Obi-Wan Kenobi

Early reactions to Ewan McGregor's Disney+ Star Wars TV mini series suggest the force is strong with this one.

ComicBook’s Brandon Davis had a similar response, telling his followers Obi-Wan Kenobi was “really surprising! Meanwhile, Total Film attended an early screening of Obi-Wan Kenobi and gave it a thumbs up on Twitter: “Wow, what a start” they said, adding intriguingly that the first episode “pulls Obi into the action in a very unexpected way.” It’s McGregor’s first time back in the Jedi gown for 17 year since 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, and Obi-Wan Kenobi will fill in the character’s unknown back story between the events of that film and 1977’s A New Hope.

The latest Star Wars spin-off from Disney+ sees the Scot put in his best performance as the legendary Jedi in a John Wick-esque caper with marvellous action ...

It’s the sort of character and performance that would usually deserve its own spin-off, even if it didn’t exist in the world of modern Star Wars, where every single character who ever appears onscreen is all but guaranteed a full series about their origin story. In the prequel series they often overwhelmed McGregor’s performance, but here, he wears them lightly, letting some of his natural charisma seep through. The series actually starts to justify its own existence. The story goes that this series started life as a film. Post-Lucas Star Wars exists almost exclusively to bulk out thin gruel, joining various dots that didn’t need to be joined, for the delight of a quickly ageing fanbase. Kenobi left Anakin Skywalker for dead a decade ago and, realistically, it’s another decade before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope.

Making one final excursion as the fan-favourite Jedi Master, 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' will answer many fan questions - and more importantly - gift us with yet ...

Nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia: it's one of the pillars of the most recent Star Wars trilogy. In celebration of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' launching on Disney+, we're giving away quite an incredible merchandise bundle which includes a backpack, umbrella, cap, notebook, badges and Lightsaber keychain. Not to overwhelm you, but there are plenty of other recognisable faces making their Star Wars debuts in the 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' series. Then, you won't have to wait too much longer until the next episode, as episodes three to six will premiere on Disney+ each Wednesday thereafter. In the current timeline of events, yes, but this is a prequel series dear reader. Take 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' as a "What did Anakin Skywalker do next?"

Ten years after Revenge Of The Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is hiding out in the Tatooine desert. Imperial Inquisitors are already lurking in the ...

Whether the show can truly redeem the prequels without relying too heavily on embroidering the stories of characters we already know remains to be seen, but it’s a great pleasure to see an older, wiser McGregor back in this role. His adventures here may offer a chance at redemption not just for his character but that entire under-loved era of Star Wars, cherrypicking the bits that worked and leaving aside the embarrassing Gungans and terrible screenwriting (at least so far). Sure, you could call it fan service and you’d probably be right, given the number of familiar characters here, but here’s a prequel character interacting with baddies who feel thoroughly Imperial, and a tired world that still features traces of neon and cities that span planets. Still, the first episodes of_Obi-Wan Kenobi_feature scares and stress enough to age anyone, and more importantly some effective connective tissue between the tone of the two trilogies.

It has been 17 long years since Revenge Of The Sith arrived in cinemas, which was the last time we got to see Ewan McGregor in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The first episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi arrive exclusively on Disney+ this week, and it is fair to say that Star Wars fans are HYPED. And from Darth Maul to General Grevious to Snoke, there is no arguing that Star Wars knows how to create massively memorable villains. The new series will also be bringing back Hayden Christensen, now in full-on Darth Vader mode. Brought to you by Disney+ Vader won't be the only one hunting down Kenobi in the show, as we'll also be introduced to the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) and the Third Sister (Moses Ingram), both of whom are two of the most formidable and feared characters in the entire Star Wars universe. Brought to you by Disney+

New Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi had a surprising fate for a character from Star Wars Rebels.

Clearly, there must be more than one Grand Inquisitor on the Empire’s books from this alien species (called Pau’an, if you want to get technical), and the Inquisitor that fans were familiar with was a different man. Well, it seems like Obi-Wan Kenobi (and Rebels creator Dave Filoni, who gets a “special thanks” in the credits) has pulled a fast one on fans. Rather than let him take her prize (and in revenge for his insults), Reva kills him in cold blood, leaving him on the ground before she starts hunting Kenobi again.

