Judging by the two episodes screened at Star Wars Celebration, Deborah Chow and the cast and crew have not only risen to the occasion, but they’ve exceeded all hopes. ... Kenobi feels like a true auteur vision. Chow’s stamp is all over this series, making it feel like a unique entry in the Star Wars saga. ... Kenobi feels high stakes, emotionally deep, and like the first Star Wars series to Matter, capital M. It’s a feat.
So far, though, Obi-Wan feels respective of both its canonical past and the future that lays ahead, and while it’s the exact opposite of new ground, this does feel like a chapter of the Star Wars saga that makes sense to explore...a show we’re hyped to see through to the end.
In telling the stories of the galaxy’s most famous stars, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” just has to put one foot in front of the other, sow seeds of what’s to come, and have enough self-awareness to know both its limits and what the audience wants from these characters. On those fronts, at least, the show seems right on track.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, released on Disney Plus on Friday, offers a slight change of tack: a self-contained story, centring on one of the saga’s most familiar characters. Judging by the first two episodes, it feels like it’s pulled it off.
Obi-Wan Kenobi feels less like a major disturbance in the force than just more Disney+ content churned out to keep subscriber numbers up. McGregor brings tremendous depth and empathy as Kenobi and the show is worth staying with for him alone. ... For now, Obi-Wan is watchable but nothing more.
Obi-Wan had a larger problem: It was dumb as a rock. Simple rules of spatial logic went out the window. Main characters kept almost killing each other, and then walking away long enough for their wounded opponent could recover.