OBI-WAN KENOBI Director Reveals Whether "Ben" Knows Anakin Skywalker Survived REVENGE OF THE SITH

The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are days away, and the show's cast and crew continue doing the rounds to hype up the Disney+ limited series. io9 (via SFFGazette.com) caught up with director Deborah Chow and found out more about Darth Vader's return for a rematch with his former master. 

In A New Hope, it was established that "Ben" Kenobi was aware that Anakin Skywalker had been transformed into Darth Vader, with the assumption being (after Revenge of the Sith's release, at least) that he had learned of his old friend's survival during the many years he spent hidden on Tatooine. However, Chow has now confirmed that, when the series begins, the Jedi thinks Anakin is dead.

"[Obi-Wan] believes he killed [Anakin] at the end of Revenge of the Sith. I think that’s something that’s sometimes a little bit overlooked, but it’s quite significant. So for us, on the show, he doesn’t know [Anakin is alive] yet. 'How did he go from the end of Revenge of the Sith where he’s this warrior screaming on the banks of Mustafar to sort of the calm and the peace of Alec Guinness? Something obviously happened in that 20 years and in large part that’s the story we’re trying to tell."

Old "Ben" Kenobi had a very specific exchange with Vader in A New Hope, of course, and not contradicting continuity was another challenge faced by Chow while working on this limited series. 

"It’s something we really did look at and obviously, it’s not something you do lightly. We didn’t want to bring [Darth Vader] back just for the sake of bringing him back," the director explains. "But really, it came out of, we’re trying to do a character show. Everything that happened with Order 66 and Anakin and so much of that weight is coming into the series with us that it just felt natural Anakin/Vader would be part of this. It’s so connected to where he is in his life at this moment."

We honestly can't wait to see how all the pieces fall into place for what promises to be a jaw-dropping reunion. There have been rumours about what that will entail, but something tells us this will be a moment on screen that can't be done justice with mere words alone. It's hard to say whether that meeting will take place in the first two instalments, but we're bound to see something of Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ on May 27 with its first two episodes.