Obi-Wan Kenobi leak reveals a massive Order 66 twist

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Obi-Wan Kenobi. The new Disney+ series is one of the most promising projects that Lucasfilm has in development, and it will mark the first time that Ewan McGregor has appeared on-screen as Obi-Wan since 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. But despite how excited fans are for the series, Lucasfilm has remained tight-lipped about the title.

As a result, Star Wars fans know very little about the plot or characters of Obi-Wan Kenobi, including how much of it will take place on Tatooine and whether it will include flashbacks to the franchise’s prequel era. However, one new Obi-Wan leak may not only answer one of those questions, but also reveal the series’ shocking opening moments.

We Begin By Looking Back — MakingStarWars.net reports that a screening of Obi-Wan Kenobi footage was recently held at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank. According to the outlet, the footage included a scene where two Jedi padawan are attacked by Clone Troopers at a prequel-era Jedi Temple during Order 66. The scene apparently follows the two Jedi, who are said to be in their “late teens to early twenties,” as they escape the temple and survive the attack while their masters fall around them.

In case that wasn’t interesting enough, MakingStarWars reports that it’s heard the scene is how the first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi opens. The outlet added that the scene doesn’t appear to be related to the Order 66 scene in The Book of Boba Fett, nor does it feature an appearance from Grogu.

If this is how Obi-Wan Kenobi opens, it raises a number of questions about the story it will tell.

Surviving Order 66 — It’s been rumored for some time now that Obi-Wan Kenobi will feature flashback sequences set before the third act of Revenge of the Sith. If this alleged leak is correct, then those rumors have seemingly been confirmed. Beyond that, this leak suggests that Obi-Wan Kenobi will introduce new characters who not only survived Order 66, but who will presumably cross paths with Obi-Wan at some point. That’s an exciting idea, and it makes sense considering what little we do know about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The series takes place during the 19 years Obi-Wan spent in exile watching over Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, which initially doesn’t seem like the most exciting period of time for a Star Wars series to focus on. However, many Star Wars fans think Obi-Wan will see its hero briefly shift his focus away from Luke to take care of another issue that catches his attention.

If that’s what the series does, it’ll have to present Obi-Wan with a problem important enough to make fans believe he’d actually abandon — if only temporarily — his duties on Tatooine. Helping a pair of Jedi students who survived Order 66 find safety and shelter certainly seems like it would fit the bill.

Providing aid to Jedi survivors would also raise Obi-Wan’s chances of crossing paths with an Inquisitor or even Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) himself.

The Inverse Analysis — It seems like an inevitability that Order 66 will play some kind of role in Obi-Wan Kenobi, given the tragic event’s relevance to both the show’s lead and the state of the galaxy when the series begins. But just how the show’s rumored flashbacks ultimately tie into the show’s storyline is something fans will have to wait for Obi-Wan Kenobi’s premiere to find out.

However, if this rumor is to be believed, there’s a real chance that two Order 66 survivors could end up playing major roles in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres May 25, 2022 on Disney+.