Summary

• Obi-Wan Kenobi is viewed overall quite favorably by viewers, but it still has several areas where it falls short.
• Some plot elements felt unnecessary, from transmedia character connections to the inclusion of the Imperial Inquisitors.
• Specific moments, such as lightsaber stabbings and Reva finding Leia in the tunnel, don’t hold up well in retrospect.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is celebrating its 2nd anniversary, and despite the show’s favor with Star Wars audiences, there are still some harsh realities to face when it comes to rewatching the show. Obi-Wan Kenobi follows the titular Jedi approximately ten years after the fall of the Galactic Republic and the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The show sees Obi-Wan come to terms with leaving Tatooine and watching over Luke Skywalker in order to save a kidnapped Leia Organa.

Obi-Wan Kenobi brought back fan-favorite characters and actors, most famously reuniting Ewan McGregor with Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi has not been renewed for season 2, and it seems that it likely won’t happen, meaning the show will remain a six-episode miniseries. For many viewers, the show was a treat to see the actors they grew up with returning to these iconic roles, though there’s no doubt that the show has some glaring flaws that make it potentially hard to overlook.

9 The Lightsaber Fights Were Cool, But The LED Lights Were Horrible

Star Wars Learned Their Lesson When It Came To Lightsabers

One of the biggest criticisms to date about Obi-Wan Kenobi was how the lightsabers appeared onscreen. While there’s no doubt the lightsaber combat was immaculate, using LED prop lightsabers was a huge mistake. The use of LED lightsabers made the finished product incredibly dark, even if it did provide cool lightsaber spectacles. This is a major issue when it comes to the final battle between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in episode 6; because the setting is so dark, it’s hard to see anything other than the lightsabers.

Despite these issues, it seems that Lucasfilm learned its lesson and decided to change how they utilized lightsabers onscreen for Ahsoka, where these issues were non-existent. One of the things that helped was that Ahsoka was not nearly as dependent on the blue light given off by blue (and red) lightsabers. Instead, the main characters all had green, white, or orange lightsabers. The only exception is Ezra Bridger’s new blue lightsaber, which only appeared in Ahsoka’s season 1 finale. However, the creators also avoided saturating the show in blue light, making the scene and the lightsabers appear easily onscreen.

8 Characters Didn’t Die From Lightsaber Wounds

Star Wars Continued This Annoying Trend

One trend that has been annoying viewers in the last few years is characters surviving after being stabbed by a lightsaber. After Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was defeated by Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace with a stab wound, it seems odd that, to date, few characters have died from the same injury. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, this trend continued not once, but twice – starting with the Grand Inquisitor in episode 2. It may have been a surprise that the Grand Inquisitor survived, but for audiences familiar with Star Wars Rebels, it was clear he survived.

Additionally, Reva was stabbed by her own lightsaber after confronting Darth Vader in episode 5. She was left for dead, but was able to survive and travel to Tatooine to attempt to kill a young Luke Skywalker. This trend of characters not dying from stab wounds has recently gained a lot of traction with other characters like Kylo Ren, Cal Kestis, and Sabine Wren all surviving wounds that fatally wounded Qui-Gon Jinn. While using this method once in the show may have been acceptable, using it twice felt overly redundant and unnecessary.

This trend of characters not dying from stab wounds has recently gained a lot of traction.

7 The Grand Inquisitor’s Design Was Underwhelming

And Made Him Far Less Menacing

One of the most interesting characters in Rebels season 1 was the introduction of the Grand Inquisitor and the threat he posed to Jedi Kanan Jarrus and his Padawan, Ezra Bridger. The Pau’an Inquisitor looked very different in his live-action debut compared to his animated counterpart. While variances in appearance aren’t uncommon in Star Wars, especially when transitioning from animation to live-action, the design of the Grand Inquisitor wasn’t reflective of other Pau’ans that have been seen in live-action before. The species was originally seen in live-action on their home world of Utapau in Revenge of the Sith.

While Rupert Friend’s portrayal of the Grand Inquisitor was good, it’s hard to compare it to Jason Isaacs’ commanding performance. Isaacs previously said he wanted to play Rebels‘ Grand Inquisitor in live-action himself, but wasn’t approached about it. In Rebels, the Grand Inquisitor was menacing, but because of his design and his head just being large instead of elongated, the character ultimately fell flat. He did not incite the same fear he likely would have if the original design for a Pau’an was used in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

6 The Inquisitors Didn’t Need To Be A Part of the Story

It Would’ve Worked Without Them As Adversaries

The Inquisitors are some of the coolest characters in all of Star Wars, as the idea of turning former Jedi against their former comrades was ingenious. However, the Inquisitors were not needed to tell the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi. While they were cool, they added another unnecessary level of plot. Reva, or a character like her, could’ve simply been a former Jedi looking for a way to get back at Darth Vader for killing all the Jedi younglings. She did not need to be an Inquisitor for the story to work.

Getting an inside look at the Fortress Inquisitorius was especially interesting to see in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but it felt more like a side quest than a necessary part of the story. The main storyline of the show became a bit too complicated because of the Inquisitors and their appearances. While only having one or two appear in the show would’ve likely been fine, having so many different ones appear made their overall appearance feel redundant and pointless.