The episode ends with Vader floating in a bacta tank, yellow eyes on display and a breathing mask strapped over his mouth and nose. We hear that iconic ...

THAT ENDING FOR EPISODE TWO THOUGH," thinks another person (opens in new tab). But this is even better jsjsjs," says someone else (opens in new tab). "Seeing it jump from Obi Wan saying "Anakin"… to actual Vader/Anakin in the bacta tank. "The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi were quite the emotional thrill ride. "THAT ENDING TO EPISODE 2 OF #ObiWanKenobi OMGGGG The first 2 episodes were amazing. And the 3rd one is going to be even better…"

Ewan McGregor is stepping back into the role of Obi-wan Kenobi for his own miniseries too. There's a lot to learn about the iconic Jedi Master.

When Luke finds R2-D2 and discovers a message on it destined for an "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke pays a visit to the only Kenobi he knows, the old man in the desert. Obi-Wan gives the girl, Leia, to Bail Organa on Alderaan and takes the boy, Luke, to his aunt and uncle on Tatooine to keep them safe. When Anakin’s hubris leads to a mistake in judgment, Kenobi slices off his limbs, sending him sliding down to the lava’s edge. Despite the sacred Jedi code of non-attachment, Obi-Wan wished Anakin the happiness he had been denied. To save Palpatine, Anakin attacks his own superior, embracing the dark side and becoming Darth Vader. Meanwhile, the Jedi Council, including Yoda, are hesitant to believe Kenobi’s claims about a Sith Lord in the Senate. Armed with plans for a new weapon, the Death Star, he meets with his master, Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), and the two agree that things are going well. In 2002’s Attack of The Clones, Obi-Wan finds that a bounty hunter named Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) has been hired as the template for the clone army. Jinn is adamant and makes Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin with his dying breath. Queen and now Senator Amidala narrowly survives an assassination attempt, and Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi is assigned to track her would-be killer. As he's watching over a young Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely), the Empire sets their sights on Kenobi, and he's off to go on another adventure. Fans of the Star Wars franchise have overwhelmingly pined for an Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi" starring Ewan McGregor premieres its first two episodes today on Disney Plus today (May 27).

The rest of the main cast includes Rupert Friend (The Grand Inquisitor), Moses Ingram (Seventh Sister), Sung Kang (Fifth Brother), Joel Edgerton (Owen Lars), Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), and Grant Feely (Luke Skywalker). Darth Vader will be a vital addition to the drama and speculation has run rampant that we'll see a confrontation with his former master, whose skills might be a bit rusty after ten years in exile. These heartless assassins report directly to the Grand Inquisitor and are headed up by Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister, who were previously introduced in "Star Wars: Rebels" Season 2.

The revelation that Princess Leia knew Obi-Wan Kenobi as a little kid is surprising. But this Star Wars canon twist doesn't create plot hole.

But, for the most part, the narrative focus of A New Hope is on Luke. What Obi-Wan Kenobi does is shift that narrative focus not only to Ben himself but also, to Luke’s sister. The new revelation that Leia was buddies with Obi-Wan when she was a kid isn’t just some cool canon twist. It also adds a tragic layer to everything that happens on the Death Star in A New Hope. Leia doesn’t get to reunite with Obi-Wan, and instead, just before escaping with Han and Luke, she sees him killed. However, when Luke breaks Leia out of her cell in the Death Star, he says “I’m here with Ben Kenobi,” and Leia doesn’t miss a beat. Leia is too smart to say “years ago, you rescued me from bounty hunters when I was a little kid.” Even after the fact, keeping Obi-Wan’s activities relatively secret, is still important. This is all an elaborate trap set by Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram) to capture Obi-Wan and bring him to Vader. However, it also establishes a relationship between Ben and Leia, which, prior to now, we never knew existed.

