“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope,” is obviously a quintessential line in the “Star Wars” canon and one that echoes out in so many ways in the new Lucasfilm limited series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” For those troubled, disturbed even, by the post-Disney acquisition era force, er, direction of “Star Wars” these last few years— the disjointed Skywalker Saga sequels, the hit and miss efforts on Disney+, including the dreadfully dull “Book Of Boba Fett”— hope springs eternal for ‘Obi-Wan’ and by proxy, the future of “Star Wars.” But as this fascinating, occasionally thrilling, and yet sometimes deeply frustrating series quickly proves—at least in the two episodes available on Disney+ so far—perhaps resting all our hopes on one character is too big a burden for the aging Jedi Master.
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****Spoiler warning: from this point on, we’re going to have to get into spoilers. It’s the only way to properly review the series, and so if you haven’t seen it, please return after you have. You’ve been sufficiently warned.) ****
‘Obi-Wan’ is thrillingly encouraging to start though. In a near “oh shit!” moment if you weren’t expecting that excitement, the series, directed by Deborah Chow (“The Mandalorian”), begins in the past with a flashback. It’s Order 66 day and Stormtroopers ambush a Jedi master teaching and training Padawan younglings, the type we saw Anakin Skywalker slaughter in “Revenge Of The Sith” (well, an intimated slaughter anyhow). This dazzling opening is a brilliant way to electrify the series to life, and maybe even jumpstart your nostalgic fandom hyperdrive, but ‘Obi-Wan’ seems to serve too many masters even after two brief episodes.
There are the echoes of something darker and more serious, akin to “Rogue One,” with a terrific sense of urgency and the building of immediate emotional stakes. Chow has insinuated the series has a “Logan”-esque vibe to it, while not as dark and R-Rated (this is Disney+ after all), so, fair play, ‘Obi-Wan’ does feature a similar sense of hopelessness. At least at first ‘Obi-Wan’ begins with the still-ringing resonance of defeat and there’s an existential sadness to it all, as pained and weathered as the wrinkles on Ewan McGregor’s face. The Jedi are gone, it’s been ten years and Obi-Wan has mostly given up. While still attending to his solemn oath to look after a young Luke Skywalker from afar, he mostly lives a quiet, ascetic existence on Tatooine, working on an assembly line, trading with Jawas, and trying to forget the past.
But Inquisitors (Jedi Hunters) have arrived—there’s no suspenseful elegance to it, they just arrive— and they’re trying to sniff out the rumors of a new Jedi in town. They are the Grand Inquisitor leader (Rupert Friend), the Fifth Brother (Sung Kang), and Reva, The Third Sister (Moses Ingram), a ruthless, unhinged, and disobedient member of the Inquisitors who seemingly has some kind of personal beef with Obi-Wan that we do not know about yet. Yes, Anakin Skywalker knew at the end of the prequels that Obi-Wan lived, so in the ten years since that moment, he’s had Inquisitors looking for Kenobi and any of his kind. Threatening innocents and maiming people to get information, the Inquisitor’s tactics are one of intimidation, but her impetuous nature is either taking things too far, defying orders, or both.
Kenobi has no allies and even Skywalker’s uncle, Owen Beru (Joel Edgerton), wants nothing to do with him and wants him as far away from his family as possible (their brief scenes have powerful emotional tension about duty vs. the realities of parenthood). There actually is one other Jedi in hiding on the planet (filmmaker/actor Benny Safdie, of all people), but he’s soon to be crushed and disillusioned by his hero Obi-Wan, whose spirit has seemingly been devastated. Hide, forget your past and if you want to live, also hide your incriminating lightsaber, Obi-Wan warns him, much to his incredulous dismay about the Jedi’s defeat. All this despondent texture with its excellent score and new John Williams theme is somber, sobering, and morose in the best way possible; Obi-Wan knows the Jedi have been bested, his old Master Qui Gon Jinn won’t Force Ghost-speak to him despite his attempts, and all seems lost.
So, what is the impetus and convincing reason why Obi-Wan leaves his post to look after Luke and go off on an adventure? Those answers lie on the faraway planet of Alderaan; surely the reason why screeners weren’t given out to the press in advance, because of spoilers. On Alderaan lives the young girl Princess Leia Organa (played by 9-year-old Vivien Lyra Blair). Living with her mother and father, Senator Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits), and already being groomed for senatorial greatness, Leia is as spicy and defiant as ever. But then she is kidnapped (cue Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers as one of the unconvincing kidnappers). Alderaan, in all its elegant beauty, is resplendent, echoing the prequels and an age of prosperity. But like all good “Star Wars” films, it’s a trap! Young Princess Leia is kidnapped by a higher power using her as bait for Obi-Wan to reveal himself after all these years.
Scenes between Bail Organa pleading with Obi-Wan to leave Tatooine to rescue his daughter are gutting, the Jedi insisting he’s half the man he once was and using his duty to watch over Luke Skywalker as an excuse to mask his self-doubt and self-worth. Obi-Wan has gotten low.
Episode one of “Obi-Wan: Kenobi” and all this doom and gloom is gritty, affecting emotional stuff, but unfortunately, episode two seems all too content to get onto a Prequels-like adventure. This is where ‘Obi-Wan’ feels like it serves too many masters. And maybe this is projection, but the first episode feels like it was written by the more adult Hossein Amini (known for Nicolas Winding’s “Drive”), who is among the screen credits. Episode two, with its corny jokes, mild tensions, and eagerness to just get on with the action, feels like it’s a product of Joby Harold (“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”), a writer that Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy hired to brighten up the Obi-Wan story (she’s suggested Amini’s version, and he was replaced, was too dark, but it’s literally every emotional dark moment of the series that at is most convincing and engaging).
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While Episode two has its flashes—particularly when Obi-Wan is told that Anakin Skywalker still lives as Darth Vader and he almost emotionally betrays himself in that moment—it’s kind of jarring in its opposition to the much more thoughtful first episode. And it’s filled with a lot of other goofy things like bad cameos (a terribly schticky Kumail Nanjani playing himself in the “Star Wars” universe) and needless winky fan service cameos (characters from the ‘Clone Wars’ and droids you know). There’s likely a way to entertain and still serve the serious emotional honesty of the story, again, ‘Rogue One’ does that, but the insistence to entertain—some of the writing around Young Leia here feels pretty clunky and convenient too—reeks of studio notes mean to “brighten the tone.”
And perhaps there’s more to be revealed, but Moses Ingram as the rebellious Inquisitor feels awfully one-note too, written just as a stock defiant bad guy, so too bad for all the other bad guys. Over just two episodes, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” already feels like it’s in a huge rush to get where it’s going, but also feels as if it’s almost over. The showdown with Vader is coming, and as suggested, there’s huge unfinished business between two friends, two allies, and comrades who deeply loved each other. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” is born from the notion of failure and disillusionment, the Jedi Master seemingly crippled by the weight of how he failed Anakin, and thus the Republic and the Jedi Order, and the psychic burden of it all too much to bear. As is often the case with these kinds of stories, this is a terrific emotional place to start, but rather than thread the hopelessness throughout, and get to some kind of a meaningful, poignant story about atonement and redemption, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” seems content with transporting you to a place of whimsical banter and entertaining action reminiscent of the prequels. The jury’s out if this Lucasfilm can stick the show’s landing, but clearly, the Jedi master has all the tools at his disposal. One hopes the creators remember this period is our most desperate hour in the galaxy, and there’s merely one chance for salvation. [B]
