I am not a die-hard Star Wars fan, but I do love the film series. I have no problem finding the good points to the prequels, and given enough time, I think I could even take a crack at defending the The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.
I was particularly excited about Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, because Ewan McGregor was coming back. Apart from being in love with how that actor looks, I’m madly in love with his acting skills, and I think he did a great job in the prequels.
The first episode, however, was a bit of a disappointment for me. I thought it dragged, though I did appreciate seeing an entirely defeated Obi-Wan.
I like how we, the audience, know how he was in the prequel movies and how he will be in A New Hope. In those prequel movies, Obi-Wan strikes me as someone entirely confident, and in A New Hope, at peace.
As the Obi-Wan series has continued (up to episode IV is out right now), I’ve come to understand this series is about bringing a defeated and traumatized Obi-Wan to being at peace within.
Without this series, we the audience are left to imagine the Obi-Wan who left Anakin to die simply becomes a wise old man in A New Hope who gently guides Luke from afar before quietly nudging him into a war with Vader.
I appreciate that we see one of Star Wars’ great heroes struggling while overwhelmed with loss, grief, self-doubt and self-loathing. I appreciate that this isn’t a quick fix or something he just “snaps” himself out of. The series starts ten years after Obi-Wan leaves Anakin for dead, and Obi-Wan is still completely lost in himself.
Grief doesn’t just disappear in real life, and I love how this series seems to acknowledge that. I love Obi-Wan so much more thanks to this series.
As a side-note, I have to say I also love how they portrayed Darth Vader in episode III.
I think Darth Vader has become a kind of pop culture icon, and he has legions of fans across the world.
I think having a scene where Vader just casually walks through a town and either tortures or kills people to try and draw Obi-Wan out brings home, at least for me, the fact Vader isn’t exactly a role model. He turned good at the end, but not before earning that hatred Princess Leia shows him in A New Hope. It was a nice reminder he is nothing less than a villain.