What was Obi-Wan Kenobi up to during those years when he was watching over Luke Skywalker after the Republic's fall in "Revenge of the Sith?"

That scenario also creates plenty of opportunities for callbacks that, in a theatrical setting, would have fans whooping and hollering. He watches the young Luke from a respectable distance, which is still too close to suit the boy's Uncle Owen (Joel Edgerton), who well remembers how he ended up with the lad in his care. Those considerations aside, the Disney+ series presents subscribers what feels like a wonderful distraction, no Jedi mind tricks required.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's two-part premiere is a surprisingly weighty introduction to an emotional Star Wars story.

The whole two-part premiere is full of this intertwined scripting; the links between Obi-Wan, Leia, her kidnappers, and Reva all make for a show that feels nicely coherent and planned. But chase sequences and shootouts so far feel simple and workhorse compared to the best of The Mandalorian’s action direction. I really like that Kenobi’s emotional path is mirrored by his physical one, and the match cut between his and Vader’s face at the end of the two-part premiere provided the perfect chilling indicator of this. This moment is the first nudge; Obi-Wan needs to return to the ways of the Jedi. He needs to help people. She helps provide a little levity among an otherwise surprisingly serious slice of Star Wars. The same can be said about Kumail Nanjiani, who brings his usual charm to grifter Haja Estree. On Tatooine he refuses to help another Jedi escape from the inquisition because he doesn’t want to risk his semi-selfish mission of watching over Luke. That Jedi’s corpse is next seen strung up in the streets in a shot that highlights Chow’s ability to bring darkness without being inappropriately violent for this kind of show. This promises a real treat of an emotional and physical showdown later down the line, and I hope Obi-Wan Kenobi can deliver on that promise. The two-part premiere opens a series that is surprisingly complex and unexpectedly mature; a slice of Star Wars that feels heavy and layered. But while vital to the journey, the ongoing hunt for the final surviving Jedi is just the broad picture. Opening as Order 66 is initiated, this is a show about living amid the death of one age, and the start of a darker one. His new camp on Tatooine has been established not to watch over Luke because he represents hope for the future, but through an inability to let go of one of the remaining links to his fallen brother. George Lucas envisioned the Empire as a reflection of many things, but Obi-Wan Kenobi really leans into the Nazi parallels.

Going into Disney+'s new Star Wars series, most fans suspected that the show would center on McGregor's exiled hermit as he helped to protect a young Luke on ...

The character is credited as an unnamed clone veteran, but we'll have to wait and see whether Morrison pops up anywhere else in Obi-Wan Kenobi. It's an interesting twist, and it's surprisingly moving to watch Obi-Wan interact with the daughter of his two oldest friends. Leia and Bail Organa aren't the only Star Wars veterans to make an appearance in the first two episodes, either. What Reva doesn't know is the real reason Obi-Wan is so keen to protect Leia: because she and Luke are the only children of Padmé and Anakin. Even at 10 years old, the young Leia is as bright and as headstrong as her adult counterpart, and she already knows how to deliver a savage comeback. (Watching Blair insult her snobby cousin feels a lot like watching Carrie Fisher spit venom at Grand Moff Tarkin in A New Hope… minus the random English accent.) The young Leia also seems as brave — and as stubborn — as her mom Padmé and her dad Anakin, and when Obi-Wan first meets her, he tells her that she reminds him quite a bit of a certain Naboo queen he used to know.

The dual-episode premiere of the first non-Mandalorian-based Star Wars Disney Plus series has arrived, Obi-Wan Kenobi, which has expanded its name from just ...

Ewan McGregor is finally getting something to work with in terms of a script, an upgrade from the prequels. Leia rebels against her stuffy upbringing, and appears to be exhibiting at least mildly force-like symptoms where she can read people’s fears to a certain extent, disguised as being observant. The series was given to Mandalorian director Deborah Chow, and so far, it’s going pretty well.

It doesn't break new 'Star Wars' ground but Ewan McGregor is a Jedi sort of 'John Wick' in his galactic return in new Disney+ series 'Obi-Wan Kenobi.'

