That Old Familiar Feeling in Obi-Wan Episode 6

Obi-Wan confronts Vader, Reva makes a choice, and the toys get put back in the toybox in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Part 6!

Austin Gorton: Welcome back to a galaxy far, far away Mark! You’ve made it just in time for the series (?) finale of Obi-Wan. How were you feeling about the series heading into this finale, and has the wrap-up generally changed those feelings at all? 

Mark Turetsky: Look, I’m one of the Star Trek guys around here. So when you put up the Bat-Signal for this final episode, I had to Answer The Call and declare, “and my axe.” For me, the series has been, more or less, fine. I came into this finale with the conclusion that all of the toys will go back into their boxes, because they kind of have to (although I did come up with an alternate ending in our Slack, where young Luke dies and the two Landos come through a portal and then Quantum Leap out to fix the timeline. Call me, Disney+! I have availability!)

Austin: There’s very much a “putting the toys back in the box” vibe to this episode, particularly towards the end, but that’s not terribly surprising nor unexpected. I do think the series went out on a high note after a couple of less-robust episodes, in part because by this point, it was clear what the series was intended to be, which made it easier to just sit back and enjoy what was there. 

Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader, Round 2

Austin: One of the big questions going into this series was how big a role Darth Vader would play in it, and once the early episodes made it clear the answer was “a fairly significant one, actually” and gave us an Obi-Wan/Darth Vader duel in which Vader absolutely dominated his old master, you had to know the series would close out with a rematch (especially since the thematic arc of Part 4 and Part 5 was really all about Obi-Wan getting his Jedi mojo back). How did this duel hit you, and are you concerned it’s taking anything away from their more momentous (but less technically dazzling) showdown on the Death Star? 

Mark: I enjoyed it for what it was. It’s a very well done fight, and I think it actually adds something to their confrontation in Star Wars. I remember when the prequels were just coming out, and we had these absolutely dazzling lightsaber duels, and there were questions among fans of, “well, if the Jedi could do that, why were the fights in the original trilogy not that?” And the answer, of course, is Alec Guinness and a constrictive suit that didn’t allow David Prowse to see much, obviously. But if we take in what we see happening here in this final episode: Obi-Wan absolutely trouncing Vader and leaving him severely injured again, it means that when they face off on the Death Star, Vader is chastened. He’s terrified of Obi-Wan, because this is the guy that’s wrecked him twice.

Austin: I’m not one of those fans who would flip over my desk and yell at people on the internet if it didn’t neatly all lineup, but it was fun to see this duel play out in a way that still more or less preserves Darth’s line in A New Hope about having been the learner when last they met; there’s very much a sense here that, as you say, Obi-Wan schooled Vader, and it’s believable that he would still think of their relationship in Master/Apprentice terms after this fight. 

The other thing I really liked here in terms of tweaking existing lore is the way Vader first makes the argument that Anakin Skywalker is dead; this is more or less Obi-Wan’s mantra throughout the Original Trilogy, his way of justifying the fact that he exists to train his best friend’s son to kill his best friend, and then to (try to) convince Luke to keep on his “Vader killing” mission even after Luke learns Vader is his dad. Having it be a mindset that Vader adopted, and more or less gave to Obi-Wan, is both a fun (albeit minor) twist, and another indication of just how sadly things ended for Anakin. 

Mark: Throughout that post-fight exchange, I kept mentally adding “from a certain point of view” to the end of each line of dialogue. “You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did [from a certain point of view].” “Then my friend is truly dead [from a certain point of view].” 

One thing I’d really like to comment on is the Hayden Christensen of it all. I think it’s great that he’s back, that he’s been able to return to this role. But there’s something going on here that I think we’ve been misled about. When Part II ended and the credits said that James Earl Jones was voicing Vader, it gave me pause. I know there’s been a lot of speculation about his voice being digitally synthesized, in the same way that Mark Hammill’s voice was in The Book of Boba Fett. I don’t think that’s precisely what’s going on here. Speaking as someone who does vocal performance professionally, and who’s spent a few years in an acting conservatory studying speech, I’m pretty sure this is Hayden Christensen delivering all of Vader’s dialogue, and that performance is being altered through an AI.

