How to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi: Stream the new Star Wars series anywhere in the world
An elegant series for a more civilised age: Watch the latest instalment in the Star Wars franchise on-demand in the UK, US or elsewhere
Obi-Wan Kenobi, the new Disney Plus series from Lucasfilm, will debut on Disney Plus on 27 May. Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker respectively in episodes I, II and III of the Star Wars film series, reprise their roles 17 years on from when the two last portrayed the characters.
The only way to watch the hotly anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi series in the UK is via a Disney Plus subscription. You can also watch it on-demand through Disney Plus in the US or anywhere in the world by using a good VPN, like ExpressVPN, to access the Disney library.
First announced in 2019, with rumours of a full-blown movie well before that, the limited series of Obi-Wan Kenobi will finally be released on 27 May – almost exactly 45 years after the cinematic arrival of the original Star Wars film on 25 May, 1977.
Aside from the highly anticipated return of Ewan McGregor as unflappably civilised Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi, fellow Star Wars prequel alumni Hayden Christiansen will be reprising his role as Darth Vader, alongside Joel Edgerton, who returns as Luke’s uncle Owen Lars. Newcomers Rupert Friend and Moses Ingram will be playing members of the antagonistic Jedi-hunting Inquisitors, while Kumail Nanjiani – fresh from a stint as Kingo in Marvel’s Eternals – has been cast in an as-of-yet unidentified role.
Fans of The Mandalorian will be happy to hear that Deborah Chow, who directed two episodes from season one of the successful Star Wars series, also directed all six episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The show picks up ten years after Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005). At this point, the Jedi order is in tatters: only a handful survived the brutal purge that ended the Clone Wars, including Obi-Wan, who is living as a hermit in the Jundland Wastes on Tatooine. His purpose? To protect a young Luke Skywalker against the all-powerful Galactic Empire, formed ten years prior by Darth Sidious (also known as Emperor Palpatine, or simply The Senate) and his apprentice, Obi-Wan’s former ward Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.
It’s not clear how the story will unfold, but we can make one major assumption based on the cast list. Darth Vader’s subservient Jedi-hunting Inquisitors (introduced in the animated Star Wars Rebels TV show) are making their first appearance in live-action media. Inquisitors are lethal, lightsaber-wielding force users – corrupted former Jedi, in fact – and will no doubt be the primary antagonists throughout the series.
To whet the appetite further still, have a watch of the official trailer below.
Since this new series carries on the story from some classic Star Wars films, it’s a great time to catch up with those previous films if you haven’t seen them already. Read on to learn how to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi upon release, as well as every other Star Wars film and series, wherever you are in the world.
How to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi in the US: Disney Plus
There’s only one port of call for those wanting to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi in the US: Disney Plus. Just like all other Star Wars related content, you’ll need a Disney Plus subscription to watch the series from the premiere on Friday 27 May, 2022 all the way through to the finale on 22 June. The premiere will see the simultaneous release of the first two episodes at 12am PT or 3am ET – so you might have to stay up late if you want to consume some Star Wars goodness as soon as you can.
Thereafter, each episode will be available to stream upon release every Wednesday from 1 June until the aforementioned 22 June finale.
Purchasing a Disney Plus subscription not only grants you on-demand viewing for Star Wars movies – including the latest sequel trilogy starring Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and John Boyega – but also a huge library of on-demand TV shows including Donald Glover’s award-winning Atlanta series, plus other incredibly daring movies like Free Solo. You’ll be able to watch that all any time you like at a total cost of $6.99/mth or $69.99 if you commit to a year. Hulu can also be bundled with ESPN+ and Disney Plus for $13.99/mth.
How to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi in the UK: Disney Plus
UK viewers will not have to wait to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi, as episodes will be released via Disney Plus UK in-tandem with the US version of the streaming giant. The first two episodes will be available for viewing on Friday 27 May, 2022 at 8am GMT, meanwhile all subsequent episodes will debut every Wednesday until the finale on 22 June.
To watch this latest chapter in the Star Wars canon, as well as every other Star Wars movie and TV show from classics like A New Hope to fresh series like The Book of Boba Fett, you can nab a Disney Plus subscription for £7.99/mth. If you’re all about a bargain, you can save yourself 15% by committing to a one year membership instead, which will cost £79.90. Either way, you’ll not just gain access to Star Wars content but all things Disney, including new and exclusive movies like Turning Red and the Marvel cinematic universe, plus a host of regularly replenished TV shows.
How to watch Obi-Wan Kenobi anywhere in the world: Disney Plus with a VPN
Unfortunately, Disney Plus doesn’t always have the same libraries in different locations. So, if you cannot get access to Obi-Wan Kenobi by the regular routes mentioned above, and don’t want to wait around to see if it arrives on your streaming library, the best way to watch it is via a VPN.
For the uninitiated, VPNs are Virtual Private Networks that allow you to appear as though you are using the internet from somewhere else in the world. Since streaming services normally geo-block their content so that only certain regions can see specific films and tv shows, this is a great method to get around those pesky barriers to let you watch the shows you’re desperate to see, like Obi-Wan Kenobi. After setting up a VPN, you’ll be able to sign up to Disney Plus in the country of your choice – pick one where Obi-Wan Kenobi is available for viewing like the UK or the US – and freely watch the new Star Wars series without a hitch.
Not all VPNs are equally equipped to deal with streaming, so down below you can read about our two favourite options so you can binge-watch the show in no time.
READ NEXT: Best VPNs for privacy, speed and streaming
ExpressVPN: To overcome the geo-blocking techniques used by streaming services like Disney Plus, there is a clear frontrunner in our eyes: ExpressVPN. Since it has over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, whatever location you desire should be covered and provide you with some of the fastest VPN speeds around. Streaming Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t be easier nor much cheaper since you can currently save 49% on ExpressVPN when following the link below.
NordVPN: ExpressVPN may be the king of streaming, but if you want a more well-rounded VPN for all your internet needs, NordVPN is the top dog. What stands out is its ease of use: the map-based interface lets you easily select which location you want to surf the web from – assuming you know your geography – all with some of the best security promises in the business. The Panama-based company has even been independently audited that proved it is not recording any of your online data, meaning you will never be tracked. Add in 24/7 support, a 30-day money back guarantee and a pretty bargain price via the link below, and getting NordVPN is a no-brainer.