If "Star Wars" fans are going to see a new angle to things they know, it should be with a beloved familiar face. Fans will get a kick out of familiar characters (especially one in particular) who show up in “Kenobi"; more impressive are the subtle reflections of well-known scenes that add thematic depth. While it doesn’t break any huge new “Star Wars” ground, at least not yet – we’ll see what happens in the next four episodes (streaming weekly beginning Wednesday) – the series nicely bridges the gap between the prequels and the original trilogy and hints at some political intrigue within the evil Empire.

Disney's latest Star Wars spin-off show has been hotly anticipated for the return of Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Knight – and it mostly lives up to the hype, ...

Obi-Wan Kenobi runs the same risk here, but justifies itself by being the first Disney+ Star Wars series to feel like a main Star Wars story, rather than some offcut, with its centring of lead characters from the films. The closing shot shows a burnt and scarred Vader in a bacta tank, giving us our first glimpse of the returning Hayden Christensen, who reprises his role as Anakin. It's no secret that they will fight again in this series, which has attracted some concern that it could undercut the significance of their duel in 1977's A New Hope – again, making the universe feel smaller. A recurring problem with Disney's era of Star Wars spin-off films and TV shows has been that the more gaps they fill in the overarching timeline, the more backstory of big characters that is illuminated, the smaller and less interesting the universe becomes. Whatever the reason for it, this reappraisal is evidently a driver for the latest Disney+ Star Wars show, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a slick six-part series that seeks to explore what happened to the Jedi Master after the harrowing events of 2005's Revenge of the Sith. The show even begins with a recap of the prequels. Obi-Wan is eventually forced into action by episode one's big surprise: the kidnap of a 10-year-old Princess Leia, played with an endearing precociousness by Bird Box's Vivien Lyra Blair. Obi-Wan, who is one of the few people in the galaxy aware of her importance, is approached by her adoptive father Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits reprising his prequel role) to rescue her. This, of course, could simply be a case of millennial nostalgia, although I would say it is also founded on a valid sense of appreciation for movies that – while undeniably flawed in execution – are rich in the kind of cohesion and ideas that Disney's sequel trilogy sorely lacked.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney Plus, and the six-episode-long series fills in the gaps between the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequels.

The dude looks rough (though better than I would after a decade of hard desert living), and one of the show’s highlights so far has been watching him wrestle with the hard-wired instinct to be a hero. This, it turns out, is all part of the Third Sister’s plot to lure Obi-Wan out of hiding by appealing to his inherent need to help people. Eventually, her propensity for running off gets her in trouble when a gang of outlaws (the leader of whom is played by Flea, the bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers) kidnaps her. She has no interest in the royal life, though, and spends most of her time shirking responsibilities to play with a cute droid named Lola in the woods. You don’t have to worry about midi-chlorians or Watto. All that matters is the tumultuous and tragic relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin. After the recap, the show then shifts to the tragedy at the Jedi Temple so that you remember why Obi-Wan is hiding. And for the first two episodes, at least, it works — Obi-Wan is playing the hits, reminding me why I actually care about Star Wars to begin with.

The acting's better than the prequels (although it was a low bar), the Daiyu mission's a Blade Runner-channelling joy and Disney have nailed the Inquisitors ...

And who are the people he sent Obi-Wan to meet? As the old Jedi, not in fighting shape, had no choice but to get stuck in against much younger opposition, while taking care of a slightly annoying youngster, I was once again reminded of a cowboy movie, this time perhaps True Grit. To the episode proper, and we returned to the Jedi Temple during the events of Order 66. A quick jump 10 years in the future, and two shots of cold exposition from the barman later (Yes, people watching who haven’t seen Star Wars Rebels, those people with the strange hats are Inquisitors, and they hunt Jedi), we were reunited with Nari, one of the five escapers. Not to damn the whole thing with the faintest of praise, but this is his best Star Wars performance yet. Welcome to the first of our Obi-Wan Kenobi episode recaps.

