It’s been seventeen years since we’ve seen Ewan McGreggor in a galaxy far far away as the iconic Obi-Wan Kenobi, ending off Revenge of the Sith with him in exile and the Skywalker twins separated planets away. Now, McGregor is back as the Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi in his very own show along with other returning cast members of the prequel trilogy. Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after the events of Episode 3 - going under the name Ben, Obi-Wan is hiding from the Inquisitors of the Sith who are hunting the remainder of the Jedi Order. It isn’t until someone in his past is put in serious danger that he must come out of hiding to save them.

 

First off I must say, it’s so great seeing Ewan McGreggor back as Obi-Wan - the man fit the character like a glove in the prequel trilogy. He captured Alec Guinness' charm and quirks so well from his portrayal in the 1977 original, and here in the new show, it’s just as effortless, but this time with more of a somber edge due to the events of Episode 3. There’s also some other returning members from the prequel trilogy, such as Joel Edgerton as Uncle Own and Jimmy Smits as Senator Bail Organa. The two are very welcome returns, capturing the spirit of their characters from nearly 20 years ago; however, outside of the returning members, I must say that the acting outside of them is pretty lackluster. One prominent actor, Moses Ingram, as part of the Inquisitor cast is set as the series villain, and her acting is one of many who just aren’t up to snuff with McGregor’s skills as a performer. There’s also some guest appearances from Benny Safdie and Kumail Nanjiani, who I normally enjoy, but the prominently two stick out in comparison with the returning cast.

 

Then it comes to the meat of the show, which is diffcult to talk about without giving away some major spoilers. It’s an aspect of the show that is being used to justify its own existence, and it sadly just isn’t enough. The show is attempting to sew some connective tissue between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and what has developed in the first two episodes so far has just failed to pull me in. Honestly, some of it even fails to follow the continuity between Lucas’ original films. From the awkward dialogue to the underdeveloped plot beats, it all just feels weird. As more and more of these Star Wars spin-offs continue to release, it’s hard to distinguish them from anything but glorified fan-fiction.