Obi-Wan Kenobi is considered one of the most popular Jedi characters in the Star Wars franchise. Played by Ewan McGregor in the prequel films (and voiced by James Arnold Taylor in the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series), fans are ecstatic to see the live-action comeback of this famed Jedi Master in the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.

 

The series is slated to release sometime in 2022, but with recent COVID-19 backups on many film and television sets, it very well could release in early 2023. Not much about the series’ plot has been disclosed, but what we do know is that it will take place 10 years after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith on Tatooine — where Kenobi was tasked with keeping a close eye on Luke Skywalker.

 

But why are fans so excited to see the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi? Well, it’s pretty simple.

 

1. We get a better picture of his younger days on Tatooine

 

The first time we saw Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine was in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, alongside a teenage Luke Skywalker. Known as “Old Man Ben,” Obi-Wan spent a good chunk of his life keeping tabs on Luke, in hopes of concealing him from his father, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. However, there are a lot of unanswered questions about Obi-Wan’s first few years on Tatooine.

 

2. The Master and (former) Padawan will be reunited

 

While Star Wars fans are over the moon for Ewan McGregor’s return, there’s been even more of an uproar for the return of Hayden Christiansen, as he will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Obi-Wan and Anakin’s last interaction was during the emotional duel on the fiery planet Mustafar. Since then, we have not heard much about how Obi-Wan felt after what transpired on Mustafar, and there’s no telling what could unfold should the two meet face-to-face once again.

 

3. Obi-Wan’s witty comebacks

 

While he is wise beyond his years, Obi-Wan is well-known for his wit. He is not one to be open about his emotions, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a sense of humor. Along with his intelligence, Obi-Wan shows a penchant for sarcasm and light-hearted jabs directed at the people he cares about and feels closeness to, like Anakin, Ahsoka, and his fellow Jedi.

 

4. Skilled fighting

 

Obi-Wan Kenobi has had many formidable opponents in his time. He’s fought Jango Fett, Cad Bane, General Grievous, and three Sith Lords (Darth Vader, Count Dooku, and Darth Maul). In order to fight such opponents, you need to be a skilled fighter. Considering the fact that Jedi don’t receive any tactical or military training, Obi-Wan proved himself to be fully self-sufficient and capable of blending the best from both of his worlds—allowing him to provide us with some of the best Jedi fight scenes.

 

5. Darth Maul

 

Darth Maul and his crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn, could very well make its way back into the fold in the new Disney+ series. While there’s only been the slightest of hints, there’s speculation that Crimson Dawn could be the final boss in the newest Star Wars Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett.

 

Darth Maul’s crime syndicate was first introduced in the 2018 anthology installment, Solo: A Star Wars Story. In Solo, we were left with Qi’Ra (played by Emilia Clarke) taking the reins as the groups public leader. The real boss—Darth Maul— was working behind the scenes, pulling the strings as the puppet master. Since that reveal, it was clear to fans that this huge detail would be brought back up in the franchise at some point.

 

There’s a ton of series lined up in the Star Wars franchise, let us know which one you look forward to the most.

 

Photos via LucasFilm