01x00 - A Jedi's Return

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Obi-Wan Kenobi". Aired: May 27, 2022 - present.*
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Jedi Master deals with the consequences of his greatest defeat -- the downfall and corruption of his friend and apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
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01x00 - A Jedi's Return

Post by bunniefuu »

(REEL WHIRRING)

MAN: One B. Take one.

INTERVIEWER: This is probably
one of your first roles

in a strictly fantasy-type film.

Do you feel that it has presented
any particular challenges to you?

Challenge from top to bottom.

Now, I've never done anything remotely

to do with science fiction before.

But then, as I see it, this has nothing

to do with past, present, or future.

Star Wars could be
in any of those areas.

George Lucas suggested to me
something of a samurai warrior,


something of a wise man,
a kind of monk-like character.


You've got to be rooting for someone

and I think you certainly are
in this picture.


Hello there.

(R-D BEEPING)

Come here, my little friend.
Don't be afraid.


EWAN MCGREGOR:
I remember clearly the first time

I saw Star Wars. I was five or six.

I came from this very small town
in Scotland and, me and my brother,


we went to the big city to watch it.

We didn't really know what it was, or...

(CHUCKLING) That it was Star Wars,
you know.

And then I watched it a billion times.

When we got a video player,
we watched it over and over and over.


We knew every single line of it.

We watched it till it was
just colors on the screen.

It was so worn out, you know.

And Alec Guinness, of course,
I didn't know his work.


I was only a kid.
But I knew him as Obi-Wan Kenobi,


and he's this iconic,
legendary character.

If you strike me down,
I shall become more


powerful than you can possibly imagine.

MCGREGOR: By the time I was nine,
I'd decided I wanted to be an actor.


And I just... I wondered at his career.

Then when I got cast as Obi-Wan Kenobi,

I tried to watch as many films
as I could of him as a young man.


To try and imagine him
as a younger person.


This series is special

because it's a character
that I loved playing back in the day

and I get the chance to do it again.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)

_

DEBORAH CHOW: Good morning, everyone!

Now, welcome to our first official day.

(APPLAUDING)

This is also
our first official day with Ewan,

who not only is Obi-Wan Kenobi but is

also a producer and
a partner on the show.

MCGREGOR: Yeah. Thank you so much.
It's been a long time...

- It's been a long time coming to this.
- WOMAN: (LAUGHING) Yeah, I know.

MCGREGOR: Many years,
we've been talking about doing this

and it's exciting and unbelievable
almost that here we are.

(APPLAUDING AND CHEERING)

WOMAN: Rehearsal up!

MAN: Rehearsal's up!

CHOW: Good luck. Here we go.

(SLOW ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)

CHOW: This series is the story of

Obi-Wan Kenobi in the intervening years

between the prequels
and the original trilogies.


We're starting in a moment
where the Jedi are gone,


they're being hunted,
the Empire is in control.


Everything's a very dark period.

So, in many ways,
we're trying to answer the question of,

"How did he go from Revenge of the Sith"

"with all the pain and the tragedy
at the ending to,"

"sort of, the calm and the peace
of A New Hope?"

(ENGINES WHIRRING)

Takin' on the series, for me,

it was hugely an honor to be able
to enter into this mythology


and to inherit this galaxy
with such rich, amazing characters.

But at the same time,
I also need to tell a story.


And I can't copy what George did,
I'm not George,


so I have to tell my own story
with these characters.

I think the trick has been to find

the balance between those two things.

Meet Obi-Wan Kenobi.

CHOW: Ewan was very involved
all through the whole development,


and he was such a
lovely creative partner.


He's more than just an actor.

He, to me, is Obi-Wan.

And Ewan was kind of the exact
right age to play this character again.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

MCGREGOR: When I first heard that
they were doing Episode I to III

and they needed an Obi-Wan Kenobi,

I definitely didn't think it was for me.

I thought, "This isn't who I am,"
just because of the scale of it.

I felt like I was this indie actor.

There was three of us for the part.

And I went in and I did a screen test.

WOMAN: You can't help but change
when it goes on.

- Everyone can just be the most...
- Of course. Especially actors,

- 'cause that's what we do.
- Yeah, yeah.

MCGREGOR: I thought, "No. I'm not gonna
be doing something that big."


But the truth was, I really wanted it.

I wanted it because

of how I'd felt about
the original three Star Wars films.

Shortly thereafter,
I heard that they'd offered it to me,


and I was so beyond excited.

- (LAUGHS) How are you?
- Hi. How are you doing?

You all right?

The crux of the story is you object

to Qui-Gon bringing this kid along.

- Mmm-hmm.
- So, his last dying wish to you

is that you carry on with the kid

and you're sort of saying,
"Okay, I'll do it."

But you're really not up for it.
But you do it anyway.

You've taken on this obligation
that you don't really want

and you're not really capable of,

but you promised your dying master that

you would do it, so,
that's where it ends.

MCGREGOR: I had a walk around
the studio with George.


We went into a stage
where they were making the submarine


that Liam and Ahmed Best
and I end up in.


And I was so excited,
I looked up at it, and then I went,


"George, will we go underwater in it?"

(LAUGHS) And he just looked at me
and he went, "What?"

And I said, "Will we submerge in it?"

I was so excited that we might.

And he said,
"It's none of it real, you know."

And a little part of me went...
(DISAPPOINTEDLY) Huh.

