# Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022 TV series)
**Obi-Wan Kenobi** is an American limited television series in the [Star Wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-wars) franchise, produced by Lucasfilm for Disney+ and released on May 27, 2022. Set during the reign of the Empire, ten years after *Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith* (2005) and nine years before *Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope* (1977), it follows the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by [Ewan McGregor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ewan-mcgregor), as he emerges from hiding on Tatooine for a crucial mission[1](https://www.starwars.com/series/obi-wan-kenobi) • [2](https://uproxx.com/tv/when-does-obi-wan-kenobi-take-place-star-wars/). The six-episode season stars [Hayden Christensen](https://www.edgepedia.org/hayden-christensen) as Darth Vader and introduces the Inquisitorius, Vader's Jedi-hunting agents, into live action[3](https://www.starwars.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-is-here).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Disney+ original limited series, six episodes, rated TV-14[1](https://www.starwars.com/series/obi-wan-kenobi) |
| Release | May 27, 2022, with the first two episodes; the remaining four premiered weekly on Wednesdays in June[3](https://www.starwars.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-is-here) |
| Timeline placement | Ten years after *Revenge of the Sith*, nine years before *A New Hope*[2](https://uproxx.com/tv/when-does-obi-wan-kenobi-take-place-star-wars/) |
| Director | Deborah Chow directed all six episodes and served as an executive producer[4](https://news.disney.com/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-limited-series) |
| Lead cast | Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Hayden Christensen (Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker), Moses Ingram (Reva), Vivien Lyra Blair (Princess Leia)[3](https://www.starwars.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-is-here) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/) |
| Reception | Metacritic Metascore 73 (generally favorable) from 19 critic reviews; Rotten Tomatoes 82% Tomatometer and 61% Popcornmeter[5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/obi_wan_kenobi) |
| Origin | Originally developed as a trilogy of films; the first film's story was adapted into the series after development was shelved[7](https://whatsondisneyplus.com/star-wars-obi-wan-kenobi-disney-series-was-originally-planned-as-a-movie-trilogy/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and story
The show is set a decade on from *Revenge of the Sith*, whose dramatic events left [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.edgepedia.org/obi-wan-kenobi) with his most crushing defeat: Anakin Skywalker, his closest friend and Jedi apprentice, had fallen to the dark side and become corrupted, turning into the Sith Lord Darth Vader[8](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/obi-wan_kenobi_project_profile_tc_notes_b249271c.pdf). In hiding to avoid capture by the Empire, Obi-Wan lives a humble and solitary life on Tatooine, honoring his duty to watch over the young [Luke Skywalker](https://www.edgepedia.org/luke-skywalker) from afar[4](https://news.disney.com/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-limited-series).
The plot is set in motion when [Darth Vader](https://www.edgepedia.org/darth-vader) enlists a league of Inquisitors, including the eager Reva (the Third Sister, played by [Moses Ingram](https://www.edgepedia.org/moses-ingram)), to hunt down surviving Jedi[4](https://news.disney.com/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-limited-series). When the young [Princess Leia](https://www.edgepedia.org/princess-leia) is taken from her home on Alderaan, her adoptive father Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) calls on Obi-Wan to bring her back, drawing the Jedi back into a fight he had abandoned[4](https://news.disney.com/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-limited-series). The season builds to a reunion and confrontation between Kenobi and Vader, fulfilling the series' promise to reunite the former master and apprentice[3](https://www.starwars.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-is-here).
The six episodes, titled Part I through Part VI, trace a single arc: Obi-Wan emerges after years of hiding when Imperial agents pose a new threat, becomes a target on a crime-ridden world, searches for allies, plots a mission into enemy territory, and plans his next move as the Empire closes in, before the action-packed finale[1](https://www.starwars.com/series/obi-wan-kenobi).