Disney Plus' latest Star Wars spin-off arrives with a somewhat surprising appearance from a certain princess.

And hey, the episode ends with Obi-Wan learning from Reva that Vader is indeed still alive, and we get a hard cut to a wrinkled and roasted Anakin floating in a tub with a breathing mask on. Extremely precocious and cute, like a Star Wars version of Anya from Spy X Family, and I like that her precociousness actually becomes a problem for Obi-Wan when she immediately figures out that he’s a Jedi and that the bad guys are coming after her to get to him. The good news is that the second episode is a lot more interesting and exciting than the first one, with Obi-Wan using the Game Boy Advance he stashed in his secret Jedi box to track Leia to Los Angeles from Blade Runner, or at least the Star Wars version of it. This is where the show runs into a bunch of Star Wars canon problems that it just creates for itself out of a desire to give Obi-Wan something to do beyond sit in a desert until the events of the original movie. Obi-Wan initially refuses, but after seeing Nari dead and strung up in the middle of town he gives in and agrees to break his oath to keep an eye on Luke so he can go save Leia. “The time of the Jedi is over, he says.” But, like Reva said, he’ll have to scratch that itch eventually.

How do you keep up the suspense in a story, when the audience already pretty much knows how it ends?

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi · Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker · Moses Ingram as Reva/The Third Sister · Vivien Lyra Blair as Princess Leia ...

The Jedi in the Order 66 scene is a new character named Minas Velti, played by Ming Qiu, who is best known as a stunt performer. It’s so nice to see Jimmy Smits back as Bail Organa. Smits first played the role in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith before reprising the role for Rogue One in 2016. You also know Nanjiani as Kingo in Marvel’s Eternals, but he’s popped up in tons of other nerdy things, including in the revival of The X-Files, a show he loves so much he even hosts a podcast about it. If you want to check out Edgerton in one of his best non-Star Wars roles, watch the 2017 psychological horror movie It Comes at Night. Sung Kang has a new family in Obi-Wan Kenobi, one even more dysfunctional than the one at the center of the other massive franchise adorning his filmography. Outside of Star Wars, Smits is best known for his TV roles in hit shows such as LA Law, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, and Sons of Anarchy. But it would be a shame not to get more of Friend’s menacing performance as the leader of the Inquisitors. While he’s almost unrecognizable under all that makeup, you’ve likely seen Friend plenty of times outside of Star Wars. He was regular on political thriller series Homeland, co-starred in Willem Dafoe vehicle At Eternity’s Gate, and just starred in Anatomy of a Scandal. Leia is played by the adorable Vivien Lyra Blair, who most recently played little Eleanor Roosevelt in the Apple series The First Lady. She’ll next appear in the adaptation of Stephen King short story The Boogeyman. Moses Ingram is an absolute powerhouse as the ruthless Reva, an Imperial Inquisitor who isn’t afraid to undermine and stab her own boss to get what she wants. He’s only on screen for about a minute, but yes, that’s little Luke running around the Lars homestead while Uncle Owen tries to teach him how to farm. In the latter two Prequels, he plays Anakin Skywalker, the conflicted young Jedi Knight who is destined to become the evil Darth Vader. Much has been said about his performance in those movies already, so we went dwell on it further here. Obi-Wan Kenobi brings back Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their iconic Star Wars roles, but the show also boasts a very strong ensemble cast beyond its central stars.

In the latest Disney+ series to mine the Star Wars universe, Ewan McGregor once again steals the show as the title character — this time with a cute sidekick ...

