Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi — 10 Mistakes The Disney+ Series Needs To Avoid
The new Disney+ show Obi-Wan Kenobi must avoid making costly mistakes like having too much fan service or wasting the return of Darth Vader.
With the release of the highly-anticipated new Disney+ show Obi-Wan Kenobi approaching later this year, there are plenty of reasons for fans to be excited about the beloved character's long-awaited return to the franchise. However, the other Star Wars shows on Disney+ have illuminated the potential pitfalls that the new series must avoid.
Some of these mistakes could drastically affect the quality of the show, such as including too much fan service, while other choices have the potential to deeply impact the larger Star Wars universe by contradicting the established continuity or undoing satisfying arcs that had been previously completed.
Because the show takes place during a period when plenty of recognizable characters were alive, Obi-Wan Kenobi must resist overstuffing the series with forced cameos and callbacks. While there is an acceptable and even expected level of fan service, the show must walk a fine line and make sure each reference and cameo actually serves the story.
When done properly, fan service can be an exciting and enjoyable treat for viewers and so far the franchise shows have mostly featured great Star Wars fan service moments. But if done poorly or overused, fan service can become a pandering creative crutch that prevents the story from developing organically.
As in the scene in which Han Solo gets his last name in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was also set between the events of the prequel and original trilogies, the Obi-Wan series needs to avoid over-explaining every aspect of Obi-Wan's character and backstory.
While there are certainly parts of Obi-Wan's story that fans want to see explored, the show needs to leave some degree of mystique intact and avoid the urge to show too much of the character's history that is thus far unexplained.
One of the complaints about The Book of Boba Fett has been that the character in the show does not feel like the same ruthless killer in the movies. Obi-Wan Kenobi needs to avoid making this same mistake with its titular character and must deliver a version of Obi-Wan that feels congruent with what viewers know to be true about him.
Obi-Wan Kenobi has many well-known character traits and the show's version of the character must show his growth from Episode III to Episode IV without contradicting the particular characterizations that have already been established in the films.
As the Star Wars universe continues to expand with more and more shows and movies, it is only natural for Disney to use the high-profile shows to set up spinoffs. However, the forced scenes in the second season of The Mandalorian showed the dangers of prioritizing future spinoffs over focusing on compelling storytelling.
Obi-Wan's story is compelling enough on its own and deserves to be the focus of the series. The show needs to deliver effective and organic storytelling rather than cram backdoor pilots into its narrative.
As many fans have noted, the prequel trilogy created a plethora of apparent continuity errors and retcons from the Star Wars original trilogy that some have gone to great lengths to explain, such as Obi-Wan claiming not to remember owning a droid despite being shown going on plenty of adventures with R2-D2 in the prequels.
Because the show takes place in between the two trilogies, the series must avoid creating any further continuity errors or resolving the existing continuity errors in an unbelievable or unsatisfying manner.
While there is clear entertainment value in revisiting Obi-Wan's adventures, the show runs the risk of feeling unnecessary if it is not able to break new ground and do something new and original with the character or story.
If the show is unable to justify its own existence by making a meaningful contribution to the canon, then it will run the risk of feeling disposable or like a cash grab. With so much of Obi-Wan's story already told, it is a daunting but essential challenge for the creative force behind the show to demonstrate a reason for the series to exist.
As one of the best characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Obi-Wan completed a compelling and satisfying arc as he transformed from an optimistic Padawan to a heartbroken and world-weary Jedi Master. The films wrapped up his story beautifully and brought his arc to a close as he fought Darth Vader and vowed to look after his son.
However, by revisiting the character, the series risks undoing his and other characters' arcs that were completed in the prequel trilogy. If not handled properly, this could retroactively weaken the emotional journey that Obi-Wan went on in the previous films.
While viewers know what to expect from the flow of a regular season of a television show, streaming shows can be far more unpredictable and unconventional. The Star Wars and Marvel shows have occasionally fallen victim to uneven pacing and odd story structure, like Hawkeye waiting until the very end of the season to introduce Kingpin.
With just six episodes to tell the story, the show must make effective use of its runtime and deliver a well-paced adventure that avoids filler episodes or rushed storylines.
For all of its success, one consistent criticism of The Mandalorian has been its occasional overly episodic feel as many of the episodes feature a similar formula and revolve around the Mandalorian performing a task for strangers in exchange for their help or information.
As a limited series, Obi-Wan Kenobi should be able to avoid this problem, but the show needs to ensure that the story engine driving each episode does not become familiar or stale. Instead, it should keep audiences engaged with the overarching story the show is telling.
One of the most exciting aspects of the show is Hayden Christensen's return as Darth Vader. Despite his polarizing performance, the character remains one of the most iconic villains in film history and his inclusion in the show brings massive expectations.
Given the history between the two characters, the show needs to handle the return of Darth Vader and his inevitable showdown with Obi-Wan well in order for fans to get a satisfying conclusion to the story that was set up and developed in the previous films.