Obi-Wan Kenobi - A Near-perfect Glimpse Into Obi-Wan’s Story

Obi-Wan Kenobi – A Near-perfect Glimpse Into Obi-Wan’s Story

Since Disney bought the rights to Star Wars, we’ve found ourselves inundated with movie after movie, show after show, and comics on top of comics. It goes without saying that when you have a franchise as active as Star Wars, you will have your fair share of misses in the bunch. It’s for that reason I found myself going into Obi-Wan Kenobi with very little in the ways of expectations.

However, as guarded as I tried to be, it was nearly impossible to ignore the hype surrounding the limited series as it drew closer. Obi-Wan Kenobi would see the return of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan, already something that spoke to fans of the film franchise. Still, the show would also see Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. For many, myself included, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the show we’d all been waiting for since Disney acquired Lucasfilm.

Now, after six weeks, we’re at the end of the first season, and only one question remains. Was Obi-Wan Kenobi good, and did it deserve all the hype surrounding it? Spoiler: Yes. There are certain things any good piece of Star Wars media needs to have. Chilling villains, an interesting (albeit predictable story), some inner conflict, lots of lightsaber battles that will make your inner child cry with joy, and Obi-Wan Kenobi has all those things.

Obi-Wan Kenobi - A Near-perfect Glimpse Into Obi-Wan’s Story

Ewan McGregor has always been the perfect Obi-Wan throughout the years, and his portrayal of the character in Obi-Wan Kenobi is no different. If anything, the show allowed us to understand Obi-Wan’s inner workings and relationships with those around him in a far more profound way than ever before. We got to see his relationship with Leia and Darth Vader, and they couldn’t be more different yet similar. Throughout the show, Obi-Wan is clearly tortured by what Anakin has turned into and his role in shaping him into Darth Vader; it’s is a side to Obi-Wan we’ve never got to see before, and this internal conflict makes Obi-Wan Kenobi one of the most compelling Star Wars shows yet.
Set roughly a decade after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and before Star Wars: A New Hope, we see Obi-Wan living a secluded life in Tatooine with no ties to the Force. He is going through his days as a factory worker, clocking in and out before repeating it again tomorrow. You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking we would probably be in for a boring series with a setup like that. A show that bridges the prequels and the original trilogy in the most uninteresting way imaginable. A show that perhaps should have remained little more than an idea at a writer’s desk.
Therefore it gives me great pleasure to say that despite what it might sound like written down, Obi-Wan Kenobi manages to be one of the most epic and extraordinary entries into the Star Wars franchise since The Mandalorian. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a mature and thoughtful chapter in the Star Wars franchise. Despite the occasional lull in the story, Obi-Wan Kenobi keeps you hooked from the moment episode 1 starts until the end creds of episode 6 roll. In no small part thanks to the steady evolution from the shell of his former self that Obi-Wan begins as to the compassionate Master Jedi he is by the end.
Obi-Wan Kenobi - A Near-perfect Glimpse Into Obi-Wan’s Story

One of the most interesting characters and dynamics from Star Wars has always been Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader. The question of how the sweet, caring boy we got to know all those years ago could turn into one of the darkest and most evil beings in the universe is one that’s haunted the franchise for years. Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t shy away from this conflict either, and one of the season’s most chilling and moving moments comes in the form of a conversation between the two characters. We see Obi-Wan break down and apologise for failing Anakin, only to have Vader look at him with the most blood-curdling smile and say: “Anakin’s gone, I am what remains. I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did”. Absolutely chilling.

It’s in moments like these that Obi-Wan finds its strength. Yes, flashy lightsaber fights are always crowd-pleasers (and something the show more than delivers on) but watching the conflict between two people who used to be bonded and now consider each other enemies cuts deeper than any lightsaber ever could.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is not without fault; there were many moments that I wished the show would press a little harder or deal a little deeper, a sentiment I have for a vast majority of new Star Wars media, but bar for the Force forever remaining an enigma, Obi-Wan has within just six episodes become a vital part of the Star Wars mythos and essential viewing for any fans of the franchise. Obi-Wan has always been an integral part of the Star Wars universe, even when he spent most of his screen as little more than a supporting character. However, in Obi-Wan Kenobi, we get to see for the first time how essential his character truly is and the role he played in shaping characters like Leia and Vader, without which Star Wars as we know it wouldn’t exist.

Obi-Wan Kenobi - A Near-perfect Glimpse Into Obi-Wan’s Story

While most of the big reveal and twists in the show are easy to predict, which is par for the course with a prequel series referencing events we’ve already seen on the big screen, it never takes away from the enjoyment of watching it all unfold. The show still managed to pull a few new rabbits out of the hat by introducing some new characters into the Star Wars fold. From Reva, a ruthless hunter fixated on Obi-Wan who starts as the big bad but who is ultimately a sympathetic character to child Leia, every bit as independent and headfast as her grown counterpart.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is an exciting piece of Star Wars media that breathed a new life into a character we all thought we knew while never betraying any of the media that came before (or after) and was every bit as fan-focused and well-realized as you’d want it to be.

If you find yourself finished with season 1 of Obi-Wan Kenobi and wondering if there will be a second, read our post here. And if you’ve found yourself in the mood to delve further into the Star Wars franchise, click the link here to find out how all the media fit together.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is now available in Disney+ to binge-watch.

NOW READ Obi-Wan Kenobi – Will There Be Season Two and Where Will it Go?

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