The world of Star Wars TV content (well, “TV”) continues to expand! In a galaxy without hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi is forced out of his desert exile to help an old friend. In the process, he encounters the Empire’s dark Inquisitors and receives some devastating news in Obi-Wan Kenobi Parts 1 & 2!
Austin: I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this show going in: would it take place entirely on Tatooine, featuring Obi-Wan dealing with some kind of parochial problem while maintaining his cover (a la the now non-canonical John Jackson Miller Kenobi novel)? Or would it go the opposite route, and pull Obi-Wan off Tatooine and into some kind of continuity-busting “damn fool idealistic crusade”? What we got – so far, at least, in the first two episodes – is a little bit of both. But the execution of it turned out to be a pleasant surprise on a number of levels. Tony, what kind of expectations did you have going in, and how do you feel, generally, about the show, now that it has both just started, and is also ⅓ of the way complete?
Tony: It’s only two episodes in, but this might already be my favorite Star Wars project of the Disney era. We’ll see as the series continues, but generally, I’m very happy with what we got here. And we’ll dig into it a bit more as we chat but I’m particularly happy that the trailer didn’t spoil THAT character, and that we covered the entire trailer in these two episodes!
Hunting Themselves
Tony: The opening scene shows us a seemingly disconnected cold open- a group of Younglings being chased through a Jedi Temple on the night of Order 66. I’m not sure if this Coruscant or if there were other Jedi Temples (which the High Republic series showed us do exist), but what’s relevant are these 6 or so Younglings making a mad dash out of the temple after their Master valiantly protects them.
It took me a second to realize what that scene meant. The first Youngling we saw? That was Reva (who we meet as an adult immediately afterwards), wasn’t it? Seems like Reva isn’t just going to be an antagonist in the series, doesn’t it?
Austin: It has to be assumed that Reva (and/or the Tatooine Jedi) are amongst that class from the cold open. There definitely seems more to Reva than meets the eye: she clearly had a specific history with Obi-Wan, presumably a previous encounter as an Inquisitor or as a Padawan. I was also struck by the fact that she knows Vader was Anakin; aside from presenting the moment, canonically, which Obi-Wan learns that info himself, I don’t think the identity of Vader is widely known, even amongst the Inquisitorius. Which suggests Reva’s abilities or past give her particular insight.
Tony: It makes me wonder if she was one of the earliest recruits to the Inquisitorious. Or if there’s something to the fact that she says that Darth Vader himself sent her. Either way, I am enamored by Reva immediately here.
Austin: Events on Tatooine open with a visit from the Inquisitors, including the Grand Inquisitor and the aforementioned Reva. There’s good economy of storytelling at work here: in the course of one scene, we get a sense of the Inquisitors approach, what life is like for the surviving Jedi, who Reva, specifically, is and how she’s different from her peers, and the notion that will drive the plot of these first two episodes, that the Jedi, ultimately, hunt themselves.
Tony: Yeah, definitely. This Jedi (did he get a name on-screen?) that the Inquisitors corner in the second scene is a very stereotypical Jedi Knight of this era. He’s noble, but also very rigid in his thought process. The Inquisitors, being former Jedi and Padawans, know exactly how to exploit that. I have a feeling that Ben survived this long by casting a lot of that aside.
Austin: We see Obi-Wan going about his days, working as a laborer carving and processing meat pulled from the body of some gigantic desert creature before retiring to a cave dwelling (he’s not yet residing in the hut where he’ll introduce Luke to his destiny). He has indeed seemingly put his time as a Jedi aside, other than his mission to protect Luke. His deviations from routine involve watching Luke from afar before stealing in at night to deliver him a toy, and to prod Uncle Owen about the development of his force powers. Kudos to the team for getting Joel Edgerton (who is a much bigger actor now than when he was first cast as young Owen over twenty years ago for Attack of the Clones).
Tony: Oh and wasn’t Edgerton great here? Owen feels like a fully fleshed out character for the first time ever here. He’s still gruff and more focused on the farm than anything else. There’s a protective streak that we haven’t really seen before, and I don’t just mean that snarky, super-memeable line. So of course, when Third Sister and Fifth Brother show up, the humanity that he gives to Owen makes Reva’s threats to Owen and the Lars household more terrifying than just “she threatened Luke!”
Austin: The tension in that scene was fantastic! Is Owen going to give up Obi-Wan to protect Luke? Is Obi-Wan going to give himself up to save Owen and protect Luke in the short term at risk of ending his long-term protection? Is Reva just going to go “eff it!” and kill everyone? Great stuff.
Tony: And the ending of the scene. Obi-Wan thanking him and Owen’s simple “I didn’t do it for you.” Great stuff.
The Princess of Alderaan
Austin: Hats off to LucasFilm and Disney for keeping Leia’s role in the story under wraps. Going into the series, there was some concern, once it became apparent Obi-Wan would be leaving, however briefly, Tatooine, over what would cause him to abandon his vigil over Luke. Having it turn out to be a problem involving the other New Hope is a great way of keeping Obi-Wan on-mission but still engaging in a wider adventure, setting-wise.
Tony: As soon as I saw Leia, I gasped. I’m so happy they kept her presence a secret. This is Princess Leia in a perfect child-like nutshell. Not only is she precocious and rebellious, but you get a few glimpses of the leader she’s destined to be as well. Vivien Lyra Blair is a revelation and probably the best recasting of a beloved character we’ve gotten since MacGregor himself. And Jimmy Smits returning once again as Bail Organa is such a welcome sight to see.
