Hayden Christensen Star Wars leak solves a huge Kenobi mystery

Anakin Skywalker is about to be very busy. Last year, Disney revealed that Star Wars prequels star Hayden Christensen would return in the upcoming Kenobi series, and a new report reveals that’s just the beginning of the Hayden Chrenaissance. Darth Vader is returning in a second Disney+ series, and this one raises even more questions than Kenobi.

Anakin’s return (again)

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Hayden Christensen will also lend his talents to Ahsoka, the upcoming show from Mandalorian co-creator Dave Filoni set in the expanding Mando-verse. Of course, this role is a bit more complicated than the one in Kenobi. In that show, Darth Vader is still alive. In Ahsoka, Vader’s been dead for at least five years.

That means there are two possible ways Christensen can appear in Ahsoka. He could appear as a Force ghost, which would mean the Light side version of Anakin from the prequels and the very end of Return of the Jedi. Then again, we could also be seeing Hayden in flashbacks as Darth Vader during the years in between the prequels and the original trilogy when he chased his old Padawan Ahsoka across the galaxy.

What Anakin means for Ahsoka and Kenobi

It seems likely Hayden will play Force ghost Anakin in Ahsoka. For one thing, these shows are generally pretty light on flashbacks. For another, why cast Christensen if you’re going to put him in Vader’s suit and make him talk with a James Earl Jones impression?

If that’s the case, it stands to reason that Lucasfilm is taking the same approach with Kenobi, meaning we’ll be seeing some version of Anakin in that show as well. Previous leaks suggest we could be introduced to a gruesome depiction of the character in the middle of his transformation — which would be pretty awesome.

Then again, maybe Kenobi can find a way to depict both Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker at once. The show could reveal that Obi-Wan found a way to commune with his old Padawan while he was hiding in the desert. Maybe the two characters kept a friendly line of communication even while Vader carried out the Emperor’s evil orders.

Weirder things have happened in the Star Wars galaxy, right?

Kenobi is set to premiere in 2022 on Disney+. Ahsoka is expected in 2023.