One of the great mysteries surrounding Obi-Wan Kenobi before its release was the identity of Indira Varma’s character. When she was first announced as part of the cast, theories began to run rampant. Many guessed she might be playing Kenobi’s long-lost love, Duchess Satine Kryze, in potential flashbacks, while others wondered if she might be a hidden Jedi. The first trailers for the series eventually revealed Varma to be playing an Imperial Officer, and the latest episode unveiled that she was actually a double agent working against the Empire from the inside.
An original creation, Tala helps smuggle refugees to safety alongside Kumail Nanjiani’s Haja Estree. However, it seems fans weren’t actually that far off when they assumed Varma would be playing some sort of love interest on the show. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the former Game of Thrones star explained her character went through a few iterations in the script and was originally meant to be Obi-Wan’s romantic interest:
There had already been different incarnations of the script and the story line. And I think, originally, she was going to be a love interest.
Indira Varma
Varma went on to describe why the creatives behind Kenobi ultimately decided against the idea:
They felt that it was maybe a bit clichéd where always the woman turns up and they fall in love or whatever. And it’s more interesting that this is a woman with agency who is not just going to fall at the feet of Obi-Wan.
Indira Varma
So far, not much is known about Tala or her motives. She was able to survive the events of the most recent episodic installment, so hopefully, fans get to learn more in the coming weeks.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
