A new 'Star Wars' toy has fans convinced we could see an iconic character return in the next movie

The INSIDER Summary:

• Hasbro and Disney just released a bunch of new "Star Wars" toys. 
• Among them are Hasbro's coveted Black Series figures. One in particular shows a Force spirit Obi-Wan Kenobi.
• Fans think it may hint we'll see the character return in the next "Star Wars" movie, "The Last Jedi." Kenobi has already appeared in Rey's mysterious Force vision in "The Force Awakens."
• A scene at the end of "Revenge of the Sith" may have hinted at Kenobi's eventual return. 
• It would also make sense that he would continue mentoring Luke Skywalker over the years.
• There have been rumors a Force ghost or ghosts will appear in "The Last Jedi," including Kenobi.
• Disney is reportedly working on a Kenobi spin-off movie.

A bunch of "Star Wars" toys and products are hitting stores September 1 to get fans excited for "The Last Jedi" in December. 

A lot of them offer peeks at new and mysterious faces we'll see in the movie like evil droid BB-9E and Supreme Leader Snoke while others offer ideas of which characters may appear together on screen. (Rey and Poe Dameron teaming up to take down the First Order? We're here for it.)

But there's one that had us and some fans do a double take. Among the many Black Series figures Disney and Hasbro are releasing is the following six-inch Obi-Wan Kenobi doll. 

Does that give you pause at all? My initial thought was the obvious. This could be a cool retro nod to the character from the end of "Return of the Jedi" when Kenobi appears as a Force ghost. Hasbro does that all the time. But there were a few pieces of evidence that made me wonder if Kenobi could appear in December's "The Last Jedi." 

Some fans thought so, too. 

Feel free to take this all with a grain of salt, but it seems too good of a coincidence that we're getting a toy Force ghost version of Kenobi right now.

Here's everything that has us convinced we may see Kenobi on the big screen soon.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi doll is called a "Force Spirit"

This is where it starts to get interesting.

The toy is labeled "Force Spirit." Okay. No big deal. Kenobi was also a Force Spirit in "Return of the Jedi." But there's no mention on the box from what we could tell that this is supposed to be a render of the "ROTJ" Kenobi. The photos we were sent from Hasbro are labeled "Obi-Wan Kenobi (Force Ghost)."

The description on the box hints that Kenobi's "Force Spirit" could be in a future movie 

Here's the vague description for the character we were sent: 

"Even after his untimely demise, Obi-Wan Kenobi remains a mentor to those strong with the Force. This 6-inch scale The Black Series figure features articulated movement and is based on the Force Ghost as seen in the films." 

The keywords here are that Kenobi has remained a mentor suggesting he's been communicating with others. That's something we haven't seen in the films yet. The other word that stands out is the plurality of "film." We've only seen Force ghost Kenobi in "Return of the Jedi," though his presence was definitely felt when he connected with Luke Skywalker several times.

It would be a pretty sneaky workaround if a Force spirit Kenobi popped up in "The Last Jedi" ("TLJ") to communicate with Luke or Rey (we'll come back to this). He already reached out to Rey in "The Force Awakens."

The first thing that made me consider the character could pop up in "TLJ" was how the photo arrived to us. The "Force Spirit" Kenobi is an exclusive to Walgreens and arrived in a photo collection of other store exclusives. It was curious that every other item in the photo gallery sent to us was a toy attached to "The Last Jedi."

Why and how Obi-Wan could even appear in "The Last Jedi"

Say what you will about the prequel movies, but there's one thing that has always stuck with me from "Star Wars: Episode III." Near the film's end, there's a scene between Senator Bail Organa, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The three are discussing what to do with Luke and Leia Skywalker after the death of their mother.

When Organa leaves, Yoda asks Kenobi to stay behind for a brief chat. Yoda says there's a way for Kenobi to communicate with his old master Qui-Gon Jinn from beyond the grave.

"In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you. An old friend has learned the path to immortality. One who has returned from the netherworld of the Force  — your old master," Yoda tells a surprised Kenobi. "How to commune with him, I will teach you."

You can watch the scene below:

And that's it! We never get anything else. It's presumed that in between movies three and four that Kenobi may have been able to communicate with Jinn while in hiding. In the movies, we never know for sure. Why would Yoda drop that line if it was never supposed to have more significance later on in the film series?

