The premiere date for the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show has been revealed by Disney+, and it’s a bigger deal than you might think because it’s Star Wars Day. Obi-Wan Kenobi is the next major Star Wars production to premiere on Disney+, following the season 1 conclusion of The Book of Boba Fett. Obi-Wan Kenobi not only returns to a lesser-known period in Star Wars history, but it also stars Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, who played Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the prequel trilogy. Disney+ has provided little specifics about the planned series, but it has now set a premiere date for May 25, 2022, which is a significant date in Star Wars history.
As the majority expected the release date of Obi-Wan Kenobi, possibly the most eagerly awaited new Star Wars project, to be revealed at Disney+ Day in November, that did not happen. Following the announcement that Ewan McGregor’s Kenobi series would debut on Disney+ in May 2022, many speculated that the official launch date would be May 4th, a.k.a. Star Wars Day, because “May the fourth” is a play on the words “may the Force be with you.” Although Obi-Wan Kenobi will not be launched on Star Wars Day, its official dateline is much better.
The first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi will be aired on May 25, 2022, which is a significant date in the Star Wars mythology. The original Star Wars movie, now known as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, was released in cinemas on May 25, 1977. That means Kenobi will be released on the 45th anniversary of George Lucas’ original Star Wars picture, which is significant not only for the saga as a whole, but also for Obi-Wan personally. Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi made his first Star Wars appearance in 1977’s A New Hope, so the series’ premiere date and actual content are both returning the character back to his timeline’s beginnings.
The Star Wars TV program set for 2022 will follow Obi-Wan Kenobi during his exile on Tatooine, which begins ten years after he gives young Luke Skywalker to Owen and Beru Lars and ends nine years before he reunites with Luke to fight Darth Vader to the grave. Because Obi-Wan Kenobi’s character has never been adequately explored on television during this time period, the Disney+ series provides a more comprehensive look at how he evolved from the amazing Jedi Master in Revenge of the Sith to Tatooine’s renowned old hermit Ben. Because the TV program will eventually provide an in-depth insight at Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Tatooine timeline, it’s only right that the air date of May 25th coincides with his on-screen premiere.
This is equivalent to the situation surrounding the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story on May 25, 2018. On the anniv of Han Solo’s initial appearance in the 1977 blockbuster, that film appropriately reintroduced him to his origins. Given that Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan depiction is more likely to transport audiences back to the late ’90s and early ’00s, when the May 4th holiday was more prominent, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s May 25th release date will be an even greater commemoration of the show’s true Star Wars Day.
