Ewan McGregor has finally opened up about the strange timing that left his long-awaited Obi-Wan Kenobi series overshadowed by The Mandalorian. Speaking at Fan Expo Chicago 2025, McGregor admitted that he originally believed his Disney+ return as the Jedi Master would serve as the franchise’s headline debut for the platform. 
Instead, it was Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s bounty hunter adventure, starring Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin, that ended up becoming the cultural phenomenon and the service’s flagship launch title in late 2019.
When Disney+ first rolled out, McGregor recalled thinking he was about to carry the streaming service’s biggest Star Wars splash. But as he put it, “just before we made it, The Mandalorian came out.” By the time Obi-Wan Kenobi finally premiered in May 2022, audiences were already deep into the Baby Yoda craze and hooked on Mando’s episodic blend of western, samurai, and classic Star Wars storytelling. McGregor joked that his reaction was basically, “Wait a minute, I thought we were supposed to be the big splash. What’s this going on here?” Still, he was quick to add that there’s enough space in the galaxy for multiple shows to shine.
The series, which reunited McGregor with Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, was highly anticipated yet ultimately divisive. Some praised its nostalgic emotional core, especially the climactic duel between Obi-Wan and Vader, while others criticized its writing, pacing, and character focus. Many felt the spotlight strayed too often from Obi-Wan himself, with the young Leia subplot and the introduction of Reva, the Inquisitor, drawing mixed responses. For fans, moments of brilliance were often buried under filler sequences and choices that clashed with established canon. The infamous forest chase with a child outrunning mercenaries, or the scene of Leia hidden under a trench coat, became memes more than triumphs.
McGregor, however, remains eager to continue. He’s repeatedly voiced his desire for a second season, even half-jokingly pleading with Disney to give him work – whether in Andor season 3 or anywhere else in the galaxy. “Somebody give me a job,” he quipped. Despite his enthusiasm, Disney appears focused elsewhere: a second season of Ahsoka is in development, The Mandalorian & Grogu is heading to theaters, and new films including Star Wars: Starfighter and Daisy Ridley’s Rey project are in motion.
In hindsight, Obi-Wan Kenobi feels like a series caught between fan expectation and corporate compromise. Fans wanted an intense, character-driven exploration of Obi-Wan and Vader’s shared trauma. Instead, what they got often felt like a patchwork of new faces and boardroom-approved detours. Still, the potential remains undeniable. A more focused continuation – centered on Obi-Wan’s isolation, Vader’s obsession, and the looming shadow of the Empire – could redeem the show’s legacy. Whether Disney has the courage to revisit it remains to be seen, but for McGregor, the Force clearly hasn’t faded.
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man reva was like half the show, obi-wan barely in his own series smh