Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi - Season 1: Parts I & 2

With the cheap, studio feel of the cyberpunk planet and these pale-skinned, black-clad Inquisitors around every corner I got a distinct Dark City vibe from the show.

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I quite enjoyed these two episodes apart from the vapid villains and the usual handful of silly situations / sequences. But I fear that much of my enjoyment relied on McGregor's involvement and a rather unhealthy reliance on fan service. If you were to make the exact same show with any second-rate Jedi character from the saga in lieu of Kenobi there wouldn't be much to cheer for.

Can anyone remind me why Vader isn't the one tracking down Kenobi across the galaxy? Seems that would make for a much more interesting show. Those Inquisitor fellows are just cheap Sith knockoffs we could have dispensed with altogether. And... why didn't anyone tell Kenobi that in order for a Jedi not to be recognized as such, perhaps dressing in a brown hooded robe with a lightsaber dangling from a belt isn't the soundest tactical decision?
 
I think it's great that these TV series are finally leaving Tatooine and seeing other planets in the Star Wars universe (even if it's only the planet "Earth" from BladeRunner instead.) :whistle:

If Earth Shows up in this series . :unsure:This could have disasterous effects on the Star Wars Space time continuum .;)
 
If Earth Shows up in this series...
Don't worry, it's a place called Daiyu and it's in a galaxy far, far away. It just looks like 'BladeRunner'. Maybe a ship left behind a copy of the film (like happened in Star Trek: TOS in 'Piece of the Action'.) We also get to see how Alderaan looked before it became an asteroid field.
 
Don't worry, it's a place called Daiyu and it's in a galaxy far, far away. It just looks like 'BladeRunner'. Maybe a ship left behind a copy of the film (like happened in Star Trek: TOS in 'Piece of the Action'.) We also get to see how Alderaan looked before it became an asteroid field.
Maybe it was the Falcon building?

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With the cheap, studio feel of the cyberpunk planet and these pale-skinned, black-clad Inquisitors around every corner I got a distinct Dark City vibe from the show.

View attachment 90078

I quite enjoyed these two episodes apart from the vapid villains and the usual handful of silly situations / sequences. But I fear that much of my enjoyment relied on McGregor's involvement and a rather unhealthy reliance on fan service. If you were to make the exact same show with any second-rate Jedi character from the saga in lieu of Kenobi there wouldn't be much to cheer for.

Can anyone remind me why Vader isn't the one tracking down Kenobi across the galaxy? Seems that would make for a much more interesting show. Those Inquisitor fellows are just cheap Sith knockoffs we could have dispensed with altogether. And... why didn't anyone tell Kenobi that in order for a Jedi not to be recognized as such, perhaps dressing in a brown hooded robe with a lightsaber dangling from a belt isn't the soundest tactical decision?

So, Blue Man Group had a cameo in this series ? :D
 
With the cheap, studio feel of the cyberpunk planet and these pale-skinned, black-clad Inquisitors around every corner I got a distinct Dark City vibe from the show.

View attachment 90078

I would have enjoyed that immensely. Sadly...

But I fear that much of my enjoyment relied on McGregor's involvement and a rather unhealthy reliance on fan service.

McGregor was the only okay thing about it, in my book. It was pretty dire other than that.


If you were to make the exact same show with any second-rate Jedi character from the saga in lieu of Kenobi there wouldn't be much to cheer for.

Yup. Awful dialogue that you have to be a Hammil, Ford, Guinness, Peter Cushing or Fisher to pull off. Dire directing, too. It felt like a cheap 90's fantasy show or a daytime soap the way it was directed with the tacky synth-orchestral music.

Can anyone remind me why Vader isn't the one tracking down Kenobi across the galaxy? Seems that would make for a much more interesting show.

It looks cheap - far cheaper than Mando. I reckon they blew their budget on McGregor And Christensen.
 
Watched the opening double.
Obi-Wan reluctantly protecting the youngster Leia seemed a bit like Mando being saddled with Grogu, although the precocious Leia isn't quite as cute as silent Baby Yoda.
I get it. The wise-cracking adult princess was just as mouthy as a child.
I hope they tone that down, now that it's been established.
 
So, when Leia said in the hologram, "Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars..." but she forgot to mention, "Hello, it's only me again!" was she covering up their personal connection in the same way that Ben tells Luke that Darth Vader killed his father? Apparently, this fixes the plot-hole when she is broken out of jail, that she knows Obi-Wan goes by the name of Ben Kenobi. Still, on that point I agree with Harpo -
...only changing half of his name...
Isn't such a great disguise, and one that even a Stormtrooper could easily see through. It honestly never bother me!
 
