Of course, the man is completely overqualified for his job: Obi-Wan Kenobi, you recognize him immediately because Ewan McGregor plays him again, fillets, together with other day laborers, the meat of a huge fish, in the middle of the Tatooine desert. The planet to which all stories in the Star Wars universe always lead at some point. But the fact that Kenobi is snipping along here, without a lightsaber, is not as paradoxical as the presence of a still edible giant fish in the desert.
The new series Obi Wan Kenobi takes place on the Star Wars timeline between part three and part four of the cinema films in a dark phase for the galactic knightly order of Jedi: the Empire, the dark side of the force, is at the helm. The Jedi are being persecuted mercilessly. And that his former Jedi student Anakin is still alive and now serves as Darth Vader on the dark side of the Force, Obi-Wan does not even know in his wasteland exile. But of course it only lasts until the end of the first episode until he digs his lightsaber out of the desert sand, leaves behind his trusty trunk camel and climbs into a spaceship. Because someone has to be saved.
The series builds on the long-unloved prequels of the Star Wars movies
The six-part miniseries fills the gap in the Star Wars canon between the prequels and the original trilogy. Between the birth of twins Luke and Leia in Revenge of the Sith and their appearance as young heroes of the galaxy in war of stars. For a long time it was unlikely that the further narrative would even venture anywhere near parts one to three of those three cinema films for which George Lucas himself was responsible from 1999. They were seen by fans as the low point of the franchise: too many effects, too little Star Wars soul and, most importantly, Jar Jar Binks.
That has changed a bit in recent years. Anyone who was young when the prequels were in cinemas looks back on them with nostalgic pleasure – for example the love story between Anakin and Padmé Amidala. The fact that Disney is now building on this is what millions of younger Star Wars admirers call “fan service”.
It really starts when it becomes clear why Obi-Wan is now hiding from the Jedi hunters on Tatooine. From time to time he sneaks a peek at little Luke Skywalker from afar, and he’s in charge of taking care of him Revenge of the Sith had promised. The fact that he leaves Tatooine and the action begins is in turn due to his sister Leia: the ten-year-old with the gap in her teeth, who is too bored with the princess life on Alderaan, has been kidnapped. Obi-Wan is supposed to save her.
Between the two, as much is clear at the end of the two episodes released so far, the classic, but here again very nice to look at, dynamic of the grumpy man whose heart is softened by a precocious child develops. inside is Obi Wan Kenobi the great predecessor series The Mandalorian very similar. And even if there probably won’t be a Baby Yoda here: Obi-Wan buys little Leia a cute green cape after all.
Six episodes on Disney+.
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