Like, that feeling of when
you get into the world of it,


like, of course you're not
flying through space, you know.


But somewhere in my head,

I thought maybe I would get the chance
to do something like that.

And then later on, we went into
the props-making department


and the props master
brought this wooden box out.


And opened it up.

And there was lightsabers in there.

And I got to choose my one, you know.

And that was the real moment
where I realized what was going on,


that this was an important moment.
To pick Obi-Wan's lightsaber.


I've been waiting for this for weeks.

Every morning I'd say, "I wonder
if it's today I'll get to choose."

(ALL LAUGH)

(LIGHTSABERS WHOOSHING)

MCGREGOR: I don't think
I'd imagined the scale of it.


And it was unlike
anything I'd ever done.


(ANAKIN YELLS)

MCGREGOR: It's so interesting now,
years later,


the love that there is for those films

from the generation
who they were made for,

the children then.

The films that we made
are their Star Wars, you know.

And that's lovely.

It's nice that feeling coincides
with making the series.


CHOW: This is our prop master.

- MCGREGOR: Good to see you!
- PROP MASTER: Good to see you!

This is the A New Hope
Alec Guinness' saber.

And this is what you had in Episode III.

And this is kind of our halfway point
in a way...

- MCGREGOR: I see.
- ... that's leaning hard into this,

as far as form factor, like it's got
the switchboard and not the bubbles.

- MCGREGOR: This was mine in III?
- Yeah.

MCGREGOR: We sh*t Episode III in .

And we started sh**ting this one in

so that's a long time
not to play somebody, I feel like.

It was such a long time ago.
I've just forgotten all of it.

And yet, as soon as I put his clothes on
and came on set here,

it didn't take me very long
to feel comfortable again.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)

MAN : Here we go, darlin'.

MAN : I haven't tried
the smoke machine before.

MAN : Okay.

Good?

PROP MASTER: This is sort of
a color sample of the edible meat.

MCGREGOR: Okay.

And so, you're gonna cut a piece

of one of these bricks for your eopie.

Like taking a corner.
And maybe doing like that,

on the way down.

MCGREGOR: Yeah,
that would fit in my pouch, yeah.

I started speaking with people at Disney
a long time ago.


I always thought it would be interesting
to take a character that


we know and love as being one way
and show him in defeat.


I just said, I just feel like
it's an interesting story

about a man who's broken
and lost his faith.

And how does it come back?
How does he get it back?

MAN: ...camera A marker.

CHOW: And, action!

The first thing we did with Ewan
was the Sandwhale Farm.


And so, that was sort of
a lovely way to start


'cause that scene is really
the introduction to his character.


One of the things
that we really tried to focus on

was less about the Jedi
and more about the man.

We were really trying
to do a series that


was really focused on
Ben Kenobi, the man.


Who is he and how does he feel?

And how does he deal with everything?

The Jedi is part of the identity,
but really it was about him.


The Sandwhale Farm
is actually one of my favorite sets,

and we were really looking at references
of whaling stations of old.


He's living in Anchorhead
which is a farming town,


so it's very much
a blue-collar town in many ways.


I was really trying
to make it feel gritty.


He's just an ordinary man at this point.

And just doing his daily routine.

MCGREGOR: Physically,
he's rusty in terms of fighting


and also just rusty
in terms of the desire to do it.

He's sort of lost,
I think, Obi-Wan, in a way.

He doesn't have the same drive
to fight for good.


Something you wanna say?

MAN : Okay. Backin' up.

MAN : Excuse me, everybody. Excuse me.

MAN : Beep, beep.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: If you're doing

crosses, it's not business as normal.

Head down, aware that at any moment

they can turn around and snap your neck.
Okay, thank you.

MAN: Action!

CHOW: It was really exciting for me,
coming on to this series


to take on a new
aspect of the dark side.


These Inquisitors were first introduced

by Dave Filoni
in his animated series, Rebels.

So, this is the first time
in live-action for them.

The Inquisitorius is an organization

that was created by Emperor Palpatine

after the Clone Wars.

And its primary purpose was to
hunt down and eliminate Force users.


It's led by Darth Vader,

and many of the Inquisitors were

former Jedi who turned to the dark side.

JOBY HAROLD: It is truly extraordinary.

It looks so close to what I'd pictured,

which is really weird,
'cause it isn't always that way.

But actually, it's how you imagine it.

It's sort of that Western motif of the

three characters walking down the street

and everyone parting ways

and then everyone sitting silently
as they're intimidated.


It's wonderful.

Hey, man. How are you?
Nice to see you again.

- I know it's been many years.
- It's been many years. Too many years.

Have you got your kit on yet?

- No. Not yet.
- CHOW: It's coming.

It's coming.

FRIEND: My character is
the Grand Inquisitor.


The Grand Inquisitor used to be a Jedi.

You know who we are.

Inquisitors.

FRIEND: The idea that somebody
could be fighting on the side of good


and turn to the dark side,
I found fascinating.


There's way more to this guy than just a

bad-ass with a double-edged lightsaber.

CHOW: The Grand Inquisitor
is a former Jedi Knight and temple guard


who turned to the dark side.

He's a very interesting
character because


he's calculating, cerebral, and cunning

and he uses his
intelligence as a w*apon.


Fifth Brother is a powerful warrior

and he's the natural successor
to the Grand Inquisitor.


Reva is a young Inquisitor
who doesn't like to play by the rules.


She's fiery. She's passionate.
She's impatient.


