The Off-Balance Star Wars re-watch continues, with 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018).
If you missed any previous entry in this series? Feel free to give them a read at the Star Wars specific section of the blog, which you can find here.
And as always, thanks so much for reading!
- Ryan.
Working to guarantee a better future, even if you may not be alive to see it.
It is the credo at the heart of many Star Wars projects but particularly so, in the “post-prequel” era.
Even as they continually expand their reach and it seems there is no stopping the Empire, you can be sure someone is fighting back (and if not for an ideal, per se, than for those they care for).
This means however, that while some projects in this period are very much siloed, as you inch closer and closer to the original Star Wars trilogy, you’ll notice there is a great deal of overlap, not just chronologically but thematically too.
And for a franchise that is closing in on fifty, re-treading familiar ground or straight up trading on nostalgia can often be the safest play (even if the discourse surrounding Star Wars, regardless, has spent decades now mired in toxicity, by way of racist, sexist morons).
But one’s perspective?
It can make a world of difference.
When you consider how much of the original Star Wars film was inspired (and in some cases, liberally aped) from classic Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa in particular, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s “wilderness years”, as they were, have always held a particular fascination when viewing what became of the larger franchise through that lens of influence.
The ronin, the wandering warrior, patrolling the sands of Tatooine as he watches over Luke Skywalker from afar, both, hurtling towards their respective destinies.
Naturally though, such a narrative choice leaves itself open to further exploration. Just what was Obi-Wan up too, during his decade-long exile in the aftermath of Episode III, leading up to A New Hope?
And while there is some poetry in the potential unknown, for a character that remains synonymous with a multi-billion dollar brand, well, there will always be stories to tell.
Beyond the payoffs of blunt-force capitalism however, artistically speaking? 2022’s aptly-titled miniseries, Obi-Wan Kenobi, sought to further bridge the gap between the first two Star Wars trilogies by specifically filling in some of those gaps in Obi-Wan’s story.
Successful?
When it reaches the hoped-for narrative bars set, absolutely. If not without some notable missteps along the way.
As Obi—Wan Kenobi begins, we find its protagonist (Ewan McGregor) at his lowest ebb.
In hiding, having cut off himself from The Force and routinely rebuffed by Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton) who refuses to let Obi-Wan have anything to do with his (Owen’s) young nephew, Luke (Grant Feely).
But when Obi-Wan is visited by his old ally, Bail Organa (Jimmy Smitts), who informs him that that Bail’s adopted daughter Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair), has been kidnapped, Obi-Wan sets out to bring her home.
It soon becomes clear, however, that Leia’s abduction is merely part of a more-complex plot, orchestrated by the Empire’s Third Sister (Moses Ingram) - who, with motives of her own, is looking to track down Obi-Wan to curry favour with the ruthless Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen).
Unfortunately, the biggest flaw of Obi-Wan when revisiting the show? It is the same thing that held it back upon release two years ago: structure and pacing.
This, all the more apparent when it becomes clear that, following the financial disappointment of 2018’s Solo, a potential McGregor-led Obi-Wan anthology film was put on ice. The concept, instead, was reworked into what became this miniseries. And with that decision? The narrative difficulties that will naturally arise in artificially extending a film-length story over six, event-style episodes make themselves clear.
The show, tangling itself up with undercooked subplots, overwrought exposition and in-the-moment storytelling choices that often struggle to support their own weight.
Excess over clarity.
Now, that isn’t to say that Obi-Wan’s narrative work is, by virtue of these things, entirely without merit. Of course not. It is simply an exercise in working your way through the filler.
Primarily, it is the performances that shine through the most.
As young Leia, Vivien Lyra Blair captures the spirit of the character perfectly while still maintaining a nativity, a quiet uncertainty of sorts, as she finds herself seeing corners of the galaxy she could only dream of on Alderaan. Blair, crafting an impressive through-line to the portrayal of the late Carrie Fisher in the original films, which compliments her back-and-forth dynamic with McGregor’s Obi-Wan.
Moses Ingram, as The Third Sister is terrific as well, bringing both a simmering rage but a slowly emergent humanity too. The character’s pursuit of Kenobi revealed to simply be a stepping stone to her true target - Vader, whom she has deduced as Anakin Skywalker. She survived his massacre at The Jedi Temple during the execution of Order 66 and is out for revenge.
Her story isn’t given too much room to breathe, however and it eventually fizzles out with an ending that feels unearned.
It doesn’t help though, that, per established Star Wars lore, many of the Inquisitors will have similar backstories, so execution, differing presentation, is key. And as the Second Sister in Fallen Order? Elizabeth Grullón remains the high-water mark.1
But as it looks to actively present all these storylines, in addition to everything else going on around the edges, you can visibly see Obi-Wan straining at the seams.
More than anything else, the show just wants to focus on McGregor’s Obi-Wan and by extension, Hayden Christensen’s Vader.
And why wouldn’t it, you know?
When I took a look back at the prequel trilogy, at the very beginning of this series, McGregor and Christensen were noted highlights (despite the well-spoken-too flaws in those movies).
For many years, in certain online circles, Christensen acquired a bad rep in his portrayal of Anakin in Episodes II and III - stiff, wooden, unemotive. But as his work within those films and Obi-Wan proves, those criticisms have never carried much water.