Inquisitors like the Fifth Brother also appeared in
Rebels
season 2, though he was killed by Maul in the season 2 finale.

5 Too Many Characters Had Plot Armor

We All Knew Obi-Wan and Vader Weren’t Going to Die

One of the biggest issues with Obi-Wan Kenobi is that at many points, it didn’t feel like there was a lot of risk. Because Obi-Wan and Darth Vader famously dueled on the first Death Star in the original Star Wars movie (later retitled A New Hope), audiences knew those characters would survive whatever the show put them through. The same was true for Leia, Luke, Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, the Grand Inquisitor, and the Fifth Brother. These characters appeared later in the Star Wars timeline, which takes away from some of the shock value Obi-Wan Kenobi was trying to create.

The show was still able to have high-tension moments where it was unclear what would happen or where it would go moving forward, but none that made audiences feel like these characters were ever really in danger. Reva’s fight against Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru was a welcome surprise and gave more depth to characters who previously had very limited screen time. However, it was low stakes as audiences knew that Owen, Beru, and Luke would walk away from the fight relatively unharmed. This plot armor severely limited what was possible in the overall storyline.

Audiences knew those characters would survive whatever the show put them through.

4 The Series Connected Too Many Other Star Wars Titles

But Didn’t Do It Well

It’s nothing new that Star Wars is a connected universe where characters and storylines can cross titles; however, Obi-Wan Kenobi felt like it was doing too much. There were obvious connections to the prequel trilogy, as well as the original trilogy. However, there were more subtle hints to other titles like Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. One such instance is Obi-Wan discovering that Jedi Quinlan Vos was alive, and helped operate the Hidden Path. Viewers who didn’t know Quinlan from The Clone Wars or Christie Golden’s Dark Disciple novel didn’t get the reference or simply didn’t care.

Additionally, Inquisitors seen in Rebels like the Fifth Brother really didn’t need to be there. While it was cool to see another character make the transition from animation to live-action, this inclusion wasn’t necessary. If the goal was to make a strong connection to a particular era of the prequels or the original trilogy, the show should’ve fully committed.

3 Reva Mysteriously Possesses The Power Of Force Teleportation

How Did She Get To The End Of That Tunnel?

While trying to escape the Imperials in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3, Obi-Wan sends Leia down a tunnel while he tries to distract Darth Vader. It’s explained by Tala that the end of the tunnel will lead to a ship that will continue to the Hidden Path. Knowing that Leia’s safety is of the utmost importance, while also wanting to help Obi-Wan, Tala sends Leia away by herself. Despite Leia getting a hearty head start, Reva discovers the tunnel, but she isn’t shown going down the tunnel.

The end of the episode sees Reva beating Leia to the end of the tunnel and taking her captive. How Reva got to the end of that tunnel before Leia was never explained. There was no way for the Inquisitor to know where the tunnel led, and who she might find at the other end. While Reva didn’t develop the actual Force power of teleportation, this small detail is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of things not lining up throughout Obi-Wan Kenobi’s six episodes.

2 The Inquisitors Never Used Their Lightsabers Properly

Where Were The Dark Side Helicopters?

One of the things that made the Imperial Inquisitors so cool was their lightsabers. They had a dual-bladed saber with a wheel in the center that allowed the sabers to spin. These sabers were originally seen in Rebels, but quickly became a staple for the dark side users. The lightsaber’s ability to spin rapidly made it incredibly hard to defend and made the Inquisitors menacing. One Inquisitor in Rebels even used their spinning lightsabers to help them escape situations, using the blades as a quasi-helicopter.

However, in Obi-Wan Kenobi, audiences rarely see any of the Inquisitors utilize their spinning blade. Reva notably uses her spinning blade while trying to attack Darth Vader; however, the Sith Lord is able to use the Force to stop the blades from spinning in an impressive show of strength. Despite the spinning blades being one of the coolest aspects of the Inquisitors, the show missed a huge opportunity by not properly utilizing these interesting and unique lightsabers.

1 The Six-Episode Format Did Not Work

This Story Would’ve Worked Better As A Movie

When originally pitched to Lucasfilm, Obi-Wan Kenobi was supposed to be a big-budget movie. There were even plans for a whole Obi-Wan-centered movie trilogy that showed the character’s transition from the Obi-Wan of the prequels to Ben Kenobi of A New Hope. Along the way, it was decided that the movies would instead be put into a television show. While the television format worked well enough, the story told in Obi-Wan Kenobi likely would’ve benefited from fewer constraints.

Because the show had six episodes, Lucasfilm had to have a script good enough to fill all six of those episodes. It became evident that Obi-Wan Kenobi likely would’ve been better off as a three-hour movie, or a limited series that only had four or five episodes. While all episodes of the show moved the story forward, it did drag on a bit. With so many studios pushing for limited series instead of movies, Lucasfilm should’ve considered whether Obi-Wan Kenobi would’ve been better off as a movie instead.