Disney has announced the release date of the highly anticipated Star Wars show: Kenobi, which is bound to both confuse and shock fans.
The Book of Boba Fett may have just ended, but it is clear that Disney are already pivoting towards marketing their new series, Kenobi. A release date and a new poster were dropped for the series, showing that the first episode will debut on Disney Plus on May 25th 2022.
That day is bound to confuse and disappoint fans globally, as many were hoping that it would be released on May 4th, the day that is internationally recognised as Star Wars Day. It would have made undeniable sense to release the show on that date, almost as a gift to the fanbase.
However, it appears that a different strategy is taken, for two reasons. The first is that on May 25th, 45 years ago in 1977, was the release of the first Star Wars movie, retroactively titled A New Hope. Disney clearly aims to celebrate this history that launched the franchise and introduced audiences to the character by premiering Kenobi on this date. Though this only applies inside the USA. In the UK for example, A New Hope was not released until 27th December 1977, over seven months after its US release. This highlights the US centricity in this approach, which is sure to upset global fans of the franchise.
The second reason is to do with scheduling conflicts with Moon Knight. The Marvel show releases on March 30th, and will run for six weeks, meaning that the series will finish on May 11th. As there is a large amount of crossover between Star Wars and Marvel fans, Disney has split the release dates of shows from its two biggest franchises in order to keep fans subscribed to its streaming service for longer. However, there is no reason why Moon Knight could not have been scheduled for earlier in March, thus avoiding the conflict with Kenobi.
This mess only highlights the flawed marketing strategy for the show. A trailer for the show still has been released, despite there being clear opportunities for it to do so. The biggest missed opportunity was the fact Disney didn’t unveil the trailer on November 12th, or Disney Plus day.
That day was unusually light on Star Wars content, much to its detriment. Concept art was released for the show, but that isn’t indicative of any show material, merely to convey potential ideas. A cast list has also been released, however a majority of them have unconfirmed roles, obscuring any story information.
In promotional interviews for the show, cast members have commented on the trailer, with actor Rory Ross saying that it will “blow people’s minds”. This is clearly him trying to hype up the audience for the trailer, but the problem is this isn’t necessary. Fans have been clamouring for years for Obi Wan to get his own show, and since its confirmation they have been begging for more news. Disney have been cagy about the show, only drip feeding the audience tidbits in stretched out time periods.
It is likely that the trailer will debut during the 2022 Super Bowl, though this remains to be seen. If it does not, then Disney will have missed yet another chance to show off its most anticipated series.
Obi Wan Kenobi will debut on May 25th 2022. It will star Ewan McGregor in the titular role and will include Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader.
By Kieran Burt
Feature image: Lucasfilm/Disney