(Photo by Lucasfilm Ltd.)
One of the strange wonders in the Disney+ format is the way a series can reach the halfway point less than a week after its debut. And yet, Obi-Wan Kenobi is indeed three episodes into its six-episode run. And with that, a pivot of sorts has occurred as Obi-Wan Ben (Ewan McGregor) and Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) make their way to the mining planet of Mapuzo. Their journey points to some interesting wrinkles in the Star Wars galaxy and speaks further to the Jedi exile’s sense of disappointment and disconnection. And, of course, one classic element of the series overall makes a welcome return.
So let’s dive into the episode and, perhaps, divine a way for Ben to get out of his predicament and for the show to bank around its seeming continuity pothole.
Spoiler alert: This article discusses plot details from Obi-Wan Kenobi “Part III.” Stop here if you have not watched the episode and would like to avoid spoilers.
Ever since Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced Hayden Christensen’s return in December 2020, a lingering question remained in the air: Would James Earl Jones also return to voice of Vader? Happily, Part III answered this question with Jones not only lending his voice to the part again, but sounding much stronger than he did in his brief Rogue One: A Star Wars Story moments.
The forcefulness in his voice makes sense, of course, as Vader is not only 10 years younger — a cyborg in his 30s, in fact — but in the grip of his purest rage. From his lines to Ben in this episode, it is clear he has shifted the blame for his condition to his old master. From a certain point of view, that is fair. Ben chopped off his remaining limbs and left him to burn on Mustafar, after all. But as that was only a reaction to events Anakin put in motion, he is still the master of his own destiny and the one ultimately culpable for his encasement in that suit. Nevertheless, the rage Vader feels toward Ben is, in Sith teachings, a source of power even if it is built on a self-deception.
(Photo by Lucasfilm Ltd.)
Seeing that power on display is one of the thrills of the episode and, we think, a key reason to return to an era in which Vader is active. There are always new ways to make him formidable, ruthless, and scary while also underscoring what we saw in the Original Trilogy. We’ll even argue there’s an amplification here of his darkest actions in the Prequels: He seemingly has no problem killing children. Also, by leaving the parents alive in the Mapuzo encampment, it is clear he has fully adopted the impulse to be cruel. Of course, it is arguable his main objective was to draw Ben out. At the same time, though, we expect a Sith enjoys spreading a bit of suffering around no matter their goal.
That said, there seems to be one group Vader avoids harming: droids. Note the way he stops when the loader droid collects Ben. Sure, Tala Durith (Indira Varma) set that impassable fire to block the Stormtroopers, but Vader could’ve vaulted that with a Force-assisted jump. Also consider his old affinity for R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), the fact he built C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), and the way he pushes Boba Fett aside in The Empire Strikes Back when he makes moves to shoot Chewbacca and Threepio and a pattern begins to emerge.
We could be misreading that, of course, much as we misread Ben’s reaction to Anakin being alive as a revelation about his old padawan and Vader being one and the same. Also, it is possible his comic book or Star Wars Rebels appearances featured cruelty to droids that we’re failing to recall. But at the same time, Vader having a soft spot for robotic lifeforms feels like a consistent element of the character throughout both his lives.
And, it seems, he passed that sensitivity to Leia. Well, at least until Threepio started working for her.
(Photo by Lucasfilm Ltd.)
For decades, “a certain point of view” has been a sarcastic call to Ben’s ability to bold-face lie. Surprisingly little of what he told Luke (Mark Hamill) in the original Star Wars turned out to be factual, which he excused in Return of the Jedi with a sense of practicality in regard to his truthiness. Also, his ease with spy missions during the Clone Wars also seems rooted in his power to fib.
With that in mind, we were quite glad to see Leia call him out on that front.
And yeah, we get it: He has to do certain things to serve his mission and position Luke towards his destiny, but it is an interesting dichotomy that the most valorous of the Jedi seen in live action Star Wars also has a casual relationship with the truth. His conversation with Leia in the back of the transport may be the first time we actually get a glimpse at the cost of his facility with lying. Even without the Fall of the Republic, Obi-Wan would’ve ended up isolated in a very profound way.
During Star Wars Celebration last week, McGregor told us he never considered Ben falling to the Dark Side a possibility, but Obi-Wan Kenobi is revealing a fall into something almost as bad: despair, which is certainly an aspect of falling to the Dark Side — just look at the way Anakin despairs after he facilitates Mace Windu’s (Samuel L. Jackson) death in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith . But Ben’s hopelessness is something else; his bitterness, reluctance to help others, and even the way he lashes out at Leia when she asks about the nature of the Empire reflect something closer to clinical depression than a fall to the Dark Side. It is an interesting and unique gradation to the often binary nature of Jedi and Sith within live-action Star Wars. There are other ways to fall, and we’re interested to see how Ben overcomes it.