## Production
**Development.** [Lucasfilm](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucasfilm) had long been developing a trilogy of films featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi, but after the box office failure of *Solo: A Star Wars Story* (2018), Disney put the project on hold; the story intended for the first film was adapted into the Disney+ series[7](https://whatsondisneyplus.com/star-wars-obi-wan-kenobi-disney-series-was-originally-planned-as-a-movie-trilogy/). The series was created by Joby Harold, who also served as an executive producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, and Ewan McGregor[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnlOhdFZSXw).
**Direction and structure.** [Deborah Chow](https://www.edgepedia.org/deborah-chow), who had previously directed chapters of *The Mandalorian*, served as the sole director for all six episodes[4](https://news.disney.com/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-limited-series). She described the result as a unified story resembling a film separated into parts, rather than mixed perspectives broken into episodes[4](https://news.disney.com/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-limited-series). An academic estimate placed the series' overall budget at approximately $90 million[10](https://facultyshare.liberty.edu/ws/portalfiles/portal/40291634/fulltext.pdf).
**Cast.** Alongside McGregor, Christensen, and Ingram, the cast includes [Joel Edgerton](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-edgerton) as Owen Lars, Bonnie Piesse as Beru Lars, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and [Benny Safdie](https://www.edgepedia.org/benny-safdie)[3](https://www.starwars.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-is-here). [Vivien Lyra Blair](https://www.edgepedia.org/vivien-lyra-blair) plays the young Princess Leia[5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/).
## Place in the Star Wars saga
The series fills the gap between the prequel and original trilogies, a period in which Obi-Wan kept watch over Luke Skywalker on Tatooine[11](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/heres-when-the-obi-wan-show-takes-place-in-star-wa/1100-6469571/). Commentators noted that it adds depth to events and relationships depicted in the films, including Leia's connection to Ben Kenobi and the history behind the pair's meeting in *A New Hope*[12](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/obi-wan-kenobi-finale-how-the-series-improves-star-wars-skywalker-saga/). Each part was also observed to echo its corresponding cinematic episode of the Skywalker saga thematically[13](https://nerdist.com/article/obi-wan-kenobi-episodes-reflect-skywalker-saga/).
The series introduced Vader's Inquisitorius into live action for the first time[3](https://www.starwars.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-is-here). Lucasfilm lists it among the live-action series that followed *The Mandalorian*, alongside *The Book of Boba Fett*, *Andor*, *Willow*, and *Ahsoka*[14](https://www.lucasfilm.com/what-we-do/live-action/).
## Reception
Critical response was generally favorable. On Metacritic, the season holds a Metascore of 73 based on 19 critic reviews, 79% of them positive, while its user score stood at 6.4 from 2,828 ratings[5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/). Rotten Tomatoes recorded an average Tomatometer of 82% from 362 reviews against a Popcornmeter audience average of 61% from more than 10,000 ratings[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/obi_wan_kenobi).
Reviewers singled out McGregor's performance. [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) wrote that the series works because its protagonist does, calling McGregor as good as or better than he was in the prequel trilogy[15](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/critic-reviews/). The Independent praised the self-contained story as giving the series more purpose than other Star Wars shows[16](https://www.tomsguide.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-early-reactions-was-it-worth-the-wait). Criticisms centered on the show's reliance on familiar elements: the Roger Ebert site's review found the premiere struggled to develop a personality outside the two trilogies it connects, noting the similarity of its protector-and-child dynamic to *The Mandalorian*[17](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/obi-wan-kenobi-tv-review), and Time later grouped it with *The Book of Boba Fett* among spinoffs that left some fans frustrated with how Lucasfilm handled familiar characters[18](https://time.com/6981572/star-wars-shows-ranked/). Space.com's retrospective grading of the Disney era gave the series a B, calling it a decent follow-up to *Revenge of the Sith* at best while criticizing some production values[19](https://www.space.com/star-wars-tv-shows-ranked-worst-to-best).