She's frequently in conflict
with the other Inquisitors.


You just gotta make sure
that when her hand's out,

be careful that you remember the width

of the length of the blade, right?

And just making sure that
you don't touch her body with it.

The story of Reva
was an interesting one for us.


And this was a character
that I was really excited about.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)

MOSES INGRAM:
It's a dream I didn't know I had.

I just never thought it would or could
actually be me.

CHOW: And, action!

INGRAM: The first day, going to costumes
and putting on the suit,


it blew my mind.

MAN: Look up.

(BURSTING)

INGRAM: Women, in general,
are complicated beings


and to get to inhabit
a character that seems one way

but is very much something different

and is led all by her heart.

The choices you make
are sometimes muddled


when you're trying to move
with your heart, you know.

- Keep the eyeline cam with us?
- CHOW: He'll be... Yeah, he's going...

Yes, so everything is going...
He's bigger.

Yeah. Yeah.

INGRAM: It's important for us
to have heroes, yes.


But also, villains.

It's cool to be... It's cool to be nice.

But it's also cool to see
different people inhabit villains.


CHOW: I really loved the idea
of having this young, dark side woman


'cause there're been so few actual women

on the dark side in live-action.

It was really exciting
to kinda get to develop this character.

I needed a young woman
that you could really believe


could take on Darth Vader
and make an attempt on him.


It's a big role.

(INGRAM GRUNTING)

(AS REVA) He will have his revenge
on you all.

And I will be the one
who delivers it to him.

CHOW: Moses just had the strength.

She had the intelligence.

I just found her really charismatic,

so I was really excited when
we cast her in the part of Reva.

She's a complex character.

Obi-Wan is clearly on the light side.

Vader is clearly on the dark side.

Reva's in the middle.

Her original intentions were good,

but she essentially got consumed
by fear and anger.


And you can understand that.
You can relate to it.


(ENGINE WHIRRING)

MCGREGOR: The Inquisitors are
looking for Obi-Wan or any other Jedi.


Thank you, Owen.

MCGREGOR: Obi-Wan doesn't use the Force
at the beginning of the series.


He won't. He can't.

Because it'll give him away.

But also, he made a promise
to look after Luke


so he's trying to live
up to that promise.


CHOW: We were fortunate to have both

Joel Edgerton and Bonnie return for us.

They are from the prequels.

So it was amazing to get both of them

to come back and reprise these roles.

And, action.

So many years have gone by,

and they have a personal relationship
to the character,

they've lived their lives
with the character.

Bonnie and Joel
were so young when they first did it,


and then to be reunited
or so years later,


it felt like something special
for them coming back.


I was very excited to see you, Bonnie.

I was excited to see you.

- Good. Thank goodness for that.
- Yeah. I really was.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Yeah, no, I got a little like,
"Oh, my God, Joel's here,"

- when you came into the makeup trailer.
- Yeah.

PIESSE: When I heard that
we were coming back,


I definitely felt the pressure
for a number of months.


But as soon as I stepped on the set
it felt pretty relaxed, really.


EDGERTON: Yeah.
It's been an incredible environment.


And I think that Deb Chow is incredible.

And just a really good vibe
and sense of camaraderie on set.


PIESSE: Yeah. And it doesn't feel like
pressure so much


'cause I feel like everyone
is excited to be here.


MAN : Set.

MAN : And, action.

Luke!

OWEN: Luke!

OBI-WAN: Where is he?

EDGERTON: The fact that there's
a real deepening of the relationship


with us as a family, including Luke,

and the protectiveness that we display,

felt like it was walking down
the right road with them


because that's what they would do.

People have a real love for Star Wars

and it touches them
deeply in their soul.

And I think people are in love
with the heroic journey.


It just calls on
people's spirit in a way,


and what an honor to be a part of that.

BREHA: Leia Organa!

You had to do this today?

Do what?

Down.

(CHIRPS NERVOUSLY)

CHOW: So, we're gonna take it from you
coming down here

then you're gonna come over here
and this...

MCGREGOR: I love that everyone
thought it would be a story


about Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.

And nobody knew that this was
the story about Obi-Wan and Leia.

Deborah, should I give her
like a "I'm sorry" look

before I press her off, like,

"I'm sorry she made me do it"
and then press her off?

CHOW: Yeah, just give her
a little sorry look.

One of the most challenging and exciting
elements of the show

is young Princess Leia.

FRECK: Well, hop in.
Meet my new friends.

This is Orden and Luma.
They're hitchin' a ride to the port.

CHOW: One of the things
that really drew me to the project


was the father-daughter story of it all.

'Cause my dad, growing up,
he was a very pivotal person for me.


My dad was a huge movie fan,
and he was Chinese,


so he used to watch
a ton of Asian action films.


He loved them and he had
a huge collection of movies.


So, I think I absorbed a lot from that

and just the speed and the imagination

that a lot of
the Asian martial arts films have,


and the legacy of people like Kurosawa

and the grandmasters,
Jet Li, all the people like that.


It's been really interesting
'cause I never really thought,


"Oh, I'm gonna grow up and become
an action director."


It certainly was not what
I was thinking I was doing


but I actually really love doing it.

When I was growing up,
I was a huge fan of The Muppets,

and I really love fantasy and sci-fi.

SPECIALTY CREATURE SUPERVISOR:
He has full mouth, eye,

he's got muscular movement.

CHOW: If he tried to say something,

how close do you think you could get?