My overall impression of the Star Wars TV series is opportunities lost. The plots are simplistic, more akin to the most linear side quest in any RPG, and many of the main characters weird tropes that feel out of place. I still watch them because I have Disney+ but as a fan I feel let down.
 
I'm curious to know if anyone else watched the first two episodes and what you all thought of them.
 
I thought the little girl playing Leia was a laugh but I'm quite confused why Obi-wan had to ask her how old she was :LOL: I'm going to watch the next episode to see if any of the bad guys can catch her running at 2 mph :unsure:

Oh, it was nice to see Jimmy Smits again. This role aside, I used to love NYPD Blue.

Also, Flea! Stick to what you're best at, mate :ROFLMAO:
 
As usual what a batch of hyper-critics finds trite, formulaic, and bordering on stupid. I find gripping, interesting, and thought provoking. I did not groove on the Inquisitors. They looked like half baked Darth Vader wannabes, but the inner fighting rang very true. I'd say it's much more realistic than the plot line where Vader is the absolute ruler, and yet somehow isn't quite. I never understood that dynamic. I loved the little girl. I especially liked when Obi-Wan thinks the little girl reminds him of Padme. I think we could be in for a great ride. The only cloud on the horizon is that we know in the end where things are going to come out. This is the problem plagues every prequel.
 
I especially liked when Obi-Wan thinks the little girl reminds him of Padme.

This was probably one of the few moments that I thought was ok, to be honest, and a nice touch. Others were Obi-wan sensing Vader's presence and seeing Christensen in the Bacta Tank.

Other than that... yeah. Not grooving on it. It feels too much like a bad 90's tv series to me. I like the ideas, but the execution, dialogue and acting is horrible.

One thing I find grating is the strange tone - it's written like a kids show and it seems to be aimed at entertaining kids, yet it features quite extraordinarily nasty violence: The man hanging from the post in episode one, disguised to not look like he was literally hanged, yet clearly dead as though he was; Vader force choking and breaking people's necks; a stormtrooper being severed in half; hands being chopped off; dragging Obi-wan through the flames - great if this was an adult show, but in a show with a saccharine Disney princess and Saturday morning kid's show league writing that appears to be aimed at ten year olds? It seems pretty grim.

Star Wars has always walked that line - ANH had that scene with the guy's arm being chopped off - and the Prequels had the first episode as a kids film that by the third was a guy burning to death having been dismembered. But even still, Obi Wan seems especially nasty - like it can't decide if it wants to be a dark Vader series for 40 year old male nerds or a swashbuckling kids show about space wizards.

The biggest sin it's committed above all others is the offence it's caused to my ears. What's up with the generic library music? Darth Vader's onscreen and not even a hint of the Imperial March???? They surely can't be avoiding paying Williams royalties?

I'd say it's much more realistic than the plot line where Vader is the absolute ruler, and yet somehow isn't quite.

Moff Tarkin and so on were generals, and Vader was the Emperor's enforcer - a big bully boy to make sure they stayed in line. It was never a command post (until Disney decided to stick him in a stupid, but admittedly very pretty castle).

P.S. has Vader always had such a thick neck? I couldn't help thinking he looked like a bullfrog or like my aspect ratio was off.
 
This was probably one of the few moments that I thought was ok, to be honest, and a nice touch. Others were Obi-wan sensing Vader's presence and seeing Christensen in the Bacta Tank.

Other than that... yeah. Not grooving on it. It feels too much like a bad 90's tv series to me. I like the ideas, but the execution, dialogue and acting is horrible.

One thing I find grating is the strange tone - it's written like a kids show and it seems to be aimed at entertaining kids, yet it features quite extraordinarily nasty violence: The man hanging from the post in episode one, disguised to not look like he was literally hanged, yet clearly dead as though he was; Vader force choking and breaking people's necks; a stormtrooper being severed in half; hands being chopped off; dragging Obi-wan through the flames - great if this was an adult show, but in a show with a saccharine Disney princess and Saturday morning kid's show league writing that appears to be aimed at ten year olds? It seems pretty grim.

Star Wars has always walked that line - ANH had that scene with the guy's arm being chopped off - and the Prequels had the first episode as a kids film that by the third was a guy burning to death having been dismembered. But even still, Obi Wan seems especially nasty - like it can't decide if it wants to be a dark Vader series for 40 year old male nerds or a swashbuckling kids show about space wizards.

