The time has come, and Obi-Wan Kenobi has finally arrived on Disney+. Fans have eagerly waited for the limited series, but the time is now for the moment we’ve all waited for, following months of waiting and bingeing everything which came before. This is a breakdown of the events of the show’s first episode, simply titled “Part 1” – as always, there are spoilers throughout this article… You have been warned!
Execute Order 66…
Part I of Obi-Wan Kenobi begins by throwing us right back into Order 66 and introduces us to a group of padawans, who are seen to be under attack by a regiment of Clone Troopers as they flee a Jedi Temple. A sombre reminder of where we last saw both Obi-Wan and Anakin, which started this path that we now find ourselves on in this series.
We soon flashforward, to 10 years later on Tatooine. The Inquisitors arrive at a cantina to question its owner about rumours, that a Jedi had been there, and is being hidden. Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor is menacing and methodical as he questions the cantina owner; however, Moses Ingram is the one who steals the scene as Reva, the Third Sister. She cuts off the Grand Inquisitor and gets right to the point, throwing a dagger at the owner forcing the Jedi to expose himself, who soon makes an escape. During this scene, we also learn that Reva has a personal vendetta against Kenobi, and they go off to find the escaped Jedi.
Old Ben
We pick up with Kenobi working at a meatpacking facility. Ewan McGregor slips back into the role of Kenobi effortlessly, but this is not the Obi-Wan you remember. He carries himself with more of a slouch and a sadness than we last saw him as a Jedi, he stood proud and with authority. McGregor’s physical acting really shines through as he portrays this older and more grizzled Obi-Wan. We see him return to his cave and make himself something to eat as he sits looking over the sand. Very reminiscent of Rey in The Force Awakens. While Rey was trapped on Jakku, longing for adventure, here Obi-Wan is trapped on Tatooine trying to avoid adventure. Symbolizing how the end of one person’s journey can be the beginning of another’s.
We see Obi-Wan haunted by the ghost of his past as he sleeps. We are reminded of the bond that Obi-Wan and Anakin shared through the prequel trilogy. From Qui-Gon’s death and his decision to train Anakin, to The Clone Wars and Anakin’s eventual fall to the dark side on Mustafar. As he awakes, he calls out to Qu-Gon, reminding us of Yoda’s training he was given in Revenge of the Sith to commune with his former master. We don’t see Qu-Gon yet, but I still think a cameo from Liam Neeson is very likely.
Obi-Wan soon watches over Luke as he helps Owen on his farm. You can see how he sees Anakin in Luke as he pretends to pilot a starfighter. This also serves as another reminder of why Obi-Wan is here. We reintroduced to Benny Safdie’s Jedi character Nari from earlier, who finds Obi-Wan and asks him for his help, but Ben refuses, saying “The time of the Jedi is over”. To hear this coming from Obi-Wan holds some weight. Obi-Wan has truly given up and embraced his exile.
A New Hope
Next, we pick up on Alderaan with the biggest surprise of the episode… A young Princess Leia! Played by Vivian Lyra Blair (We Can Be Heroes, Birdbox). Blair plays Leia with all the attitude and wide eye for adventure you would expect from a young Princess Leia. You can just feel the spirit of Carrie Fisher exude from this young actor. Watch out, Grogu, you have some competition for fan favourite character this season.
We’re soon back on Tatooine with Obi-Wan, where he and Uncle Owen get into an argument over Luke. Obi-Wan wants to train Luke, showing that he hasn’t completely given up on the Jedi as he claims, but Owen will have no part of it. He tells Obi-Wan that he won’t let him make the same mistake with Luke that he did with Anakin, and to leave them alone.
Reva and the Fifth Brother shortly arrive to find Nari, and it ends with Reva cutting the hand off one villager and proceeding to threaten Uncle Owen. Ingram is intense and powerful and demands the attention of every scene she’s in. She is after Kenobi and will stop at nothing to find him, and you can feel that hatred and drive in her delivery in this scene. I know we all can’t wait for Vader, but I can’t wait for more of Reva.
Alderaan Things Happen
We come back to Alderaan, where there is a party going on, and we get a cameo from everyone’s favourite protocol droi,d C-3PO. Young Leia completely embarrasses her cousin for being rude to droids, showing not only her wit but also foreshadowing her close relationship with droids such as C-3PO and R2D2, who were even with her when she died. She then has a touching conversation with her dad about being an Organa, and he tells her one day the planet will look to her to lead. Serving not only as a reminder of the great leader Leia will become but also the tragic fate that awaits Alderaan.
Leia runs off to the woods and gets kidnapped, unable to be saved by Alderaan guards. General Organa calls Obi-Wan to find Leia, but Obi-Wan refuses, saying he’s not who he used to be and that he would be better off finding someone else. Obi-Wan leaves his meatpacking job and returns to the town to find Nari, who had asked for help, dead. He knows that he could have helped him, but by refusing, he allowed him to be caught by the Inquisitors.
Organa shows up at his cave and tells him that he could not save Anakin, but he can save Leia and begs him to go on this one last fight. Obi-Wan goes out into the desert and digs up his lightsaber and we see both his and Anakin’s in the box, calling back how he will later give that lightsaber to Luke.
It is shortly revealed that the thugs who took Leia were ultimately working for Reva! Reva learned of Obi-Wan and General Organa’s relationship and is using Leia as bait to lure Obi-Wan out of hiding. Obi-Wan then boards a space freighter, lightsaber on his belt, and our journey begins.
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Episode 1 – Final Thoughts
This first episode was everything I wanted from this Obi-Wan Kenobi series and more! McGregor has always been great as Kenobi, but he has never shined more as the character than he does here. This is not the confident/charming Jedi Master Obi-Wan from the prequels. This Obi-Wan is withered, haunted, and broken, and we can feel all those ten years that have passed. Moses Ingram as Reva was a standout for me, and I absolutely loved how brutal and scary she was in the interrogation scenes.
You can feel that her vendetta against Kenobi is personal, and I can’t wait to see more of her, and that vendetta develop. Vivian Lyra Blair is absolutely amazing as a young Princess Leia, and I think it is so smart to have her be the one Obi-Wan has to protect as opposed to Luke. It’s a smart way to subvert fans’ expectations and also adds more weight to the famous line from A New Hope “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope”. Ultimately, a very strong opening to what I think could give The Mandalorian a run for its money for best Star Wars content.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes arriving every Wednesday. Check out a trailer below:
