One prequel trilogy actor who hasn’t appeared inStar Warsmovies and TV showsfor more than 25 years would be essential ifStar Warsdecided to make aDarth Vadershow.Star Wars’upcoming TV showsremain sparse, even with Star Wars Celebration 2025 having just taken place in April. At present,Ahsokaseason 2is the only confirmed upcoming live-action TV show, and while there are animated shows likeMaul: Shadow Lordin the works, many are wondering what the future of live-actionStar Warsshows will include.
Among the possibilities that fans have discussed is a Darth Vader TV show starring Hayden Christensen. Currently,Christensen’s return inAhsokaseason 2 is confirmed, but the Anakin Skywalker star has consistently reinforced that he’s always interested in additional returns toStar Wars. Given that, alongside the fact that Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader remains one ofStar Wars’best characters, a Darth Vader show doesn’t seem entirely off the table, andone unexpected prequel trilogy actor in particular would be essential to bring back for thisStar Warsshow to work.
Fans Are Hopeful That A Darth Vader Show Is Coming
There Are Some Hints This Could Be In The Works
AlthoughStar Warshasn’t confirmed a Darth Vader show is coming or is even a possibility,many in the fanbase are hoping such a show could be under consideration. In fact, Hayden Christensen himself has seemingly dropped some hints that this show could be created in the future. Specifically, earlier this year,Christensen teased a Darth Vader returnthat definitely wasn’t about his upcomingAhsokaseason 2 appearance. Christensen said:
“There’s a lot that we could still explore with Vader…I think from where we left off, after Episode III, and everything that he has to reconcile after he’s trapped in this new version of himself, there’s just a lot of very rich stories that we could still tell.”
By contrast, he said the following aboutAhsokaseason 2:
“But I’m really loving getting to sort of play the more heroic side of the character in theAhsokashow, and I’m very excited for Season 2.”
Both statements seem to confirm thatHayden Christensen is interested in a return as Darth Vader, but it wouldn’t be inAhsokaseason 2, when he will evidently be playing a"more heroic side"of Anakin.
Although the story details ofAhsokaseason 2 remain unknown—Dave Filoni actually confirmed during Star Wars Celebration 2025 that he was still working on the script—it’s very unlikely that Christensen will appear as Darth Vader again in that show. Instead,theAhsokafinaleset up Anakin’s return as a Force Ghost on Peridea in season 2, with the possibility of another Clone Wars-era flashback like the one that was seen inthe World Between WorldsinAhsokaseason 1.
It’s therefore rather unlikely thatAhsokawill bring Christensen back as Vader, especially given the point intheStar WarstimelineChristensen’s first comment was referring to. The idea that there’s more to unpack about Vader’s story following the events ofStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithsuggests an entirely new Vader-focused story in the early days of the Empire. Butcould such a story really be brought to theStar Warsscreen at this point?
Star Wars Already Has The Perfect Source Material
The Vader Comics' Stories Would Be Incredible To See On Screen
While some may argue thatStar Warsneeds to focus on other stories rather than bringing Darth Vader back once again,there is plenty of source material a Darth Vader show could pull from that would be absolutely brilliant to see on screen. In fact, theStar Warscomics have explored many Vader stories during this era that would feel exciting and innovative rather than unnecessary were they adapted for a show. Among those storylines are Vader’s visit to Padmé’s tomb and the moment in which he finally creates his red lightsaber.
Star Warscomics have explored many Vader stories during this era that would feel exciting and innovative.
For the latter, not long afterRevenge of the Sith, during which Vader still wielded Anakin’s iconic blue saber until Obi-Wan left Mustafar with it, Vader obtained a kyber crystal from a Jedi he bested in battle and then bled it, as is the tradition of the Sith. This was no easy feat for Anakin, though, ashe actually experienced a shocking level of conflict when he bled this crystal, even seeing visions of Padmé and Obi-Wan. This story, originally told inStar Wars: Darth Vader #5 (2017), written by Charles Soule, would be incredible to see on screen.
PURCHASE STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #5 (2017)
However,it’s the story of Vader’s visit to Padmé’s tomb that would prove particularly interesting for a Vader show and would bring back a surprising star fromStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. InStar Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #1, written by Greg Pak, Vader visits Padmé’s tomb on Naboo, intending to find out more about her death and Luke Skywalker’s birth. While attempting to open Padmé’s tomb, Vader is stopped by none other than Sabé, Padmé’s closest handmaiden, who traded places with her inThe Phantom Menace.
Bringing Keira Knightley Back As Sabé Would Be Absolutely Perfect
This Would Be The Perfect Follow-Up So Many Years Later
Keira Knightley was the actress who portrayed Sabé inThe Phantom Menace, and she would be the perfect star to appear in a Darth Vader show, specifically following the beats of this story. In addition to being a thrilling callback to the prequels with Knightley’s return, this story just makes so much sense to bring to the screen. Particularly with Christensen’s interest in exploring Anakin/Vader’s feelings of being trapped, this arc that captures his guilt and grief even many years afterRevenge of the Sithwould be ideal.
This would also be arguably the most realistic way to bring Padmé’s character back into focus. Given Padmé obviously wasn’t a Jedi, it’s not possible for her to come back as a Force Ghost. Outside of flashbacks, there’s therefore little a Vader show could do with the character in a show set during this era. If aDarth Vadershow brought Keira Knightley back as Sabé, though,Star Warscould explore this compelling storyline that has yet to be shown on screen, all while bringing an unexpected prequel trilogy star back to the franchise.
