Obi-Wan Kenobi Teaser Breakdown: Inquisitors, Jedi and Nostalgia

It was 17 years ago that we saw the legendary battle between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan on the sands of Mustafar. When Revenge of the

By Akshay Sharma
March 12,2022
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It was 17 years ago that we saw the legendary battle between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan on the sands of Mustafar. When Revenge of the Sith, the final instalment of the Prequel Trilogy, was released in 2005; it appeared that the actor’s time as the Jedi Master was coming to an end. One thing Star Wars fans have learned is that no one’s ever really gone. This was built in the Rise of Skywalker with the shocking return of Palpatine. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a six-episode prequel series that starts up ten years after the Prequels. With the exception of a few fugitives in hiding, the Jedi are all but extinct. Obi-Wan is still exiled on Tatooine, where the Empire and the Sith rule.

The teaser for Obi-Wan Kenobi was released during the Disney Annual Shareholder meeting. Here’s your look at the teaser trailer:

Breakdown Of The Teaser

As we see in the first teaser, what’s concealed can’t stay hidden for long, as the protagonist jumps into action when a villainous sect of Jedi hunters arrives in town. As you might expect, the trailer has a number of secrets and easter eggs, as well as suggestions as to where the tale may go.

A Far Shot Of Kenobi Wandering through the Deserts of Tattooine
A Far Shot Of Kenobi Wandering through the Deserts of Tattooine

The famous Jedi Master is having a very hard time. Obi-Wan Kenobi appears to be living in a cave on the outside of the Lars farmstead, keeping an eye on young Luke Skywalker from afar after a decade in exile. He rides his eopie, a creature first featured in The Phantom Menace, across the desert even when he’s not covertly working as Luke’s Jedi bodyguard.

Kenobi rides a eopie through the village on Tattooine
Kenobi rides an eopie through the village on Tattooine

“At the start of our tale, we find Obi-Wan devastated, faithless, crushed, but also somewhat lost hope,” McGregor told EW.

Kenobi spends his exile days on the sands of Tatooine far from his people
Kenobi spends his exile days on the sands of Tatooine far from his people.

When the Jedi Master speaks in a voiceover, “The fight is done,” we can totally hear him reflecting on that emotion. We see Obi-Wan riding a hovertrain to a desert village in one scene. This could be the same village that has been plagued by the Inquisitors. It’s probable that a run-in with these Jedi hunters is what drives Obi-Wan to flee Tatooine for the neon-lit city streets of the planet Daiyu, which we’ll get into in a minute.

Kenobi uses a hovertrain
Kenobi uses a hovertrain

Trouble appears to be following Obi-Wan to Daiyu, where he will face the Empire once more. Surprisingly, we never see a Jedi using a lightsaber. During a gunfight on a rooftop, he’s instead equipped with a blaster. This might be his perfect method of Jedi concealment. Obi-Wan will have to take up his lightsaber again at some point in this series, we have a feeling.

The House of Luke SKywalker on the sands of Tatooine
The House of Luke SKywalker on the sands of Tatooine

That is, in fact, a ten-year-old Luke Skywalker! Obi-Wan stands there watching him play on the Lars farm, unaware that he is destined to become a new generation’s Jedi hero. Luke’s desire, even as a child, was to be a pilot, and we watch him pretend to sail a ship across space.

The Young Luke Skywalker playing s he's being watched over by Kenobi
The Young Luke Skywalker playing s he’s being watched over by Kenobi.

Is it intended to be pod racing, or is that something else entirely? The way he accelerates by pushing his arms forward indicates the latter.

Obi-Wan Kenobi watches over a young Luke Skywalker playing
Obi-Wan Kenobi watches over a young Luke Skywalker playing

While the series will include numerous Inquisitors, a dark-side-worshipping hunting order hellbent on annihilating the galaxy’s last Jedi, it appears that Reva will grab the spotlight. Moses Ingram gives a great performance as Reva. We initially see her at Fortress Inquisitorius, where she meets with other members of her order. but she’s soon on the ground, first on Tatooine, where she appears to have gathered a small town’s residents, including Luke’s uncle, Owen Lars played by Joel Edgerton.

The people look at a figure hanging above
The people look at a figure hanging above
Moses Ingram plays Reva, an Inquisitor on Tattooine
Moses Ingram plays Reva, an Inquisitor on Tattooine

She appears to be interrogating or threatening them. Is this a moment from the beginning where she’s looking for Kenobi?

Joel Edgerton plays Owen Lars
Joel Edgerton plays Owen Lars

A younger Uncle Owen, portrayed by Joel Edgerton, who originally appeared in Attack of the Clones and reappeared at the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith, is a face we never expected to see again. Given his aversion to excursions and throwing himself into danger, it’s unclear how significant Owen’s part in the series is. On the other hand, a picture provided by EW shows him staring Reva down on Tatooine. I’m looking forward to seeing what that’s all about. Bonnie Piesse returns as Aunt Beru, though we don’t get a good look at her in the teaser.