## Legacy and future
McGregor has pointed to the remaining decade between the end of the series and [Alec Guinness](https://www.edgepedia.org/alec-guinness)'s portrayal in *A New Hope* as an "unfinished" part of the character's story that could bridge the gap in future media[20](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/star-wars-tv-shows/ewan-mcgregor-reminds-everyone-theres-still-a-missing-decade-of-obi-wans-story-left-to-tell/). Rumors of a second season have circulated, but no second season has been confirmed[21](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/star-wars-tv-shows/qui-gon-jinn-actor-liam-neeson-admits-hes-lost-track-of-star-wars-spin-offs-when-asked-about-obi-wan-kenobi-season-2-rumors/). The series was conceived as a limited series, and Marvel later announced it would bring the Disney+ series to comics[1](https://www.starwars.com/series/obi-wan-kenobi).
## References
1. [Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Limited Series), StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/series/obi-wan-kenobi)
2. [When Does 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Take Place In Star Wars Timeline?, Uproxx](https://uproxx.com/tv/when-does-obi-wan-kenobi-take-place-star-wars/)
3. [Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Here!, StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-is-here)
4. [Obi-Wan Kenobi Adds Another Layer to the Star Wars Universe, Disney News](https://news.disney.com/obi-wan-kenobi-star-wars-limited-series)
5. [Obi-Wan Kenobi Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/)
6. [Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/obi_wan_kenobi)
7. [Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ Series Was Originally Planned As A Movie Trilogy, What's On Disney Plus](https://whatsondisneyplus.com/star-wars-obi-wan-kenobi-disney-series-was-originally-planned-as-a-movie-trilogy/)
8. [Obi-Wan Kenobi project profile, Lucasfilm](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/obi-wan_kenobi_project_profile_tc_notes_b249271c.pdf)
9. [Obi Wan Kenobi – Official Teaser Trailer (2022), IGN on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnlOhdFZSXw)
10. [Framing Obi-Wan Kenobi, Liberty University faculty publication](https://facultyshare.liberty.edu/ws/portalfiles/portal/40291634/fulltext.pdf)
11. [Here's When The Obi-Wan Show Takes Place In Star Wars Timeline, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/heres-when-the-obi-wan-show-takes-place-in-star-wa/1100-6469571/)
12. [Obi-Wan Kenobi Finale: How the Series Improves Star Wars' Skywalker Saga, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/obi-wan-kenobi-finale-how-the-series-improves-star-wars-skywalker-saga/)
13. [How Obi-Wan Kenobi Reflects Episodes I-VI of Star Wars' Skywalker Saga Movies, Nerdist](https://nerdist.com/article/obi-wan-kenobi-episodes-reflect-skywalker-saga/)
14. [Live Action, Lucasfilm.com](https://www.lucasfilm.com/what-we-do/live-action/)
15. [Obi-Wan Kenobi critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/critic-reviews/)
16. [Obi-Wan Kenobi review roundup, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/news/obi-wan-kenobi-early-reactions-was-it-worth-the-wait)
17. [Obi-Wan Kenobi is Fun but Incredibly Familiar, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/obi-wan-kenobi-tv-review)
18. [The Star Wars TV Shows, Ranked, Time](https://time.com/6981572/star-wars-shows-ranked/)
19. [Star Wars TV shows ranked, worst to best, Space.com](https://www.space.com/star-wars-tv-shows-ranked-worst-to-best)
20. [Ewan McGregor reminds everyone there's still a missing decade of Obi-Wan's story left to tell, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/star-wars-tv-shows/ewan-mcgregor-reminds-everyone-theres-still-a-missing-decade-of-obi-wans-story-left-to-tell/)
21. [Liam Neeson admits he's "lost track" of Star Wars spin-offs, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/star-wars-tv-shows/qui-gon-jinn-actor-liam-neeson-admits-hes-lost-track-of-star-wars-spin-offs-when-asked-about-obi-wan-kenobi-season-2-rumors/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Space and science-fiction franchise television*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license