TV Series Review: Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) Disney+ *Spoiler Section*

TV Series Review: Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) Disney+ Spoiler Section

While I do consider myself a Star Wars fan my fandom is limited to the live action shows and movies. Even though I've watched almost all of The Clone Wars animated series I never really connected with the ongoing stories of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Though I did like the first prequel, The Phantom Menace, the two subsequent prequels I've always found to be difficult watches. Largely because we get too much in the way of Jedi. They no longer feel special or formidable. In fact with so many youngling Jedi, in addition to all the adult Jedi, being a Jedi seems more like a trade that anyone could study.

I mention all of this to say, as much as I do like Ewan McGregor, a series or movie about Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't anything I was hoping to see but it's live action Star Wars so of course I'm going to watch.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is set a few years after the last prequel, Revenge of the Sith. Obi-Wan, now going by the name Ben, has made something of a despondent life for himself on Tatooine as he watches over Luke Skywalker from afar.

As the Empire hunts down the few remaining Jedi, Ben is forced to come out of hiding to help an old ally.

As a series Obi-Wan Kenobi falls under the same category as The Book of Boba Fett in that, like that series, this isn't what fans of Kenobi had in mind when they pitched their ideas for a show. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you deliver something even more inspired that the fans embrace.

Unfortunately that hasn't been the case here with the reception being very mixed, much like the show.

The story itself is pretty strong as it unfolds, with an unexpected direction early on that totally makes sense, albeit executed in a very clunky manor. It's not totally clear why a washed up Jedi is the only option for this particular rescue mission given how well resourced Kenobi's ally is but you have to just run with it.

Early on the series has some obviously cringe worthy moments that are as unlikely as a Stormtrooper with any kind of accuracy with a blaster but, if you stick with it, later episodes feature some of the best live action Star Wars you'll see anywhere. Plus this is the most peak Darth Vader we've seen outside of the original movies, in live action, to date.

As I said, this isn't really the show fans were expecting. Kenobi, like Boba Fett in his show, is in a very different place to how he is remembered. He's a broken man going through the motions, only because he was charged with keeping an eye on Luke. That guy isn't going on any 'damn fool idealistic crusade'.

Fortunately, where the character ends up, could lead to a second series more inline with what the fans had in mind. Though at the time of writing no second series had been confirmed.

Kenobi is fine for what it is. It definitely has some strong ideas and makes some really strong contributions to bridging the gap between the prequels and the original trilogy. However it really didn't need to be that.

It could have easily been Obi-Wan going off on a series of damn fool idealistic crusades because, as the show notes, Jedi can't help wanting to help.

As it stands, I did enjoy watching it week to week despite some very questionable, eye rolling moments. However it's not something I'd rewatch with any great enthusiasm. Though I'm down for watching a collection of highlights any day.

Spoiler Section

I just wanted to comment on the final episode and its 15 to 20 ending scenes (well alright, maybe it's not quite that many but there was a lot of ends being tied up in the last 5 minutes).

Reva returns carrying young Luke having just crashed through Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's home looking to take down the kid. Neither Owen nor Beru say anything at all to Reva as Luke is returned. Not so much as a "If you've hurt him..." angry word or even a harsh stare.
Obi-Wan flies all the way to Alderan to say a few words to young Leia then immediately jumps back on his ship and flies off. Leia's parents don't invite him in for a catch up, drinks, or a meal? Does Obi-Wan have some place he has to be? Does he need to get home before the tradies he's booked to renovate his new 'crazy old man' pad show up?
Qui-Gon Jinn shows up just in time to help Obi-Wan renovate his new pad. Can other people see blue force ghosts or is this how Ben gets a reputation for being a 'crazy old man' who talks to himself? It's cool that Jinn shows up but he's kind of late to the party at this point because Kenobi has already resolved his uncertainty and is focused on setting up his new digs.

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of this kind of multiple endings to tie threads up with a series of disjointed scenes. Especially if they don't really leave you with any kind of hook to keep you engaged in any way. Just one ending where everyone gets a medal (even the Wookie) is fine with me.

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Are Ion Thrusters the Future of Flying Cars? Spoiler - Probably Not But... Hover Boards... Maybe?

