'Obi-Wan Kenobi' leak could confirm a crucial new Star Wars character

Obi-Wan Kenobi is the story of a Jedi living a quiet life. At least, that’s what it could be, but that would make for a pretty boring show. What the Disney+ series will probably be is the story of a Jedi trying to quietly look after Luke Skywalker from afar — but much to his chagrin he keeps getting pulled into conflicts with those around him on Tatooine.

One of those conflicts could be this little-known Tatooine “fallen Jedi” — a character who may also play a key role in Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian Season 3. Here’s why Darth Krayt could be the most important character to know in the next chapter of Star Wars.

In the wide non-canon world of Star Wars Legends, a forgotten young-readers novel depicted Obi-Wan’s shadowy pre-A New Hope years of exile on Tatooine. One of these adventures involved a confrontation with a Tusken raider who revealed himself to actually be a Jedi Master-turned-Sith lord named A’Sharad Hett, aka Darth Krayt.

Darth Krayt was a Jedi at the time of Order 66 but turned to the Dark Side when the Republic fell. Hiding his Force-sensitive status, he returned to the life he grew up in: living among the Tusken raiders. After a confrontation with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Krayt had a career change and began bounty hunting.

Lost Legends is an Inverse series about the forgotten lore of our favorite stories.

Krayt has the potential to tie together all three upcoming Star Wars live-action television series. First, there’s The Mandalorian Season 3, which placed a lot of emphasis on the Tusken people in the Season 2 premiere and gave them a long-overdue (if imperfect) humanizing portrayal.

Then, The Book of Boba Fett could introduce Darth Krayt as a bounty hunter in Boba’s employ. They both previously worked in conjunction with the Empire, so the pivot to bounty hunting would be something Fett could support. Krayt could be introduced in The Book of Boba Fett, and then flash back to earlier in his life in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In fact, an early rumor regarding the plot of Obi-Wan Kenobi hinted that the story almost centered around Darth Krayt. But knowing how fraught the production has been, there’s no telling what will and will not end up on the cutting room floor. With the series is in active development, anything could end up in those final scripts — including a character that was previously cut due to delays.

In this crucial moment, as one tentpole show splits into three distinct stories, Star Wars needs a throughline. Darth Krayt could be the Sith lord to tie it all together.

Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ in 2022.