The Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series was originally pitched in a much different way, and in fact, according to original writer Stuart Beattie, the idea was for Obi-Wan’s story to be told across a trilogy of new Star Wars movies.
Stuart Beattie, who made the original pitch for Obi-Wan Kenobi back in 2016, told The Direct that he provided a pitch that was to show Kenobi’s transition from the character as we saw him at the end of Revenge of the Sith to the one we meet in A New Hope. Here is what Beattie had to say:
“So when I pitched my Obi-Wan story to Lucasfilm, I said, ‘There’s actually three stories here. Because there’s three different evolutions that the character has to make in order to go from Obi-Wan to Ben.’ And the first one was the first movie, which was the show, which was, ‘Surrender to the will of the Force. Transport your will, surrender your will. Leave the kid alone.’ So then, the second [movie] was thinking about where Kenobi ends up. And one of the most powerful and probably the most powerful moment in all of Obi-Wan’s story is that moment where he sacrifices himself in A New Hope. Great moment, you know, makes you cry. But, if you stop and think about it, it’s a pretty sudden thing, to just kind of go be fighting a guy, to see Luke and go, ‘I’m gonna die.’ You know, that to me, that required forethought. That required pre-acceptance that this was going to happen…It’s one of those universal things we all struggle with, to come to terms with our own mortality. So, that was the second step of the evolution for me, that Obi-Wan now has to come to terms with his own mortality, somehow in a prophecy, or Qui-Gon telling him, ‘There’s going to come a moment where you’re gonna have to sacrifice yourself for the good,’ And then [Obi-Wan] is like, ‘What? No, no, no, no, I’m here to help… I can’t, no.’ And get him to that point where Obi Wan has accepted the idea that he’s going to die, and that he’s going to die willingly at a crucial moment, and you will know when that moment presents itself. So that when that moment comes up in [A New Hope], you understand. He’s recognizing he’s been on this journey already, and he’s waiting for this moment, and that’s how he’s able to make it so easily. To do this [sacrifice], and die. So that to me was the second evolution, the second film, the second story. So for me, if I have anything to do with the second season of Obi Wan, that’s the character evolution that I would take him on. That, to me, is really interesting. And like I said, universal.”
The idea for this trilogy came before the TV series was an option and before what’s viewed as the underperformance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which essentially ended Lucasfilm’s desire to make prequel films. I can see Lucasfilm seeing the box office returns for Solo and maybe thinking this three-picture plan for Obi-Wan isn’t the most viable option moving forward.
Stuart Beattie didn’t have direct involvement with the Obi-Wan Kenobi series but he does get writing credits on a few episodes thanks to what he came up with for the original story, which was ultimately incorporated into the show. I personally think television has been a blessing for the Star Wars franchise and it’s where the brand has thrived recently. While an Obi-Wan Kenobi trilogy seems interesting, I think the right choice was made in the end.
Do YOU think an Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars trilogy would’ve worked or was a TV series the right way to go?