Austin: It’s funny that the same Vanity Fair article meant to promote, in part, this series also contained the line from Kathleen Kennedy about how they “learned their lesson” from Solo not to recast characters, given that these first two episodes feature two examples of character recasting working really well.
I also really enjoyed the quiet disconnect between Luke and Leia’s respective lives:
Leia, age 10: Engages in diplomacy, poised to soon enter university and the Junior Senate. Gives three grown hooligans sent to kidnap her the slip for a decent amount of time.
Luke, age 10: shirks his duties to go “vroom-vroom” in an imaginary vehicle on the roof of his house.
Seems like Obi-Wan might have put his eggs in the wrong “new hope” basket.
Tony: Just more proof that Leia Organa may be the best character in the franchise.
Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, You’re My Only Hope
Austin: The majority of the second episode takes place on the planet Daiyu, which is basically Los Angeles from Blade Runner (or, more close to Star Wars home, Nar Shaddaa by another name). But we probably need to talk about Reva’s plan, to draw out Obi-Wan by threatening Leia, which comes much closer to working than it had any right to.
Tony: The kidnapping plot was incredibly interesting on its own. Here’s one of the most important children in the Empire and she’s been kidnapped. That could have just been the plot right there. But adding that it’s Reva’s (extremely wild and risky) plan to drive Kenobi out, makes it that much better. It’s a huge gamble for her – Bail could have gone to a dozen different contacts to help save Leia, up to and including Captain Rex or Commander Cody.
Her gamble pays off though and she nets herself a Kenobi.
Austin: It’s wild that it worked as well as it did, all things considered. A lot of dominoes had to fall in just the right way (including ones Reva didn’t know about, like the fact that not only is Bail an old friend of Obi-Wan’s, but that Leia herself is hugely important to him as well).
But it ultimately leads to a lot of great stuff and a very action-packed second episode. One of the things I appreciated in the second episode is the way a point was made to show that Obi-Wan isn’t as good of a fighter. It’s been ten years, he’s out of practice, he’s older, and the hits hit just a little harder. He’s not inept, just…a little slower. It’ll be interesting to see if the series leans into this more as a way to bridge the gap from Prequel Era Obi-Wan and Alec Guiness Obi-Wan.
Tony: Yeah, that not just shows how far Obi-Wan has fallen, but also sets up a redemptive arc that we don’t see often in fiction. Heroes age, they fall out of practice, they become less than what they once were. Obi-Wan is that kind of hero, and this mission may not have been the best thing for him. I’m afraid of what will happen with the eventual confrontation between Kenobi and Vader.
Austin: The second episode also provides a great showcase for Reva, as we see her plan (however ill-advised) come to fruition, along with some nifty Angry Force Parkouring across the rooftops. I was legitimately stunned when she executed the Grand Inquisitor, in part because I assumed this was the same Grand Inquisitor as the one who appears in Rebels, set after this series (so either it’s not, or he survives Reva’s attack here).
Tony: I have to assume it’s the same Grand Inquisitor, and either Bacta does miracles or he’s gonna end up like Fennec Shand. Either way though, hell of a way to end the episode. I think what we’re seeing with Reva is a villain similar to what we saw of Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi. This isn’t the cold, calculating, unfeeling side of the Sith. This is the wild, angry and feral Dark Sider. She’s letting her anger consume her, but because of that, the Dark Side is somehow guiding her to success.
Austin: Or near-success, at least. Obi-Wan gets away, but learns a devastating truth: that Anakin is still alive. This is one of those moments that’s been depicted before, in previous stories of dubious canonicity, but this is the now-official moment when Obi-Wan learns his former apprentice and friend is still (sort of) alive. And it clearly shakes him to his core. What’s worse, the closing moments taking us out seem to suggest that Vader nee Anakin himself is aware of Obi-Wan’s re-emergence!
Force Facts
- It seems the series is eschewing episode titles in favor of simply numbering its six parts.
- Prior to the cold open, there’s a “previously, on Star Wars” recap that is basically an extreme machete cut of the Prequels. Also, given recent events, the episode probably would have benefited from a content warning as a result of that cold open (which is basically about a teacher getting shot protecting her students).
- Obi-Wan’s daily routine has a lot of the same rhythms as that of Rey (whom the internet once declared Obi-Wan’s secret daughter): work, get paid, rehydrate some good, eat dinner from the porch whilst gazing across a desert landscape.
- Leia mentions the Meerson pirates while watching ships take off; this is presumably a reference to Star Wars #24 from Marvel’s original series, in which Leia tells Han and Luke about a pre-New Hope adventure of Obi-Wan in which he helped defend a passenger ship from the Meerson pirates.
- That’s Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing Vect, the leader of the goons who kidnap Leia.
- We didn’t really touch on it at all, but Kumail Nanjiani turns up in episode 2 as a goodhearted con artist pretending to be a Jedi doing good deeds for credits. Hat tip to any Star Wars Minute listeners out there delighted by the way he used magnets to simulate Jedi abilities.
- Obi-Wan’s acknowledgement of Padme by the way Leia reminds him of her was maybe the most touching thing in the whole two episodes.
- Interesting that Reva knows Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker; I wonder if that’s true of all the Inquisitors, or just her?
- I get that Obi-Wan has been living off the grid, but if he’s dialed in enough to know who the Inquisitors are (which didn’t come into being until AFTER he went into hiding), you’d think he’d have stumbled across the name “Darth Vader” in the space newspaper or something at least once in the preceding ten years.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him on Twitter @AustinGorton