(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

CHOW: It's pretty good.

(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

CHOW: I like anything
that's weird and wonderful


and, kind of,
goes into a different direction.


CHOW: This person
would be amazing for shoplifters.

So, maybe, that's like the clothing

store when they're getting the clothes.

This is the store owner
that keeps watching everybody.

- WOMAN: (LAUGHING) That's so brilliant.
- CHOW: Yeah.

So, basically, what's gonna happen is,

she's just gonna run through your legs.

So, just as the person
runs through your legs,

it's just like getting a sense
of the creature looking down

and then going, "Whoa."

I love all the creatures in Star Wars

because I think it creates a really
special world for everybody on set.


Hey! Get your hands off of me!

I thought we were friends.
I gave you a ride.

CHOW: 'Cause it's there and you feel it,

and you can see it,
and it's so charming.


(BRAFF SOBBING)

(SLOW ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)

CHOW: The world building
of creating a galaxy


that was so detailed and so thorough,

but so inventive and so creative
at the same time, was just amazing.


And Daiyu is one of my favorite planets.

It's a place that's an underworld.

You know, shady characters,
lots of colorful creatures,


a lot of illegal activity
going on there.


It's where the mercenaries take Leia
once they kidnapped her.


And they take her to this
underground spice den.


Some of our earliest references
were things like


the Bangkok night markets
or Hong Kong at night.


So, I was looking a lot at Wong Kar-Wai
and other things like that,


and just having this sense of the neon.

It was a really fun planet design.

MALE STORMTROOPER: Out of the way.

When I meet Leia, I'm all business.

It's just all about
getting her back to Bail,

getting her back to Alderaan.

And I'm not open enough
to see her for who she is.

Why do I get the feeling
you're going to be the death of me?

In the early films that I did, there was

a sort of impatience with Anakin,

and at the beginning of our story,
there's that frustration again.


Obi-Wan's got that reluctant

teacher-parent feeling with Leia.

The blaster in the hand feels okay.

If you don't like it,
I'm totally okay with it tucked in.

MCGREGOR: Kumail plays a character
called Haja


who's this trickster.

And I meet him because I've heard

there's a Jedi who
could help us get out.

CHOW: And, action.

You're no Jedi.

But you know where one is.

I'm the only Jedi around.

(HAJA GROANS AND GASPS)

NANJIANI: I got Force-pushed into a wall

much harder than I
thought I was going to.

I'm very padded up and it was awesome,

but also, I forget what day it is.

CHOW: And cut.

- WOMAN: Cut, cut.
- MAN: Cutting.

- How you feelin'? You all right?
- (CREW LAUGHING)

WOMAN: You okay?

NANJIANI: It's just really fun to play

a guy who's pretending to be a Jedi.

I re-watched all the Star Wars
in preparation for it.

And then I was like, okay,
this is probably all this guy knows,


so his Force-gestures and the way
he conducts himself as a Jedi,


it's very theatrical.

Spaceport passenger check.
Gate -C, do you read? Over.

NANJIANI: Because
the people he's dealing


with also probably
haven't run into Jedi,


so it's just his version of it.

This is a Jedi mind trick.
Do not be alarmed.

I am inside your mind.

MALE CONTACT: You're inside my mind.

NANJIANI: I actually looked up a lot
about different techniques


that con men use to con their marks.

It was really fun to do that
in the context of Star Wars.

MCGREGOR: You know, they think
it's so easy being a Jedi.

They think it's so easy.

NANJIANI: It's not.
The hood work alone...

that's what three years of training
is just to get the hood right.

NANJIANI: I really love
that I got to play this character


who has this complicated morality.

This pull and push inside of him,

doing the right thing or making money.

It makes that choice a lot richer.

BLAIR: Okay.

CHOW: I think what this is, peek your...

Can you push your head out a little?

MCGREGOR: Obi-Wan and Leia go
on the run, and they come across Tala.


Tala's an important character
for Obi-Wan in terms of


her encouragement of him
to leave the past in the past.

May the Force be with you.

(BREATHING SHAKILY)

Today's been really emotional.
Hasn't it, Shea?

It's a dream come true.
This is the best job I ever had.

(BOTH LAUGH)

VARMA: I play Tala and she's actually

the equivalent of the French resistance.

I will not have my integrity questioned.

REVA: Then admit you're a spy!

Well, of course I am.

VARMA: She has been hurt. Deeply,
deeply disillusioned by the Empire


and has since switched her allegiance.

Now.

VARMA: I think she sees Ben.
She understands him.


She sees a man who's given up.

Who's lost his mojo.

And she tries to galvanize him

to face his past, and to face his fears.

Actions speak louder than words.

Let's get a move on.

Thanks.

I love that jacket.

It's the Gap. (LAUGHS)

VARMA: Do not joke.
You would not find that in Gap.

Would you wear that?

JACKSON JR.: Man, I like my fit.
I'm out here dripping.

- (LAUGHING)
- VARMA: You do look really cool.

Man, it's gonna be a good time.
I feel official now.

CHOW: Action.

JACKSON JR.: Roken is leading
what we hope will eventually become


what we know as the Rebellion.

This is kind of like the first chapter.

Where's Wade?

He's just a regular guy
just trying to do the right thing


and it leads him down this path to be
something bigger than what he is.


Oh, little kid Shea is
spazzing out right now.

I'm losing my mind.