The biggest sin it's committed above all others is the offence it's caused to my ears. What's up with the generic library music? Darth Vader's onscreen and not even a hint of the Imperial March???? They surely can't be avoiding paying Williams royalties?



Moff Tarkin and so on were generals, and Vader was the Emperor's enforcer - a big bully boy to make sure they stayed in line. It was never a command post (until Disney decided to stick him in a stupid, but admittedly very pretty castle).

P.S. has Vader always had such a thick neck? I couldn't help thinking he looked like a bullfrog or like my aspect ratio was off.
Agree totally, @Mon0Zer0. This is the most un-Star Warsy Star Wars product I have yet seen / heard. The music is wrong and generic. The story is overly simple. The script is genuinely average. It's just so flat. It's a major disappointment so far.

The story and script clearly needed more polish and more revisions. As for the music, even if John Powel would have been too expensive, the chaps that did the soundtrack to the Fallen Order game would have been affordable and would have done a great treatment.

Yes, the argument could be made that Star Wars needed to evolve and not be so attached to the feel and vibe of the beloved movies. But that sound, feel and look were a huge part of what made it iconic. The Mandalorian, hitherto a show featuring NONE of the original characters, is so far the closest sound and feel to the movie series, and is a winning example of how to make something new and fresh, but also very familiar.

The Book of Boba Fett set the tone, with the strange, out-of-place techno kids, with their urban accents, borg-style implants, and space scooters. Yes, on the one hand, diversity and representation of different cultures is a good thing, but at the same time a balance is needed. People tune into Star Wars expecting a Star Wars experience. The scene with Obi-Wan in the drug factory wearing a breathing mask looked more like something out of Altered Carbon.

As for the story and script, it's become sadly all to recurrent to see flat, lifeless dialogue, written solely to provide exposition to the plot. It's blighted Doctor Who, Star Trek and now Star Wars. It's like they don't want to pay top dollar for better script-writers or more revisions and are just keen to get 'content' (God, I hate that word in the modern context) out of the door to keep people paying their subscriptions.

I said it before and I will say it again: it won't be enough soon for streaming services to just churn out titles without the quality because people will get sick of it and cancel their subscriptions, for a few months at least. Netflix has experienced that first hand this year. People have been having to cost-cut, and the least enjoyable streaming service will always be the first one to go. Hopefully this will boost quality in the future, but it doesn't help us now.

I severely hope Obi-Wan gets better. If nothing else, Ewan McGregor deserves a decent send-off for this character.
 
Disappointed to see the toxic fandom raise its appalling head again with Moses Ingram receiving racist messages. Honesty! What the hell is wrong with people?

I'm not sure i want to remain a Star Wars fan, anymore. :(
 
Disappointed to see the toxic fandom raise its appalling head again with Moses Ingram receiving racist messages. Honesty! What the hell is wrong with people?

I'm not sure i want to remain a Star Wars fan, anymore. :(

Idiots will be idiots. I don't know why this only makes the headlines when Star Wars is involved though and I don't like that the media are painting the community as a 'hive of scum and villainy' even though its racist elements are no more representative than they are in the general populace.

Wait til an Asian actor gets to be the new James Bond/Doctor Who/insert-other-famous-pop-culture-icon-here and we'll see just how healthy and progressive other communities are.

I visit several Star Wars communities online regularly. I have seen extremely over-the-top reactions about how every new instalment was either 'the best' or 'the worst' SW ever was. I have seen plenty of 'Lucas raped my childhood', an abhorrent remark if ever I saw one, that gradually turned into 'Kathleen Kennedy/Disney raped my childhood' over the years. I'm not saying we're not a vocal community with a penchant for exaggeration and who takes everything way too close to the heart and proves time and time again that adults are just children who grew up a little.

But one thing I have never seen on these boards is one racist message aimed at an actor. So if there ever was one - and I don't doubt for a second that there was - it was instantly moderated by the forum's staff, which tells me that we're a rather healthy and functioning community rather than one plagued by rampant racism and hateful views of minorities.
 
But one thing I have never seen on these boards is one racist message aimed at an actor. So if there ever was one - and I don't doubt for a second that there was - it was instantly moderated by the forum's staff, which tells me that we're a rather healthy and functioning community rather than one plagued by rampant racism and hateful views of minorities.

Well, that would suggest we're a well-moderated forum more than anything else. But in fact I don't recall seeing any such message since I became a mod, and even the posts we do remove tend to be a lot less extreme than you can find on other corners of the internet (and are often not extreme at all, merely on subjects we don't allow here), so I'm happy to agree with your conclusion.
 

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