At the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s season, and possibly at the end of the series, though let’s face it, the characters in the old trilogies are quoted in Star Wars. “I’ll do what I have to do,” Obi-Wan says again, as he prepares to face Darth Vader again. “Then you’ll die,” Vader replies again as he prepares to fight an old friend again. (He also repeats that he has to face this friend alone.) Many stops, throws, and cuts later, Obi-Wan says goodbye to his ex-apprentice with the words, “Then my friend is really dead.” echo of another hero who will. one day he tries to redeem Darth Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s 10-year-old Luke is a long way from offering a version of this line, though he makes a double statement when he declares, “I’m not afraid,” but (almost) walks silently. end long enough to trigger a third mandatory invocation of Kenobi’s slogan. What do you know? Another trilogy.
There is definitely a market for this kind of thing. But as I watched Kenobi’s last act (for now) come down to a custom-made inherited act for DiCaprio pointing or the “He Said Thing” memes, I felt like Kenobi staring at his old man’s ruined mask. friend. Tragedy draws power from repetition, it is true, but there is a difference between retracing the old territory to get a dramatic effect and doing so for lack of new ideas. To regurgitate an old line myself, there are still good things in this series, but it is buried in self-reference, hasty characterization, and terribly implausible plot, as the characters repeatedly make confusing decisions and are inexplicably left for dead to ensure -the ship is landed at a predetermined point dictated by the canon. From my point of view, Star Wars has seldom seemed so ossified: so captive to the past of its protagonists and captive to its future.
In its 44 minutes, not counting the credits, the second longest in the series after the premiere, the finale had many plot points to score. Extract Obi-Wan from a seemingly inescapable pursuit of a Star Destroyer; design another confrontation with Vader; make Kenobi accept his past; rescue Luke and redeem Reva; deliver Leia to Alderaan; Qui-Gon Jinn returns. He achieves all these goals, but he does so by constantly cutting corners and insulting the intelligence of his characters and the audience alike. The moments that land — and there are a few — are mostly a testament to Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, and the story we have with their characters.
The episode opens in Tatooine, where the series began and where all the Star Wars paths lead. Unsurprisingly, Reva is looking for Luke through Owen. If there’s one thing we can believe in Obi-Wan, it’s to minimize our time on Tatooine, and this soon-to-be-established scene is reduced to space beyond Jabiim, where Roken’s transport, which carries Obi-Wan, Leia and the remains of the road. “He’s running away from Darth Vader’s flagship.” What follows is the longest space chase we’ve seen since the First Order’s flagship followed the Resistance fleet in The Last Jedi.
This time, however, the search makes no sense. Vader’s Star Destroyer, the Devastator, proves incapable of destroying or devastating an unarmed and unaccompanied transport. Nor does Vader’s command crew activate a tractor jet (as he would nine years later to catch the Leia in the Tantive IV) or unleash a single starburst. They settle for getting in after the transport, hitting while Roken does his best to fix the hyperdrive. This was the first of five times I wrote “Let’s Go” in my notes. At least there is a pleasant moment, when Obi-Wan sees the incipient diplomat Leia consoling the refugees with the help of her droid. “They’re scared,” Leia explains. “She keeps her mind off that.” Obi-Wan, his face full of a mixture of tenderness and fear, jokes, “Maybe I should borrow it too.”
After another brief cut in Tatooine, in which Owen learns that Reva has returned to the city, Obi-Wan realizes that this situation is unsustainable; Sooner or later, the Star Destroyer may be able to deactivate the seemingly indestructible shields of transport. His proposed solution is to get on an escape boat and get away from Vader. “You’ve spent 10 years protecting the Jedi,” he says. “This is my chance to get this favor back.” Right, but neither Leia nor Roken approve of the plan, perhaps because Obi-Wan “You’re the future! You’re what you need to survive!” it makes him look like he is preparing to sacrifice himself. “But we’re very close!” Roken protested, though, as he literally did a minute ago, he told Obi-Wan that fixing the hyperdrive would take longer than they had. Obi-Wan is determined; “You have to promise me you’ll take her home, Haja,” she says, confiding in Leia to a promising character the series created and then squandered (though she’ll probably return). Nice to meet you for a few minutes, man.
