Obi Wan Kenobi Series

 For better or worse, I love Star Wars - both old and new. Like many, I grew up on these movies, and they’ve played a part in my love for cinema. Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of my most anticipated series of the year. They must’ve had a good reason for bringing back such an iconic character, right? Well, it turns out the answer is no, but this is still a decent chapter in an iconic saga.

This series doesn’t amount to much more than entertaining filler, but it’s wonderful to see Ewan McGregor slip back into the role of Kenobi. Despite 17 years passing since Revenge of the Sith hit theatres, he embodies the character like it was yesterday. This broken, less optimistic version of Obi-Wan was a welcome change from how we knew him in the prequels, and where we find him in the original trilogy. His relationship with Anakin has always been one of the strongest aspects of the movies, and is one of this series’ greatest strengths too.

The tricky thing about telling an “in between” story, is that you can’t really make any bold story decisions. The writers had to stay within the bounds of an existing narrative, which is ultimately what lets this show down. The stakes are simply too low. Having intense scenes where major characters are in danger doesn’t work when you know they’re alive and well in the movies. I wish they’d focused more on character development instead. The scene that kicked off ep. 5 was the highlight of the series, and I wanted more like that.

From a special effects standpoint, the show looks really good. The glow of a lightsaber lit up in the dark will always give me chills, and the look of different planets was a welcome change from a whole lotta sand. The direction and fight choreography on the other hand, I found to be flat and uninspired. It felt like an assembly line production rather than a passion project. I wish they’d hired different directors for each episode, to add variety into the look of the show.

Overall, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a decent distraction that offers up a handful of moments that fans will enjoy. It was great to see Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen again, but I won’t be revisiting the series anytime soon.