It’s crazy to imagine a world without Hayden Christensen returning to the Star Wars universe in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the upcoming streaming series. But, director Deborah Chow just revealed the decision “was not made lightly.”

In one month, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are returning to the Star Wars universe after 17 years, reprising their iconic Star Wars characters in the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series. The new Star Wars story begins ten years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).
McGregor first appeared as the titular character in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) — taking the role from icon Alec Guinness after his appearances in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) and the original trilogy.

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The Mandalorian director Deborah Chow has been tasked with the near-impossible mission of bridging together the Prequel Trilogy and Original Trilogy with Obi-Wan Kenobi, a project that nearly every Star Wars fan has hoped for since the release of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).

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Following Revenge of the Sith, Hayden Christensen received hateful comments and rude remarks from many Star Wars viewers, causing the actor to take a hiatus from Hollywood for over a decade.
Many called out his performance, but Christensen played Anakin Skywalker turned Sith Lord exactly how George Lucas envisioned it (when looking at behind-the-scenes footage of Lucas’ directing).

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As a result, the return of Hayden Christensen to his iconic Jedi Knight role was met with setbacks and even pushback from Lucasfilm, with the most significant concern being the story matter of Darth Vader’s inclusion in Kenobi:
“With a lot of the legacy aspects, the decision to bring Vader into it was not made lightly. We’re 10 years after Revenge Of The Sith. Where is Obi-Wan’s starting place? What has been important to him in his life? Anakin and Vader are a huge and very profound part of his life. We ended up feeling that he made sense in telling this story. And Vader casts such a dark shadow in this, that to have Maul as well, it might be a little bit much.”

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While sitting down with Total Film (via Gamesradar), Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow revealed that the inclusion of Darth Vader in any sorts “was not made lightly,” potentially axing Hayden Christensen’s overarching importance in this streaming series altogether.

Chow continues:
“For anybody trying to tell a story in the middle of these two trilogies, there were only certain elements that made sense in where [Obi-Wan] is.”
While contesting rumors about Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Park) reportedly starring as the main antagonist of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Deborah Chow makes it clear that Darth Vader was intended as the only big bad after Lucasfilm felt that Anakin Skywalker’s story was still unfinished, not leaving any room for another Sith in this thrilling series.
More about Obi-Wan Kenobi
The story begins ten years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his most significant defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

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“The rematch of the century” teased by Kathleen Kennedy, director Deborah Chow, and Lucasfilm will be supported by Moses Ingram (Inquisitor Reva), Joel Edgerton (Uncle Owen), Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.

This new Star Wars story covers the aftershocks of the fall of the Jedi Order, seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi shift into the drifter Ben Kenobi as he watches over a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine.
The world of (Mark Hamill), (Carrie Fisher), (Harrison Ford), (James Earl Jones), Yoda (Frank Oz), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), (Ray Parker), (Boba Fett (/Temura Morrison), Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), and Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito) the , the Death Star, and The Clone Wars.

Obi-Wan Kenobi debuts on Disney+ on May 27th!
Are you excited for Hayden Christensen’s Star Wars return? Comment below!