I'm trying to keep it cool,
trying to do the acting thing,


but yeah, I'm having a good time.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)

I'm freaking out.

Still can't believe...
This, I love this.

Star Wars is a huge,
huge part of my life.


Me and my sister would
play the soundtrack


and fight each other
with our lightsabers.


And to this day I still listen
to certain songs I really like...


Duel of the Fates, I mean,
I want that played at my wedding.

(LAUGHING) This is nuts.

Stop.

Me and my whole family were
addicted to Star Wars,

and now I get to be in it.

- CHOW: So this is all...
- JACKSON JR.: Yo, I mean, this is wild.

(LAUGHING)

Oh, my God.

One of the major things
that we're telling in this story is that

Obi-Wan at the end of
Revenge of the Sith in the prequels

did not know that Anakin Skywalker
survived to become Lord Vader.

He thinks he's dead.

So that is a major revelation
that we're doing for his character.

In trying to tell the story
of Obi-Wan Kenobi,


we looked at his past,
we looked at his relationships,


and one of the most important people
in his life is Anakin Skywalker.


It felt really key that Hayden
be playing the role in this series.

(McGREGOR CHUCKLES)

Hello there. How are you?

I'm good.

- You all right?
- Yeah. Good. You?

Yeah, good. Just been watching
some interesting clips of our old stuff.

- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
- (ENGINE WHIRRING)

What took you so long?

Oh, you know, Master, I couldn't find
a speeder that I really liked.


(LAUGHING)

(MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRISTENSEN: It's a surreal world
to play in and be a part of.


I did those films many years ago
and still I go out in public,


it's hard to not have some interaction
with someone

where they express
what these films mean to them.

I remember auditioning for the films

with no concept
that I could actually get the part.


He cast me in the role,

and it was a dream come true, you know.

Every day putting that costume on,

you got the cloak
and the lightsaber on the belt.


You know, walking by a mirror
and being like,


you know, yeah, I'm a Jedi Knight.

That's, you know... (CHUCKLES)
It was incredible.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)

As you're looking,
you think about it and he goes,

"What about Padmé?"

And then you say your lines
and then you turn and look to see...

CHRISTENSEN: A big part of the thrill of
coming back to this for me was


the idea that I was gonna
get to do it with Ewan.


LUCAS: Set. And, action.

CHRISTENSEN: He is someone
I'm extremely fond of


and he had a big impact on me
when we were making those films.

I was young. I was when we started,
and very new to it.


And he took me under his wing.

Good call, my young Padawan.

We spent a lot of time together
and had a lot of fun together.

LUCAS: And, action.

- Obi-Wan...
- (BOTH LAUGH)

LUCAS: Very good.

MCGREGOR: Ugh, God.

Turned out great. That's the one.

Particularly nice...

- (EXCLAIMING)
- (ALL LAUGH)

Jesus.

(LIGHTSABER WHOOSHING)

(ANAKIN SCREAMING)

CHRISTENSEN: I mean, you warned me,
you had the high ground.

If I had a dollar for every time

someone's told me I had the high ground.

CHRISTENSEN: Getting to come back

and do more with him was an opportunity

that I think
we were both very grateful for.


This is a character that has come
to define my life in so many ways,


both professionally and personally.

Coming back to it after all these years
was very meaningful to me.


I didn't think I'd get the opportunity
to put it back on again.

So, this is a pretty neat thing,
you know, all these years later.

Deborah just had so much insight.

It was clear that she felt a great

responsibility to this
character, as I do.

(CAMERA CLICKING)

PHOTOGRAPHER:
Okay, and then the other side.

CHRISTENSEN: And so, we just knew
that we had to get this right.


And that was kinda how
we ended all of our conversations with,


was we gotta get this right.

CHOW: We're gonna head down the path.

- CHRISTENSEN: There she is.
- MAN: Done and done.

CHRISTENSEN: My first day on set
was a really special day.


I was Anakin from Episode III era.

When I got to set, I was told that Ewan

had already finished for the day

and that they were
trying to send him home,

but he was insisting on staying
to be there for my first sh*t back.

I was looking for him.
I was like, "Where is he?"


They're like, "He's standing
by the camera for your eyeline."


And they pointed off way in
the distance, - feet away.


And I was like, I can't really see him,
so I shouted to him,


I was like, "Obi-Wan."

I saw a hand go up,
and then I really felt his presence.


(EMOTIONAL ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)

It was a very emotional thing.

Not just reuniting as these characters,
but also as friends.


It was like going back in time.
It was so cool.

Are we ready for this?

MCGREGOR: Man... Yeah.

I love Hayden and
it was so nice to see him again.


It was moving, it was
emotional to work with him again.

I'm ready for you, then.

(ALL LAUGHING)

And also getting to wield lightsabers
at each other again

was pretty epic. It was pretty cool.

CHOW: It was really lovely
to watch Hayden and Ewan reunite.


There's just such a warmth
and there is such a relationship


between the two of them

that it really feels like the characters
in a lot of ways.

Especially when we're doing
the flashbacks to the prequels.


It really brought something
special out of both of them.


And, action.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

Mercy does not defeat an enemy.

Which is why you're gonna lose.

MCGREGOR: He's like my brother
or something.


We have a sort of shorthand, I suppose.

It's all still there
when we're working together.

It just felt very natural and easy.

I was looking over at Hayden,
he just looked exactly as I remember.


I'm standing there with dots on my face,

there's the de-aging people in the

background going "What are we gonna do?"

