WI: Obi-Wan Kenobi played by a Japanese actor

Yes I am aware. Shigeta is an American actor of Japanese decent, and reasonably well known in 1977.

Well, I suppose if Lucas lost Mifune as in OTL but was still bent on a Japaense actor, Shigeta's not out of the question. I was thinking George Takei for a moment, but he was likely too young for the part and caught up with Paramount anyway.

This could butterfly in a different potrayal of the Neimoidians in number one--with an Asian leading actor, Lucas may decide not to risk alienating him. Corrupt Russian businessman aliens? :eek:
 
Takai as Obi Wan would cause a Trek/Wars fandom singularity which would destroy the universes. :eek:

They barely survived the Gandalf/Magneto fandom event as it was. :p
 
Jet Li, he is a Star Wars fan too, I remember reading he was hoping to be cast somewhere in one of the Prequels.

Well Jet Li is in fact Chinese, though it seems in recent films we've had Japanese being played by non-Japanese (Memoirs of a Geisha anyone, for starters?) and Star Wars is fantasy anyway so I doubt anyone (Western at least) would notice...
 
Hey, I just had a thought: Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't die in the film until later drafts. What if Toshiro Mifune is hired, and they like him so much that they decide not to kill him off but to keep him for the whole movie and any possible sequels? Either not writing Obi-Wan dying at all or changing it back. How could that affect future movies? Keep in mind that Yoda was created basically because Obi-Wan was dead and Luke needed another mentor.
 
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