You would not automatically think of Nanjiani as a Han Solo type, even after he got all swole to star in Eternals, but Star Wars projects almost always benefit from having a prominent character who’s more cynical about the mythos than the Skywalkers and/or the Jedi are. * Much was made of Rupert Friend being cast as the Grand Inquisitor, a figure who appeared multiple times on the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon. * Finally, the Mandalorian Season One cast was incredibly eclectic, with Werner Herzog, Nick Nolte, Taika Waititi, and other people you would not instantly expect to appear in a galaxy far, far away. Between this show and The Book of Boba Fett, someone on the Star Wars TV stunt team is really into parkour. Obi-Wan’s attempt to get back to who he used to be is the emotional core, and the best part, of this new show. And there is obviously always a concern that Lucasfilm can’t help itself from turning back to the Skywalkers again and again, even though that saga has very clearly exhausted itself(*). And after much hesitancy to use either his lightsaber or the Force, he manages, with much strain and barely enough result, to use the latter to save Leia after she falls from an ill-considered rooftop jump. The Inquisitors, for instance, seem fairly laid-back about letting Nari get away from them the first time, while the rooftop standoff in the second hour seems to end abruptly once Obi-Wan saves Leia, even though he appeared to be pinned down by enemy fire. Twice in the Obi-Wan premiere, our hero is offered a chance to become who he used to be. And Obi-Wan’s reawakening is a strong enough hook to pull the viewer through the parts of the show that don’t work quite as well. He seems almost afraid to touch the lightsaber he buried in the desert (let alone the one he took off of Anakin after leaving him for dead on a volcano planet). When young Leia later questions whether her would-be rescuer is even a Jedi at all, Obi-Wan does not look as if he is prepared to mount a stirring defense of the credentials he has long since allowed to lapse. “I’m not who I used to be,” Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Bail Organa late in the first episode of Obi-Wan’s self-titled Disney+ series.

The episodes were released days after the mass shooting that killed 21 at an elementary school in the Texas town.

In deleted scenes that have since been leaked online, Monica and Chandler get detained at an airport after Chandler makes a joke about a bomb on the plane. Some fans of the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary took to Twitter in the wake of the tragedy to request that a school-shooting episode be written, which was quickly shut down by the show’s creator and lead Quinta Brunson. “people are that deeply removed from demanding more from the politicians they've elected and are instead demanding ‘entertainment,’” she tweeted. “I can't ask ‘are yall ok"’ anymore because the answer is ‘no.’ ”

The miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi opens with what appears to be a school shooting, days after one took place in Texas. Fans share reactions, criticism and ...

Conceding that it might turn out to be important later, the scene didn’t “connect” to any other plot line shown in the episode. But two days after 21 people were gunned down in a school, watching that hurt and felt belittling to a tragedy.” “There is a time and place for art to tell those stories and play its role in holding society accountable for itself. Journalist Daniel Figueroa IV went to the world premiere of the show in Anaheim, Calif. on May 26, two days after the Texas school shooting. “Come on.” In the premiere episode, stormtroopers open fire onto a Jedi school and distressed children flee with their teachers.

Netflix added a content disclosure to 'Stranger Things' to warn viewers of a violent scene involving kids. Viewers think 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' should have too.

@disneyplus Hey, @Disney did it occur to you that since Obi-Wan Kenobi starts with a SCHOOL SHOOTING maybe now was not the time to drop it early? In that scene, a Jedi instructor is killed protecting a group of young students while the Jedi temple is being attacked by Clone Troopers who are executing the order. The camera cuts to bodies of young children and lab workers covered in blood strewn over the facility and later shows a young Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) as the catalyst. However, the new Disney+ series starring Ewan McGregor did not offer a warning to audiences. “But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of episode 1 distressing. We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable violence, and our hearts go out to every family mourning a loved one.”

Fans of the Star Wars franchise took to Twitter Friday, calling out Disney for including a school shooting in the first scene of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Netflix recently revealed it would include a trigger card for U.S. audiences at the beginning of the first episode of Stranger Things Season 4. Others provided warnings for other viewers, informing those interested in watching the first episode to skip to 6:14 into it to avoid the triggering scene. In one sequence, a teacher throws herself in front of her students to protect them from the troopers.

We are in an era of increasing reliance on familiarity to sell new movies and TV shows. “Remember how much you loved this!?!? Please love it again!