In one scene, we see what appears to be a person dangling from a rope, which is eerily similar to the horrific ways Inquisitors use to locate their prey. Is Obi-Wan ultimately forced to come out of hiding because of the Inquisitor’s brutal methods? Reva ultimately catches up to the Jedi Master, and the two fight in a Daiyu alleyway.

It looks like Kenobi and Reva battle it out.
It looks like Kenobi and Reva battle it out.

The Grand Inquisitor, one of Disney’s most beloved villains, is finally getting his live-action Star Wars premiere, played by Rupert Friend in a lot of make-up. The Grand Inquisitor is the mysterious commander of the Inquisitorius, first introduced in the Rebels animated series. He’s a Pau’an from the planet of Utapau, which was the location of one of the major battles in Revenge of the Sith, and he used to be a guard at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant before Order 66. He became evil at some time during the Jedi Purge and began chasing down the sisters and brothers he had sworn to protect.

Rupert Friend as The Grand Inquisitor in the show
Rupert Friend as The Grand Inquisitor in the show

In a voiceover accompanying an image of the Grand Inquisitor on Tatooine interrogating someone, he states that the secret to pursuing Jedi is patience. Two more Inquisitors may be seen in the distance, implying that Obi-Wan is being pursued by many assassins at the same time… The Fifth Brother, another Inquisitor we’ve encountered previously, is played by Sung Kang from the Fast & Furious movies. He first debuted in Rebels as one of the Inquisitors charged with assassinating Kanan Jarrus, a former Jedi turned rebel operative, against the Seventh Sister. But, according to this trailer, the Fifth Brother conducted visits to both Tatooine and Daiyu in pursuit of more prey before clashing blows with Kanan, Ezra Bridger, and Ahsoka Tano in animation.

Reva is seen conversing with the Inquisitor brothers
Reva is seen conversing with the Inquisitor brothers

Reva interacts with Fifth Brother and then another Inquisitor who we haven’t seen previously at one point in the trailer. We first assumed she was a live-action Seventh Sister, but the tendrils on her head indicate she’s a Tholothian figure. Because the Inquisitors are one of the Empire’s most elite forces, they have their own unique lightsabers. It was first used by the Grand Inquisitor on Rebels, but it quickly became clear that it was the weapon of choice for the majority of Inquisitors, and it’s simple to understand why.

Reva looks upon the nightside of Tattooine
Reva looks upon the nightside of Daiyu

One of the most terrifying lightsaber styles ever presented to Star Wars is the double-bladed spinning lightsaber. It has two red-hot blades that revolve on a propeller-like track, making it the ideal weapon for cutting down tired fleeing Jedi. After Order 66, several clone soldiers took their choices instead of joining the Empire; therefore this isn’t impossible. It’s possible that this is a live-action adaptation of Temuera Morrison’s Captain Rex.

The Bald figure in this scene is rumored to Temuera's character in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series
The Bald figure in this scene is rumored to Temuera’s character in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series

The Grand Inquisitor appears to be using it to terrify this Temuera-looking figure on Daiyu into giving him the information he seeks in the video. Surprisingly, Reva appears to employ a standard lightsaber rather than this kind.

Reva is seen to be possessing a red lightsaber
Reva is seen to be possessing a red lightsaber

Two escape pods appear to be hurtling across space at one point in the trailer. I’m not sure what that refers to, although it may be a scene supposed to rhyme with the beginning of A New Hope.

An Inquisitor leads a troop of Stormtroopers in the neon lit city of Tattooine
An Inquisitor leads a troop of Stormtroopers in the neon-lit city of Daiyu

It seems like Obi-Wan will have to navigate another, another hive of filth and villainy. It’s interesting that although the most renowned bounty hunter in the galaxy was grounded on Tatooine in The Book of Boba Fett, the Jedi Master in hiding gets to enjoy an adventure on a dirty world. The Inquisitors’ undersea base is known as Fortress Inquisitorius. It may be found on the Mustafar system’s Nur moon. Nur, unlike the volcanic planet that gave the star system its name, is completely engulfed by a vast ocean. Jedi: Fallen Order was the first game to include this locale.

The Inquisitor base in located on Nur
The Inquisitor base in located on Nur

The set photographs were not deceiving. On the show, Indira Varma portrays an Imperial officer. Some enthusiasts believe the image above depicts a clone trooper from the Republic.

If you’re curious how much Obi-Wan Kenobi embraces Prequel period nostalgia, this teaser incorporates two of the trilogy’s most renowned musical themes: “Duel of the Fates” from The Phantom Menace and “Battle of the Heroes” from Revenge of the Sith, both created by the legendary John Williams.

The Lucasfilm Intro playes the Duel of The Fates theme
The Lucasfilm Intro plays the Duel of The Fates theme

Since Obi-Wan is poised for a rematch with his former pupil, it wouldn’t be shocking if we heard these songs again, this time as if we were in the early 2000s.

Hayden Christensen reprises his role as Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Series

We know he’s coming even if he doesn’t appear in the trailer. According to McGregor, Hayden Christensen will reprise his roles as Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see Christensen in Star Wars again.

Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ on May 25th. Deborah Chow directs the series, which is based on Harold’s screenplays. The cast also includes Kumail Nanjiani, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie, Maya Erskine, and Rory Ross.