How do you deal with the weight of expectations? When everyone is looking to you, when they need you, how do you measure up? Can you possibly be not only what people want, but what they need? This is the central issue at the heart of not only Obi-Wan Kenobi the character, but Obi-Wan Kenobi the show. More so than the previous Disney+ originals, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the one with the highest hurdle to clear, and the one burdened with two trilogies of continuity, as well as the overwhelming and insurmountable expectations of generations of fans. How in the galaxy would this series fare against all of that?
Judging by the two episodes screened at Star Wars Celebration, Deborah Chow and the cast and crew have not only risen to the occasion, but they’ve exceeded all hopes.
It’s impossible to watch these episodes without immediately copying it to what we’ve already seen — The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Compared to them, Kenobi feels like a true auteur vision. Chow’s stamp is all over this series, making it feel like a unique entry in the Star Wars saga. If Mandalorian is a low key ode to the episodic action shows of the ’80s, the TV equivalent of dumping out all the leftover action figures and smashing them together, then Obi-Wan Kenobi is the first true prestige drama of the franchise.
The pacing is simultaneously patient and thrilling, with the first two episodes putting your attention in an ever-tightening vice. Somehow Obi-Wan avoids the prequel curse; we know this is not old Ben’s time to die, and the same goes for many other prequel actors reprising their roles for the series. But even knowing most of these characters’ ultimate fates, Chow’s direction — handheld cameras, intimidating closeups, sweeping vistas — makes you feel every single emotional beat regardless of the continuity that’s etched in every fan’s mind. The series puts you in the moment, and this moment is full of peril.
It does not hurt that Chow’s working with some of the finest actors ever assembled in a Star Wars project. As Inquisitor Reva, Moses Ingram is every bit the force of nature that she’s been sold as. She commands every single scene she’s in, somehow out-menacing all of her cohorts — y’know, the ones who are in scary alien makeup. But in a devilishly clever twist, Reva is not just a potentially unstoppable antagonist. Thanks to her position within the Empire’s elite Jedi assassins’ guild, you actually end up… almost rooting for Reva — at least until you realize that you’re rooting for her to capture Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Ewan McGregor’s return as Kenobi is everything you want it to be. Right away, the series immediately tugs on every single bit of nostalgia we all have for this actor in this role, using it not to elicit cheers but rather sorrow. Your heart breaks for Obi-Wan, with McGregor playing the former Jedi master with a deflated resolve to hide. Of course there’s no show if Obi-Wan continues to do nothing, but when he inevitably does something, it feels earned.
What’s so remarkable about Obi-Wan Kenobi, though, is how it never feels weighed down under all of the continuity it’s playing with. There are plenty of elements from the prequels at play here, depicted as they all move towards the era of the original trilogy. Despite all of this, Kenobi feels streamlined — perhaps because it’s focused on the point of view of one man. But while it doesn’t feel cluttered, it also (thankfully) doesn’t feel as sparse as Boba Fett or as endearingly straightforward as Mandalorian. Kenobi feels high stakes, emotionally deep, and like the first Star Wars series to Matter, capital M. It’s a feat.
If the first two episodes are any indication, we’re in for not only the best Star Wars series to air on Disney+, but potentially the best series to ever air on Disney+.