This is what Star Wars fans have been saying about a first look at Disney+’s upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi, which premiered on Wednesday. Disney (DIS) has unveiled the trailer for the new Star Wars series at its annual shareholder meeting. It immediately went viral on the web.
Of course it did. Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most beloved characters not only in Star Wars, but in all of pop culture. And if that’s not enough, Ewan McGregor, who played the wise (and young) Jedi Master in the Star Wars prequels, will reprise his role in the Disney+ show.
The surprise trailer begins with the saga’s iconic “Duel of the Fates” theme and then takes viewers to the desert planet of Tatooine, where the original Star Wars movie also began. Once there, the teaser presents a grizzled Kenobi MacGregor looking through binoculars at a child who is clearly Luke Skywalker.
From there, the teaser takes viewers through the Star Wars galaxy as evil agents of the Empire attempt to hunt down the last remnants of the Jedi Order. The action of the new series takes place before the events of the original trilogy, but a little later than the prequels.
“The fight is over,” says a sullen Kenobi McGregor in the trailer. “We lost.”
The series, which debuts on May 25, is arguably the biggest Star Wars franchise to premiere on Disney+. While The Mandalorian helped turn the service into a streaming powerhouse, Kenobi acts as a bridge between two sets of blockbuster trilogies and could take Disney+ to even greater heights.
McGregor is not the only returning star. Hayden Christensen also reprises his role as a young Darth Vader.
All of which is great for fans who can’t wait for McGregor to return and find out what turned the character into the Obi-Wan they met in 1977’s Star Wars.
And that’s a big deal for Disney, which has put most of its eggs in the Disney+ basket.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is a series that should attract a lot of subscribers, and those who have already subscribed – very happy. Disney+ currently has almost 130 million subscribers, second only to Netflix (NFLX) and Amazon Prime, which is no small feat considering it just launched in November 2019.
This is important to the company’s bottom line and share price as it competes with many others in the hyper-competitive streaming market.