This article contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Mandalorian.
As Monsters & Critics recently reported, Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor let slip some details about his upcoming series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
McGregor plays the title role, which was first made famous by Alec Guinness in the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. He was the first Jedi Knight encountered by the Star Wars fan community.
After the original Star Wars immediately became a culture-changing hit and spawned two initial sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Guinness returned to reprise the role as a “Force ghost,” continuing to guide Luke Skywalker on his quest to return his father, Darth Vader, to the light side of the Force.
McGregor later played Kenobi in the franchise’s prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. Although Kenobi’s character underwent further development in official novels and animated series such as The Clone Wars, McGregor did not voice the character.
Kenobi takes place ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, meaning that Luke Skywalker is very much a child on Tatooine and the Empire is at the height of its power.
A ‘very special scene’
McGregor’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live was largely aimed at promoting his new Netflix limited series, Halston, and he was speaking from a room near where he was shooting the much-anticipated Disney + streamer.
The interview took place past Star Wars Day 2021 (May 4th, as in “May the Force/Forth be with you), and Kimmel asked him about details on how he spent the day.
McGregor replied with surprising almost-candor, which is rare in the Star Wars universe. The IP prides itself on its ability to keep secrets, a well-earned reputation that stretches from Darth Vader revealing himself as the father of Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back to 2019’s unveiling of a new Star Wars icon, Baby Yoda (also known as The Child or Grogu.)
McGregor answered, however, with a hint about what fans might see in the new series, projected for a 2022 drop: “I got to play a very special scene on May the Fourth with someone very special in my life, and that’s all I can tell you about it.”
Fan-friendly deep cut
Fan speculation immediately turned to who the someone might be. It’s already fairly well known that Hayden Christensen will return as Kenobi’s former Padawan Anakin Skywalker– probably in flashbacks, as at this point in the Star Wars timeline, he has become Darth Vader.
Kimmel asked if “this someone special is someone we’ve seen you on camera with before?”
“No,” said McGregor, then amended his answer with, “I don’t think so.”
Kimmel’s next question was a Star Wars deep knowledge cut: “Is this person related to you in some way?”
He was almost certainly referring to McGregor’s uncle, Denis Lawson, who played X-Wing fighter pilot Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy.
McGregor apparently picked up on the reference, breaking into a smile as he said, “No, not necessarily.”
The “not necessarily” is what caused a great fan stirring because while Wedge showed up in all three original films, the likes of Han Solo and Princess Leia often overshadowed him.
However, older fans are certainly fond of him, and Lawson reprised the role in a cameo at the end of Rise of Skywalker.
Wedge’s animated return
Lucasfilm showrunner Dave Filoni included Wedge in the animated series Rebels for several episodes, although the character was voiced by Nathan Kress. Lawson reclaimed the role in 2020, though, when he provided voice acting for Wedge in the video game Star Wars: Squadrons.
The renewed attention to Wedge is partially fueled by the emotional return of Luke Skywalker in the much-praised Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. Is it possible Wedge could show up again as well?
There exists a wide divergence between the actor and his character at this point in the Star Wars timeline. In canon, when Obi-Wan Kenobi opens, Wedge is in his teens. Denis Lawson is currently 73 years old.
This doesn’t necessarily rule out Wedge’s return, however, even as portrayed by Lawson. Original Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill provided the voice for Luke, and a digitized younger version of his face was used for close-ups.
Similar FX might be deployed to bring Lawson back as Wedge, or Lucasfilm could cast another actor.
All Star Wars films and animated series are currently streaming on Disney+.