This article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode two
Obi-Wan Kenobi has finally arrived on Disney Plus, and the first two episode more than delivered the goods. We got some new insight into the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, with Ewan McGregor’s Jedi depressed, downtrodden, and apparently quite nihilistic about the fate of the galaxy.
However, there was some hope for the future in the form of Vivien Lyra Blair’s ten-year-old Leia Organa. Blair does a spookily good job of showing us a child version of Carrie Fisher’s iconic Star Wars character, showing off her headstrong nature while being surprising perceptive about what people are really thinking.
One of the best moments in the show so far saw Obi-Wan confessing that her forthright nature reminded him of someone he once knew. While we might first assume this to be Anakin, he says “she was a great leader”, revealing that he’s talking about her mother Padme.
Stepping into Fisher’s shoes is a big ask for a young actor, but Blair is being praised online by practically everyone:
Others are loving Leia’s comment to Obi-Wan about him being old enough to be her grandfather:
Some say Leia is clearly Anakin’s daughter and it’s a tragedy he was could never be a father to her:
And others are shoving The Mandalorian‘s Grogu out of the way and pronouncing Leia the new cutest thing in Star Wars:
Many single out the scene in which Obi-Wan referenced Padme as real tearjerker:
One interesting wrinkle regarding Leia’s role in the show was that the first attempt at Obi-Wan Kenobi was cancelled at the last minute due to Lucasfilm deciding the concept of the future Old Ben protecting a young Luke was too similar to The Mandalorian. Let’s face it, Obi-Wan and Leia teaming up isn’t a million miles away from Din Djarin and Grogu, so presumably the formula will be mixed up a bit in the upcoming episodes.
We can’t wait to see where this goes next.
Obi-Wan Kenobi airs Wednesdays on Disney Plus.