Exterior: Tatooine. Owen, knowing that Reva will be behind Luke, goes straight to the farm, where he informs Beru. “Well done,” he confesses, to which Beru replies, “Whose fault is it?” (It’s really Reva’s fault, but Beru’s husband didn’t help.) Owen wants to hide, but Beru doesn’t see the point; nor does he want to endanger anyone else by asking for help. She opts for the DIY approach of fighting a former Inquisitor with a lightsaber wielding the Force with a pair of blaster rifles. It’s not the worst move anyone makes in this episode, but it’s only because the competition in the department of bad ideas is so deep.
Back in the best armored transport in the galaxy, Obi-Wan gives away the empty Leia Tala case, much to the princess’s chagrin, says goodbye to her and promises to return. Then he has another one-way conversation with Qui-Gon. “I have to face it, master,” he says. “If he dies, or me. That ends today.” This season of Obi-Wan Kenobi, yes; the saga of Obi-Wan and Anakin, no. Roken – his last name, of course! – is not over either. He is still trying to convince Obi-Wan to break away from transportation; “We can still fix the drive,” he insists, dragging once again. Remember that this is the man who went from “this isn’t my problem” to “If you want my help, you’ve got it” in less than a minute in episode 4, and you’re still in a good way to flip-flop here. At least Roken is self-conscious about not being the main attraction, saying, “It’s not about us, is it?” “It’s about you and him.” That’s right, so let’s end this unnecessary scene. , although the Star Destroyer is still taking its sweet time when it comes to turbulence.
Before Obi-Wan apologizes, he shares a quick tribute to Roken’s off-screen leadership skills. “People are following you,” Obi-Wan says. “Don’t stop.” Roken, perhaps in the most puzzling phrase uttered in this series, says, “I just started.” Is Disney dropping bread crumbs for a Roken spin-off? Will Roken reappear in Andor? Does anyone want more of him? Memo in Lucasfilm: If you want us to care about Roken, you can’t tell us he’s a hero. So far, we’ve seen him do two things: try and fix things, and often contradict himself. I have deeper feelings for Wade. (Is it possible that Obi-Wan was secretly in Roken fooling the Jedi’s mind? That would explain why he can’t seem to decide. One way or another, he must be weak-willed.)
Eventually, Obi-Wan disembarks in the ship and moves away from the transport, forcing Vader to make a call. The Grand Inquisitor, who does not understand Vader’s wishes as well as Reva, argues in favor of keeping the course and removing the transport and resistance network on board. Vader, predictably, decides to go after his nemesis. Of course, there is no reason why you should choose one or the other; he could go after Obi-Wan to his own ship or, again, send some of the dozens of TIE fighters carrying the Star Destroyers. Alternatively, the Devastator could blow up the damn ship in the sky. But no; is a stellar destroyer, not a direct spacecraft destroyer, so Kenobi dodges lasers and drives the ship away from his friends. (This was the source of the second “Let’s Go”; this series doesn’t even aim to explain its biggest leaps in logic.)
Finally, he takes the Imperials to a nearby desolate and steep planet, where he lands and awaits Vader’s arrival. On the surface, he finds Lola hidden in her cloak, another pleasant moment and a look at her previous exchange with the early princess. In Mustafar, Obi-Wan followed Vader to a duel; here it is the other way around. “I’ll Do What I Have to Do” / “Then You’ll Die” with Revenge of the Sith and Rebels, respectively, takes place, and then the fight begins.
That skirmish is considerably more interesting than the interlude that takes place in Tatooine between Reva and Owen. I was expecting a series of Home Alone-style traps on the moisture farm (perhaps a blue milk tank or a domesticated Krayt dragon), but all Owen can do besides blow up is throw pots. and throw boxes. Naturally, he is no match for Reva; as I waited impatiently for the focus to shift from the background letter to the main event, I noticed that Roken’s comment that “It’s about you and him” also applied to this episode.
As for the last resumption of the two former Jedi generals: it’s okay. It’s not as long, acrobatic, or accompanied by a really fantastic themed song as his first Revenge of the Sith fight, but it’s not a meeting of old people from episode IV or episode 3 of this series. Kenobi, brandishing his sword with his old posture, really has more chances this time, so much so that he can explain Vader’s caution …