Obi-Wan Kenobi Review

Star Wars has this ability to transport you into an entirely new world, one that has an incredible sense of depth to it and spans the entire cosmos. Every time I watch Star Wars I am in awe of the world-building. I mean there are all sorts of creatures inhabiting all sorts of breathtaking planets. Doesn’t matter what anyone says, Star Wars will always be entertaining to me. I can’t get enough of the cool-looking ships, the creature designs, and the never-ending fight between the Jedi and the Sith. As a lifelong Star Wars fan, you can imagine my excitement when I heard Ewan McGregor would be reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a series that was centered on his character.

The series is set ten years after the events of Episode III. With the empire now hunting the remaining Jedi to wipe them out for good, the beginning of Episode 01 finds Obi-Wan living in a cave in Tatooine. He’s a husk of his former self, working for scraps while keeping his head down, haunted by memories of the past. He considers himself a failure for letting his disciple, Anakin, succumb to the dark side. His only remaining hope is Anakin’s son, Luke, whom he watches over like a hawk. Ewan really nails the hermit look, it honestly does not look like he’s had even one peaceful night of sleep in the past ten years. Depressed beyond belief, he has also lost his touch with the force. I found myself asking the same question Nari does when he encounters Obi-Wan in the desert, “What happened to you? You were once a great Jedi.”

Obi-Wan is forced out of the shadows when Bail Organa pleads for his help to rescue Leia, who’s been kidnapped by individuals acting in the interest of the Empire. His search for Leia brings him to Daiyu, a very cyberpunk-looking planet. Daiyu’s infrastructure is in incredible contrast to Tatooine, the desert planet with nothing but sandy dunes all around it. The neon, noir-style visuals here are impressive and add to the whole “planet of the damned vibe” – apparently none who come here make it out. It’s also where Obi-Wan first encounters the bane of his existence, Anakin Skywalker. Of course, by now he’s known as Darth Vader. Hayden Christensen reprises his role as the chosen one and looks more menacing than ever before. His drive for revenge strengthens his connection to the force and Obi-Wan is absolutely not ready. After getting the ass-kicking of his life he manages to retreat and reunite with Leia.

Their dynamic is something I found most enjoyable about the show. Star Wars may have been looking to recreate some of the aspects of Mando’s relation with Baby Yoda here and I wouldn’t fault them for it, it works. Amidst all the chaos, the warm moments they share provide a much-needed respite. This series might have started out by it being all about Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, but somewhere along the middle it also came to be about Obi-Wan inspiring one of the most crucial leaders of the future generation. One that would continue the Jedi’s fight against the Empire. It’s a nice little origin story for everyone’s favorite princess. Conversely, she also becomes Obi-Wan’s reason to continue the relentless fight despite his past failures.

Two supporting characters that stood out for me were the mysterious Reva and the humorous Haja. Reva is an extremely ambitious officer of the Empire who is relentlessly hunting for Obi-Wan in her bid to impress Vader. However, as the knots come undone, we realize she’s after a much bigger prize – Vader himself. Despite the criticism levied on her by some fans, I feel like Moses Ingram does a great job with her character. She falters, sure, but ultimately settles into her role of a double agent.

On the opposite spectrum, there’s Haja, light-hearted and easy-going. I don’t think I ever imagined Kumail Nanjiani playing a character in Star Wars, but seeing how excited he was when making the announcement, I don’t think he did either. There are not many comedic relief characters to be found in Star Wars, except for droids, so this was a pleasant surprise. I felt like I could breathe every time I saw him on screen. His character arc is interesting as well. A con-artist who dupes people out of money pretending to be a Jedi, he eventually comes around and helps Leia and Obi-Wan escape Reva’s pursuit. Following the fall of the Jedi, Obi-Wan has lost all hope that there still might be people opposing the Sith. Haja becomes an unexpected light at the end of the tunnel, guiding him and Leia toward people that can offer them a safe space.

The finale is undoubtedly the season’s strongest episode as Darth Vader and Obi-Wan go up against one another one final time. The fight choreography here is great and features one of the most awesome uses of the force you’ll ever see in Star Wars. Obi-Wan is set free of the guilt of failing his best friend and Darth sheds away the last bit of Anakin in him to truly own Vader as his iconic theme comes on in the background. Reva’s character arc also comes to a close with her not continuing the cycle of vengeance and rising above her hate for Anakin.

All in all, Obi-Wan’s a must-watch for fans of Star Wars but is welcoming to newcomers to the franchise as well. It may even convince them to watch the original movies.