Granted, he’ll still be a liar when this adventure is over.
Read also: Star Wars Celebration: Everything We Learned About The Mandalorian Season 3, Andor, and More
(Photo by Lucasfilm Ltd.)
The journey on Mapuzo also gave viewers another look at how people in the galaxy live under the Empire. Freck (Zach Braff) is an example of the sort who cheerfully welcomed oppression as it brought “order” to his environment. This is often the promise of despots and it is interesting to consider Sheev Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) aims in orchestrating the Clone Wars to begin with — it destabilized the galaxy in a way not seen for generations. And while that had a direct political implication explored in the Prequels, a character like Freck speaks to the relief countless worlds must’ve felt when the Empire swiftly ended the Separatist threat. That sort of relief would carry enough momentum for the Frecks of the galaxy to accept chain codes, border inspections, and the encouragement to snitch on people. That sort of order and stability is a seemingly small price to pay for those utterly broken by the chaos of war.
It is important to remember, however, that the Empire is primarily a humanity-first organization. Despite the friendly nature of the troopers Freck encounters on his daily commute, their blasters would eventually turn on him — to say nothing of the way the Empire is strip-mining his world. But that shortsightedness is something Palpatine must be counting on among the non-human populations while he still works to build the Death Star.
It is also an interesting counterpoint to Tala, a woman who joined the Imperial armed forces with that noble ideal to protect the peace following the Clone Wars, but quickly saw what was forming within its ranks. So profound was her disillusionment that she actively chose to help Jedi on the run. And while Star Wars is filled with redemption stories, the appearance of Tala here — provided she is truthful — illustrates how even those who are passionate for the sense of order oppressive regimes often co-opt can ultimately see the cruelty that tyranny intends to inflict.
And if Tala is on the up-and-up, we imagine Ben’s next conversation with her will prove as instructive as his realization that some of the Jedi survived the purge.
(Photo by Lucasfilm Ltd.)
For all the interesting thematic implications within the episode, Ben’s encounter with Vader will trigger a certain sensation among those who have watched the original Star Wars countless times: a possible continuity error.
In that film, as the pair readied themselves for their final fight, Vader says, “When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master.” For decades, fans assumed that last encounter was on Mustafar; in fact, the notion of Anakin and Obi-Wan last seeing each other on a volcano world was part of the lore long before Sith was released in 2005. But as Obi-Wan Kenobi continues to redefine their penultimate meeting — right down to Vader’s clear advantage over Ben at this point — we have to wonder what sort of learner Vader could be 10 years after his apprenticeship ended?
We think an answer might present itself in Ben’s attempts to reach Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). At this point, it is clear an appearance by Ben’s old master would mean his connection to the Force has been completely restored. For Vader, though, it might ignite something else. To see Qui-Gon again, even as an apparition, would illustrate he still has something to learn. Indeed, a spirit returning from the Force would represent the victory over death Palpatine promised Anakin. But would Qui-Gon share that secret with Vader?
Considering the results of Vader and Ben’s final confrontation, we’d be tempted to say no. But then again, Anakin was able to appear to Luke once he was redeemed. Is the mastery over the death of ego the thing he was referring to on the Death Star? Would he consider himself a learner in that regard if confronted by Qui-Gon at this point?
(Photo by Lucasfilm Ltd.)
And while we’re asking questions, here are some other things to ponder:
— Is Reva’s (Moses Ingram) true objective just to become Grand Inquisitor? If, as we suggested last week, she really means to get revenge on Anakin, how is she hiding it from him?
— Where is Quinlan Vos, the Jedi who Ben mentioned in the episode? The Kiffar had an eventful Clone Wars (via the novel Dark Disciple), and while it is easy to presume he’s helping out the refugee Force-sensitives at the end of the Path on Jabiim, he could always be elsewhere in the galaxy.
— Who else survived? Beyond Ben, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis (from the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order video games), Yoda, Kanan Jarrus, Force-sensitive babies like Grogu and twins Luke and Leia, and few others, it is still unclear how many Jedi survived the Purge and the subsequent Inquisition. Of course, that ambiguity allows for a lot of Star Wars stories.
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Obi-Wan Kenobi: Limited Series
(2022)
new episodes launch every Wednesday on Disney+.
