Episode IV of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+. Here’s our spoiler-filled review and discussion of the episode.
Dumo’s Thoughts and Musings
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is clearly at his low point. He nearly died at the hands of his former apprentice, Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen). Reva (Moses Ingram) kidnapped little Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) at the end of the previous episode. Thanks to the heroic efforts of Tala (Indira Varma), Obi-Wan has been healing in a bacta tank. Vader took it upon himself to burn his former Master. How poetic Kenobi was inches away from suffering the same fate as Vader. I believe the Dark Lord wants to drink every drop of his revenge. I must also point out the clever editing as we see Obi-Wan suffering through his healing process just as Vader suffers through his.
Tala whisks the Jedi Master away to a safe location. Obi-Wan meets Roken, a leader in The Path network who helps Jedi escape the Empire. Roken is played by none other than the O’Shea Jackson Jr. He just happens to be the son of ICE CUBE. O’Shea is a delight to watch from many films as he portrays a reluctant hero. It was surprising to find out that his deceased wife was Force Sensitive. I am curious if his wife was a full-fledged Jedi or if she discovered her abilities very late away from the Jedi Temple until her untimely death. You can tell that Roken knows what he is fighting for.
After much discussion, Obi-Wan pleads with Roken to stage a rescue on the ocean planet or Nur. This planet is the same planet as the one from the hit video game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. Nur is the base of operations for the Inquisitors so it’s no walk in the park. Tala continues to be a guiding presence. She reminds me of Satine from Clone Wars. I love the moment when Obi-Wan is trying to use the Force and Tala gives some advice for centering himself for the sake of Leia.
Tala is cunning and fearless. She puts on an imperial officer disguise to help Obi-Wan rescue Leia. She then maintains her cover and finds herself pulling off the poker face lying in front of Reva. The pair make quite the rescue team. Tala is on track to be my favorite character of the season. Obi-Wan seems to be getting his groove as he navigates his way through the fortress of fear.
Leia continues to impress me. She withstands Reva’s interrogation efforts, thinking it is all just a staring contest. The Force is clearly strong within her and yet not enough to fully alert Reva. Reva’s reaction when Leia nearly tricks her into calling her father is priceless. Padmé Amidala would be so proud. In fact, I have no doubt Padmé would do the same thing. I think it was very interesting for Reva not to kill Leia’s droid comrade. It was a human moment for Reva. Impressive, most impressive indeed.
Obi-Wan manages to rescue Leia, but not before seeing a tomb of Jedi and some sympathizers encased in some Jurassic Park-looking amber. I wonder if they are dead or if they are encased in carbon freeze like in Empire Strikes Back. Either way, it is grim to watch. As a Clone Wars fan, it was quite shocking to see a reference to the show in the form of Tera Sinube. He is an elder Jedi who helped Ahsoka Tano find her lost lightsaber. I am glad he lasted as long has he did since his initial appearance. I salute his warrior spirit. Kenobi’s reaction says it all.
It is a close call, but the three manage to escape. Nur thanks to the help of Roken and his cohorts. I liked seeing Obi-Wan utilize his Force powers to stop glass and to see him in disguise. Rest in Peace Roken’s friend who distracted Reva.
I nearly screamed when we see Vader in a split second about ready to kill Reva for her failure. I was certain Reva was lying about putting a tracker on Leia or the ship. She was buying time. But we find out that showing mercy to Leia’s droid was INTENTIONAL. Reva is a survivor. It looks like the Fifth Brother will have to work with Reva another day.
I like the ending. The trio made it out of Nur at the cost of a brave soul. I love seeing the Master and the progeny of Anakin hold hands. Obi-Wan has proven that he is willing to see this to the very end. Roken, the surviving rescue pilot and Tala realize there is no turning back now.
These final two episodes of the season are going to be epic. I have a somewhat optimistic feeling about this. I hope Roken’s ship has tracker detectors or at least Leia’s droid can warn our heroes.
Mack’s Thoughts and Musings
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode IV delivers on the classic Star Wars rescue scenario as our titular hero races to save little Leia from the clutches of the Third Sister, Reva. I’ve seen a lot of discourse online about this episode, with people arguing that it’s a filler episode with a premise we’ve seen too many times in this franchise before. If Episode IV is a filler episode, it certainly moved the plot along and developed our main characters, albeit in a familiar fashion.
Star Wars is all about saving your friends from evil. Even though the heroes breaking into the Fortress of Evil with its incompetent Stormtroopers and grey, sterile atmosphere, I still found myself intrigued by the setup and on the edge of my seat as Kenobi and his allies survive several close calls against the Inquisitors and their forces. The shocking scene of Kenobi finding Jedi and Force-sensitive individuals frozen in amber was appropriately dark and grim, especially with a cameo from the long-dead Tera Sinube. RIP dude—thanks for always having Ahsoka’s back. Throughout the scene, I was wondering if Obi-Wan was mentally preparing himself over the possibility of seeing Ahsoka among the horrifying display.
Speaking of horrifying, I was legitimately terrified when Vader burst into the room and Force choked her, but Reva saved herself by revealing she put a tracker on Leia and Kenobi’s ship. Those damn trackers—always finding their way into Star Wars climaxes!
Little Leia continues to be a scene-stealer as she bravely faces down interrogation from Reva and shows early signs of that warrior spirit even Darth Vader couldn’t break. I also loved Indira Varma’s meaty role as Talla, who can outlie the best scoundrels in the galaxy. There’s a distinct scene at the end of the epsisode I noticed, in which Tala comforts the young woman whose fellow pilot died during Leia’s rescue. Little Leia notices this and proceeds to seek comfort from Obi-Wan by grabbing his hand.
I was so touched because we know in a few years, little Leia will be the one giving comfort to those who need it. I’m so excited for Vivien Lyra Blair’s future in the franchise—she’s got an exciting future ahead of her. Carrie Fisher would be proud.
What did you think of Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode IV? Let me know in the comments. For all things Star Wars and pop culture, check out my website. Stay nerdy!
Mack's Musings 