Winter is Coming
Fansided

(Reportedly) official art of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi show

By Dan Selcke

ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 29: In this handout photo provided by Disneyland Resort, actor Hayden Christensen poses in front of the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxys Edge while vacationing at Disneyland Park on October 29, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 29: In this handout photo provided by Disneyland Resort, actor Hayden Christensen poses in front of the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxys Edge while vacationing at Disneyland Park on October 29, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Disney has a whole lotta Star Wars TV shows in the works: there’s one about Lando Calrissian, there’s one set in the distant past called The Acolyte, there’s one about Ahsoka Tano, etc. But one of the shows that’s furthest along is Obi-Wan Kenobi, which will see Ewan McGregor back in the role he played in the Star Wars prequel trilogy years ago.

This show will be set after Revenge of the Sith but before A New Hope, and will find Obi-Wan hanging out on Tatooine during his exile. What was surprising to hear was that Hayden Christensen will also return to play Anakin Skywalker, or rather, Darth Vader.

But why bring back Christensen years after the prequel trilogy ended just to hide behind Darth Vader’s famous black mask? Given how iconic Vader’s voice is (thank you, James Earl Jones), they might even have someone else voice the character.

Well, the reliable site Star Wars News Net has an answer. And I warn you: beyond this point there are SPOILERS.

Star Wars: See Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show on Disney+

Okay, still here? Let get into it. According to Star Wars News Net, the reason Christensen in particular is coming back is because we will see Darth Vader without his mask. In fact, they’ve even got their hands on some official concept art what that will look like. I’m not going to post it here — Disney, please don’t sue us off the face of the Earth — but you can check it out here.

If you remember, the reason Darth Vader is in that giant suit in the first place is because he was gravely wounded during his battle with Obi-Wan on Mustafar. His body ain’t what it used to be, and he needs that suit to keep him upright.

But we see glimpses of Vader without his suit in the movies, and he famously takes off his helmet to say his final goodbyes to his son Luke Skywalker at the end of Return of the Jedi. According to Star Wars News Net, we’ll see Christensen’s Vader suspended in a healing tank — known as a bacta tank in the Star Wars universe — at some point in the new show. It’s not unlike the on Luke used to recuperate in The Empire Strikes Back:

Now, obviously Disney hasn’t confirmed any of this, so it should all be taken with a grain of salt. Still, it’s something to look out for when the Obi-Wan Kenobi show premieres on Disney+ sometime next year.

dark. Next. Lovecraft Country director signs on to helm The Old Guard sequel

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels

Home/Star Wars