I wish the whole series was about moisture farming…
On Tatooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) hides in the sandy world while watching over Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely) against the wishes of his aunt (Bobbie Piesse) and uncle (Joel Edgerton). When the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) finds his way to Tatooine, Obi-Wan and Luke might be exposed, but the upstart Third Sister Reva (Moses Ingram) might have her own plans to lure out Obi-Wan. Kidnapping Princess Leia Organa (Vivien Lyra Blair), Obi-Wan finds himself in a race against time to find and save her…and Vader (Hayden Christensen) has plans for his old master.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Star Wars limited series. The Disney+ six episode show was released on Friday May 27, 2022 and received Wednesday releases through June 22, 2022. The story takes place between Star Wars—Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) and Star Wars (1977).
Everyone’s got their sights set on Obi
Ewan McGregor was one of the best aspects of the prequel trilogy. He had Alec Guinness’s cadence and actions down. It was inspired casting in a series of movie with ho-hum results. With the rise of Disney Star Wars, more series have popped up…and a return of Ewan McGregor is one of the better things that has happened. Due to aspects of the series a ******spoiler alert****** is in effect for the rest of the review.
The story is so-so, but it makes sense. The series performed a bit of bait and switch with its trailer implying that the story would mostly be about Obi-Wan and Luke but then the story became about Obi-Wan and Leia as they are doggedly pursued by Reva and then by Vader. The series ends with the necessary showdowns, but some of the pacing doesn’t feel up to the level it could be.
#JusticeForOwen
The series also went about proving that Star Wars fans are potentially the worst fan base. Both Moses Ingram and Vivien Lyra Blair (who is a child) found themselves under attack. As someone who has followed Star Wars for literally all my life, I saw absolutely nothing wrong with their characters or characterizations. There are critical challenges you can make with arguments, but most of the attackers made it personal or about their gender or about their race. It is a sad flipside to the Star Wars series and makes me like being a fan less.
One of the slight problems about the season as a whole was also its stronger aspects. The series justifies itself by trying to smooth the writing problems between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars. Aspects like Obi-Wan saying that Darth Vader killed Anakin, Princess Leia knowing Obi-Wan, and why Vader would pursue (and stop pursuing) Obi-Wan are all touched upon. It is a nice way to clean up some bumps along the way in terms of the story, but it also felt a little like fan-service and unnecessary.
Hey, Leia…you want to leave Alderaan?
Don’t worry, you will
Ewan McGregor remains strong as the older and “less Jedi” Obi-Wan. I actually like the cold and rage filed Moses Ingram as Reva who was never meant to be a “good guy” and soul goal was to get into a place to kill Vader at any cost. Vivien Lyra Blair is a kid actor and has a ways to go, but I can also see a young Leia having her precocious nature. Indira Varma as an interesting character that I wish hadn’t died and O’Shea Jackson Jr. felt extremely underused. It was good to see the return of some characters like Jimmy Smitts, Ian McDiarmid, Liam Neeson, and of course Hayden Christensen. Zach Braff provided some voice work, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers played kidnapper Vect Nokru, and Boba Fett Temuera Morrison plays a clone. I was happy to see the return of Owen Lars by Joel Edgerton and Bobbie Piesse as Beru (especially after her challenges were chronicled in HBO series The Vow), and they helped restore the relationship between Luke and his aunt and uncle which always seemed cold in the original Star Wars series.
Where does the Fifth Sister go now?
The visuals for series are good but are more in line with the later films than the earlier films. There is a lot of digital effects, but there is also a number of more realistic and natural settings that feel more organic than some of the colder looks of the first trilogy. The action scenes are good but maybe not as dynamic as some of the bigger fight scenes in some of the film’s sequences.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a solid entry in the ever expanding world of Star Wars. As a kid I would have killed for anything Star Wars past the original trilogy (and I did in that I watched The Ewok Adventure and things like Droids and Ewoks cartoons just to get more Star Wars). I realize a person has the right to not like something, or to be critical of it…I am critical of a lot of things (including Star Wars: The Last Jedi), but I feel you need some decent justification and not just being out and out cruel. I don’t see much justification in disliking Obi-Wan Kenobi…it is a nice ride and blend of enough nostalgia with enough new material to make it valid in its creation.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Complete Episode Guide:
“Part I”
Episode 1 Part I Release Date: 05/27/22
Living on Tatooine after Order 66, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) hides while keeping his promise to watch over Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely). Unfortunately, the Empire isn’t finished with the Jedi and the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend), Fifth Brother (Sung Kang), and Third Sister (Moses Ingram) have been sent to flush out the surviving Jedi…and the Third Sister Reva has a death wish for finding Kenobi. When Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) is kidnapped from Alderaan, Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) seeks out Obi-Wan to find his missing daughter.
“Part II”
Episode 2 Part II Release Date: 05/27/22
Obi-Wan heads to Daiyu in search of Princess Leia and finding her on a planet of thieves and smugglers could be dangerous. Reva has set a trap for Obi-Wan with Vect Nokru (Flea) holding Princess Leia as a means to lure out Obi-Wan…and Obi-Wan’s only hope could be an unlikely “Jedi” named Haja Estree (Kumail Nanjiani).
“Part III”
Episode 3 Part III Release Date: 06/01/22
Obi-Wan and Leia try to get off the planet of Mapuzo and find themselves surrounded by Empire agents. An ally named Tala Durith (Indira Varma) could be Leia and Obi-Wan’s only hope, but the arrival of Reva and the Inquisitors could mean danger. Obi-Wan struggles with the fact that Vader (Hayden Christensen) is alive but could find himself facing off against his old student.
“Part IV”
Episode 4 Part IV Release Date: 06/08/22
Obi-Wan tries to recover from his wounds while Leia is held prisoner by Reva. Tala Durith and Obi-Wan go on a desperate rescue mission
“Part V”
Episode 5 Part V Release Date: 06/15/22
Leia has been recovered but Obi-Wan and the Path find themselves trapped by Vader and Reva. A costly sacrifice is made, and Obi-Wan learns where Reva’s hatred stems from. Vader is coming and no one is safe.
“Part VI”
Episode 6 Part VI Release Date: 06/22/22
The Path ship is crippled, and the Empire is hot pursuit. With Vader’s quest to destroy him the primary concern, Obi-Wan must make a decision that could endanger everyone including Leia. On Tatooine, Reva is seeking out Luke for her ultimate revenge, and nothing stands in her way.
Preceded By:
Star Wars—Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Followed By:
