What does it mean that the Obi-Wan Kenobi show is filming in Boston…England?

We know where Disney is filming its Obi-Wan Kenobi show, and it suggests he was up to more in the years before Luke found him than we knew.

Upon reading that Disney’s upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series would be filming in Boston, I was confused. Was the galaxy far far away about to become wicked fah away with tusken raiders asking where to pahk their banthas? (Disclaimer: I am from Boston so there’s no need to be offended.) Maybe Mark Whalberg will have a cameo as a down on his luck bounty hunter or Matt Damon will be a droid cleaner with a secret talent for hyperspace physics.

All of these dreams/fears were quickly dashed with a simple Google search. The series isn’t filming in Boston, Massachusetts, but rather Boston, England.

So that mystery is solved. But what does it mean for the series? Many Star Wars fans had been under the impression that much if not all of this new show would take place on Tatooine, the familiar home of Luke, Anakin, and where Obi-Wan Kenobi went into exile after Revenger of the Sith. While there, Obi-Wan is tasked with ensuring the safety of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader’s son and potentially the only hope the galaxy has to restore order and balance to the Force. It’s where Luke finds Obi-Wan at the beginning of A New Hope, living as an old hermit living in a remote area of the desert.

Throughout Star Wars production history, Tunisia has been the common location for filming on Tatooine. One look at Boston, England and it’s clear that Kenobi will be elsewhere. There is no way that this town could stand in for the desert planet we know and love. Boston is a port and market town located on the east coast of England, north of London, while Tatooine is famous for its lack of water. They could be filming scenes in a Tatooine marketplace here, but it would take some While they could be filming market scenes here, it would take some doing to make it look like market on Tatooine, with the skyline converted to sand dunes.

So, what does this mean for the show? If he’s not on Tatooine the whole time, where else does he go? And why would he abandon his post?

We know from TV shows, video games, and comic books that the period of time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope is anything but quiet. There are rebellions on individual planets, galactic politics, and surviving Jedi padawans struggling to survive throughout the galaxy. Obi-Wan has been tasked by Yoda to seek out his former master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and learn the secret to communicating through the Force after death. As the galaxy’s last remaining Jedi master, he’s sure to be hunted by Sith inquisitors as well as his former apprentice Darth Vader, angered by his defeat in the finale of Revenge of the Sith. Perhaps it’s best for Obi-Wan to be far away from the very thing he’s meant to protect for a while, because his presence may only bring down danger.

This leads me to believe that the show will involve far more action between the Jedi and Sith than I had previously anticipated. There will potentially be great battles, appearances by other Jedi, and visits to various planets throughout the galaxy.

It’s also possible we could see characters not necessarily tied to Obi-Wan. Perhaps Obi-Wan doesn’t leave Tatooine, and the filming in Boston has to do with other plotlines, whether it be Darth Vader, a Sith inquisitor, other rogue Jedi, or Rebel leaders we know from Star Wars: Rebels or Rogue One. Obi-Wan has a lot of people to visit and a lot to accomplish in this time period.

I’m not sure yet which planet Boston, Lincolnshire is supposed to represent but I do know that it’s sure as hell not Tatooine.

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