It’s been 23 years since Ewan McGregor first pulled on the robes of Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, George Lucas’s own reboot of his seminal 1977 space opera Star Wars. It’s hard to forget the childlike excitement then-rising star McGregor exhibited at joining the cast of one of the biggest, and most fanatically followed, franchises in pop culture.
McGregor has since gone on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but judging by the ecstatic grin and excited babbling that greets The National over Zoom when the star talks about his latest venture to a galaxy far, far away, the thrill of picking up Kenobi’s blue light sabre hasn’t dimmed at all since he last wielded it in 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.
“I was in my early twenties, I suppose, when I played him first time, and it was the biggest thing I'd ever done — there isn't anything quite like Star Wars in terms of its scale, so that hasn't changed at all,” he says. “I've done a lot of work since then, so I suppose I'm closer in age to [original Kenobi] Alec Guinness now, and my goal for Obi-Wan has always been to end up being him.
"It's sort of a backward process, of creating a character based on somebody who he becomes when he's older, which has been a unique acting challenge in a way, but it kind of all remains the same.”
One thing that hasn’t remained the same is the format in which we’ll watch the latest adventures of Kenobi. The project was originally announced in 2013 as a stand-alone origins movie. As the battle for streaming subscribers has raged in recent years, however, it has found itself transplanted over to Disney+'s popular roster of Star Wars spin-offs including The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
McGregor, who is also credited as an executive producer, has been closely involved with Obi-Wan Kenobi since the series' inception. So how does he feel the change of format has affected the show?
“I just felt like it gave us longer, not much longer in terms of weeks on set, but longer to tell the story,” he says. “I like the faster pace of shooting for TV. I've been doing this for a long time and I don't need practice at sitting around in my trailer waiting to shoot. I'm very good at it, and I just want to be on set shooting.
"When you're doing a TV series, you just shoot that bit quicker, but the technologies are such now that you are still able to build these amazing worlds that we would never have been able to build on a set.”
The affable Scot does admit, however, that his willingness to shoot a TV show is a fairly recent development, thanks in large part to the huge increase in quality that has come with the rise of streaming.
“I don't know, if in 2003, I would have wanted to make a TV series for anything, because they were so different. I was a movie actor and TV series were very different then,” he says. “But now the industry has changed so much that some of the best writing is on television. I've experienced that through my work on Fargo, and there's something very satisfying about telling a story that you can dig into for longer.”
Another familiar face returning to the Star Wars universe is Hayden Christensen. The last time we saw him as Anakin Skywalker on screen, he was floating off down a lava river with his limbs removed while the imposing armour of Darth Vader was being prepared to encase his charred remains.
“Iconic” is probably an overused word when discussing popular culture, but in the case of Vader, it's surely a strong contender for describing one of the greatest movie villains of all time.
Having spent three films exploring the human character that would become Vader, Christensen is clearly delighted to finally have the opportunity to get under the skin of the heinous Sith Lord himself.
“I was just so excited by this opportunity,” he says. “The character of Anakin is one that I spent a lot of time with when we were doing the prequels and one that I have continued to think about over the years.
"Being given the opportunity to come back and really explore the character of Darth Vader was an incredible thing, and it fleshes out these characters a little bit more and bridges the gap between episode three and episode four. The first time I read these scripts, I was blown away, and I'm really excited for people to get to see it.”
Newcomer Moses Ingram, who plays the new character, the Jedi-hunting Inquisitor Reva, wasn’t even born when the original Star Wars trilogy came to our screens. The actress only graduated drama school in 2019, but has since spent 2020 playing Jolene in Netflix’s critically adored The Queen's Gambit and 2021 picking up plaudits as Lady Macduff in the Coen brothers’ award-winning The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Adding Star Wars to her portfolio in 2022 is quite some run of good fortune.
“It really was insane. A lot of us are just big kids at the end of the day, so we’d spend a lot of time playing with blasters and having light sabre fights. It really is insane, and even more so now people are about to see it,” she says.
Another face who will be returning to the world of Star Wars is Canadian director Deborah Chow. She previously directed two episodes of The Mandalorian, and for Obi-Wan Kenobi, she has been granted the director’s chair for the entire series. The franchise seems to create an interesting dilemma for directors. Of course, what director wouldn’t want to be involved with Star Wars, but at the same time, can the challenges of working within the parameters of a property that is revered by fans with such utter devotion prove artistically restrictive?
“That's the biggest challenge with a project like this, where we have these huge iconic characters,” she says. “We're so tied to the legacy and we're in between two trilogies, so you want to be respectful, to respect the canon and respect everything that had been done with within those two trilogies, but at the same time, you still have to find your own original voice and tell an original story.”
Ultimately though, it’s clear that Chow feels the effort of juggling her own creative urges with the expectations of fans was worth it.
“In some ways, the parameters help because you have guard rails for where the story is going, but from there on you're sort of working within it to find another vision,” she says.
“I've always loved science fiction and fantasy. I was reading a ton of it growing up, and Star Wars has always been the mother ship of all that, so it was just incredibly exciting getting to finally come into this universe.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi will have its international premiere on Disney+ on May 27, and in the UAE with the launch of Disney+ on June 8
Fixtures
Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am
Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am
Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am
Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20OneOrder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tamer%20Amer%20and%20Karim%20Maurice%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E82%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Sukuk
An Islamic bond structured in a way to generate returns without violating Sharia strictures on prohibition of interest.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
