Star Wars fans are preparing their return to a galaxy far, far away with the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. After years of speculation and rumors surrounding a dedicated spin-off, Lucasfilm is officially bringing back the iconic Jedi on May 27. Obi-Wan Kenobi has been portrayed by a number of actors both in live-action and animation. For his limited series on Disney+, the studio is bringing back the portrayal of the Jedi from the prequel trilogy.
Who is playing Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Ewan McGregor
Obi-Wan Kenobi will make his return on May 27 and so will Ewan McGregor, the actor that portrayed him in the prequel trilogy. McGregor played the role in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. Despite some fans holding the portrayal of the character in the original trilogy to heart, many consider Kenobi and McGregor to be the iconic depiction. Additionally, the last we saw of Obi-Wan Kenobi in live-action was at the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith.
Given that the Disney+ series will take place in between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, seeing the return of McGregor is as significant to the fans as the series itself.
Ewan McGregor may be the foremost actor to portray Kenobi in the eyes of the current generation of fans, but he is not the only one. Prior to McGregor, Alec Guinness portrayed the role in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. An older generation of Star Wars fans likely remembers Guinness’ performance first and foremost before that of Ewan McGregor in the prequel trilogy.
Kenobi has also been represented in animation, both in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as well as briefly in Star Wars: Rebels. James Arnold Taylor has voiced the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in both the aforementioned animated shows and is considered an official “audio double” for Ewan McGregor. Stephen Stanton also voiced Obi-Wan in Rebels and Clone Wars as the old iteration of the character. In addition to the animated series, he is credited with voice performances in several Star Wars video games.