Obi-Wan Kenobi Review: Lucas Films delivers the rematch of the century
- Maximilian Bradley
- Jun 23, 2022
- 4 min read
By MAX BRADLEY - June 23, 2022
Every Star Wars fan has asked, what did Obi-Wan Kenobi do during all those years protecting Luke on Tattoine? Deborah Chow and Lucas Films have now answered that question with the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
When Ewan McGregor first took the stage to announce that he was returning to Star Wars in August of 2019, the questions began to circulate about what the show would even revolve around. We then had the comment from Lucas Films Kathleen Kennedy in December of 2020 promising we would see the rematch of the century.
Six chapters later, and after many years of waiting, we can break everything down below.
*****SPOILER WARNING. IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED OBI-WAN KENOBI CH 6, STOP HERE*****
Obi-Wan Kenobi begins after the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - 10 years after, to be exact. Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is living a quiet life on Tattoine while working on a meat farm and watching out for Luke Skywalker's (Grant Feely) safety. Bail Organa then ask Kenobi to rescue Princess Leia Organa after an unknown group of bounty hunters kidnaps her.
The story centered around Obi-Wan rescuing Princess Leia provides a lot of context for future movies. It gives more background to why Leia named her son Ben after the man who saved her. This plot also helps show how Obi-Wan became so disconnected from the force.
We learn that Obi-Wan changed his name to Ben so he could hide from the empire. He is grappling with the depression and a sense of failure from seeing his Padawan and friend turn to the dark side. Ewan McGregor's performance showcased a broken, failed master very well trying to cope with his past.
Reva the Third Sister (Moses Ingram) and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) served as worthy foes as Reva showcased what the dark side of the force can do. She acted without thinking, was spontaneous, and was difficult to control by the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend).
Reva then reveals that she always knew that Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker. She even reveals this to Obi-Wan, who thought his Padawan had died after their battle on Mustafar. We then look at Hayden Christensen's return as Darth Vader in the bacta tank.
Vader is pleased when Reva reports that Obi-Wan is out of hiding, and he prepares to continue his hunt for the former Jedi master. They track Obi-Wan to the mining planet of Mapuzo, where we meet Tala (Indira Varma), who is serving as an imperial officer turned spy.
Obi-Wan comes face to face with Vader for the first time since learning he is alive. This moment shows how disconnected from the force Obi-Wan is and the fear he feels seeing his former Padawan this way. Vader toys and tortures him, showing how weak he is, and there is nothing he can do. Obi-Wan escapes thanks to Tala and NED-B's help, placing Obi-Wan in a bacta tank to heal on the planet of Jabiim. However, Princess Leia, unfortunately, is captured by Reva and taken to a watery world in the Mustafar system, which is the base of operations for the Inquisitors.
Obi-Wan and Tala infiltrate the base to search for Leia. She, meanwhile, is being interrogated by Reva to reveal the path and other information she has learned on her journey. Leia refuses and resists Revas methods, which foreshadows how strong of a leader Leia will be in the future. Here, Obi-Wan reconnects with the force and saves Leia, taking her back to Jabiim to go to her home in Alderan.
Our heroes cannot seem to catch a break as we learn that Reva tracked them to Jabiim and is on her way with Vader and a battalion of storm troopers. Here we discover that Reva was once a youngling training to become a Jedi and witnessed Anakin kill every Jedi during Order 66. Obi-Wan then decerns that she is not working for Vader but hunting him for what he did that night.
Obi-Wan and Leia escape with Tala and the others but have the empire chasing after them. Reva then attempts to get her revenge on Vader. Still, she is not strong enough to confront him and ends up being defeated and left to die the same way Vader killed her friends at the temple.
The finale delivered the moment everyone had been waiting for; Darth Vader vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Vader believes he bested his former master as he buries him in the ground on a deserted planet. Here, Obi-Wan fully embraces the force and bests his former apprentice in battle. Obi-Wan uses the force to hurdle rocks at him and cuts his mask to reveal Anakin Skywalker.
Obi-Wan emotionally delivers an apology to Anakin as he senses turmoil within him. Anakin tells his former master that he is not Obi-Wans failure, that Obi-Wan did not kill him. Darth Vader killed Anakin, and he failed himself. This pivotal moment allows Obi-Wan to accept what happened to Anakin and enables him to move on from his past failure.
What about Reva? While Vader and Obi-Wan duel, the third sister travels to Tattoine to hunt and kill Luke. Owen and Beru Lars prepare to protect Luke at all costs, but Reva defeats the two but not before Luke can escape to the desert. She finds Luke and knocks him unconscious, prepared to take his life; Reva begins to see herself in Luke and chooses not to become like Vader and spares his life.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fantastic new entry into the Star Wars Universe. We can only hope to see more of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. All episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are now streaming on Disney+.
Overall rating: 8/10
Rewatchability value: 7/10
This review is not affiliated with any entity and is the sole property of the writer. Any recreation or reuse of any of the materials in this post may not be done without the expressed written permission of Max Bradley.
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