Director Deborah Chow Teases How Order 66 And Revenge Of The Sith Affected Obi-Wan Kenobi's Characterization - Exclusive
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" director Deborah Chow had her work cut out for her while helming the series inspired by the prequels. Not only is she dealing with nostalgia from the prequels but also from the original series itself. It's no secret that the prequels received more than their fair share of fan hate over the years, but many fans were ready to see Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen grace their screens once more as the newly jaded Jedi and his former apprentice.
Given Obi-Wan's evolution in the past four decades, it was unclear where Obi-Wan's headspace might be during the start of the show, a good ten years after the fateful battle with Anakin Skywalker on Mustafar. Yet several vital components went into cultivating Obi-Wan's post-"Revenge of the Sith" and pre-"New Hope" vibe.
During an exclusive interview with Looper, Deborah Chow revealed how Order 66 and "Revenge of the Sith" informed Obi-Wan Kenobi's characterization in the self-titled series. She also discussed the most significant challenges and joys of bringing these classic characters to life once more and teased what we might see in the coming episodes.
Chow explained the evolution of Obi-Wan Kenobi
We've seen two versions of Obi-Wan: the rule-following and the deeply empathetic version who still has a zest for adventure, and the more reserved and haunted Ben Kenobi. Of cultivating Obi-Wan's persona during the time between both trilogies, Deborah Chow said, "That was one of the most interesting things is having Ewan [McGregor] play this character at this moment in his life, and coming out of 'Revenge of the Sith' from Order 66 and everything that happened with Anakin, there's a tremendous amount of weight."
Fans are no strangers to the more lonesome version of Obi-Wan. "He is also very isolated, where so many people that he loved have either been killed or they're in hiding ... it's also a dark time period in the galaxy at this moment," Chow added. "It's a very interesting moment to start this character, and he's not the exact character he was in the prequels, nor is he Sir Alec Guinness — and that's what was interesting is that we were looking at the period in between, which is the bridge." So far, "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is doing a great job honoring both iterations of Obi-Wan we've seen, though Tatooine's twin suns are not kind on the solemn Jedi just ten years after the events of "Revenge of the Sith."
They had to juggle Star Wars legacy characters
Given the clout and weight of the "Star Wars" series, it's not always easy taking on that burden. Deborah Chow's work on "The Mandalorian" presented her with a new story and characters. However, it's no easy task to take on a divisive project like the prequels' sequel and adapt live-action characters that fans haven't seen for almost two decades.
On the trials and joys, Chow explained, "It's in that legacy, and it's in the canon, and being between two trilogies. There's a tremendous responsibility that comes with that, but at the same time, you want to be able to tell an original story and have a new vision, so that's been the biggest challenge, but it's also been the thing that's the most exciting, is that we do get to tell a story with these characters again."
Chow also got to explore some of her own hopes for the series. "One of the things for me with 'Star Wars' that I've always loved is, I love going to new planets, and I love seeing new characters and seeing some new worlds, so that is something that we definitely do with the show." The prospect of new planets is always exciting for "Star Wars" fans, so that's something to look out for as the series progresses.
New episodes of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" drop Wednesdays on Disney+.