Lucasfilm is facing a unique problem heading into the May premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi. While the Disney+ series ranks as one of the studio’s most anticipated projects, it’s also set to debut only a few months after The Book of Boba Fett Season 1. That show took place almost entirely on Tatooine, and received criticism for lacking the kind of visual variety Star Wars fans have come to expect from the franchise.
Set in the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi is expected to also spend most of its time on Tatooine. Consequently, one of the biggest concerns fans have about Obi-Wan is that the series is going to feel stale and visually static.
Fortunately, one new Obi-Wan Kenobi leak suggests that the series’ scope may be a bit more expansive than fans believe.
The Leak — Making Star Wars reported earlier this week that actor Jimmy Smits will reprise his role as Senator Bail Organa in Obi-Wan Kenobi. The outlet claims that Smits was spotted on the show’s set when it was in production, though it wasn’t clear if he was actually filming. The last time Smits appeared as the character was in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Bail’s wife, Breha, is also expected to appear in the series, but it’s not known who will be playing her. Together, Bail and Breha played important roles in the Star Wars universe by acting as the adoptive parents of Leia Organa after her mother’s demise and her father’s fall to the Dark Side at the end of Revenge of the Sith.
Knowing that, it seems likely that Obi-Wan Kenobi will feature sequences set on Alderaan when Leia is being raised there by Bail and Breha.
Trips to Alderaan — While this leak remains unconfirmed, it makes sense that Obi-Wan Kenobi would feature sequences on Alderaan. In the years between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) was concerned with protecting both of Anakin Skywalker’s children. That’s why he entrusted Leia to Bail, a powerful and loyal friend to the Jedi, and it’s why he spent over a decade watching over Luke from afar on Tatooine.
It’s presumed that Obi-Wan spent most of his time after Revenge of the Sith on Tatooine, but there’s no reason to believe he didn’t stay in contact with Bail. In fact, Bail’s knowledge of Luke and Leia’s origins, as well as Obi-Wan and Yoda’s exiles, makes him one of the few people that Obi-Wan could actually keep in touch with.
Making Bail Organa a character in Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t just make narrative sense, but would also give the Disney+ series a chance to shift its focus from Tatooine now and then. Doing so would allow Obi-Wan to hopefully avoid the same kind of Tatooine fatigue that plagued much of The Book of Boba Fett. Plus, spending some time with a young Leia Organa on Alderaan would make the planet’s destruction in A New Hope feel even more impactful.
The Inverse Analysis — If Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn’t premiering soon after The Book of Boba Fett, Lucasfilm wouldn’t necessarily have to worry about fans losing interest in its Tatooine-centric story. Unfortunately, the series’ placement in Lucasfilm’s release slate does just that.
But there are several characters in the Star Wars universe whose presence on Obi-Wan Kenobi would open the door for the series to take trips off Tatooine, and Bail Organa is one of them.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere on May 25, 2022, on Disney+.