Christensen, just a teenager when he was cast in Attack of the Clones, returns to the role in Obi-Wan with a renewed sense of purpose, as he takes on playing Vader proper for the first time (although he did, in fairness, wear the suit during the closing moments of Episode III).
Seemingly more machine-than-man and corrupted beyond saving, Vader is a name that strikes nothing but terror into the hearts of those the galaxy over… but Anakin, with all his rage, heartbreak and the unspoken horror at what he has become?
He’s still in there somewhere.
Christensen, bringing to life not just that dichotomy but enriching it, as well. In watching his performance here, particularly in the Episode II-era flashback sequences, is to see his work, while indebted too, also build off Matt Lanter’s Anakin from The Clone Wars - a more fully realized version of the character that George Lucas only really hinted at in the prequels.
It is a credit to all those who brought the part to life: Christensen, his stunt doubles and Obi-Wan’s larger creative team, who despite their shortcomings elsewhere, understood the assignment here (and something Christensen would continue to realize with 2023’s Ahsoka - of more dubious claim however, was the final “return” of the late James Earl Jones to the franchise as Vader’s iconic baritone, whose voice was recreated through AI.)2
But it is McGregor, as Obi-Wan, for which the show, naturally, is anchored around.
It couldn’t have been an easy task, could it? McGregor, asked to step into the role for which Alec Guinness made famous.
But as he did in the prequels, McGregor does again in Obi-Wan: still making the character distinctly his own but closing the gap to the “Ben" we’ll meet in the original films - right down to the accent work and physical mannerisms that are clearly Guinness-esque.
You can’t help but gravitate towards him, as Obi-Wan slowly opens himself back up. Not just to The Force, as he rediscovers his purpose as a Jedi but his humanity, too. Obi-Wan, try as he might, simply cannot turn away when he encounters others faced with injustice and through his slowly-developed bond with young Leia?
He is reminded of what he is fighting for - finding a small measure of redemption, in protecting Anakin’s children, for what he considers his greatest failure: the fall of his protégé, his “brother”, to the Dark Side.
So when all those disparate narrative elements come together, heightened by the committed performances and impressive fight choreography? The Obi-Wan verses Anakin moments, right up to their second-to-last-duel, it all lands with the appropriate weight. McGregor and Christensen, elevating the base material to its absolute limit.
Obi-Wan, regretfully letting go and Anakin, while absolving his former friend of his guilt, being instead doomed to hold onto his hatred, until his hard-won redemption in Return of the Jedi.
Noticeably disrupted by corporate-mandated narrative direction, weak artistic design, inconsistent CGI (the de-aging effects specifically) and disjointed storytelling outside of its main orbit, Obi-Wan Kenobi is far from perfect.
The stickier points of the franchise’s infamously messy canon are inescapable, as it works to more closely tie two trilogies together and in doing so, often lapses into predictability and tedium: a clear worry that, without that foundation, it can’t truly stand on its own - though as Obi-Wan emerges from hiding, it also sets the table for the series’ next evolution.
Lone warriors are one thing yes but there is an entire rebellion out there, fighting to return the galaxy to the people.
And with Star Wars Rebels? It is an idea given greater prominence.
The successor to The Clone Wars, with Rebels, the focus shifts to more of an ensemble approach, the next generation of heroes, taking the fight directly to the Empire.
Some fifteen years following the end of The Clone Wars, Order 66 survivor Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr), takes in a young street criminal, Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray) and begins training him in the ways of the Jedi - as, alongside their allies, they look to liberate the galaxy from oppression.
And although Rebels can often be inconsistent in its delivery throughout its four seasons, as it alternates between its various audience demographics - trying to be both an all-ages affair while still leaning into darker, more evolved storytelling cues that are just as constant within the Star Wars brand? Once it finds its grove (assisted with a unique animation style) it does so with great success.
The catch however, is while Ezra, as a classic Star Wars underdog, quickly becomes someone worth rooting for, the past is never too far behind.
Maybe it is Ashley Eckstein’s Ahsoka, forced to confront the truth head-on: that her former master and Darth Vader are one and the same (with their confrontation, in the second-season finale, remaining some of the best work of modern Star Wars).
Or perhaps it is Obi-Wan (voiced here by Stephen Stanton), having one final duel with Darth Maul (Sam Witwer) under the stars of Tatooine.
There are no grandiose speeches or bombastic spectacle, however.
Simply two old rivals, their conflict, coming to an end.
Just as another one looms.
Thanks for reading! Next up? The Star Wars rewatch continues with Part V: The Anthology Films.
All that said however, not once did Ingram deserve all the horrific abuse that was hurled at her by the supposed Star Wars “fans” who have made being assholes about the franchise online their entire personalities.
While Jones’ voice work helped to create perhaps the most well-known villain in entertainment history, AI continues to be a hot-button issue, especially when you consider all the talented voice actors, besides Jones, who have played Vader in various projects over the years - even if its use here came with both Jones’ active collaboration and that of his estate. Jones would later sign over approval for Disney and Lucasfilm to continue recreating his voice for future projects. He died in September of 2024, at the age of 93.