(SPOILERS) On Wednesday, the penultimate episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi dropped on Disney+.

And as many fans had hoped since news broke Hayden Christensen was returning to the Star Wars fold after the prequels, “Part V” shows the actor in flashbacks as Anakin Skywalker — before he turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader.

Christensen was almost at a loss for words to ABC Audio about his return. “It’s been incredible,” the actor enthuses. “I can’t sort of tell you how meaningful it is to me.”

He adds, “You know, the fans have just been very supportive, and they’re the reason why I get to come back and play in this world again. And I can’t thank them enough.”

The new episode explores the bond between Skywalker and Kenobi as student and master, in a sequence that takes place before the events of Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

The two became battle brothers as the galaxy erupted in the Clone Wars, which were explored in detail in the Emmy-winning animated series that shares the conflict’s name.

For Christensen, the series became a great way to research the character for the flashbacks in Kenobi.

“It was really interesting to get to see these other storylines and these characters at a different time in their lives…You know, it all helps in terms of just understanding the character then and re familiarizing myself as much as I could.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi of course also allowed Christensen to step back into Darth Vader’s menacing black armor for the first time since the closing moments of Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

As then, it drew a crowd on set.

“Vader definitely gets a response from people,” the actor says with a laugh.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.