is quoted by Collider as saying, “I have heard rumors that the one reason they haven’t moved sooner on Obi-Wan is that they’re not done with Obi-Wan quite yet in the saga films. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see an Obi-Wan [solo film] happen beyond [final trilogy installment] Episode IX.”
Related: Star Wars investigation: Who are Rey’s parents?
There are several ways Obi-Wan could be incorporated into the new trilogy. We saw his Force ghost communicate with Luke in the original movies, and both McGregor and original Obi-Wan actor Alec Guinness’ voices were used in the Force Awakens montage that led Rey to Luke’s lightsaber.
It is very possible that he’ll once again show up as a ghost — but why would this matter in terms of him getting a solo movie?
The much more intriguing possibility is that there is something big that has yet to be revealed about Obi-Wan Kenobi, such as the fact that he fathered a child and/or had surviving relatives that would provide him with a direct family link to Rey (Daisy Ridley), likely as her grandfather.
Rey’s parentage has been a topic of much discussion since the release of The Force Awakens last December, and there have been enough clues and cryptic messages that we can probably assume her family tree is indeed going to be significant. And if she’s not a Skywalker or a Solo (which seems too obvious), making her a Kenobi would certainly be a cool twist to the ‘I am your father’ trope.
What do you think? Are we grasping here, or is Lucasfilm’s silence about an Obi-Wan solo movie perhaps an unintentional clue that he’ll play a significant role in the current trilogy?