Jones, in all of his performances, has a very distinct, very precise way of speaking, and I don’t just mean the timbre of his voice. There are certain ways that Vader pronounces words in this series, like “evade” in this episode, that don’t match my image of how Jones speaks, but definitely match Christensen’s speech patterns. I think the half-mask scene really gives us a peek behind that curtain, because we see Christensen speaking and we hear something that’s halfway between the two actors that is emphatically not two voices speaking in unison. 

Now, is this to say that this is necessarily a bad thing? No. Not necessarily. If they’ve gotten Jones’ permission to use his voice in this way, it’s a very effective way to show this transitional version of Vader. But also understand that I work in an industry where there are literally producers telling authors that they can make an audiobook out of someone’s voice samples for a small fraction of what they would pay that person to record the entire book. At this point, these AI-generated books sound like an extremely bland reading of the work, but they’re going to get better.

Austin: Between this and the various Luke/Mark Hammil deep fakes, it really does seem like Star Wars has placed itself at the center of the ongoing discussion about ethics and certain uses of certain technologies in modern filmmaking. 

Speaking (some more) of the Hayden Christensen of it all, we’d commented in these reviews a few times about how much Hayden was bringing to the table by just walking around in the Vader suit and popping up as a silent vision. The flashback last episode was an effective way to give him more to do in a way that showed it was him doing it, and the sequence in this episode when Obi-Wan slashed away his mask to reveal half of Anakin’s face really sealed the deal. This was a trick Rebels pulled as well, when Ahsoka fights Vader, but having Hayden looking out from the mask made a difference. Being able to look into the eyes (eye) of Anakin himself as he declared his own death and to see the Vader/Anakin conflict rendered visually was affecting. It wasn’t subtle, for sure, but Star Wars rarely is, and having Hayden there for that made all the difference. 

Mark: Agreed. It lets Obi-Wan have this very emotional moment. But, uh, Ben…? This isn’t just about you. You’ve got Darth Vader on the ropes, you’ve gotta finish the job.

Austin: I’ll acknowledge this is getting into nitpick territory, but I really wish Obi-Wan’s vision of Luke being in danger had occurred when he had Vader at his mercy, because it would have justified him leaving Vader on the spot instead of finishing him off. As it is, he just walks away (yes, yes, he’s sad his friend is dead…from a certain point of view) and now, everything Vader does from this point forward is at least partially on Obi-Wan, and he lets him live for no real good reason. We know Vader’s not going to die here, but the series needs to give an in-universe explanation for that stronger than “because Obi-Wan was sad”. Plus, giving him the vision at that moment would have helped shore up one of the episode’s weaker elements. 

Mark: Or… and we’ll discuss this in a moment, having Qui-Gon’s Force ghost intercede for some reason. We’ll talk about it later on, but they were seeding Qui-Gon throughout the series, why not have it happen here? Have him spout some Jedi bullshit about not giving in to hate, or that Vader still has a role to play.

Reva’s Journey 

Austin: The portion of the episode that worked less effectively for me was the Reva material. I think Reva is the stealth MVP of the show, and I get that the episode wanted to do the back-and-forth cuts (which is a nod to Return of the Jedi’s climax while also helping amp up the tension in both sequences), but it was never terribly clear to me WHY Reva was targeting Luke. To get revenge on Vader by killing the son he doesn’t know he has (did Reva even KNOW he is Anakin’s son?)? To get revenge on Obi-Wan for mucking up her own long term plans against Vader? Some kind of weird Inquisitor brainwashing kicking in? Did you get a better read on any of this? 

