While whispers of young Princess Leia coming to the “Star Wars” universe goes back years (we even mentioned it on a podcast last year), it wasn’t really until an “Obi-Wan Kenobi” casting reveal from a few months later that seemed to truly cement the fact we’d see the other Skywalker twin make a return after the passing of Carrie Fisher. Actress Vivien Lyra Blair (“We Can Be Heroes,” “Bird Box “) took over the role after previous attempts from Lucasfilm to use digital versions in “Rogue One” and “The Rise of Skywalker” was met with mixed reactions.
Now that Little Leia’s confirmation in the ‘Kenobi’ series has been made official and promoted by the studio, co-writer Joby Harold spoke to The Hollywood Reporter. The ‘Obi-Wan’ screenwriter discussed the reasoning behind their choice to use another iconic legacy character and seemingly side-stepping Luke Skywalker, who was revealed early on by the return of Joel Edgerton’s Uncle Owen which was sort of a neat distraction on the studio’s part.
From a narrative standpoint, it only made sense for Kenobi to be pulled off-world and skirt his protective duties on Tatooine for someone as important as Leia. However, to hear it from Harold, he was trying to make connections to the ‘Star Wars’ universe that were already there, and his explanation makes the idea feel very considered.
“It answers the question of ‘why him?’ So, ‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope,’ feels less arbitrary as a choice and a decision now that we know the depth of the history they have together. I liked the fact that it helped reinforce and better articulate a little piece of the jigsaw that is already in place. She also ends up naming her son, Ben [Adam Driver],” Harold explained about connecting all those dots.
“He’s not going to leave Luke for anybody except Leia. Why else would he abandon that post? The notion of him looking over Luke and not looking over Leia was always a question for everybody once you realize the importance of those two characters side by side. So we had that be a question we confronted head-on. Bail [Jimmy Smits] says to Obi-Wan in the cave, ‘Why him and not her?’ So she’s the only thing that I believe he would leave Luke for. There’s nothing else he would be called to do where he wouldn’t stay by Luke’s side.”
Also, the writer is relieved that Little Leia’s involvement wasn’t really confirmed until folks actually watched the show. “I’m so glad that we were able to keep it a surprise for as long as we were and that I no longer have to use her code name. It’s nice to be able to say Leia out loud. Leia,” he said.
Without spoiling things too much, Harold talked up references for the two’s relations on the show citing “Paper Moon” and “Midnight Run.”
“She’s pretty sassy, and Carrie Fisher’s incarnation of the character does a very good job of showing that she’s no one to be trifled with,” he continued. “So giving that to a child actor — but at the same time allowing her to be a kid still — is the dance. But the fun of those scenes with Ewan is to try to make it a two-hander in a really interesting way so that you get a little bit of ‘Paper Moon’ and ‘Midnight Run.’”
“Kenobi” is currently airing on Disney+ with episode four releasing this week, and we’ll have to wait and see if Ewan McGregor’s enthusiasm to return to the role spawns a second season or not.