Is Obi-Wan Kenobi still our only hope?
Subscribe now to Disney + at € 8.99 per month or € 89.90 per year The previous Star Wars series, in fact, was greeted with a clear discontent by much of the franchise's fandom, which made no secret of not having liked the change imposed on one of the iconic characters of the saga, relegated to the shadow of himself and overshadowed by the new Mandalorian par excellence, Din Djarin. Coming back from the incredible success of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett seemed like a betrayal of the sacredness of Star Wars, an affront that could only be forgiven by giving audiences the long-awaited series dedicated to Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi. Requested loudly by fans, longed for by the interpreter and finally become a reality, Obi-Wan Kenobi should have represented a starting point for the serial dimension of Star Wars. But something went wrong, and not just on the part of the production.
Does Obi-Wan Kenobi show a future for the Star Wars franchise?
Let's make a clarification, at the cost of sounding blasphemous: the Original Trilogy was not a writing masterpiece. Critically reselling A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi it can be seen that some of the most criticized stylistic choices of the recent Star Wars course, not least the Sequel Trilogy, are rooted in the DNA of the franchise, from the Gascon humor to the nonsense of some of the protagonists' choices. The difference, probably, is that at the time of the release of A New Hope Lucas was lucky enough to create a new universe, laying the foundations of a collective imagination that in the following years became a synonym for adventure, to the point of becoming a pillar. of pop culture. By inevitably being idealized, made an unassailable cult, perfect par excellence as 'Star Wars is Star Wars'. And by not allowing the distant galaxy, far away to be enjoyable, but in any case imperfect, the bar has been raised extremely high for a saga that, already in the ideas of its creator, should be a story for teenagers, not a space opera as at the level of Dune or Foundation.Having to tell an intermediate chapter between two essential moments of the saga (Revenge of the Sith and A new hope) was certainly not simple, considering how the Canon of Star Wars, between comics and other corollary works, had thrown some fixed points for these years known as the Rise of 'Empire. It was above all the future, or rather the Original Trilogy, that worried, considering that the retcon danger was just around the corner. The need to create this connection between the Kenobi who left for exile after the fall of the Republic and the mentor of Luke Skywalker was the common thread of the six episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, but was this emotional construction successful?
Of course, no charges can be made against Ewan McGregor. He is Obi-Wan, he is Ben, he is exactly what a complex and transient character like the Jedi in this series should be. Despite having to adapt to a shaky screenplay plagued by unhappy situations, McGregor infuses his Kenobi with every possible emotional nuance, manages to show his resignation and to give life to a rebirth of the character that allows us to admire the typical movements and charms of General Kenobi admired in the Prequel Trilogy. However, this alone is not enough to save a series that, especially in the central episodes, relies on colorless characters, who tend to deprive the production of the right bite.
Bringing balance to the Force (and to the franchise)…
official images by Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenob i sins precisely on this aspect, on the construction of an emotional bond, which is not just a wink to course old fans playing on quotes and references from the saga. Which cannot be based solely on the affection for Kenobi and the often instrumental and 'clever' presence of inside jokes of the saga and references aimed at getting to the point that everyone expects. It is not just the destination, but the journey that constitutes the real adventure, knowing how to involve even the most uncompromising fans in a story whose ending is already known, but which still has the strength to offer something new, of compelling. Yet, poorly enlightened directorial choices, too often copying and pasting moments already seen and questionable handling of action scenes penalize Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“There is still a long way to go”
May the Force be with us.
