Opinion: Why Kenobi Will Be The ‘Last Jedi’ Of The Disney+ Series

Obi-Wan Kenobi... Obi-Wan Kenobi … That’s a name that fans haven’t heard in a long time, a long time, especially when the person about to play Obi-Wan Kenobi will be none other than Ewan McGregor. This has been something that fans have been dying to see for years, ever since the end of Revenge of the Sith. A movie or show set in the post-Episode III world, before Episode IV has been something fans have been clamoring for, for years.

Then in 2019, the announcement was made of an Obi-Wan series and the return of Ewan McGregor as the lead. Fans were elated. The story that we’ve been clamoring for is finally about to come to Disney+. However, there is something to consider; how will it play out when we see it, will fans be elated, or will they be frustrated, or perhaps a mix of both? Well with something with so much hype around it, expectations have grown. This has been something we’ve seen before in Star Wars and it is something where, if not careful, history could repeat itself.

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Like Poetry It Rhymes

The last time Star Wars saw something with so much hype behind it was, of course, The Last Jedi. It was considered the return of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, and the return of the greatest hero of the Star Wars universe. Everyone was hyped, however that also created many expectations, many ideas were formed from fans, and when the movie eventually was released, opinions on it were split.

The Last Jedi was polarizing for various reasons, but the main reason was, essentially, expectations. Hype and expectations created a prime atmosphere for a movie to not meet said expectations. For fans had managed to build a movie in their head that was never going to please anyone. So with the Kenobi series coming out, it is possible that this reaction could happen again.

Like with Luke, many people have a very specific vision in their head of what Obi-Wan did during the years between Episode III and IV. Many believe that he never met Vader and that he never left Tatooine, already things that are most likely going to happen in the series. So already our expectations are being challenged.

Then of course we have characterization to consider; many still think of Kenobi as the Jedi hero who fought in the Clone War, which was the last time we saw him. We have to remember that he is probably in a darker place than he was at the end of Revenge of the Sith, his friends are dead, his apprentice has fallen to the dark side, as it is after all the Dark Times. So for anyone hoping for the adventurous Obi-Wan, they may have to wait a bit. Much like we had to wait for Luke, and that caused expectations to be dashed despite the execution of the story.

Unlearn What You Have Learned

While this author is very hopeful for the Kenobi series, I do exercise caution to keep expectations in check. This will be a series made to tell a good story, and to everyone that means different things.

Expectations are going be high for this series, just like they were for The Last Jedi. Many fans have waited for the return of this beloved character and have built something in their head that they want to see. Something that might not match with what everyone else wants to see and something that might not match what the story will want to tell. So it is important to go in ready to meet the story halfway, and sometimes, as a wise Jedi Master once said, "unlearn what you have learned."

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Written by Joel Davis

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