George Lucas Loves One Disney Star Wars Project Above All

To address this, Lucasfilm consulted George Lucas before starting production on Obi-Wan Kenobi for guidance on the direction they were taking. “Part of that was interfacing with George,” Hidalgo explained, “Early on, there was a conversation with George over what his thoughts were. He was 100 percent supportive.”

“I’ve heard tell that it’s been one of [his] favorite things that [have] come out of Star Wars because he recognizes so much of what he did in the prequels basically brought forward and celebrated it,” Hidalgo continued about George Lucas and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which premiered on Disney+ in May 2022, much to the delight of fans.

The six-episode Obi-Wan Kenobi series is set 10 years after the events of the 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, during which the Jedi Order was eliminated with Order 66 and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, became Darth Vader. The story follows the titular character, played by Ewan McGregor, who has been watching over Anakin’s son Luke while hiding on Tatooine.

Kenobi is eventually tasked with rescuing Anakin’s daughter, Leia, when the Galactic Empire’s Jedi-hunting Inquisitors kidnap her in an attempt to draw Kenobi out. This brings him into conflict with Vader, who he thought was dead. Kenobi is then forced to face his traumatic past and feelings of guilt. So it’s not surprising that George Lucas considers Obi-Wan Kenobi his favorite.

Obi-Wan Kenobi also marked the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Rounding out the cast are Vivien Lyra Blair, Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, Zach Braff, and Benny Safdie, among others.

Even though George Lucas had a minor hand in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, the show received mixed reviews from critics and audiences upon its release. Some praised the show for its true-to-form Star Wars storytelling and Ewan McGregor’s performance. Others criticized the production quality and writing as being poor compared to other Star Wars productions.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was conceived as a limited series, with Deborah Chow describing it as “one big story with a beginning, middle, and end.” Despite this, Kathleen Kennedy said there was a chance that more episodes could be made since the cast and crew enjoyed working on the series. But there had to be a compelling story to return to the character.

Both McGregor and Christensen expressed interest in making another season, as viewers have shown a growing interest in the Star Wars prequel era. Despite George Lucas’s preference for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, upcoming stories set in a faraway galaxy focus on other characters. The Mandalorian & Grogu is a live-action movie set to be released on May 22, 2026. 

The story is reportedly expected to delve into the lore gaps surrounding the return of Emperor Palpatine and the rise of Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy era. A movie featuring Daisy Ridley’s character Rey has also been confirmed, though the release date is yet to be announced.