Hayden Christensen’s performance as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy was heavily criticized when the movies first hit theaters. But his acting has since been reappraised as fans have acknowledged the obstacles created by George Lucas’ weak writing and vague direction. Now, fans can appreciate that Christensen played Anakin as written and did a pretty great job with tricky material.With Christensen confirmed to appear in both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka on Disney+, he can finally show audiences what he’s capable of when he plays Anakin with stronger scripts and more involved direction. He’ll play Darth Vader at the height of his powers in Obi-Wan Kenobi and will likely play Anakin’s redeemed Force ghost trying to reconnect with Ahsoka in her series’ post-Return of the Jedi setting. In both cases, he’ll have the chance to bring new angles and dimensions to the character.In the prequel movies, there was only so much that Christensen could do with the scripts Lucas gave him. His romantic dialogue with Natalie Portman would’ve been painfully cringeworthy coming out of any actor’s mouth. Christensen had the burden of playing Darth Vader as a moody teenager. It’s difficult to make an iconic villain a fearsome badass while simultaneously making him whiny and awkward. The actor nailed the balance a lot more in Revenge of the Sith when he was more comfortable in the role, and hopefully, he’ll be even better this time around.
As much of a legend as Lucas is in the field of filmmaking, he’s not without a few glaring weaknesses. Lucas himself has admitted that dialogue isn’t his strong suit and countless behind-the-scenes clips from the making of the prequels show that he planted his actors in front of bluescreens with little to no direction guiding their performances.In Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka, Christensen will be working with much more engaged directors and, with any luck, much sharper scripts. Every episode of the Obi-Wan series is being directed by Deborah Chow, who helmed some of the greatest Mandalorian episodes, including the emotional turning point “Chapter 3: The Sin.” The Ahsoka series is being spearheaded by Dave Filoni, the co-creator of the character, Lucas’ personal protégé, and one of the headstrong creatives responsible for the current wave of wildly satisfying Star Wars content. Both shows are in safe hands, so the ball is in Christensen’s court.
The Obi-Wan series will take place midway between the prequel and original trilogies with Master Kenobi hiding out on Tatooine under Imperial rule, watching over a young Luke Skywalker. It’s unclear what Christensen’s role will be in the series – it’s possible Vader will be in and out of the suit as his condition worsens – but Kathleen Kennedy has promised a rematch between Kenobi and his fallen apprentice, so he’s likely to be the main villain.The Ahsoka series, on the other hand, will take place in The Mandalorian’s timeline shortly after Return of the Jedi. Since Christensen replaced Sebastian Shaw in the Special Edition of Jedi, Anakin’s Force ghost looks like him in the official canon. While Ahsoka is searching the remains of the Empire for Grand Admiral Thrawn, Anakin’s ghost could provide her with some insider information (and maybe also an apology).
Christensen’s role in both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka will rely on his on-screen chemistry with the title characters. Obviously, he has proven chemistry with Ewan McGregor from their work in the prequel movies. They managed to make the Mustafar duel suitably heartbreaking, despite having to deliver meme-able dialogue about “the high ground” and “your new empire,” so there’s a lot of hope for their reunion. McGregor warmed fans’ hearts when he told The Hollywood Reporter that Christensen’s return was the best part of working on the Obi-Wan series: “The most beautiful thing of all is that it’s brought me back together with Hayden.”While Christensen doesn’t have a history with Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka, he did previously work with Dawson on the movie Shattered Glass, released between Episodes II and III. They’ll surely be able to translate Skyguy and Snips’ endearing friendship from animated form into live-action. Anakin’s reunion with Ahsoka will have to get over the awkward hurdle of his years of war crimes under the guise of Vader, but Dawson is capable of that kind of complicated pathos and this is Christensen’s chance to prove that he is, too.
It’s been nice to see the enthusiastic fan response to Christensen’s return. When the prequels arrived in theaters, the same vitriolic corners of the fan base that would later drive Kelly Marie Tran off social media were gunning for Christensen. Now, instead of rooting for him to fail, the majority of fans are behind the actor. Star Wars obsessives who grew up on the prequels nostalgically remember endless childhood viewings of his performances. So, hopefully, above all, Christensen will have a much more positive experience with Star Wars this time around.