MAN: Charlie mark.

CHOW: Action.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

You grow aggressive, Anakin. Be mindful.

CHRISTENSEN: We found our rhythm
and it was just like old hat again.


There's Ewan with his Jedi mullet
and I've got my little Padawan braid,

and it was Obi-Wan and Anakin again
from the good ol' days.


Coming back, what I was most excited by

was the idea of
exploring the character of


Darth Vader at this
point in the timeline.


When we meet him in the series,

he's struggling with his past
in a way that he needs to reconcile.

He needs to k*ll Obi-Wan
to k*ll that part of himself


and become the Sith
that he knows he needs to be.


That is what
this pursuit is in the series.


When I find out that Anakin's
alive and that he is Vader,

his mission of getting Leia back to

Alderaan becomes all the more important

because we're in great danger now.

CHOW: They should be equally across.
Put this guy here, this one.

And this one here.

MCGREGOR: I came on set to do this scene
in this mining village set.


And there was just loads of people
standing around like...


Of course there's
a big crew and everything


but it was odd,
there was a lot of people just standing.


But then I realized why.

Vader walks out at
the end of the street.


It was like gobsmacking.

Everyone's there to see Vader.

And I go, "Oh, that's what it is."

JONATHAN EUSEBIO: Maybe just start her
that direction, so you know.

'Cause I think this felt right,
like when he pulls her down...

Today is just a little action piece.

A lot of it is just,

you look over the scene with Deb

and then we just kind of
see how she wants it to play out.

CHOW: Here,
I think everything has to go faster.

- WOMAN: Got it.
- EUSEBIO: Okay.

CHOW: To get to the track, right.

EUSEBIO: She wanted to make it
almost like a horror movie,


where the monster would appear,

and you turn around and he's gone.
You look one way, he's gone.


It's like always hunting you down.

All right, here we go. Ready and action.

I grew up on this franchise, so this is

just a dream for me just to be around.

CHOW: Yeah, they're gonna go out faster.

So, more urgency getting out that you

guys have to make sure nobody's leaving.

Going again.

MCGREGOR: I'd done some rehearsal
with Vader in his costume,


but I never rehearsed with him
with the helmet on.


They're setting up
for our first lightsaber battle.


They put the marker board on
for whatever the scene is. Take one.

And, action!

I'm walking, and then I hear his feet
and I turn around.


And Darth Vader is coming at me.

I was struck with absolute fear.

It was real boyhood fear. It was like...

(GASPS LOUDLY)

(LAUGHING)

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)

It's the first time
I've lit my lightsaber in a long time.


So I don't really wanna face him. I'm

not ready to face
him, but I take him on.


CHOW: Essentially, Vader is much
stronger than Obi-Wan at this moment,


and he really kinda kicks his ass
and burns him in the fire,


and a lot of the history
is coming up with the fire.

But it's more about just coming to terms

and dealing with this monster
that he helped create.


I'm feeling very like Darth Sidious.

CHOW: It is a lot to play somebody
who's on the dark side.


There is an intensity and there is an

emotional commitment and drive to them.

(SLOW PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)

They're driven by
anger and hate, and so,


it's not an easy place
to stay in as a performer.


There is a larger-than-life
component to it.


(MUSIC CONTINUES)

At this point in the galaxy, we have

a world that is quite a dark worldview.

And there's a lot going on in the galaxy
that is definitely not right.


(GASPS AND GRUNTS)

CHOW: A large part of what we're
trying to do with this story


is ask "How do you retain your hope?"

and "How do you find hope
in these dark times?"


MAN: Take four-six-eight, take three.
Camera. Action.

CHOW: I've always thought
that Princess Leia, honestly,


is one of the best female characters
that's ever been written


and that's also combined
with Carrie Fisher.


I feel like a lot of times, nowadays,
people are saying,

"Oh, it's a strong
woman and she's tough,"

and it just means
that she's k*lling everybody,

and Carrie was not like that.

Carrie, in Princess Leia,
you had somebody that was a rebel,


was a fighter,
but she was also intelligent,


she was funny, but she could
also be warm, she could be loving.


And she really kinda had this
multi-dimensional characterization


that was just wonderful.

One of the things for me that I really

wanted to acknowledge in the series

without getting too
heavy-handed about it


was this sense that, there's obviously

been a lot of focus on Luke Skywalker

and his contribution to the galaxy,

but I feel like with Princess Leia,

I don't think he could have
done it without her.


- What the hell are you doing?
- Somebody has to save our skins.

CHOW: And she was the one
who organized all the rebels,


she was there fighting the w*r,

she was there kinda doing
all the other side of it

and I think the two of them really,
they did it together in a lot of ways.

That was something
that I really loved about the series

is that we were getting a chance to

acknowledge that she
played a pivotal role

in allowing
everything to happen as it did.

(SIGHS) It's not like anyone
would miss me if I wasn't there.

I'd miss you.

All I ever do is wave.

CHOW: For any performer,
let alone a child,


trying to take on the legacy of
Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher


is incredibly difficult.

But Vivien just kinda
had the essence of her,


and I think that was the main thing.

Try to reason with her.

So, think of your own mom a minute.
How do you win your mom?

- What does she respond to the most?
- Um...

- Hugs. Usually.
- (LAUGHS)

LEIA: I'm sorry, Mother.

I really am.

I promise I won't do it again.

MCGREGOR: Vivien's brilliant,
just brilliant to work with.


