Did Obi-Wan Kenobi's May The 4th Trailer Just Confirm The Return Of This Bounty Hunter?
Lucasfilm is returning to one of the most iconic eras in the history of the "Star Wars" universe in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." The highly anticipated Disney+ series is set to begin 10 years after the events of "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" and, therefore, nine years before the start of "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." That means the series will take place when the galaxy is still under the tight, suffocating control of the Galactic Empire.
In case that wasn't alluring enough, the Disney+ show will also focus on Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) during the period of his life he spent exiled on Tatooine. The series will follow him as he struggles to come to terms with the events of "Revenge of Sith" and the guilt he feels over his inability to stop Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) from falling to the dark side. Taking all that into account, many fans are heading into "Obi-Wan Kenobi" expecting to see surprise appearances from several familiar "Star Wars" characters.
With figures like the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) and Darth Vader already confirmed to have roles in the series too, it's not hard to see why certain fans believe other pre-existing "Star Wars" characters may also appear in "Kenobi." In fact, some viewers think they may have spotted a brief appearance from one familiar "Star Wars" droid in the second trailer for "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Is that 4-LOM in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer?
Much like the show's debut teaser, the second trailer for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" focuses heavily on the galactic hunt that leads to the series' titular Jedi crossing paths with a number of dangerous Imperial Inquisitors. It's for that reason that the Third Sister (Moses Ingram) says near the 1-minute mark of the latest "Kenobi" trailer, "I want every lowlife and bounty hunter to squeeze him." The voice-over line is accompanied by footage of Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan fighting off a number of various threats, including one robotic bounty hunter that "Star Wars" fans think looks surprisingly familiar.
In specific, certain "Star Wars" fans believe that the bounty hunter in question may be none other than 4-LOM. While that name might not be familiar to casual "Star Wars" viewers, 4-LOM is a character that die-hard fans have known about for decades. That's because 4-LOM is one of the bounty hunters who briefly appears in "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back" when Darth Vader issues a bounty for the capture of Han Solo (Harrison Ford). In the decades since that film's release, 4-LOM's backstory and personality have been filled out and explored in various "Star Wars" titles, including the non-canon "Tales of the Bounty Hunters" short stories.
As of this writing, it has yet to be confirmed whether or not the droid in the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" trailer is, indeed, 4-LOM. However, the droid does look very similar to the iconic "Star Wars" bounty hunter, which means 4-LOM may actually have a surprise role in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Fortunately, fans will get to find out if that's the case when "Kenobi" premieres Friday, May 27 on Disney+.