All journeys must come to an end, and Obi-Wan Kenobi is no different (although there’s still talk of a possible Season 2). The Obi-Wan season finale has a lot of threads to bring together, so let’s see how this tale wraps up.
Last episode, we saw the band of refugees escape Vader’s (Hayden Christensen; James Earl Jones) clutches on the planet Jabiim, but not without the dark lord in pursuit. The transit ship is in bad shape and won’t make it before Vader destroys it, so Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) decides to separate from the group and lure Vader away. Despite the Grand Inquisitor’s (Rupert Friend) insistence on continuing the pursuit, Obi-Wan’s plan works, and Vader alters course.
Reva (Moses Ingram) is on Tatooine in search of the Lars homestead so she can find Luke (Grant Feely). A townsperson tips Owen (Joel Edgerton) off to Reva’s approach, and Owen and his wife Beru (Bonnie Piesse) prepare their house. It turns out Beru has a lot of weapons hidden away. Don’t mess with Auntie.
Vader and Obi-Wan meet on a dark, dusty planet. “Have you come to destroy me, Obi-Wan?” Vader asks. “I will do what I must,” Obi-Wan replies, before striking his signature two-finger pose. Their fight both sounds and looks frenetic. It also mirrors at least one set of moves from the last episode’s Attack of the Clones-era flashback. Vader gets the upper-hand and opens up a pit for Obi-Wan before covering him in heavy rocks. Things look bleak for our hero, but of course, he manages to break through, thanks to a montage of memories he has of the Skywalker twins. As the two face off again, Obi-Wan lifts an army of rocks to hurl at Vader. The series has been a journey for Obi-Wan to get his strength back, and he finally has.
Meanwhile, the Lars face-off against Reva in a firefight of deflected blaster shots. Reva corners Owen and says “You really love the boy, like he’s your own.” Owen replies, “He is my own.” It’s a moment that digs its heels into one of the most important themes in all of Star Wars: adoption and extended family being just as important as immediate blood.
Obi-Wan and Vader finish their fight. Obi-Wan runs, jumps, and strikes, slicing Vader’s helmet, revealing Anakin’s face underneath. Obi-Wan tries to reach out, to apologize for what happened, but Anakin rejects it: “I am not your failure, Obi-Wan,” he says. “You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.” Obi-Wan, recognizing that Anakin won’t be saved, turns and leaves Vader. We know redemption won’t come until much, much later.
Back on Tatooine, Reva lunges after Luke as he disappears into the desert. When she finds him, she wants to kill him, but she gets a flashback to her own childhood and the Order 66 purge. To kill Luke is to perpetrate the same crime Anakin did to Reva’s friends. She hesitates, and in the next scene, when Obi-Wan has reappeared on the planet to help Owen and Beru search for the boy, Reva appears on the horizon, carrying an unconscious but unhurt Luke. The Lars rush away with the boy, leaving Obi-Wan and Reva alone to talk.
Reva laments that she couldn’t seek revenge for her slain friends, but Obi-Wan asserts that by showing mercy, she has given her friends peace. “Have I become him?” she asks. “No. You have chosen not to.” Reva’s whole arc has been leading to this moment, to the undoing of her anger and her search for wholeness, for righteousness. Moses Ingram continues in her excellent performance here, with tears streaming down her face as Reva drops her Inquisitor lightsaber onto the Tatooine sand.
On his ship, Vader contacts Darth Sidious (in a surprise and welcome cameo from the iconic Ian McDiarmid), rejecting any loyalty to Obi-Wan and swearing fealty once again to his current master. Then, finally: the “Imperial March” theme plays for the first and only time on the show.
Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) is safe and sound on Alderaan, and Obi-Wan makes a final visit to the planet to say goodbye. He tells Leia about her parents, that she is wise, discerning, and kind-hearted like her mother; and passionate, fearless, and forthright like her father. They hug, and Obi-Wan leaves once again for Tatooine.
Once there, he visits the Lars homestead, and Owen permits him to meet Luke for the first time. It’s here that Obi-Wan finally utters his famous “Hello there!” line on the show.
The episode ends with a cameo from Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) as a Force ghost who meets Obi-Wan out in the desert. “Well, it took you long enough,” Jinn says. It’s another milestone in Obi-Wan’s reunion with his powers in the Force. Qui-Gon, however, tells him he still has a ways to go in his journey, leaving the door wide open for future installments in Kenobi’s story.
And just like that, the newest live-action chapter of the Star Wars saga ends. Overall, it was a season beloved by many fans despite some issues with writing and pacing. In the end, it’s just good to have these characters back again, to spend more time with them, and to see where some began and where others have progressed.
Rating: 9/10