You know, I can feel you doing that.

She had all of the wit and cheek

of Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia.

She had the same job to do
as I had with Alec.

I actually started on
the Star Wars books,

and I learned how to read with those.

And Star Wars, of course,
the moment I saw him on the page,

I fell in love with R-D.

MCGREGOR: I didn't know Vivien
before we started,


and so the story line
and the reality of sh**ting

are somewhat side by side in that
we didn't know each other very well

and then we got to know each other

better and better as we sh*t the series.

So, it went hand in hand really.

She was never anything but fully

enthusiastic and she's
a passionate actor.


If you're a real Jedi, why aren't you
using your lightsaber?

Because we're in hiding.

Convenient.

Unless, you can't do Jedi stuff and
that lightsaber is completely stolen.

Make me float.

MCGREGOR:
I'd really thought that she nailed it,

like I could feel
Princess Leia in her, you know.


And she loves droids
more than anything in the world.


Vivien loves droids.

WOMAN: We did those scenes yesterday...

- (DROID BEEPING)
- (GIGGLING)

MCGREGOR: I've got four children
who are girls,


so I'm familiar
with the looking after of girl children.


And although Obi's not a father,

that's what she brings out of him
through the arc of our series.


A more paternal sense to him that life

isn't just about living by the book.

At first, he doesn't trust her
to be able to look after herself,


and then he slowly realizes
she's not only able to,


but by the end she's
absolutely involved in the escape.


So, he's found a trust in her and

she brings out a more human side to him.

CHOW: One thing that Star Wars
does make you feel

is you feel the connection to family.

I think a lot of these films, for me,

and I think for a lot of people I know,

Star Wars was something
you saw with your family,

and so, your family sort of
tied in to the experience of it.


One of the things that was
really interesting in bringing back


a lot of the legacy characters is that
they know these characters.


They have also lived
with these characters

and lived in the public perception,

as being these characters for years.

Hayden is Anakin Skywalker,
and he knows this.


So, to have them
bring all that knowledge,


and it's more than knowledge,
it's more instinct and emotional.


They just know what feels right
for their characters. It's invaluable.


CHRISTENSEN: It's a very
meditative process for me.


Sometimes my mind wanders, mostly about
the scene we're about to do.


The difference between
Anakin and Darth Vader...


Is Anakin completely gone or not?

He is fully Darth Vader,
he is fully consumed by the dark side,


but I like to believe
that there's always


a little bit of Anakin still in there.

As it was explained to
me by George Lucas,

even when he becomes Darth Vader,
and even when he's

fully immersed in the dark side,
he is still the Chosen One.

CHOW: As the series
goes on, it's becoming


more and more about Obi-Wan and Vader

and about the inevitable collision
that's about to happen.


At this point,
Obi-Wan is at his full powers again

and he is strong
and his mind is at peace finally

and he realizes that
he has to meet Vader.


(PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)

CHOW: Three, two, one, action!

We looked at
a lot of the prequel fighting,


'cause we wanted to tie into it
to show this is sort of the origins


and this is how they are trained.

And then we started to take it bigger

and add some more modern elements to it.

And as the fight went on,
nobody can get the high ground.


They will fight to the death,
that's how this is gonna go.


CHRISTENSEN: Obi-Wan
gets the upper hand in the fight,


and cracks Vader's mask,

sees his former apprentice
one last time,


tries to connect with Anakin
and gets rejected.


So, it's a heartbreaking scene.

MCGREGOR: I think there's something
about the acceptance,


more than, he's then able to k*ll him,
which he doesn't do.

He's able to walk away
from carrying this terrible guilt.

He sees that Anakin is no longer there,

that Vader is Vader.

So he's able to move on.
There's a bit of closure for Obi-Wan.


With Vader, a large part
of what we were trying to do is

show this emotional drive
that Vader has about Obi-Wan

is that that's
something that he has to let go of.

- WOMAN: Okay, Ian, you good?
- IAN McDIARMID: Good.

CHOW: In the final scene
with Vader and Palpatine,


that's what Palpatine
is trying to say to him,


is that obsession with Obi-Wan
is weakness.


If you're gonna live in the past,

this emotional Vader that's coming out

is not what we need for the future.

I wonder if your thoughts
are clear on this, Lord Vader.

Perhaps your feelings for your

old master have left you weakened.

Because obviously, we can play that
with more of an edge


and some that are more casual.

Just feel free to do a range in there.

Does everything else
feel like it's making sense?


Yes, I think so. I keep forgetting
the word "execute" for some reason.

(CHUCKLES) You'd think that would be
a word you could remember.

- Yeah.
- (CHOW CHUCKLES)

CHOW: So he's forced
into letting go of the past


in order to be able to move forward

and become the Darth Vader
that will move into A New Hope.

MCGREGOR: At the end of our series,

there's a great growth from
this broken faithless man


at the beginning to the end,

he's had to accept that this is
who he is and he's got his faith back.


And Qui-Gon does finally appear. Yeah.

It was so amazing to
work with Liam again,

because, of course, I only worked
with Liam in the first film, you know.

So amazing to see him again as
Qui-Gon, you know. It's just incredible.


LIAM NEESON: I spoke to Deborah
a number of months ago.


And she told me that
Ewan was going to do this series

and Deborah's,
"Just something towards the end


"where Obi-Wan has gone through some

journey and he's
reaching out for help...

"and you're not there,"
that's Qui-Gon Jinn.

