Random TV Show Review - Obi-Wan Kenobi (miniseries)

 

Believe it or not, there was a time during production of the sequel trilogy where many anthology films in a galaxy far, far away, were being considered. Sadly only two ended up being made into films and in the wake of how The Last Jedi and Solo performed, many of those projects were either shelved or, like this series, we re-tooled into a miniseries or actual full TV show. Probably a good thing really considering how Disney+ was needing some good original series and the first Star Wars one The Mandalorian proved that not all was lost with Disney's acquisition of the franchise, and it's parent LucasFilm. Many have wondered what Obi-Wan Kenobi (reprised by Ewan McGregor) got up to during the period of time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope (known in the canon timeline as the Reign of the Empire) and while it's possible that there have been books, comics and other ways of story telling, it's good to actually see those events come to life on a small screen. It's better than nothing, so let's say "Hello There" to that one Jedi who knows what it's really like to have the high ground:

Ten years have passed since the fall of the Jedi thanks to Order 66. Obi-Wan is still keeping an eye on young Luke (played this time by Grant Freely) and despite having kinda become a resident on the planet, soon goes back to being a Jedi when he learns that Leia (this time played by Vivien Lyra Blair) has been kidnapped and sets out to rescue her at the risk of being captured by the Inquisitors. One of which Reva (played by Moses Ingram) seems to have a personal connection to Kenobi and is desperate to prove herself to Darth Vader (portrayed by a combination of Hayden Christensen, James Earl Jones, Dmitrious Bistrevsky and Tom O'Connell) while also holding a grudge.

You know, while the previous Disney+ Originals from the franchise have been pretty good and decent, this one does well in the fan service department. Not only do we have the main character return, but Vader is back too, along with a few familiar characters from both the prequels and originals. It also marks the return of John Williams, who has largely left the original shows alone, but came back to do the theme for this one. So yeah, another great show that continues to prove that Disney can do things right with Star Wars, especially with the canon being as dear as it is (well there is one continuity issue, but I think most of us can let that particular one slide). 9/10