The reason I mention this is because Kenobi completed his training before his death in the following film, "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." His body disappeared when he was struck down by Vader and we know he's able to communicate with others. He helped guide Luke Skywalker after his death throughout Episodes IV, V, and VI mentally. He's seen again at the end of "Return of the Jedi."

Why would he stop all of a sudden? Similar to Kenobi, Luke has been living his days in hiding on the planet of Ahch-To. What do we think he's been doing on that island all by himself (and presumably surrounded by adorable porgs) all this time? Meditating is a good guess. But another is that he has been trying to communicate with his old master.

From what we can discern from footage released so far, it looks like we'll be getting some flashback scenes in "The Last Jedi." Why did Kylo turn dark and go to the Knights of Ren? What led Luke to go into exile? It probably has a lot to do with the hints at that supposed Jedi temple burning down from teasers. If that's the case, Skywalker was probably in turmoil and started questioning a lot of his faith in the Force. With no one to turn to, wouldn't it make sense for him to search for answers from his old master?

If you go back and watch the first teaser trailer for the film, you'll notice Luke has a series of books in his possession on the island, one of which has a symbol of the Jedi Order. 

At the least, Luke is preserving the history of the Jedi. But it's possible he's been trying to seek council from them as well. 

The other reason it would make sense for Obi-Wan to pop up in "The Last Jedi"

People were left debating Rey's paternity after "The Force Awaken" debuted in 2015. One of the many theories suggests Rey is a Kenobi. 

If you're not familiar with the theory, some fans think Rey could be Kenobi's granddaughter. People believe he may have had a relationship while in hiding despite the fact that Jedi aren't supposed to marry or engage in relationships.

Let's run with this for a moment and say Rey is somehow connected to Kenobi. A new breakdown of Rey's mysterious "The Force Awakens" vision reveals Kenobi was connecting with Rey way more than we originally thought. His voice can be heard five times speaking to her, more than anyone else in the vision. He even calls out to Rey at the end of her vision. Why is he so interested in her? Is it because they're related or is he just looking out for the one who could potentially bring balance to the Force once and for all? 

It wouldn't be the first time a Force ghost (or spirit) appeared in the "Star Wars" universe

Before you think it may be a "jump the shark" moment to see Kenobi in "The Last Jedi," there is a precedence for Force ghosts showing up in the "Star Wars" universe. And, we're not talking about the end of "Return of the Jedi."

Qui-Gon Jinn's actual Force ghost is seen several times throughout Cartoon Network's popular "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" animated series. Anakin Skywalker was actually seen speaking with Jinn in season three of the show to seek guidance on whether or not he would bring balance to the Force. 

Jinn also has conversations with Obi-Wan Kenobi on the cartoon series. The extra kicker was that Liam Neeson, who played the character in the live-action movie, returned to voice the character. 

If Jinn has popped up in the "Star Wars" universe to give guidance to his former padawan, surely we could see Kenobi doing the same.

It's already been rumored Force ghosts could appear in "The Last Jedi" 

The big rumor is that we'll see more than just Kenobi's Force ghost. According to reports, we could also see Anakin Skywalker — Luke's father/Darth Vader — appear as a Force spirit in the movie, too. 

Hayden Christensen, who played the young Anakin in the prequel movies, was reportedly seen at Pinewood Studios where "The Last Jedi" was filming to provide some dialogue for the upcoming film. "Star Wars" theorist Mike Zeroh claims he has a source who also placed a Kenobi Force ghost in the film, too. But he may only be seen and not heard.

It makes sense to have both of them appear because of their direct ties to Luke Skywalker. Vader was also a heavy influence in Ben Skywalker (Kylo Ren) going to the dark side and it would be slightly odd if they weren't included in some way, shape, or form in the new trilogy at all. 

Disney's reportedly working on a standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi movie

Adding fuel to the fire, The Hollywood Reporter recently said a spin-off Kenobi movie is in early stages. It may finally shed some light on what the Jedi was up to in the events between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope." 

Yes, there are cartoons which have explored this in depth, but not everyone is watching the toons.

Ewan McGregor already lent his voice to the character in "The Force Awakens." He told Business Insider in March he would be onboard to play the character again. If he reprises the character for a live-action spinoff, it wouldn't be odd to see him show up in "The Last Jedi," especially if the movie was setting up a Kenobi spinoff.

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" will be in theaters December 15, 2017. 

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