Lucasfilm’s latest live-action Star Wars show, Obi-Wan Kenobi, just set the record for the biggest premiere of any Disney+ original series.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered its first two episodes on Disney+ on Friday, May 27. According to Disney, the show had “the most-watched Disney+ Original series premiere globally to date, based on hours streamed in an opening weekend.” Furthermore, “Star Wars title viewership on Disney+ tripled in hours-watched” during Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s first weekend in release.
The long-awaited series sees Ewan McGregor reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, who he previously played in the trilogy of Star Wars prequel films from 1999 to 2005. That said, while McGregor is certainly delighted by the show’s success, he also took the time to call out the more toxic side of the fandom, which has been engaging in harassment against Moses Ingram, who plays antagonist Reva, aka the Third Sister, in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Ingram recently shared some of the racist messages she’s been receiving on social media since the show’s premiere, prompting McGregor to issue a statement of his own. “This weekend, Star Wars fans made Obi-Wan Kenobi the most-watched Disney+ original series premiere of all time — and for that, I would say a big ‘thank you,'” McGregor said. “And it just goes to show what this family can do when we all pull together. However, it seems that some of the fan base — from this influential fan base — have decided to attack Moses Ingram online and send her the most horrendous, racist DMs. And I heard some of them this morning, and it just broke my heart.”
He continued, “Moses is a brilliant actor, she’s a brilliant woman and she’s absolutely amazing in this series. She brings so much to the series, she brings so much to the franchise — and it just sickened me to my stomach to hear that his had been happening. I just want to say — as the leading actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series — that we stand with Moses. We love Moses. And if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no Star Wars fan in my mind. There’s no place for racism in this world. And I totally stand with Moses.”
Set 10 years after the events of the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi rejoins Obi-Wan, now going by the name Ben Kenobi, during his time watching over Luke Skywalker on Tatooine. However, Ben is drawn out of hiding by Reva of the Inqusitors, an elite, Jedi-hunting force that answers to none other than Darth Vader himself. Obi-Wan Kenobi is slated to run for a total of six episodes through Wednesday, June 22.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi drop Wednesdays on Disney+.
Source: Disney
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