There has been a disturbance. Have you felt it? The Star Wars fandom finds itself on the brink of total war. Fan factions around the globe have begun to band together and prepare for battle. Some folks believe that their beloved galaxy far, far away died with Disney. Others seem to think the franchise couldn’t be better. A select few are even starting to loose interest altogether.
Amidst all the uncertainty, name-calling, and general rhetoric — a not so new point of contention has risen its ugly head surrounding Obi-Wan Kenobi. The series, not the character. These are darks days indeed.
Denizens of the galaxy, and internet, can’t seem to reach common ground encircling one of Disney Plus’ latest limited series. They can’t reach the high ground either, no matter whose power gets underestimated in the process.
Today, those same squabbling devotees have taken to Reddit, and have finally shared their grievances outright.
If the backlash that follows is collateral, then this post is a powder keg AND match all in one. As innocent as it may seem, the comment above is actually pretty divisive — and, in my view, pretty wrong. Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn’t good. In fact, it was bad. Really, really bad. I’m sorry if this upsets some of you, but we can’t keep pretending that Star Wars is above the law. It’s time to hold the things we love accountable in an effort to make them better. It’s time to rebel.
However, instead just having me wax poetic on where Obi-Wan went wrong, I’ll let the respondents to the above thread do the heavy lifting:
It’s inexcusable, plain and simple. When you’re dealing with Obi-Wan and Darth, you can’t afford to screw things up. Full stop. Producing a half-measured show was never and option, and yet, here we are.
Things went off the narratively at about every turn, where characters would act in service to story instead of their MAJOR self interests. Case in point? Leia. She’s a wise-beyond-her-years, infallible, competent child-princess when she needs to be — and a dumb, mistake making kid if the story needs her to mess up.
That can’t happen, not just in Star Wars, but in any narrative under the sun.
Another fantastic point. Take Ahsoka, for example. We’re three episodes in, and there’s no denying that the show looks absolutely fantastic. If you’re Disney, and you have direct access to the best filmmakers in the entertainment business — then failure can’t be an option when it comes to the visuals.
No amount of nostalgia makes up for lackluster imagery. If they could do it in 1977, they can do it now.
These are simply chuckle-worthy. Star Wars may not be the most high-brow franchise, but even the most oblivious ankle-biter would have noticed little Leia underneath Obi-Wan’s coat. That’s schoolyard stuff.
George Lucas’ brainchild has always been unrealistic, but never unbelievable. I can buy talking green space goblins and multi-colored laser swords, but I refuse to believe that a bunch of battle hardened Imperials didn’t notice a man with a kid in his jacket. Do better.
In the end, and this is the unsteady ground this whole house of cards stand on, Obi-Wan Kenobi should have never been made in the first place. The singular reason why Obi-Wan’s epic showdown with Vader in A New Hope is so world-shatteringly important is because the pair hadn’t seen one other in a very long time.
By bringing them together in the show, the emotional resonance of their original twisted reunion is removed. To quote Darth Vader himself…
“I’ve been waiting for you Obi-Wan, we meet again at last. When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master.”
As a device, this plot point fails to resonate, and serves as a slap in the face to the Star Wars franchise at large. But here’s the deal, the show is out. It’s over, it’s made — there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
Complaining online certainly won’t solve any of these problems, no matter how good it feels. Given that Star Wars has always had “hope” as a central theme, one of the best things we can do right now is hope that the powers that be take the franchise in a better direction in the future. Or just write our own fan-fiction and form our own headcanon. Ahsoka seems to be heading down the right path, at least.
Published: Aug 29, 2023 09:33 pm