'Obi-Wan Kenobi' trailer creates excitement among Star War fans
Fifth Brother (Sung Kang) and Stormtroopers in the much-awaited series "Obi-Wan Kenobi," streaming on Disney from May 25 onwards. (DPA)


The very first trailer video released for Disney’s upcoming TV show "Obi-Wan Kenobi" lit a fire of excitement among the Star Wars fans, even causing some speculations about a surprise cameo by one of the saga's most beloved characters.

The miniseries, which starts on May 25 on the streaming service Disney+, sees Ewan McGregor return to the role of Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time in 17 years.

The story takes place between the events of the prequel "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" (2005) and the first feature film "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" (1977).

Now that his friend and former student Anakin Skywalker has turned to the dark side and become the Sith Lord Darth Vader, Obi-Wan lives in seclusion, secretly watching over Anakin's twins Luke and Leia.

Empire forces are now trying to track down remaining Jedi warriors and, above all, Obi-Wan – beyond that, the trailer reveals little more about the plot so far.

And yet that hasn't stopped eagle-eyed fans from speculating about the return of Star Wars hero and "stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder" Han Solo.

In one scene of the trailer (1 minute and 23 seconds in, to be precise), we briefly see what appears to be the blaster of Han Solo, the character played by Harrison Ford in five "Star Wars" films and by Alden Ehrenreich in one.

Although the younger Ehrenreich could reprise his role, Disney+ previously made heavy use of visual effects to allow Mark Hamill to perform a younger version of Luke Skywalker.

This has sparked speculation in industry media and discussions on fan forums that Harrison Ford could return for a Han Solo cameo.

In addition to McGregor, Hayden Christensen returns as Darth Vader and Joel Edgerton as Luke's Uncle Owen.

Besides Darth Vader, there are two new villains in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." US actor Moses Ingram ("The Queen's Gambit") plays Reva, while Rupert Friend stars as the sinister Grand Inquisitor, whom fans already know from the animated TV series "Star Wars Rebels."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi" is the third live-action series from the "Star Wars" universe after "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett."