Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1 and 2-Review and Commentary
The Kenobi Show is GREAT!
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1 and 2-Review and Commentary
(first part non-spoilers, second part, with warning, has spoilers)
Intro
Old time fan of SW
Kenobi fills in gaps since Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Ten years since Sith, and the birth of Luke and Leia
Great show, great execution, good effects, and great callbacks by important actors from the Prequel Trilogy. Loving it.
The vibe I get from the first two episodes (especially the first one), is of a Space Western. The old gunfighter has hung up his guns, lives a quiet life. An old pal shows up asking him to ride one more time to rescue the girl. This theme hit me at the end of the first episode, as Kenobi briefly flings his cloak aside to show his lightsaber on his hip. Just like an old-west gunfighter would with his six-gun on his hip. Cue old Marty Robbins gunfighter ballad songs…
————————-
Spoilers Alert
New Characters:
Haja Estree (Kumail Nanjiani)-love this guy. His character adds a bit of chaos to the plot…is he good or bad, light side or dark side?
Reva Sevander/Third Sister (Moses Ingram)-Member of the Inquisitors (force-users, often former Jedi) who work for Vader to hunt down the Jedi. This character seems evil to her bones, and I love it! Moses Ingram clearly is a powerful force-user, and I dearly want more background on her.
Given that Star Wars often connects various powerful Force-users with familial ties (think Rey and Palpatine, and the whole Skywalker clan, and possibly Yoda and Grogu), my first thought was, “Is Third Sister possibly connected to Mace Windu?” She certainly shows a Windu/Samuel Jackson intensity, and we do know that Jedi had hookups, and Mace could have produced a kid. A kid he abandoned, perhaps, due to the whole monk-like “relationships are bad” mojo they recite. That could explain her hatred of the Jedi…
Tetha Grig (Esther Rose McGregor)-cameo by Ewan McGregor’s actual daughter.
Old Characters:
Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi (Ewan McGregor)-Good job in returning to the reason why he became “Ben,” and left “Obi-Wan” behind. Also, this helps fill in a big fan-canon issue, namely, why did Leia and Han name their son Ben? This goes a long way to explaining that. Needless to say, as the title character, we are filling in a lot of gaps in his history.
Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits)-I was quite happy to see Jimmy Smits reprise his role as Senator Organa. His character is key to getting Kenobi to get back in the saddle
Leia Organa (Vivien Lyra Blair)-This kid was perfect as the ten-year old Leia. As referenced by Kenobi saying she reminded him of someone (clearly Padme), this kid is clearly channeling both Natalie Portman and the young Carrie Fisher. Plus, she does resemble both of them.
Clone Trooper (Temuera Morrison)– This was a surprise cameo. We see a bearded Morrison as a homeless clone trooper veteran panhandling on the streets of Daiyu. He appears to be a veteran of the old 501st. Loved Kenobi’s shocked look when he sees one of his old troopers.
Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen)– We knew he was in the show, but his big reveal was perfect, as Kenobi learns from Third Sister that Vader is still alive. As Kenobi says the name , the scene cuts to a disfigured Vader in a bacta tank. Does Vader then sense Kenobi? Oooooh, it is a great cliffhanger of an ending.
Overall, this show is great so far. Enjoy the Obi-Wan Kenobi show.
Kenobi Sources and Resources:
https://www.slashfilm.com/877523/ewan-mcgregors-daughter-has-a-cameo-in-obi-wan-kenobi-episode-2/
https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/what-i-loved-and-hated-about-obi-wan-kenobi