Finally, Lucasfilm and Disney are back in business with the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor's first time with the live-action franchise in 17 years. Since this series has been in development for the better part of the last three years, anticipation is at an all-time high to see the former Jedi Master take his rightful spotlight.
Obi-Wan Kenobi comes with four decades of history behind him in the long-running Star Wars franchise, finally completing the untold story of the Jedi between the events of 2005's Revenge of the Sith and 1977's A New Hope. Tasked with Protecting a young Luke Skywalker from the Dark Side Inquisitors, first seen in the Star Wars: Rebels animated series, McGregor's hero faces arguably the most challenging adventure in his history.
During this weekend's Star Wars Celebration, fans of the event have the opportunity to watch the first two full episodes with the stars of the show, namely McGregor and Darth Vader star Hayden Christensen. Now, as fans around the world engage in those two episodes and reunite with McGregor's iconic Star Wars heroes, early reactions to Obi-Wan's Disney+ story are breaking out. I'm very pleased to say that the Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere on Disney Plus is anything but: a well-constructed, languidly paced opening chapter to an epic that has all the makings of something very, very special.
We begin with Order 66, the Emperor's genocidal plans that clearly set the context for a galaxy without Jedi. Fast-forward 10 years and the Inquisitors, the Empire's elite Jedi hunting unit, arrive at a bar on Tatooine in search of a fugitive. It is there where a star is born.
Obi-Wan is content to live out his days, overseeing a certain Luke Skywalker and, more importantly, not interfering. It's a real hammer blow to watch the Jedi fail, but he does it here over and over again. He does not intervene as a factory worker is only paid half his salary, and he further fails to come to the aid of a fugitive Jedi, who eventually ends up on the wrong side of the Inquisitors. McGregor takes every opportunity to show Obi. -Wan's inner pain all over his face, and it's already one of the great Star Wars performances.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere is a stunning opening to a chapter that few would have cared about all those years ago, when Ewan McGregor punctuated the big screen with "Hello, Theres" and over the top declarations. This is a beautifully realized and mature slice of Star Wars that should be the blueprint for all stories. With Deborah Chow and Ewan McGregor, the series is in more than safe hands and, with Leia in tow, there's an added wrinkle to keep everyone hooked when John Williams' score skyrockets as the credits roll.