It is a great time to be a Star Wars fan. When Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope came out in the year 1977 it changed the world of movies, nothing stayed the same after it was released. George Lucas created something truly magnificent and for that I am grateful. In the end even with all the missteps George Lucas made with the prequels he did the right thing and sold Star Wars and Lucasfilm to Disney. Now not only are we getting a new trilogy, we are getting spin off films and there have been talks about maybe even releasing a Star Wars movie every year! However I wouldn't just be excited about the fact that we are getting more Star Wars films. I am excited because of the talented people involved in creating these new films. Directors like J.J. Abrams, Gareth Edwards and Rian Johnson are giving us their take on Star Wars. We are able to see Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and much of the original cast back in the roles that they are so beloved for. Also we get to see fantastic actors and actresses like Andy Serkis, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong'o, Gwendoline Christie and Adam Driver bring their talents to a Star Wars movie. As I said before it is a great time to be a Star Wars fan. Recently there have been rumors that one of the Star Wars spin off films could potentially be about Obi Wan Kenobi; I cannot tell you how much I hope these rumors turn out to be true! However I believe an Obi-Wan Kenobi spin off must do these three things in order to be both a critical and monetary success.
1. Bring Back Ewan McGregor
I know there are a small group of people out there who enjoy the Star Wars prequels, if you do more power to you. I don't understand why you do or how anyone can enjoy those films, but I digress if I started complaining about the prequels this editorial would be at least 10 pages long. However some positive things did indeed come out of the Star Wars prequels. One of these positive things was Ewan McGregor's performance as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. I feel McGregor got the short end of the stick when it came to the prequel films. He is an exceptional actor, if you need proof look at his performances in films like; Trainspotting (1996), Black Hawk Down (2001) or Big Fish (2003). I feel that if he were given another chance with a good script and a director who understands how to work with actors he would knock the role out of the park. Plus the actor has expressed his interest in returning to the role numerous times. There is no chance you could find another actor who could surpass Ewan McGregor's performance as the master Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi.
2. Take Inspiration from Kenobi
For those of you who don't know or are not big fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Kenobi is a novel written be John Jackson Miller. It is based around what happened to Obi-Wan Kenobi between Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith (2005) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). This is the story of a very disheartened Kenobi and what he did after delivering young Luke Skywalker to the Lars on Tatooine. Obi-Wan tries to have a quiet and peaceful life on Tatooine as he watches after Luke from afar, but that doesn't go as planned when Tuskan Raiders threaten the lives of the innocent. This is a very interesting time period for Master Kenobi since he really has lost everything. The Republic has fallen, his best friend betrayed him, the Jedi are scattered and the Sith rule the galaxy with an iron fist. How does a person continue on after that? Also this story is basically what happens when you mix Whedon's Firefly (2002) with Star Wars. Imagine a Star Wars film with the tone and style of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (1992). Sign me up! This is a very character driven story that I would love to see some elements of in the Obi-Wan Kenobi spin off.
3. Show More Wretched Hives of Scum & Villainy
This one is more of a personal preference, but I'm sure many of you will agree with me. I want a Star Wars film to focus on the crime and the underworld; I want them to show us the ugly side of the universe. The dark and seedy side that makes the Mos Eisely Cantina look like a stroll through the park! Out of all the Star Wars films the original Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) is by far my favorite and my favorite scene in it is by far the Cantina scene. I want this film to explore the crime world and how it works and operates, maybe even have a plot revolving around Obi-Wan delving into that world. If you explore this side of the universe I'm sure it will please many fans. I would love to see different bounty hunters like Cad Bane or IG-88 make an appearance; they could be hired to hunt down Kenobi by a mysterious crime lord on Tatooine. Basically to sum this point up I want to see more of the crime world that operates in Star Wars, if it isn't explored in this film I hope it is touched upon in one of the other spin offs like the rumored Boba Fett film.
Those are the three things that I think should happen in an Obi-Wan Kenobi film. I want it to be a smaller and a more personal tale that focuses on the complex character of Obi-Wan rather than huge space battles. Do you agree? What do you want to see? Is Star Trek better than Star Wars? Did I just try and start a flame war? Let me know in the comments below!