I belong firmly to the generation of Star Wars fans who grew up on the prequel trilogy, playing the corresponding videogames, buying the LEGO sets and loving the characters and gonzo special effects. The 'prequel revival' that has emerged in the 2010s through meme culture and the release of the sequel trilogy is less about naysayers changing their opinions on those films and more how people my age are the upcoming journalists, YouTubers and comment section keyboard warriors of the film world. Those that loved George Lucas' prequels are now platformed to explain why they do. So, it makes a tonne of sense for Disney+ to make Obi-wan Kenobi, a six-part series that summoned Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, now two of the most bulletproof actors on social media, back as Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader respectively. Hotly anticipated, it is a shame that the show lived up to my criticisms from when it was announced. Chief of these is the question: what story do they have to tell here?
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| Lucasfilm |
It is easier to acknowledge the strengths of the show than it is to deconstruct it, because the positives are few and far between. First and foremost, it is great to see Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprise their roles. Both actors clearly love it, and I can only imagine the happiness Christensen must feel after his outing by fans in the prequels (hopefully Moses Ingram will have a similar arc and be embraced without the unnecessary hate she has taken). The final episode is easily the best, even if it radiates the impression that the final fight was thought of first and then the show was spun around that confrontation. This is down to an exchange between Kenobi and Vader that really nails the emotion, strengthening the Duel on Mustafar and setting the stage for the originals. In a great touch, Kenobi slashes Vader helmet off one side of the face, a great moment that provides a nice touch with the voicework flicking between James Earl Jones and Christensen, but it also mirrors Star Wars: Rebels. In that, Anakin's apprentice Ahsoka shaves off the other side of Vader's helmet, showing how the master and the apprentice of Anakin could not save him, and it is his son, Luke, who manages to get the whole helmet off Anakin. That is largely it for genuine praise towards the show; when the two actors are not together it feels horribly disjointed.
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| Lucasfilms |
On a technical level, there are fan films on YouTube that look better than what director Deborah Chow has assembled. The lightsabres are hideously bright, the sets feel made for TV (as opposed to The Mandalorian actually feeling like a film), the score has little continuity with the prequels and is drastically louder than it needs to be, the shot choices and shaky-cam are jarring, the lightsabre fight is agonisingly edited so that the decent choreography does not get the full visual treatment it deserves, and Tatooine continues to be the most boring planet in sci-fi history. Character wise, Obi-wan spends far too long being incompetent and Reva's entire arc has more holes than a cheese grater. People survive fatal wounds without breaking a sweat and are left to not die far too often. Ingram tries her best, but from the get-go she lacks any intimidation and comes across as angry, angry, and angry. Her arc is highly predictable and, what is worse, after her utterly non-sensical mission to kill Luke Skywalker because... he might be Anakin's son, Obi-wan lets her go to be free. Now, this is a character who cut an innocent's hand off, lynched a Jedi, has killed other Jedi despite, you know, wanting to avenge the Jedi Younglings, and was fully intending to torture a ten-year old for information. Obi-wan witnessed most of these but is happy to let her go, forgiving her and wishing her a speedy emotional recovery. If Darth Vader had survived killing the Emperor, you are damn well sure he would have been put on trial for war crimes. One good act does not erase the bad. Regarding Leia, it is a shame that Disney have congested the iconic character into a Hermione Granger-type: from a young age they are headstrong and brave, and will grow up to be effectively the same person but older. Using Leia across all six episodes could have been a better opportunity to give her an arc; have her find her courage by the end of it as opposed to being innately adventurous and capable. It screams of laziness.
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| Lucasfilms |
By the final few moments of Obi-wan Kenobi, the show has wrapped up in the exact same way as Revenge of the Sith did in 2005: Obi-wan is content to look over Luke and train him when the time comes, whilst also beginning his Force Ghost training with Qui-Gonn Jinn. We are left scratching our heads, wondering about the risk of continuity errors or how a few words in the original trilogy now take on a larger meaning. Sure, the final scene with Vader and Kenobi does strengthen both Revenge and Hope, but the two films were already flourishing without this show. When we know that the leading characters will survive because of it is their destiny to appear in the later films (a problem Andor will face), it makes the show feel like another crude way of Disney maintaining its subscribers. This is absolutely content, to be eaten up like a 99p cheeseburger and enjoyed for the fleeting seconds before you feel disgusted with yourself for having it in the first place. I'm glad McGregor and Christensen got to engage with the franchise again, and enraged that the comment section mobs abused Moses Ingram, but I was never wowed or swept up by this show. For the most part, I was simply sad.
