Obi-Wan Kenobi Review: A Lot of Star Wars Collides In Two-Episode Premiere

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+, and critics (like fans) were made to wait for the official two-episode premiere to learn what deeper story and Star Wars Universe connections we would get. Well, Obi-Wan Episodes 1 and 2 certainly do the job of setting up a clear story frame for the event series – but at the same time, the series feels like a somewhat jumbled mix of different Star Wars franchise pieces, rather than a bridge between them, as promised. 

Obi-Wan: Part I Review

The first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi is largely exactly what fans expected: a Logan-style look at Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in his most undignified days, hiding out on Tatooine and watching over Luke Skywalker as the evil Empire thrives. The episode does a good job highlighting the monotony of Obi-Wan’s life: working a butcher job for small-change pay; stalking the Skywalker family; and eating gross meals while trading with Jawas who are clearly ripping him off. That rut routine is interrupted with the arrival of Inquisitors on Tatooine, looking for an escaped Jedi. Turns out that Jedi is Nari (Benny Safdie), not Obi-Wan; however, one particularly obsessed Inquisitor, Third Sister (Moses Ingram), is obsessed with Kenobi, and nearly sniffs him out. 

To be upfront: Obi-Wan Kenobi is at its best when delivering on this kind of promise of the series. The market sequence between Kenobi, Uncle Owen (Joel Edgerton) and the Inquisitors was intense, while the subplot with Nari was a powerful way to test Obi-Wan’s resolve, and illustrated just how far the once-heroic general has fallen. 

What few fans or mainstream viewers probably expected how Obi-Wan Episode 1 quickly becomes “Young Leia” episode 1. Yes, the main galvanizing plotline that actually brings Obi-Wan out of retirement is not his unfinished business with Anakin Skywalker – or any direct threat to Luke: instead it’s young Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) being kidnapped by Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers) and his gang of low-rent thugs. Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) begs Obi-Wan to rejoin the fight, and fulfill the same duty to Leia that he does Luke. Obi-Wan finally, reluctantly, does so and heads back out into the galaxy to save the young girl. 

Obi-Wan Part II Review

The move of sending Obi-Wan on a mission to save ten-year-old Leia is a bold one for a lot of reasons. It’s a clear shake-up of the Star Wars continuity established by A New Hope, which saw Leia messaging Kenobi as a long-lost Jedi Master. The new history between Kenobi and Leia only fits because the two characters never directly meet in Star Wars: A New Hope, so there’s no conflicting moment of non-recognition to worry about. 

But while it may be permissible by continuity, the Young Leia storyline certainly feels like it clashes with the more somber and serious Obi-Wan Kenobi story – which is what most fans came to see. The Leia story feels very Phantom Menace-esque with its YA tones and feels – even spaceport of scoundrels doesnt feel menacing like it should. The second episode felt rather lengthy with its cat-and-mouse game of hide-and-go-seek, without Obi-Wan himself delivering any standout action moment. 

The acting is very hit-or-miss across the cast. The Young Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) is handed a lot with this iconic character, but Moses Ingram’s Third Sister is rough in her characterization and delivery, and is not (yet) all that interesting of an antagonist. 

However, the final scene of Obi-Wan Episode 2 reveals why Disney+ dropped these first two episodes, as Kenobi at lasts reconnects with Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader, and realizes the horror of his friend’s new existence. That  is the cat-and-mouse game we came to see!

Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+.