Darth Vader’s appearance in Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi is proof that Anakin Skywalker needs his own Star Wars TV show.
Even though the central story of Star Wars has always been centred around the Jedi and those who fight on the Light Side of the Force, there’s no denying that much of the media surrounding the franchise has focused heavily on the Dark Side and its villains over the years.
While it was initially treated as just another element of the Star Wars universe, it eventually became clear that the Sith were far more fascinating than their counterpart Jedi characters – and there’s no Sith that’s more iconic than Darth Vader. One could go as far as to say that Star Wars owes much of its initial success to the image of Darth Vader, which caused a massive cultural impact that has lasted for generations since the release of A New Hope.
It has become increasingly apparent that Disney fumbled the latest Star Wars trilogy. Even though the box-office numbers are nothing to scoff at, the cultural impact of the characters from the Sequel Trilogy pales in comparison with their Original Trilogy counterparts – and even with those from the once-dreaded Prequels.
That might be why recent shows in the franchise centre on characters from those two trilogies instead of the Sequels. Projects like Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, and even the beloved The Mandalorian take place in the times of the Prequels and the Original Trilogy, leaving Rey and his friends alone in the Sequel universe.
All things considered, and now that Obi-Wan Kenobi has shown fans some of the previously-unknown backstories of the Jedi Master, it might be time to explore what happened to Anakin Skywalker after his fateful encounter with Kenobi in Mustafar. That’s right: it’s time we got a proper Darth Vader Disney+ show.
A New Canon
One of the most controversial decisions made by Disney’s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise was the removal from the series canon of most – if not all – of the Extended Universe continuity. In an effort to streamline the narrative of the Star Wars universe, Disney effectively stripped some pivotal characters like Vader from their established mythos.
Some recent comics featuring Vader as the protagonist are still considered canon, but these stories should reach a much larger audience if they’re brought to live-action in the same vein as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
There’s a myriad of reasons why now would be the best time to announce a new show based on the life of Vader, but one of the most appealing ones to fans is that both Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones are back in their roles as the iconic Sith Lord.
An Epic TV Saga
So far, Star Wars trilogies have been events that have been exclusive to cinemas. However, Disney+ has the technical resources – not to mention the budget – to make the very first Star Wars saga that’s entirely told through shows. What this means is that Obi-Wan Kenobi could serve as the first act in what could become a new Extended Universe canon trilogy of shows, which can only be streamed through Disney+.
Vader’s tragic backstory and fascinating power dynamic with both the Emperor and Kenobi would offer writers more than enough material to produce one of the finest shows that the streaming platform has ever seen.
It also helps that Star Wars fans absolutely adore anything featuring Darth Vader, even if that something is the latest Fortnite season. Producing a show based on the most beloved character from the fans’ favourite Star Wars trilogy sounds like a no-brainer decision for Disney+, and they should strike now while the iron is still hot.
