By Julie Catherine
Recently, LRM Online posted a rumor stating that Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, would be reprising his role as the beloved Jedi in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show on Disney+. Not just that, LRM claim that Christensen will not just appear in the series as a cameo, but will be a series regular. However, as the show is set eight years after Revenge of the Sith and the rise of Darth Vader, Christensen’s potential role becomes more complex. Still, there are a variety of different ways he could return:
Flashback
One of the ways that Anakin Skywalker could return is in a flashback. Flashbacks haven’t always been commonplace in Star Wars, but have been featured more recently in the latter two sequel trilogy films, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, as well as The Mandalorian. As for how a flashback fits into the show, it could be something as simple as a lonely Ben Kenobi dreaming of the days when he and his former padawan Anakin went on adventures together. This flashback could also feature Ahsoka Tano in some way, as Kenobi could be reminiscing about a certain moment when the trio were together during the Clone Wars. An Ahsoka appearance is certainly not out of the question, especially given that Rosario Dawson has already been cast in the live action version of the role.
A Vision
The question of “What if Anakin Skywalker never turned to the dark side?” is one that has been posited by Star Wars fans for years. This is one that Obi-Wan has surely asked himself on many occasions, particularly as he wonders what he could have done to prevent young Skywalker from joining Palpatine. We know that Obi-Wan spent years on Tatooine with little to nothing to do except for keeping an eye on Luke, so it’s easy to see how his mind could wander to an alternate version of events, one in which the galaxy is at peace after Anakin fulfilled the Chosen One prophecy as a Jedi and destroyed the Emperor and the Sith. This could also allow for the appearance of more iconic characters from the prequels, mainly Yoda, Mace Windu, and perhaps even Qui-Gon Jinn if the vision reimagines the events of The Phantom Menace as well.
Darth Vader
Whether or not Darth Vader appears in the Obi-Wan show remains to be seen, but speculation is sky high that the iconic villain will make a grand return in the series at some point. Vader was brought back for 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story without Hayden Christensen, with Lucasfilm opting for stuntmen in order to give the villain a more imposing on screen presence. However, Christensen did don the iconic Vader suit for the final few moments of Revenge of the Sith, so it’s possible that he returns masked and suited up as he did then. Rogue One also featured a brief glimpse at Vader’s scarred heard rising from the Bacta Tank, again played by an actor other than Christensen (understandable considering the short length of the scene). However, if Vader is seen without his mask on for a longer period of time and in more focus, it’s possible that Christensen could be the actor chosen.
Source: LRM Online
Pictures courtesy of Lucasfilm & Disney+’