The Return Of Star Wars’ Biggest Star Has Opened Up A Galaxy Of Possibilities

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 12 seconds ago

When Lucasfilm began landing Star Wars projects on Disney+, we saw the return of a few familiar faces that it seemed like we’d never see again. One of them was Boba Fett, the fearsome bounty hunter who popped up on The Mandalorian before headlining his own show. Another was Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose solo show saw the return of Prequel Trilogy veterans Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen. To everyone’s surprise, Christensen returned in Ahsoka to seemingly impart some last bit of Jedi wisdom upon his titular Padawan.

But this wasn’t Christensen’s last appearance in our favorite galaxy far, far away. He’s already confirmed to return for Ahsoka Season 2, and Star Wars scooper Daniel Richtman recently dropped a bombshell report that Christensen will be appearing in at least two more projects for the franchise. While he doesn’t yet know what these projects will be, one thing’s for sure: the return of everyone’s favorite Darth Vader actor may breathe new life into a franchise that has been going through the motions for way too long.  

Somehow, Anakin Returned

While Daniel Richtman has reported that Hayden Christensen would be appearing in at least two more Star Wars projects, he doesn’t have any info as to exactly what those projects could be. There is an entire galaxy of possibilities, some of which may be more exciting for fans than others. Even though the first season was pretty “meh” and stretched the boundaries of canon, plenty would be happy to see a second season of Obi-Wan Kenobi, even if (or maybe especially if) it was just another excuse to get McGregor and Christensen onscreen together again.

If Disney is feeling a bit more ambitious, we might get the opposite: a Darth Vader solo show. While there was only so much for Kenobi to do between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope (he was supposed to be a hermit guarding Luke Skywalker, after all), Vader was doing plenty of interesting things: getting used to his new body, establishing the Imperial status quo, hunting Jedi, training Inquisitors, and so on. It would be tough to pull off, but a Vader-centric show with the pathos and gravitas of Andor could easily become the best Star Wars series ever made. 

The Man, The Myth, The Sith

However, it’s far likelier that Hayden Christensen will continue making minor, Ahsoka-style cameos in other shows rather than stepping fully into the spotlight. Personally, I’d love to see him play a supporting role in a Doctor Aphra series. In case you’re unfamiliar, Aphra is a canonical comics character who is like a fem-swapped cross between Indiana Jones and Han Solo. In the comics, she ends up working for Vader before faking her death to gain her freedom. Seeing her and her murderbot sidekicks onscreen is likelier than you might think. After all, her comic book frenemy, Krrsantan, already popped up in The Book of Boba Fett.

Without the clairvoyance of the Force, it’s impossible to know exactly where Hayden Christensen will pop up in this galaxy far, far away. But he’s a beloved actor playing a fan-favorite character, so it’s a sure bet that whatever Star Wars show he appears on is going to be a hit. Personally, I’m hoping Disney will finally accept my pitch: a workplace comedy where Admiral Motti and Darth Vader work aboard the Death Star and have a relationship akin to Jim and Dwight from The Office. My working title? Imperial Entanglements.

Come on, Dave Filoni, you can’t ignore my phone calls forever!