"And then, he sees you."

And I thought, "Yeah, I'm on board,
I'm definitely onboard with that."

It was at once very familiar,

and at the same time, I kept thinking,

"Wait a minute, it's years
since we made The Phantom Menace."

And here we were
with a whole brand-new crew.


Deborah, this wonderful director.

It was lovely to see Ewan.

And so the myth
and the storytelling goes on.


MCGREGOR: Obi-Wan has re-established
a connection with Qui-Gon,


and he's back to being
the Obi-Wan that we knew and loved.


And it's because of Leia, and it's
because of characters like Tala,


who bring that faith back to him,
who bring hope back to him.

A New Hope.

That's pretty good, isn't it?

WOMAN: Rolling. MAN : Okay, rolling.

MAN : Rolling.

MAN : Here we go. And, action.

CHOW: And cut.

FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Cutting.

(BELL RINGS)

WOMAN: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,
that is a wrap, wrap!

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

CHOW: So I just wanna thank everyone
from the bottom of my heart.

I know this was
a hugely long, epic journey.

I know it was super tough
and our ambitions were so high.

But I feel like we matched them

and that's, honestly,
because of all of you guys,

'cause everybody
was here working tirelessly

and everything is reflected on screen.

So, from the top of the call sheet
right down to the very bottom,

thank you from all of us.

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

I've got some cigars left over
from when my wee boy was born.

Disney won't like this very much,
will they?

(ALL LAUGHING)

Cool. Anyway, death
sticks are over here.

(ALL LAUGHING AND APPLAUDING)

Hello there.

MCGREGOR: I don't think
there's anything like Star Wars.

It's just everywhere.

I often think about George,
back in the 's,


writing A New Hope and what he must feel
about what he's created.

For her lines,
it's better for her to be out.

It's better for her
to be on this side of you.

It's so that she's closest to Luke.

Action!

(EMOTIONAL ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)

MCGREGOR: It's extraordinary,
how large the breadth of it is.


It's important, I think,
to be mindful of that.


There's certainly nothing that I've ever

done that has a fan base like this.

It's global, it's international,
it's all over the world.


MAN: Action!

CHRISTENSEN: It's been a great honor
and a privilege


to get to play this character.

The gift that George Lucas gave me when

he cast me in this role was profound.

Coming back now
to do more with this character,


I just felt a big responsibility,
not only to George,


but to all of these people

that have contributed to making
this character so great and iconic.

Star Wars has this staying power.

And I think that's because
we're able to learn about ourselves


and the world around us through them.

And we learn about good and evil,

and what it is to be a hero,

giving yourself to something
bigger than you.


It's a mythology that has
now allowed others

to come in and build upon.

It's exciting to see the saga continue.

CHOW: Coming into the Star Wars galaxy

and getting to be part of this world,

it's pretty special.

It's in everybody's life.

Everybody's grown up with it
in some respect.

Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi,
you're my only hope.


CHOW: So many people have
such an emotional relationship to it


and so, it is quite meaningful in
the broader context of your life.


The Star Wars audience, there's so many

different generations involved in it

and there are so many people
who care so passionately about it.

George Lucas created these characters

that are so rich and that have
such huge inner lives.


And so taking on these characters

and trying to tell
the middle part of the journey,


I feel hugely fortunate
to be able to do this,

but also a big responsibility
to trying to do it right.

(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC CONTINUES)

(PEOPLE CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)

MAN : Celebration,
I'm one hundred percent onboard


for everything that takes place today.

Emotions, overwhelming, phenomenal.

WOMAN : Totally happy, excited.

MAN : We're really excited to see

what's behind those doors over there.

WOMAN : I know.
My mind is blown right now.

I'm like, I can't even wait,
the anticipation.

(ALL CHEERING)

It's pretty crazy for us
'cause not only are we at Celebration,

but we're also premiering the show.

And to have it all come
to this giant culmination


it's a mixture where you feel nervous,

but you also feel incredibly excited.

CHRISTENSEN: We've kinda been
building up to this for a while,


the excitement is palpable,

and it's a big deal for me
to get to be back and do this.

I'm excited to see
what they make of it tonight.

It'll be cool to see.

WOMAN: How's everybody doing?

(ALL CHEERING)

I can't hear you!

(ALL CHEERING LOUDLY)

ALL: (CHANTING)
Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan!

(CHANTING CONTINUES)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUDING LOUDLY)

Hello there, Star Wars Celebration!

(CHEERING)

We are back!

INGRAM: I was actually very even keel
going out there.


And then I heard the audience
and I was like,

"Oh, my God! This is really happening.

"People are really about to see this."

MCGREGOR: I've never been
to a Celebration before,


so I just wanted to see
what that feels like

and meet real, real Star Wars fans.

MAN : I'm just so emotional,

a -year-old man crying like I was

in the movie theater in .

MAN : It's nice to see Ewan
back in this role,


having Hayden come back
and step in as Darth Vader,


it was just such a great pairing.

(LAUGHS)

Kinda like us.

CHRISTENSEN: You know,
this whole experience has been


rather emotional for me.

I couldn't help
but get a little bit choked up.

MCGREGOR: There's this warmth from

the kids who we made those films for.

We were their Star Wars in the same

way as Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford

and Alec Guinness
were my Star Wars films.

CHOW: We worked
very hard for three years.


And we did it for the fans.

So, it was really nice to be able to
come out and share it with them.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)
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