Obi-Wan Kenobi: Needs To Stick The Landing

Obi-Wan Kenobi seems to have the Star Wars shows back on track. While there has been plenty of exciting moments, there are a few big points the series finale needs to hit this week:

An Epic Showdown

This one is an obvious “duh”. What would be the point of having these two characters back for a connected story if they didn’t have one more battle. But there’s a giant red flag here no one wants to talk about. Obi-Wan isn’t the same age as when we first meet him. It’s obvious that quite some time has passed between this show and Episode IV. Since the show will be a limited series, what the heck will happen that just makes Anakin/Vader stop chasing after Kenobi?

They can’t just showcase “Ben” starting to use his powers again to protect Leia from those Stormtroopers. They can’t have Vader be a complete badass while fighting the Third Sister. There’s no way they put that sort of power on a mini display and not have a remarkable showdown, right?

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A Helmet-less Anakin

Nothing makes sense if Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t come face to face with his past and confronts Anakin as he knew him. Not as Darth Vader, but as Anakin Skywalker. We need that moment of complete guilt that makes him never look back on his path. There has to be a sense of sorrow and disconnect from the young padawan that makes him abandon all hope that he’ll ever be the man he once was. At that moment he has to come face to face with the role he played in leaving him for dead.

Vader Learns About Luke/Leia

One major point that the show can’t ignore is Darth Vader finding out about Luke and Leia as his children. But that presents the same problem, once he finds out about them, what would make him abandon the search for his young children for so long that they don’t show back up in the story until they’re adults. The road is so loosely paved for these stories that we’re not sure they’ll be able to make that leap. It can’t just be some cheap throw-away moment like Vader recognized their connection through the force. How do we get to “Obi-Wan never told you about your father”? How do we end a series with so much of a gap in between and just be comfortable with him walking away from that knowledge?

While there are plenty of stories to explore going forward, no other series would be able to wrap up the young Skywalkers the way Obi-Wan Kenobi can. Just because the series is a limited run, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a lasting effect. There are some gaps that need to be closed as the story wraps up and we’re not sure they’ll get there.