Though the Darth Vader on Obi-Wan Kenobi will still be developing into the villain from the first Star Wars film, the people behind the show promise he'll fully be in his element.
"This is not Vader from A New Hope, exactly," director Deborah Chow told Total Film. "This is not exactly Revenge Of The Sith." Despite this Vader existing between the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy, he will be fully a Sith Lord at his peak. "He is 100 percent a fully realized Vader," actor Hayden Christensen said. "This is, in a lot of ways, Vader in his prime."
Despite Vader being fully Vader, Christensen said Anakin Skywalker still exists deep inside the villain. "He's a very complex character, and there's an inherent struggle of identity that is always present – there's inner conflict," the actor said. "He's always going to be struggling with the loss of Padmé. He's got Anakin buried deep down inside. There always has to be that element of Anakin there, because he does eventually find redemption in the end – through the love of his son, no less. So there has to be that bit of him in there for Luke to be able to access. There's a lot going on."
For Christensen, there was "a tremendous amount of value" in returning to the character and further exploring the iconic villain. "We're giving a glimpse into the experience of being Darth Vader," he said. "There's so much mystique and mystery around the character. We're informed of much of that in the prequels. But to be able to humanize Vader a little bit more adds more depth. Which you need to do to continue with him, otherwise you run the risk of him becoming a two-dimensional character."
Both Vader and Obi-Wan will be struggling with a dark and "hopeless" Star Wars era, with the former Jedi fully on the dark side and his former master having spent 10 years in isolation. When the two interact again, it will bring up a lot for both characters. But despite the traumatic territory being explored, Chow promised Obi-Wan Kenobi isn't a "totally bleak" show and will still move the story toward the titular hope of the first film.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres May 27 on Disney+.
Source: Total Film