New Star Wars series "Obi-Wan Kenobi": The Old White Jedi and the Fall of the Force

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Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi: Like Lawrence from Galactica

Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd.

/ © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd.

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But it's also a cross with those Jedi Knights.

Not even hiding and keeping your feet still works: The good, the brightly shining side of the power in them always somehow finds a way - and in case of doubt it becomes fatal.

"This Jedi code is like an itch," says the Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram) to her dark, black leather-clad colleagues, with whom she seeks out the last remaining do-gooders in a galaxy stricken by the dictatorship of evil around them eradicate: Their compassion, their willingness to help and empathy leave a trail that one only has to follow.

This puts you right in the middle of the new, six-part “Star Wars” series, episodes one and two of which have been available on the Disney+ streaming service since Friday.

After the first two series of the Star Wars saga revolved around two supporting characters, the bounty hunters »The Mandalorian« and Boba Fett, Disney is now bringing a central character of the ever popular franchise to the fore in Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) for the first time on TV -Branch.

There have long been plans to dedicate his own film to the Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the stars of the first and second cinema trilogies. Originally, the renowned British filmmaker Stephen Daldry (»Billy Elliot«, »The Hours«) was to direct it. to lead.

But the comparatively tired performance of the standalone films "Rogue One" and "Solo" as well as the concentrated fan displeasure with the third and so far last "Star Wars" trilogy led to a rethink on the part of rights holder Disney and Lucasfilm producer Kathleen Kennedy.

They went into seclusion in 2019 like their film hero Obi-Wan Kenobi after the end of »Episode III: Revenge of the Sith« (2005) and landed after their comeback with »The Mandalorian« a hit with the audience for the then new Disney+ service.

Indicative of the company's new, streaming-focused "Star Wars" strategy is that at a presentation rush this week in Anaheim, California, new movies apparently hardly played a role, although at least one, "Rogue Squadron" by "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins, is already planned for the end of 2023.

Instead, it was revealed that Jude Law will star in the new series Skeleton Crew.

It was already known that Diego Luna will reprise his role from "Rogue One" in the series "Andor" and Rosario Dawson will have his own series about the fan-favorite Jedi Knight Ahsoka from "The Mandalorian".

Small, juicy-looking rectangles of meat

But first, "Obi-Wan Kenobi" still gets his big solo appearance.

The series takes place ten years after the end of "Revenge of the Sith" and about as long before "A New Hope", i.e. the original "Star Wars" film from 1977, in which Alec Guinness saw the aged monk with the lightsaber embodied.

After the devastating ridicule of critics about George Lucas' so-called prequel trilogy of the noughties, Ewan McGregor really didn't feel like throwing on the Jedi robe again, but there's probably something to the itching theory: If the »Star Wars« Power lures - and with it a hefty fee and a lot of publicity - even the most conceited character mime can't resist.

Obi-Wan lives a secluded life on the desert planet of Tatooine to clandestinely watch over the adolescent Luke Skywalker, who is growing up on a farm with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

McGregor's bearded Jedi Master, a little wrinkled-faced but no Alec Guinness yet, rides across the wasteland on his camel-like Eopie like some sort of Lawrence from Galactica.

To earn money, he works on the assembly line of an open-air slaughterhouse that cuts out small, juicy-looking meat rectangles from a giant creature stranded in the middle of the desert.

Exactly such well-portioned little bites as the ones that Disney hacks out of its box office monster »Star Wars« for new series, comics or films.

It is also beautifully self-ironic how a mercantile, clever Jawa later in his cave wants to sell him that model of a »T16 Skyhopper« airplane for a sinful amount of money, with which little Luke plays in »A New Hope«: »These things are hard to do get it," complains the Jawa, who of course knows exactly how coveted and expensive such original "Star Wars" merchandise items are among collectors.

more on the subject

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• "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian": Space spaghetti stew, well seasonedBy Andreas Borcholte

Yes, there's humor, excellent landscapes and creatures - and lots of fan service in this series, which becomes a character test for Obi-Wan: The Jedi are plagued with guilt because, as their teacher, he couldn't prevent Anakin Skywalker from going to the dark side of the force and became Darth Vader.

He also believes his friend and protégé dead after he sawed off his legs on the lava planet Mustafar and left him in the flames.

Disillusioned, he ekes out his diaspora existence on Tatooine and tries in vain to establish spiritual contact with his old mentor Qui-Gon, as Yoda once suggested to him.

But the power, the belief in good, weakens in Obi-Wan, so much that he also denies himself in a Peter moment when a hunted Jedi asks him for help.

We remember: "Star Wars" was always about the balance of the "force" between good and evil, i.e. between hunger for power, anger and egocentricity on the one hand, and selflessness, kindness and humanism on the other.

Does self-doubt and grief threaten Obi-Wan Kenobi to succumb to the dark side?

In the first two episodes it doesn't look like it.

But the first big reunion between him and Darth Vader is already waiting: Hayden Christensen's spectacular return is already teased at the end of the second episode.

The appearance of the ultimate villain should overshadow Obi-Wan's story, as it has throughout his Star Wars career so far.

The challenge of the series, directed and produced by Deborah Chow, will be to actually define the character of this popular but hitherto underexposed character - and to explain at the end how the 50-year-old McGregor can become a white-haired old man within just a few Star Wars years .

McGregor does his best to bridge the gap between the younger and older Obi-Wan, at least linguistically:

The script will show whether that's enough.

To make matters worse after the first episodes, that - again - a lot of things seem more interesting than his character.

It is well known that aging white men are having a hard time at the moment, even in the »Star Wars« world, which has recently become more diverse and feminine: The inquisitor Reva, who apparently also has »power« talent, is an apparently very complex new character.

The former Jedi Knight is evil and merciless, but also shaken by the racism of the Nazi system, in which she wants to make a career as a black woman.

She has a lot of potential to steal the show from Obi-Wan.

And then there is the other Skywalker offspring, to whose rescue Obi-Wan leaves his post on Tatooine and gets up for the last fight: the still small but already adorable wet brisk Princess Leia is attacked by Reva's captors (including Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) from the custody of the Organa noble family in order to lure Obi-Wan out of cover.

Similar to the so-called Baby Yoda in »The Mandalorian«, the cheeky child, who doubts Kenobi's Jedi abilities as well as the fact that he could pass as her father ("more like my grandfather"), becomes the joker and secret star of the series: The young actress Vivien Lyra Blair, known from the Netflix hit »Bird Box«, is already a talented scene thief after just a few appearances.

Poor Obi Wan.

May the force - and the attention of the audience - be with him.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi"

: A new episode every Wednesday on Disney+