More Star Wars Character Cameos Are On The Way In Obi-Wan Kenobi
Do character cameos make the "Star Wars" universe feel more connected, or are they mostly just fan-service with little intrinsic narrative value? Well, as a guy who's definitely for real named Ben would tell you, "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." It depends, in other words, on the context and what the cameo brings to the table.
For example, when Denis Lawson shows up for a few seconds as Wedge Antilles in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," it's really just an Easter egg. On the other hand, when Max Rebo (RIP?) appears in "The Book of Boba Fett," it both acts as an Easter egg and subtly fills us in on what became of Jabba the Hutt's old crew after his death.
Love 'em or loathe 'em, these types of character cameos have grown into a fixture of "Star Wars" under Disney's watch. That hasn't changed with "Obi-Wan Kenobi," either. The first two episodes of the live-action series alone feature brief appearances by everyone's favorite droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, on Leia's peaceful, doomed home planet of Alderaan, along with a scene where the titular Jedi-in-exile (Ewan McGregor) crosses paths with a veteran clone trooper (Temuera Morrison) who's fallen on hard times. You can expect more where that came from, too, as director Deborah Chow told Rotten Tomatoes TV (via ComicBook.com):
"I don't think it would be 'Star Wars' if we didn't have some Easter eggs, and we didn't have some cameos. So there definitely are some to come."
But don't expect cameos 'for the sake of it'
So far, the character cameos in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" have all had a clear purpose. In the case of C-3PO and R2-D2, having the pair working as servants at a social event hosted by Leia's parents (who, lest we forget, took the duo in along with Leia after the events of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith") makes for good world-building, closely linking the show's plot to the "Star Wars" film prequel trilogy. Of course, it helps that the series doesn't go out of its way to call attention to their presence and allows them to simply exist in the background when they're on-screen.
Deborah Chow promised that won't change with future episodes, either:
"I think for us, what we do have in the show, it needed to come out of character for us. We didn't want to just put things in for the sake of it. But that said, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a character that has definitely interacted with a lot of people and has done a lot in his life."
Ideally, of course, future cameos will serve Obi-Wan's arc the way the clone trooper scene does in episode 2. Far from a happy-go-lucky Easter egg, Obi-Wan's encounter with the character on Daiyu is a sad reminder of the life he lost. Yet, it also pushes the Jedi to make peace with his painful past while facing his dire present head-on. And given that the series at large seems to be telling the story of how Obi-Wan processes the loss of Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side and the rise of the Galactic Empire, it's fair to say his struggle to find closure has only just begun.
New episodes of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" will premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.