Undefined Technologies Ion Propulsion Drone prototype 3D concept image. You may have heard of Ion engines or, more likely, Ion thrusters. NASA uses them on their spacecraft to help maintain a craft's position or to propel them through space. Upon hearing that you might think they're big, powerful engines, but actually they are not. They work well in the vacuum of space but, once any kind of atmosphere and gravity is involved they'd be hard pressed to launch you off the ground if you strapped four of them to your lawn chair and yelled "up, up, and away!" I am no expert on Ion thrusters - they're basically magic that science has an explanation for. If you want to know the details, The Space Techie website has a layman's explanation . Build Your Own Ion Thruster Earth based Ion Thrusters work a bit different to their space based cousins by Ionizing the same air that we breathe to create thrust (an effect known as Ionic-wind ). While they sound highly soph

I'm Joining the Illuminati Brotherhood By Personal Invitation of Hiltom Rothschild... Wait, What?

How special am I to have finally come of age (53 years young) and am now eligible to participate in building the world alongside other members of the Illuminati Brotherhood... Yes I've received the call by way of an email, which I'm sure is real because I had to translate it from the Dutch language and it was personally written by Hiltom Rothschild, one of the non-existent members of the Rothschild family (or perhaps deep undercover because Google has never heard of them?). A Transcript of the email below: To: etourist From: Illuminati Brotherhood Subject: Illuminati Broederschap (Illuminati Brotherhood) I am Hiltom Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family, one of the 13 families of the Illuminati brotherhood. I'm here to let you know that you've come of age and are eligible to participate in building the 🌎 world. It is a calling and a privilege to honor him with pride and gratitude as not everyone will ever be chosen by the LIGHT, many are called but few are ch

Robot Uprising Update: Robot Waiter, Fasta Pasta, South Terrace, Adelaide CBD, South Australia

On the second evening of my partner, Enigma, and I's weekend stay in Adelaide we decided to have dinner at Fasta Pasta . Strangely enough our hotel staff, at the Alba, had not mentioned Fasta Pasta as an option for an evening meal while their restaurant is closed for refurbishment, even though it is literally next door on the corner of South Terrace and Pultney Street. You may be aware that Fasta Pasta is an upmarket Italian restaurant franchise with its beginnings in Adelaide. Currently they have 19 restaurants Australia wide (with the majority in South Australia - we even have one in Gawler, our home town). I've never had bad food at a Fasta Pasta, and their food never looks like a franchise meal. You always feel you're at a restaurant that's a little bit more quality than your typical hotel/motel meal. Maybe it's because you don't see as much pasta based meals on an Aussie pub menu. Despite the name, it's not all pasta. I went with a basic plate of fish a

Guest Post: NEW NOVEL ALIAS JEANNIE DELANEY - BOOK 1 - GO WEST, GIRL!

Today's guest post is by returning Artist, Writer, and Mental Health Advocate, Jo B Creative who writes for her blog, Creating My Oddessey . Jo's previous 2019 post, MY SOOPER DOOPER NEW CONSERVATORY/ART STUDIO! for a long time was one of this blog's most read pages. Jo returns under a new alias, author Kit Mackenzie , and with word of her new novel, ALIAS JEANNIE DELANEY - BOOK 1 - GO WEST, GIRL! which is now available on Amazon. T he first book of this epic western trilogy, Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 1 - Go West, Girl! is the life story of a devastating and charismatic pants-wearing cowgirl who's the fastest gun in the west and bisexual. A crack shot story that blazes across the wild west! Jeannie Morgan, a devastatingly tomboy-beautiful, pants-wearing maverick who flicks a finger of contempt at society in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Her speed with a gun is faster than the strike of a rattler, outshooting every man she meets. Love, hate and jealo

Looking for a Conspiracy Starter? Try The Conspiracy Theory Chart (2021) by Abbie Richards

Abbie Richards - creator of The Conspiracy Chart. I've never heard of Abbie Richards until today, while I was trawling the internet for something to post to this blog. She claims to be professionally obsessed with TikTok, a mis and disinformation researcher, and a research fellow at @TheARConsortium but she may just be an A.I. bot programmed by the far left to annoy right wing keyboard warriors, probably? Anyway Abbie produced an updated version of her Conspiracy Theory Chart to reflect more recent thinking (up until November 23, 2021 at least). Whether or not you believe anything listed to be a conspiracy or 'truth that will come out as more people wake up' the chart is a great starting point for anyone investigating 'new, enlightened thinking' with dubious connection to actual facts to draw their conclusions. Conspiracy theories are everywhere and people don't understand how harmful they are. I made the original Conspiracy Chart over a year ago. An update was

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog