Have You Been Watching...? Star Wars: Obi Wan Kenobi

 

When Disney obtained the rights to Star Wars, the legendary sci-fi property that formed such a HUGE part of my (and many others’) childhood, I was worried. I didn’t want it becoming Star Wars: Hannah Montana or suchlike. However, Disney have proved to be more than capable of churning out great Star Wars content. The Mandalorian is a work of art, and I adore the series completely but when Obi-Wan Kenobi was announced, I was unsure. Was this even a Star Wars story I needed or wanted to see?

The limited series brings Ewan McGregor back as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi master who introduced Luke Skywalker to “The Force”. McGregor, you may recall, played the role in the prequel movie trilogy. It also brings back Haydn Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Others returning to the movie roles include Jimmy Smits as Senator Bail Organa and Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars, and of course, James Earl Jones and Ian MacDiarmid. The series also introduces a wealth of new characters and talent including Moses Ingram as Reva Sevander, an imperial agent on the hunt for Obi-Wan with a secret few could see coming, and Vivien Lyra Blair as Princess Leia Organa. Yes, we have a younger incarnation of everyone’s favourite space princess as a 10 year old. My goodness, she is absolutely brilliant, both at this whole acting malarkey and in channelling a young Carrie Fisher’s sassiness in the part. She is a joy to watch and her relationship with the older Kenobi is one of the highlights, maybe even THE highlight of the whole series. It certainly adds more credibility and poignancy to Carrie Fisher’s message to him through R2-D2 in A New Hope.

As this is a relatively new series, I won’t give much of the plot away here, but the focus of the series is Reeva’s hunt for the last of the Jedi, particularly Obi-Wan Kenobi and she is singularly focussed on the task. This results in the abduction of a young Princess Leia and a rescue mission by Kenobi and his friends.

The internet has been ablaze with commentators and their thoughts on how well the series fits with established continuity as set by the movie saga. I am on the side that there is nothing in the series than causes friction with anything established in the movies. As is now expected from these Disney Star Wars adventures, there is plenty of money on the screen. The effects are spectacular, the sets are truly magnificent for a TV show, and the music, provided by a returning John Williams after Ludwig Goransson scored the Mandalorian and Boba Fett serials, is appropriately epic.

It's an enjoyable ride of a series, and poor young Leia does get put through the wringer a bit, but you can clearly see how what she experiences influences the older Leia we all know and love. The relationship between Kenobi and his young padawan Anakin gets some exploration too and adds new dimensions to Darth Vader that we never knew was possible.  We are also introduced to a number of side characters, such as Haja Estree and Taka Durith, the latter of which is now one of my favourite characters in the Star Wars universe.

So ignore some of the stories you might see on the internet about the show and/or it’s cast. Approach this series with an open mind and I’m sure you will enjoy it. If you can avoid spoilers too, it will make it even better. By the time this is published, you might have heard every spoiler going about Obi-Wan Kenobi, but even armed with the knowledge, you will stall have a good time with this show. As a 6 part limited series, I was not sure what kind of story it would tell, or how they would do it. A lot of thought has gone into this series and it shows. The production team and writers have done a fantastic job in bringing this untold chapter in our heroes’ lives to us. As I stated above, I wasn’t sure if it was a story I wanted or needed, but it turns out I did, on both counts.

Year: 2022

Episode count: 6

Season count: 1 (so far!!)

Availability: Streaming on Disney+