OBI-WAN KENOBI (2022) – The Force is strong with this one!

This six episodes mini series from Disney+ should proof to be a real treat for fans of the original Star Wars series. It has all the right elements to make it look and feel like a natural extension to the Star Wars universe as conceived by George Lucas. For one, it has the Ewan McGregor reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi and provides a storyline that gives us an opportunity to see him in a full scale light saber fight sequence with Darth Vader. Like the series The Mandalorian, this series manages to capture the essence and spirit of the original Star Wars series with the meticulous details given to the costumes, sets, script and characterisation.

The storyline here may be low key and smaller scale than what we see in the movies. Don’t expect large scale battle scenes or elaborate CGI effects. What we do get is in fact better, a more focused plot, and characterisation. Best of all, we have the opportunity to see some one to one light saber battles between Kenobi and Darth Vader which were undoubtably the highlights in the series. Both Hayden Christensen as well as James Earl Jones reprises their role as Darth Vader. The inclusion of the original cast here lends to its legitimacy in the Star Wars universe, and it certainly contributed to the feeling of nostalgia.

Child actress Vivien Lyre Blair is a delight as a 10 year old Princess Leia. She totally kills it with her depiction of a “mini Leia” with the mannerism and attitude. Her performance is so believable that we can so easily reminisce and see the Carrie Fisher Princess Leia that we know so well embodied in her! Together with the excellent Ewan McGregor, we have a great time bearing witness to an episode in their early days that ties in so well with what we already know about these beloved characters. Kudos to the producers and director Deborah Chow for pulling this off so well.

The series ends with all the loose ends tied while it cleverly linked to the future events that we all know. Sadly that indicate to use that there is unlikely to be a follow-up season. But happily that also means that the producers will not end up over doing it with a good thing. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a worthy entry to the Star Wars saga that fits in nicely between the Episodes I,II and III trilogy, and Episodes IV,V and VI. It is not to be missed by Star Wars fans and is a far more satisfying experience and managed to connect us much more that any of the newer Episodes VII, VIII and IX could.