Obi-Wan Kenobi, Fennec Shand & More ‘Star Wars’ Characters to Watch on Disney+ in 2022
2022 will be a busy year for Star Wars as The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian Season 3, and The Bad Batch Season 2 are all set to premiere on Disney+. All four shows will be bringing back familiar faces, but the adventures they go on will be all new.
The Book of Boba Fett is the first to be released (technically starting in 2021). The premiere drops December 29 on the streaming service with weekly episodes on Wednesdays. The other three don’t have premiere dates just yet, but as part of Disney+ Day, we got a behind-the-scenes look at Obi-Wan Kenobi from Ewan McGregor and showrunner Deborah Chow.
Across these, we’ll see characters who have popped up in other series (like Temuera Morrison‘s Boba Fett and Ming-Na Wen‘s Fennec Shand) and those who haven’t been seen since the films (like McGregor’s Obi-Wan and Diego Luna‘s Cassian Andor), as well as see what’s next for some whose journeys we’re enjoying watch play out currently.
Keep reading to see which characters to watch in 2022.
Boba Fett
In the original trilogy, bounty hunter Boba Fett became an incredibly popular character despite his limited screen time. We thought we had seen the last of him after he perished in the Sarlacc pit, but his shocking appearance in The Mandalorian proved he hadn’t actually died. How he survived is unknown, as is what he’s been up to all this time. As for what he’s currently up to, at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2 Boba sits on the throne that once belonged to Jabba the Hutt and is seemingly ready to take on the underworld in his own series.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan McGregor, reprising his role from the films, stars as the titular character in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and his return to the franchise may be the most highly anticipated of 2022. A big part of Obi-Wan’s timeline is unknown, as there is a 19-year gap between 2005’s Revenge of the Sith and 1977’s A New Hope. The series takes place 10 years after the rise of the Empire and could provide insight as to what the Jedi was up to all that time.
Cassian Andor
Cassian Andor’s first appearance in the Star Wars universe was also thought to be his last as he died at the end of 2016’s Rogue One, but the character is back in an all new series. The espionage thriller Andor acts as a prequel to Rogue One, taking place five years before the events of the movie. The show will focus on Cassian’s key role in the formation of the Rebellion as he acts as a spy and an assassin for the Alliance.
Din Djarin
The Mandalorian was the first ever live-action Star Wars TV series and it was incredibly successful—in no small part to the lead character, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal). Din, also commonly referred to as Mando, unintentionally fell into the role of father figure for young Grogu (or, as everyone refers to him as, Baby Yoda) as he tried to find a teacher for the force sensitive child. Now that Grogu has gone to train with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Season 3 will likely show Din starting on a new journey, one that likely involves the darksaber now in his possession.
Omega
One of the newer characters to the Star Wars universe is Omega (Michelle Ang), who made her debut this year in the first season of The Bad Batch. Like the others of Clone Force 99, Omega is an enhanced human clone, though she ages normally whereas the others’ lifespans are accelerated. She’s the only female clone and the reason as to why remains to be revealed, but she’s sure to continue playing a key role in The Bad Batch Season 2.
Fennec Shand
While she may have played smaller roles in The Mandalorian Season 2 and The Bad Batch, Fennec Shand is stepping up as a main character in The Book of Boba Fett. Her impressive skill set makes her a promising partner for the legendary bounty hunter; after all, she’s a bounty hunter herself as well as an assassin and mercenary. Even Din Djarin was hesitant to go after her. Fennec and Boba will surely make a formidable pair in the new series.
Darth Vader
One of the most iconic villains of all time is returning to the Star Wars franchise. Hayden Christensen will be reprising the role of Darth Vader for the first time since Revenge of the Sith in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series. While Christensen is known for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, he didn’t spend much time on screen as Darth Vader so it will be interesting to finally see him in the antagonistic role. As teased in that behind-the-scenes look, he will come face to face with his old master Obi-Wan, and that will more than likely lead to quite the epic duel between the two. Christensen is also set to appear in the Ahsoka series reportedly coming in 2023.
