Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi conjures a return for Ewan McGregor’s sagely Jedi master that’s 17 years in the making, going all the way back to 2005 Prequel Trilogy movie closer Revenge of the Sith. While an array of new faces for the franchise figure prominently in the Disney+ miniseries, a recent trailer intriguingly showcased a blink-and-you-miss-it shot of a character played by Marvel’s Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani without any context. Fortunately, details have been provided by the actor, and they already point to a prospective return… at least, if he had his way.
Haja is the name of Nanjiani’s Obi-Wan Kenobi character, as the actor himself confirms in an enthusiastic interview with EW. Contrary to speculation (including from this writer,) based purely on what the split-second advance trailer footage showed of the character (notably centering on what appears to be a robe-like outfit), he is not a Jedi—and not even close to one, apparently. Rather, Haja is a street hustler in the Star Wars universe operating his schemes in the show’s debuting setting of Daiyu, a populous, urbanized planet that bears a neon-lit nighttime aesthetic that writer Joby Harold describes as graffiti-filled and “edgy,” similar to Hong Kong.
However, in a character arc entry point familiarly akin to a certain scruffy-looking nerfherder who once claimed to be only in it for the money, Nanjiani hints how fate will find Haja and put him to the test when an on-the-run Obi-Wan accidentally wanders into his life. “[H]e’s this guy who works on the streets of Daiyu, which is this new Star Wars location that we haven’t seen before that’s absolutely gorgeous,” says the actor. “And he’s the guy who’s worked really hard to stay out of the bigger conflicts at play. He just kind of wants to be his own guy. Survival for him is all that matters.”
Of course, Nanjiani’s picaresque pickpocket pursuits will be put aside for the cause of his very survival since the tenaciously bellicose Galactic Empire—and more importantly, a perpetually triggered Darth Vader—are always on the lookout for Obi-Wan, usually leaving death and destruction in their wake. In this case, Obi-Wan will have to temporarily abandon the safety of his hidden hermitage on the desert planet Tatooine—where he looks after a young Luke Skywalker from afar—to embark on a galactic journey that will eventually land him on Haja’s home turf (and hunting ground for suckers), Daiyu. Yet, it’s clear that we will meet the character at the height of his deceptive, parasitic prowess. That’s because Nanjiani describes how his preparation for the role involved extensive research into the psychological techniques of con men and magicians, both of whom similarly deal in the art of illusion, and can inveigle marks into entering a state of trust, often by exuding confidence and even saying their names.
However, to Haja’s chagrin, Imperial agents in the Dark Side force-sensitive, lightsaber-brandishing contingent called the Inquisitorious—notably the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend), Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram) and the Fifth Brother (Sung Kang)—pursue Obi-Wan to the aforementioned urban landscape, setting up the scenarios showcased prominently in the trailer, and an unlikely pairing with the embattled Jedi. While Haja, like Han Solo, may initially think of himself as only being in it for the money, Nanjiani implies that a heroic side may similarly emerge in the face of these overwhelming Imperial incursions.
“He’s this sort of con-man guy who cons people for money,” elaborates Nanjiani on Haja’s initial self-serving motivations. “That’s what’s important to him. And then he has a run-in with Obi-Wan and suddenly he sort of gets stuck in the bigger conflicts at play, which is the thing that he really tries to avoid. So, he is this street-level con-man guy who then gets embroiled in stuff that’s way too big for him. And he has to make a choice.”
Consequently, it sounds like Haja has been designed to become a breakout character, especially since Nanjiani’s known comedic chops— from shows like HBO’s Silicon Valley and films such as The Big Sick and Stuber—should bring some welcome levity to a mostly melancholic series that appears centered on the regret and despondency of Obi-Wan a decade after his climactic Revenge of the Sith battle with Dark-Side-turned apprentice Anakin Skywalker; a battle that left the latter maimed, burned and monumentally bitter to become the black-clad Darth Vader, as played here by returning Prequel player Hayden Christensen. Nanjiani also believes that Haja could eventually recur in the franchise’s ever-expanding onscreen continuity, despite whatever (ill) fate might lie in store for the character since Star Wars is currently dominated by small screen offerings, each of which are set in different eras of the timeline. To say that the thought of reprising the role has crossed his mind would be an understatement.
“It’s all I’ve thought about,” declares the actor and self-described Star Wars fan. “I don’t know what that does, but yeah, I would love to play this character again. Not just because of Star Wars, but it’s a really, really, really fun character to play. I’ve never gotten to play a character like this before. I think it’s a type of character that we haven’t exactly seen in Star Wars either — with a con man, you know?”
The Star Wars franchise has been somewhat hit-and-miss when it comes to the popularity and knickknack-selling ability of would-be breakout characters—especially from the recent Sequel Trilogy. Indeed, for every Din Djarin/Mandalorian or Baby Yoda/Grogu, there are cases such as smuggler Zorii Bliss or diminutive mechanic Babu Frik; heavily heralded characters from the 2019 Sequel closer Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker who failed to resonate, and were quickly relegated to the realm of the forgotten. Thus, it will be interesting to see if Nanjiani can make Haja into a phenomenon that eventually permeates the multi-medium spectrum of the Star Wars franchise, be it in more TV shows or even backlogged movie projects such as Rogue Squadron with director Petty Jenkins.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi will say “hello there” to viewers when it premieres its first two episodes on Disney+ on Friday, May 27. Afterwards, the show’s four remaining episodes will be individually released weekly on Wednesdays.
