New Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Spot Ramps Up The Drama

The floodgates on "Obi-Wan Kenobi" are well on their way to opening in full, at least as far as Lucasfilm's usually tight hold on "Star Wars" spoilers is concerned. When J.J. Abrams' "The Force Awakens" was first set to release in 2015, it took months (if not years) to learn basic facts like the mere names of all the main characters involved in the story. 

While secrecy surrounding the franchise's future endeavors in the years ahead remains at typically heightened levels, the studio thankfully realized that the release of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" on Disney+ allowed the opportunity to use the return of actor Hayden Christensen as an appealing carrot on a stick to draw viewers in — not a state secret to be guarded at all costs. Yes, we know that Darth Vader will be back in some form to haunt Ewan McGregor's older and more jaded Jedi exile, while Obi-Wan himself is apparently dealing with some fascinating handicaps of his own. It all threads the needle between "spoilers" and holding back on the most exciting reveals, which will no doubt be in store for us once the series debuts.

Until then, however, we have another batch of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" footage to help keep the ravenous fanbase satiated a little while longer. The official Twitter account for the upcoming Disney+ series released a new TV spot ahead of the show's release later this week. Though light on any actual reveals, it doesn't take a "Star Wars" expert to pick up on some of the teases that this footage has in store. Check it out below!

Titled "Apprentice," this TV spot is all about the guilt of Obi-Wan's past failings. "Star Wars" nerds are all too aware of the Jedi Master's devastating failure when it came to bringing up Anakin Skywalker as the ultimate Jedi, prophesied to bring "balance" to the enigmatic Force and render their eons-long conflict with the Sith obsolete. Unfortunately, Obi-Wan didn't have access to Disney+ or any movie theaters that could've played the rest of the prequel films or the original trilogy (or the sequel trilogy, for that matter!) and shown him that such efforts would all be in vain. Teaching Anakin in the ways of the Force only gave him the power to defy the Jedi Order and turn to the Dark Side, leading to decades of the Empire's rule over the galaxy and the subjugation of untold numbers of innocents.

Here, the older and more grizzled Jedi gets a hefty dose of reminders about events he'd probably much prefer to forget. Owen Lars, portrayed by a returning Joel Edgerton, throws Anakin's fate right into his face — though, at this point, Obi-Wan doesn't seem to actually know that his former apprentice survived their ordeal on the volcanic world of Mustafar in "Revenge of the Sith" and went on to become the fearsome Darth Vader. 

Elsewhere, imagery of the dangling feet of a victim, presumably executed by hanging, further emphasize the dire stakes of the series as the fearsome Jedi-hunting Inquisitors (played by Rupert Friend and Moses Ingram) draw a tighter web on discovering the whereabouts of Obi-Wan (who should be pretty easy to find, considering he's still hanging out on Anakin's home planet under the oh-so-clever pseudonym of "Ben Kenobi").

The action is mounting while the days are getting shorter before the two-episode premiere of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" May 27, 2022 on Disney+.