Mark: Nope! Let’s look at the hints she has about who Luke is: it’s a message from Bail Organa. There’s another kid who’s about the same age as Leia, who was important enough for Kenobi to come out of hiding to protect. However, I don’t think she has any idea that Ben was on Tatooine at all, correct? So it’s not like she could put together that he was there to protect Luke. It seems logical to put together that Luke and Leia are connected, and somehow important, but it seems like a huge leap to put together that they’re Anakin’s kids. Still, that’s the motive that makes the most sense to me: Anakin killed off a bunch of kids, her friends, so revenge dictates she kill off his kids, I guess. But it was remarkably unclear. Vader clearly doesn’t know these are his kids, so what’s her plan? Kill off Luke and then send a taunting message to Vader? It’s unclear enough that I wasn’t even sure she was even going to attempt to kill Luke at all until she started attacking the Lars homestead.

Austin: And I dunno, maybe the idea was supposed to be she WASN’T going to attack/kill, but Owen and Beru (wisely) assumed the worst, and then she was just defending herself, and then her Inquisitor anger took over, or something? But I’m not sure what the point of all that would be. And she did enter their home with her lightsaber ignited, so… 

In the end, she can’t bring herself to kill Luke, and we end up with another repentant Star Wars villain who did some monstrous things but has seen the error of their ways. Though at least this time, unlike with Vader and Kylo Ren, Reva is still alive to actually try and make amends beyond saving the life of someone she’s inclined to like already.  

Mark: Yes, that’s something I’m particularly happy about! Redemption in Star Wars is something you do right before you die. It’s a serious problem with this franchise. I’ve thought throughout that Reva has been the best thing about this show. I think Moses Ingram has done extraordinary work with this character. This being of anger and hate that the Inquisitors have molded her into, coming face to face with the trauma that she endured and survived and choosing to break free of that cycle. It’s good stuff, her unclear motivations in this particular episode aside. I am so glad that we get something new out of this series. We know how things are going to end with Obi-Wan, Vader, Luke, Beru, Lars. If they had killed off Reva, then I’d say the entire enterprise would have been, on the whole, pointless. But they have an amazing opportunity here: a compelling character, an extraordinary performer. I hope they don’t fuck it up.

Austin: 100% agree. I would love to see Reva show up in Andor. Or her own show. Or wherever. Kudos to the creative team for not killing her off right as she came around; now let’s hope LucasFilms knows what to do with the character. 

Mark: I’ve seen rumors that she’s got her own show ready to go, but this is Star Wars. There’s an entire industry built around fabricating rumors about things people hope are true.

Austin: Rebellions Clicks are built on hope. 

Chekhov’s Ghosts

Austin: With Vader defeated, Anakin “dead”, Luke safe, and Obi-Wan at least a little bit more put back together, all that’s left is some wrap-up and the payoff to a series-long tease. It is, at long last, Force Ghost Qui-Gon time! 

Mark: He’s there to congratulate Obi-Wan on the successful completion of his emotional journey. It was kinda fun to see Liam Neeson in a Star War again, but beyond that… I found it kinda meh. It’s like a disappointing final cut scene for a reasonably enjoyable game, but not much more.

Austin: Agreed. We knew it had to be coming, and I guess in that regard, they succeeded in sticking the landing. But I think the idea of using his appearance to put an exclamation point on Obi-Wan’s character arc for the series read a lot better on paper than it did in execution. Even just a longer conversation between them a la Ben and Luke in Return of the Jedi would have felt more rewarding/justifiable. 

Mark: My personal prediction was that he wasn’t appearing for Obi-Wan because he’s been appearing to Vader this whole time, trying to get through to him (after all, he first appeared as a Force ghost to Anakin in Attack of the Clones, trying to prevent him from slaughtering a group of Tuskens). But I can’t be disappointed that my personal theory wasn’t correct.

Austin: I do love the idea of Vader being constantly tormented by Qui-Gon’s ghost. And we don’t know that he wasn’t ALSO busy doing that the whole time. 

He’s not dead, but we also get a Force Ghost-esque appearance from the Emperor, telling Vader to get over the whole Obi-Wan thing already. It was a fun surprise to see Ian McDiarmid again, but it felt even more perfunctory than the Qui-Gon appearance, just a little bit of business to smooth the transition from Vader’s mental state in this series to the fact that he’s not still frothing at the mouth to find Obi-Wan during A New Hope. 

