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Why Some Fans Don't Want To See Obi-Wan Vs. Vader On The New Series

The day that many "Star Wars" fans have anticipated for nearly two entire decades is only a few months away. "Obi-Wan Kenobi," the limited series that will see Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the titular Jedi from the franchise's prequel film trilogy, is set to premiere on May 25, 2022. The series will help bridge the gap between "Stars Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" and "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope," focusing on an aged Kenobi as he temporarily abandons his watch over a young Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely) to embark on an interplanetary adventure.

McGregor isn't the only actor making a long-awaited return to the "Star Wars" universe, however. Hayden Christensen will also star in the series, reprising his role as the iconic villain Anakin Skywalker a.k.a. Darth Vader from the prequel films. It's a strong possibility that the series will delve into the complicated history between Kenobi and Vader, and potentially even feature a battle between them. However, some fans have said they don't want to see the two major characters cross paths in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" for one very compelling reason.

It would cheapen their fight in A New Hope

In a recent "Star Wars" discussion thread posted by Reddit user u/ImaginaryCucumber306, the fan explained their thoughts on a potential rematch between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader.

"Am I the only one who doesn't like the idea of a 'rematch' between Vader and Obi Wan in the new show?" they wrote. "I thought it was always implied that they hadn't seen each other since [their] fight on Mustafar."

Indeed, the long-standing assumption in "Star Wars" canon was that Kenobi and Vader did not see each other after their fiery battle on the planet Mustafar at the end of "Stars Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith," until they crossed paths for a rematch in "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope." Revealing that the two actually did fight each other at some point between these two films would drastically alter the dramatic context of their final duel in the latter movie. Some commenters shared the sentiment that this change would not be a positive one.

"No you're not the only one," user u/Hello_Mr_Fancypants commented on the thread. "I also hate that in the comics Luke has had additional confrontation/confrontations with Vader. It takes away from the other encounters if they bump into each other too much."

For now, it remains to be seen whether "Obi-Wan Kenobi" will see the former partners face off against each other once again. If it does, however, it will no doubt be a controversial re-contextualization in the eyes of "Star Wars" fans.