The first two episodes of Disney's new Star Wars series, Obi-wan Kenobi, have been shown. As a rusted-on Star Wars fan, of course I watched them, one after the other.
Disney has apparently learned the lesson that casting other people as (say) Han Solo or Lando Calrissian is a mistake, which was why the movie Solo was a flop. For Obi-wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor was happy to put on his Jedi robes and reprise the role he had in the three prequel movies, ending in Revenge of the Sith with that duel on Mustafar where Anakin Skywalker is left on the lava flow to die. Hayden Christensen will apparently be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the series but that is yet to happen.
I have to admit I enjoy these forays into Star Wars back story. There's so much depth in that galaxy far, far away, as we've found with The Mandalorian and parts of The Book of Boba Fett. This story does involve the Skywalker family, but in that period between the birth of Luke and Leia and the beginning of A New Hope. The essence of the plot is, naturally, Obi-Wan. We see a man grieving for the past, castigating himself for the loss of a man who had been his best friend, who he believes is dead. He keeps an eye on young Luke, although Luke's Uncle Owen doesn't appreciate the interest. I particularly liked the exchange between the two men where Obi-Wan says Luke must be trained and Owen retorts, sneering, "Like you trained his father?" Obi-wan has no response.
The new bad guys, the Inquisitors, are Jedi
who have become Jedi hunters. I'm in two minds about them, as in I'm not really
convinced. I could explain, but that would mean spoilers. We shall see.
The introduction of a young Princess Leia made a lot of sense. Remember that line in A New Hope where Leia records her message? "You're my only hope." That suggests she knows the man well and knows where he is. This series offers some answers to why that's the case.
It also gives a reason why Obi-wan, who is trying to forget the past, is pulled back into his Jedi heritage.
I'll certainly be watching when episode 3 airs on a TV near me.
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Cheers,
Greta
Sounds great, Greta. I'm looking forward to being able to watch this series in some form, but like The Mandalorian, we're not able to see the series as it airs. I love that Ewan McGregor is playing Obi Wan, and I'm also glad to hear that Hayden Christensen will play Darth, though I'm sure his appearance will be quite different than it was in the "good old days" of the first trilogy.
ReplyDeleteLove that iconic video message sent by Leia. I felt it was also used with a great sense of timing and nostalgia in the final Stars Wars trilogy when R2D2 summoned it out of his memory banks to remind Luke how he'd once become involved in the struggle that he later turned his back on.
I've now seen the third episode which includes Darth Vader at his nastiest best. It's getting very interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Greta! I'm enjoying Obi-Wan Kenobi. I've only seen the first 2 episodes and can't wait to find the time to watch more.
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