'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Head Writer Explains The Importance Of Continuity

Building A Story That Makes Sense

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 4 min read

On Friday, the head writer for Obi-Wan Kenobi sat down with IndieWire to talk about the show at length. Joby Harold had a lot of exciting things to say about the show itself and the process behind making it. One of the most interesting threads throughout the whole interview was the idea that the show was very limited in how characters could interact with one another, and the directions the story could proceed in. The canon and fans were both factors in the writing of the show according to Harold.

From Harold's perspective, the show is really about Obi-Wan and his fallen apprentice, Darth Vader. Much like a bad breakup both Obi-Wan and Anakin are dealing with unresolved fallout from their last encounter. Harold expanded on this idea, in the series the fallout from Anakin's fall is what is driving Obi-Wan. It still haunts him and still occupies a lot of his thoughts. He went on to add, "How could you let go of what happened in Revenge of the Sith?" Which we will concede is an excellent point.

Obi-Wan didn't lose just his former apprentice, who was like a brother to him but his entire family. Although Kenobi does have some memory of his life before the Jedi, it is merely flashes and vague details. To Joby, it made sense to focus the show around this unresolved conflict. Even Deborah Chow seems to have referred to the series as a "love story" of sorts. Although Harold was scarce on details when it came to Anakin himself, leaving the viewer to decide what is going on under the iconic helmet.

When IndieWire asked about the pressures of writing a series with such importance to two fan-favorite characters Joby admitted that it was tough at times. But he adds that he knew going in as a fan how rewarding it would be to see the series play out. But he also said that the show should be seen as its own thing, stating, "You have to think of it as its own thing entirely, whilst also being aware of all the different places you can and can't go." Fans of Rupert Friend's character, The Grand Inquisitor, need not worry about the effect of his removal from the series on canon. Harold added later in the interview, "There is a plan for all of that."

The interview also focuses on the latest episode at the time of writing. The first thing the interviewer turns to is the scene where Obi-Wan knocks out the lights and two stormtroopers. Harold is quoted as saying, "In the dark when he's rescuing Leia from the stormtroopers? That's on the page. That's me writing 'in the dark' because I feel like I haven't seen it," Deborah Chow nailed the idea. After all, that scene stands out in the episode alongside a few other scenes as something we haven't seen before. Harold describes the whole process for the scene as, "one part of a bigger machine."

The interview makes several things clear about the new Disney+ offering. But by and far the largest takeaway is just how much love and hard work went into every part of the making of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Joby Harold expresses his love for the show both as a fan and a writer throughout the article. Going so far as to articulate how he feels about Ewan being back in Star Wars. He says that one of the largest narrative priorities for the show was allowing McGregor to sit in the character again and get back under the skin of Obi-Wan so fans could enjoy the series.

There were also some interesting hints throughout the article about the possibility of a season two moving forward. Joby went so far as to say, "I felt like there is still room for him to do so much more," Although other than Leia there aren't a lot of reasons for Obi-Wan leaving Tatooine and Luke. Even when asked directly about season two as a possibility, all Harold would say was, "I can't really speak to that, so unfortunately I won't." But that doesn't mean no.

Harold was even tight-lipped about anything regarding the future of season 1 of Obi-Wan Kenobi. When asked about what the final episodes of the show have in store for fans all he would say was, "I can tell you the fifth one will be titled 'Episode 5' and the sixth one will be titled 'Episode 6'." It seems like Lucasfilm is playing the end of the season very close to the chest as it were. Luckily for fans of the series, the final two episodes will air later this month on the 15th and the 22nd on Disney+.

Written by James E. Cockrum

Source(s): IndieWire

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