Mark: I like it mostly because he seems like the awful boss version of the character we saw in Gillen and Larroca’s Darth Vader comic. We also get Obi-Wan seemingly packing up and leaving Tatooine with no intention of coming back, as well as a brief reunion with Leia. Does this tie in with his appearances on Rebels? I know he was on that show, but I haven’t watched it.

Austin: No, his Rebels appearance occurs closer in the timeline to A New Hope, and he’s animated very much in the Alec Guiness style at that time. I read this less as Obi-Wan leaving Tatooine, and more him moving to the house he’s in when he takes Luke home in A New Hope (basically, now that he’s processed his grief and doesn’t feel as guilty, he’ll allow himself to live in an actual home and not just an open-roofed cave). But a lot of that will depend on whether or not we get another season or more of this show; if we do, Obi-Wan may well turn up somewhere else (helping the Path, perhaps) before returning to Tatooine for some reason. If not…then I guess he’s off to settle in his new home here. 

We do get one final poignant moment, as Uncle Owen, softened by Obi-Wan admitting he’s less gung-ho to train Luke at the moment, allows him to meet the boy, and he finally says the thing we’ve been waiting all series for him to say. 

Mark: It’s like he’s been monitoring the memes. It’s cute that he gives him the model ship that Luke plays with in Star Wars, maybe planting a seed for Luke’s love of and skill at flying. It’s a cute moment, and it serves to show a transition between Obi-Wan the guardian and Ben, the friendly old wizard who lives out in the Jundland Wastes.

Austin: It worked on me. What can I say? Sometimes, I’m an easy mark. 

Force Facts

• If nothing else, this series gave us Exasperated Parent Obi-Wan, and that’s not nothing. 
• Like Reva, Obi-Wan’s advice to Roken to keep leading seems like a hint that maybe he’ll return in something like Andor as a leader in the burgeoning Rebel Alliance. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see Haja turn up somewhere else at some point as well. 
• This is more in nitpick territory again, but Vader having to choose between pursuing the Path or Obi-Wan seems like a false choice given he’s flying in a ship filled with other ships, something that is pointed out mere moments later, when he flies away from the big ship in another little ship to follow Obi-Wan down to the planet. 
• When Vader chucked Obi-Wan into the crevasse he made, just before burying him in a Force avalanche, I was waiting for a “who’s got the high ground NOW” comment. 
• Love how Star Wars keeps proving Last Jedi Luke wrong about how using the Force isn’t about lifting rocks. 
• Interestingly enough given the whole ethos of the Prequel Era Jedi, it is Obi-Wan’s attachment to Luke and (especially) Leia that gives him the strength to lift the rocks off himself and turn the tide against Vader. 
• Nice that they gave Bonnie Piesse a little more to do as Beru in this episode (after bringing her back for “Part 1” just to stand in the background of a shot viewed through Obi-Wan’s binoculars). Her fierceness and level headedness under pressure was particularly fun to see. 
• The conversation between Leia and Obi-Wan after she’s made it back to Alderaan seemed like a way to smooth over any concerns about the depiction of their relationship in A New Hope, basically saying “we’re going to act like we don’t know each other any time someone could be watching” as a way to explain why she is so formal in asking him for help in Artoo’s message if they’re old friends who went on this adventure together. 
• Post-adventure Obi-Wan’s attire is very similar to his comic book attire from around that time. 
• More Return of the Jedi nods in this one: the crux of the plot involves Obi-Wan having to face Vader just as Luke did (with each essentially proclaiming/reaffirming their status as Jedi after doing so and – pointedly – not killing Vader), and Reva chooses not to give in to hate and kill the defenseless Luke just as Luke spared a defenseless Vader. Oh, and they both involve return trips to Tatooine. 

Austin Gorton

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

Mark Turetsky

Mark Turetsky is an audiobook narrator and voice actor who sometimes writes about comic books. Originally from Montreal, Canada, he now lives in Northern Louisiana.