What did we know about Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi before tonight? Well, based on the trailers and other marketing materials, we knew the series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars prequel trilogy (a part originated by Sir Alec Guinness in the original trilogy, of course) in a story that takes place at the middle point between Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and IV – A New Hope in the larger Star Wars saga.
We also knew actress Moses Ingram plays a Sith Inquisitor hunting down wayward Jedi, Joel Edgerton is back as Uncle Owen Lars, and (perhaps the most surprising move from the development of this limited series) Hayden Christensen has returned as Darth Vader– AKA the Sith Lord formerly known as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.
But I’m here to tell you, having just screened the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi at the Star Wars Celebration premiere, that what you don’t know about the series may astonish you. In the trailers, Lucasfilm has very cleverly cut around some pretty major plot points and characters that shape the overarching narrative of the show, and I definitely won’t be spoiling those here. I’ll just say that I love that decision, as I tend to prefer being surprised when it comes to Star Wars– not to mention storytelling in general. And the choices made in the story here are intriguing, to say the least, not to mention ripe for potential when it comes to the remaining four episodes.
Speaking of which, I think I can say without spoiling too much that almost everything we’ve seen in the marketing for Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is contained within these first two installments, which means the series is going to be about 90% unexpected from here on out after tonight’s debut– wonderful news to anyone like me. But let’s move past my desire to be caught off guard and talk about the actual quality of the show. Director Deborah Chow, who proved her Star Wars mettle on The Mandalorian, knocks it out of the park with visual flair and a keen eye for action and pacing. The cast is wonderful, though anyone with a distaste for precocious children may find some of the child acting questionable, and the atmosphere feels undeniably Star Wars.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT– Now that the episodes are up for viewing on Disney+, I feel more comfortable talking about the plot, but definitely don’t read on past this point if you haven’t watched the episodes. Episode 1 of Obi-Wan Kenobi opens with a flashback to Order 66 and a group of children escaping the purge at the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Cut to ten years later and Sith Inquisitors hunting a do-gooder Force user (who turns out not to be Obi-Wan, in a bit of misdirection up top) on Tatooine. That Jedi escapes, and we find the title character working a menial job in the desert sun, barely scraping by as he watches over Luke Skywalker, buying the son of his former Padawan a gift of a familiar-looking T-16 Skyhopper toy, though Uncle Owen wants Obi-Wan to stay far away, lest Luke potentially suffer the same fate as Anakin.
The big shock of Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives when we dissolve to the idyllic planet of Alderaan, the adoptive home of one Princess Leia (the winningly sharp Vivien Lyra Blair of Netflix’s Bird Box), who we come to know in strong-willed ten-year-old form. Leia’s parents Breha (Simone Kessell) and Bail (Jimmy Smits, also reprising his role from Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) are somewhat overprotective of their ward, but that doesn’t stop her from getting kidnapped by some hoodlums looking to make a quick buck by setting a trap for Obi-Wan at the behest of Ingram’s Third Sister Reva. Bail begs Obi-Wan for help via hologram and then in-person, but “Ben” refuses the call to adventure, saying he’s not the man he used to be (parallels to Luke’s controversial arc in The Last Jedi are undoubtedly being drawn here).
But when that other Jedi turns up publicly hanged at the hands of the Inquisitors, Obi-Wan has a change of heart and tracks the hoodlums’ ship to Daiyu– a planet made up of a seedy neon underworld. There, he meets a con artist (Eternals’ Kumail Nanjiani) pretending to be a Jedi to scam credits off those needing help, and uses him to gain access to the bad guys’ hideout. Having rescued the princess nearly a decade before he does it again, Obi-Wan must confront Reva and learn a devastating truth before he and Leia make their escape. It’s a breathless one-two punch of a premiere, and it absolutely has me wondering with bated breath where this series could possibly be heading next.
Beyond the things I listed above that we already knew going into Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, I think we all knew it was at the very least going to be decent. But I couldn’t have guessed how much it would keep me on the edge of my seat. Naturally seeing it in an audience jam-packed with huge Star Wars fans helped my experience, but I bet when I get the chance to rewatch these two episodes I’ll still be into them just about as much. McGregor, Ingram, and Edgerton are the highlights for me right now, with Rupert Friend (Pride & Prejudice) also turning in a memorable performance as the Grand Inquisitor– how about the fate of that character for a big question mark?
The bottom line: Obi-Wan Kenobi contains enough applause-worthy moments to win over a crowd of thousands of Star Wars die-hards, so at the very least it should be worth viewing at home.
The first two episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi are now available to stream, exclusively on Disney+.