Explore this universe (and, to be fair, the second episode does a little of that setting shifting and yet still comes back to a few "High Noon" stand-offs in the street.) On the one hand, the ensemble is up for the challenge of telling a new story instead of just a familiar one. Everything changes for Obi-Wan when Leia Organa ( Vivien Lyra Blair) is kidnapped from her home planet of Alderaan by a group of bounty hunters (that includes Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers!) Leia’s guardians—Breha ( Simone Kessell) and Bail Organa ( Jimmy Smits)—reach out to Obi-Wan and ask him to track down the missing child. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” opens ten years after the events of “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.” Kenobi ( Ewan McGregor) is basically in hiding on Tatooine, keeping an eye on young Luke from a distance, while Jedis are hunted around the galaxy under Order 66. Please love it again!” The Disney+ Marvel and Star Wars shows have been criticized as fan service before but the two-part premiere of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” struggles more than any other property to date to develop its own personality outside of the two famous trilogies it seeks to connect (and even a hit Disney+ Star Wars show in its protector/child dynamic). However, this is a case wherein reviewing a show like director Deborah Chow and showrunner Joby Harold’s blockbuster series after only two episodes is almost impossible. One hopes that the first two episodes have gotten the callbacks out of the way and that the program will develop its own personality now, but there’s little evidence here that this will actually happen.

With a promise to reunite Kenobi with the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and introducing Vader's Inquisitorius into live action, fans are in for a thrilling story. The ...

The first two episodes are now streaming, with subsequent installments of the six-episode season premiering every Wednesday in June. - Get a refresher on the history of the character withObi-101 Obi-Wan Kenobi, the new limited series set between the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope, has arrived on Disney+! With a promise to reunite Kenobi with the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and introducing Vader’s Inquisitorius into live action, fans are in for a thrilling story.

UPDATED with Disney statement: Similarities between a horrible mass shooting at a Texas elementary school this week and a Jedi school massacre in Disney+'s ...

“In light of recent tragic events, we recognize there are certain scenes in this fictional series that some viewers may find upsetting and a content warning has been added to the show page,” a Disney spokesperson told Deadline today. The much-anticipated series dropped its first two episodes late Thursday, almost three days after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The inclusion of the warning comes one day after rolling out Obi-Wan at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim.

The new 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' series features a couple of hilariously unconvincing chase scenes.

How hard is it to deliver a solid chase scene in an adrenaline-packed space opera? This is the first time we’ve seen spent any significant time with young Leia, and she’s as whip-smart and sassy as her adult self. The first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi shines a light on young Princess Leia, played by Lyra Blair, giving fans a glimpse of her life on Alderaan, which is doomed to be incinerated by the Death Star in the original trilogy.

How do you keep up the suspense in a story, when the audience already pretty much knows how it ends?

Star Wars fans may still fall in love with a show that returns to a beloved fictional universe to tell an exciting new chapter. (Another bit of stunt casting, using the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea as a thuggish kidnapper, didn't work quite so well.) Even though he looks like he'd gleefully squash any being on Tatooine dumb enough to get in his way, The Grand Inquisitor constantly heckles Sevander for being too impulsive and harsh. And don't get me started on how the Jedi Knights' robes, spirituality and lightsabers all feel like they were originally lifted from Asian culture without including many Asian characters. But when Sevander threatens Owen's life and the lives of his family, promising to kill them all if the community doesn't reveal where Kenobi is, we know that's not going to happen. Some of the mistakes are small.

How do you keep up the suspense in a story, when the audience already pretty much knows how it ends?

Star Wars fans may still fall in love with a show that returns to a beloved fictional universe to tell an exciting new chapter. (Another bit of stunt casting, using the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea as a thuggish kidnapper, didn't work quite so well.) Even though he looks like he'd gleefully squash any being on Tatooine dumb enough to get in his way, The Grand Inquisitor constantly heckles Sevander for being too impulsive and harsh. And don't get me started on how the Jedi Knights' robes, spirituality and lightsabers all feel like they were originally lifted from Asian culture without including many Asian characters. But when Sevander threatens Owen's life and the lives of his family, promising to kill them all if the community doesn't reveal where Kenobi is, we know that's not going to happen. Some of the mistakes are small.