Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi Episodes 1 and 2.The much anticipated Disney+ seriesObi-Wan Kenobihas finally arrived. The series,which has been a long-kept secret from starEwan McGregor, was initially posed to be a full-length movie before directorDeborah Chowcame on board to shepherd the story of the fugitive and recluse master Jedi. Though an Obi-Wan theatrically released film might have been a blockbuster for another time,The Mandalorianproved that a Star Wars series spanning multiple episodes, and even seasons, could be just as successful in the age of streaming. It was on that show that Chow started her professional career as a Star Wars director, which made her the perfect fit to head the new series, bridging the gap between the prequels and the original trilogy, specifically through the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
To do so, Chow and the other filmmakers behind the scenes had to craft Obi-Wan’s story directly afterEpisode III: Revenge of the Sith, not only by approaching Ewan McGregor to carry on his beloved and fan-favorite role succeedingAlec Guinnessbut also by weaving in the return ofHayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader. Just from the first two episodes, we also find thatJoel Edgerton,Jimmy Smits, andTemuera Morrisoncarry on their roles from the prequels asOwen Lars, Senator Bail Organa, and a Clone Trooper, respectively. ButObi-Wan Kenobiborrows more from the prequels than these familiar cast members.
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When we last saw Obi-Wan in live-action inRevenge of the Sith, he has just left his student padawan Anakin Skywalker to burn on the volcano planet of Mustafar. He has also witnessed the birth of Anakin’s children, Luke and Leia, while their mother, Padme (Natalie Portman),dies, and alerted all Jedi to keep away from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and to remain in hiding, just as he does on Tatooine. If you didn’t remember all of that, theObi-Wanseries makes sure to remind you with a montage of Episodes I, II, and III —The Phantom Menace,Attack of the Clones, andRevenge of the Sith. The montage itself can stand on its own as a summarized retelling of not only the fall of the Chosen One to the Dark Side, or the fall of the Republic to the Empire, but, more importantly, the tragedy of a broken friendship and brotherhood between Obi-Wan and Anakin.
After watching his master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) die at the hands of Darth Maul (Ray Park), Obi-Wan is tasked to train the boy (then played byJake Lloyd) as a Jedi. Throughout the series, their older/younger brother relationship is explored through their quippy banter and friendly competition on their missions. But when Anakin is seduced by the Dark Side through Palpatine aka Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), Obi-Wan is forced to fight him, leading to the dissolution of their brotherhood. The recap montage not only captures Obi-Wan’s emotional state coming into the series — as a failed older sibling and a failed teacher — but it’s enough to make you want to rewatch the prequels themselves in their entirety.
But the most direct ties to the prequels come in the form of actual footage repurposed as flashbacks that showcase Obi-Wan’s past traumas. This is different fromRogue One’s use of archived footage fromA New Hope,as directorGareth Edwardsrepurposed unused clips of X-Wing pilots in the third act of the film. This is also different from how the previous Disney+ Star Wars seriesThe Book of Boba Fettreshot moments fromAttack of the Clonesin retelling the backstory of how Boba Fett lost his father Jango. Whereas the previous two cases didn’t directly pull from the previous films as they were released,Obi-Wan Kenobiuses actual clips from the prequels as they were originally presented. In episode 1 ofObi-Wan, Kenobi has a series of nightmares: the death of Qui-Gon, his happiest moments with Anakin and his subsequent battle with him, and Yoda telling him to commune with Qui-Gon from the afterlife.
When he wakes up, he calls out to his former master but fails to make a connection. Obi-Wan’s nightmares are told through scenes from the prequels, both as we the audience have viewed them and as the character of Obi-Wan witnessed them. This is perhaps the first time we’ve seen prequel footage used in such a way (in the animated seriesThe Clones Wars,voice actor Matt Lanter redubbed some of Christensen’s lines fromRevenge of the Sith). By directly citing footage from the prequels,Obi-Wan Kenobifully embraces the prequels for what they are, faults and all.
BecauseThe Force Awakens,The Last Jedi, andThe Rise of Skywalkerwere mostly held to the light of the original trilogy and its legacy characters of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), there hasn’t been much nostalgia for the prequel trilogy. However, between the animated seriesThe Clone Warsand now the live-actionObi-Wan Kenobiseries, it’s comforting to know that the prequels are getting their much-needed attention and appreciation, especially after the immediate backlash and criticism they received at their time of release. Episode 2 ofObi-Waneven pays tribute to the Clone troopers who were instrumental in the prequels,as Kenobi passes by a washed-up clone trooper begging for money on the streets. It is a fitting cameo from Temuera Morrison to appear in episode 2 ofObi-Wansince he shared significant screen time with McGregor’s Obi-Wan inEpisode IIof the saga.
Even stars Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen have rewatched those films through the eyes of fans, and their enthusiasm in honoring the prequels throughObi-Wan Kenobiabsolutely shows. The brotherhood between McGregor and Christensen played a significant role in their portrayal of Obi-Wan and Anakin in the prequels, and the emotional stakes they established in those films set the perfect stage for Obi-Wan’s solo series.
