In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader was perhaps the most vengeful and emotionally vulnerable we’ve ever seen him, and it could make for compelling serialized storytelling to give audiences a closer look at the cracks that would eventually lead to his break and redemption in Return of the Jedi. On a more nuanced level, and particularly in scenes with Obi-Wan, Darth Vader’s darker psychology was fleshed out more in live-action since the original trilogy. Kudos especially go to Christensen and the action choreographers in the climactic fight in Part VI, which showcased the fallen Jedi in all his terrible glory.

Similarly, gone are the days of the stiff technology required for Vader’s suit on set, as Hayden Christensen did an exceptional job portraying how physical and kinetic the villain is in combat. While an entire show couldn’t - or shouldn’t - be pure violence for the sake of shock value, it did show audiences that Lucasfilm might have more creative wiggle room in depicting an outright villain than we might think. One of the shocking things about Darth Vader’s role in Obi-Wan Kenobi was how far Disney was willing to show the Sith Lord quite literally walk down the street killing people in the most brutal ways. Supplemental materials in the Star Wars franchise have firmly established that there were just enough Jedi runaways following Order 66 to generate compelling storylines, making it not that farfetched to be able to do that again within the context of a TV series. Whether it’s the nine years before or the nine years after the freshly concluded series, there are plenty of gritty exploits to write for the villain. After the Empire established its galaxy-wide vice grip and enacted Order 66, it officially ushered in the age of the Great Jedi Purge, with none other than Vader leading the hunt. With Obi-Wan Kenobi taking place 10 years after the events of RotS and ANH taking place another nine years after that, a hypothetical Darth Vader Star Wars series could position itself on either side of the show but be able to use the same core premise. Vader has long since transcended pop culture media to become one of the most iconic villains ever, and a show with him as an unconventional protagonist would be - in a way - an exciting “new” spin on what the studio typically develops with the IP. There’s plenty that Lucasfilm can do with the vast Star Wars timeline, and while developing a Darth Vader-led TV series would admittedly continue beating the dead horse that is the gaps between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, it would also be an exciting way to embrace a bit more of the Dark Side of the Force.

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