‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ newcomer explains their character’s motivations

Warning: Spoilers for episode three of Obi-Wan Kenobi to follow.

We’re halfway through the high-flying Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which has become the single most viewed Disney Plus exclusive to date. Set ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, the series follows the titular Obi-Wan Kenobi on the run from the Jedi-hunting Inquisitors, all while attempting to rescue a young Princess Leia and return to her to the queen and senator of Alderaan, who are raising her.

Episode three saw the duo narrowly escape capture by a group of Stormtroopers, but it’s unlikely that anyone predicted an Imperial officer being their saving grace. Indeed, Kenobi’s latest ally has turned out to be a rogue Imperial officer by the name of Tala, played by Indira Varma.

The Star Wars characters are no strangers to switching allegiances (no one knows this better than Kenobi himself), and Varma offered some deeper insight on Tala’s rationale for betraying the Empire in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“As we can see, she is an Imperial officer and that’s true, but she’s not just that. She joined the Empire and became disillusioned witnessing some of the stuff that they get up to, and she sort of works for the Resistance. She’s a code switcher. But, she maintains her Imperial status because it means that she can go from different worlds and be more useful to our friends. She’s a really great woman, and she has, in her view, nothing to lose because she feels she’s atoning for the bad things that have been done in the past.”

The first three episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are currently streaming on Disney Plus.