Obi-Wan Kenobi: Our Only Hope

Ten years after “Order 66” was implemented and the Jedi were all but destroyed, Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor), now known as Ben, is hiding in solitude on Tatooine, keeping an eye on Luke Skywalker.  A group known as the inquisitors, trained in using the dark side of the Force, hunt down all the remaining Jedi.  Ben is defeated and tormented by not being able to save Anakin. But when the young Princess Leia is kidnapped, and senator Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) convinces Obi-Wan to come out of retirement and save their adopted daughter.

Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope was such a huge influence on me and my childhood.  I saw the movie several times during the initial release, collected the toys and use to run around the house pretending to be a Jedi.  I was always very partial to Obi-Wan originally played by Sir Alec Guinness.  I am not the biggest fan of Episodes I Through III, but loved Ewan’s portrayal as the young Obi-Wan.  So out of all of the Star Wars series that have come out, I was most excited about this one.  As the series begins, Ben is a sad, “old” man who has a broken spirit, and this sets up a great character journey for Obi-Wan to find some sort of peace, both with himself and with the defeat of the Jedi.

As with most of the Disney+ Star Wars series, the production value is high.  The rich universe originally created by George Lucas, comes alive once again, with several different alien races being featured.  There are quite a few lazer gun fight battles and a few lightsaber duels. The storyline is interesting and flowed well with a good rhythm and cadence.  The dialogue felt natural and wasn’t forced.  The music was great with the original theme as a base for much of the episode.

Vivien Lyra Blair plays the ten year old, head strong Princess Leia and does it very well.  She sounds much more mature than a 10 year old, but still embodies the spirit of a little child.  She is smart and sensitive and can hold her own in a verbal battle, as was displayed in a scene between her and her cousin.  I enjoyed the portrayal of the three main Inquisitor characters.  Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor had a certain eloquence and grace in his portrayal, but tinged with evil and ruthlessness. Moses Ingram is Reva Sevander and was the big bad of the first two episodes.  She will do anything to get Obi-Wan.  Moses plays the part well, but might have been a little too gruff and over the top and could have done with a bit more subtlety.