Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 3 review, thorough analysis and breakdown of memorable moments, easter eggs, important references and secrets I found!
The new Obi-Wan Kenobi episode is out. There are some things that surprised me and others completely blew my mind. I still can’t believe some of the stuff we actually got to see. Here are all my thoughts about it. This review contains heavy spoilers, if you haven’t watched it I’d recommend that you do that first and then return. Enjoy!
Episode 3 Story Recap
After Bail Organa convinces Obi-Wan of going after Leia’s kidnappers, he reaches the compound where she’s held captive. It doesn’t take much effort to take down the thugs guarding the place. When Reva realizes that they’re gone, she places a bounty on Kenobi’s head, jeopardizing the Inquisitors’ mission.
Leia doesn’t trust this scruffy-looking Jedi yet and runs away from him. After falling off a roof, Obi-Wan must do something that he hasn’t tried in the last 10 years, reach out to the Force to save the young princess from certain death.
Finally, the future general of the Rebel Alliance trusts Obi-Wan. When they’re about to reach the transport to leave their planet, Reva catches up to them. The rusty Jedi sends Leia to the shuttle and prepares to confront the ambitious Inquisitor.
Until this moment, Obi-Wan ignored the fact that Anakin Skywalker is alive. This revelation leaves him speechless. An altercation between the Grand Inquisitor and Reva allows him to get to the shuttle and escape to an unknown destiny. It is after he escapes the danger that Obi-Wan fully understands the situation, his former apprentice, now Darth Vader is alive, and he’s coming.
Darth Vader, the most powerful slave in the galaxy
The first scene gives me chills. This is the first time we see Darth Vader on such an intimate level. He’s one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, his presence terrifies both allies and enemies, and yet, he is still an incredibly vulnerable man.
After he lost the duel (and his limbs) against Obi-Wan on Mustafar, all future hopes of him overthrowing Palpatine vanished. He will forever be subjected to the Emperor’s will.
Never-ending pain, spending as much time as he can on a bacta tank, and being kept alive only by this suit is a cruel irony.
Despite all that power, all the fear he provokes, and all the lives he extinguishes, Darth Vader is sentenced to be what he always tried to leave behind, a slave.
Be careful not to choke on your aspirations
We know that Reva won’t stop until she fulfills her goal. Darth Vader is aware of this, and I believe that he respects the determination, but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to risk the mission just for one Inquisitor’s petty ambitions.
In the Old Republic times, the Sith used to fight each other as much (perhaps even more) as the Republic. Disloyalty, deception, and double-crossing were common practices when the Sith Empire ruled half the galaxy. But, these are different times, if Reva is going to play this game, the stakes will be just as high. Success will grant her the position she wants, failing will teach her why there is no Second Sister anymore.
Being young, impulsive, and ambitious can be very useful on certain occasions, but it’s also a double-edged sword. Reva, The Third Sister says that she wants to be by Darth Vader’s side, but she hasn’t learned that Darth Vader only stands next to The Emperor. Everyone else is and always will be below them, regardless of their achievements.
It’s just Ben
Every episode we see little moments where Obi-Wan acts in a way that feels like he’s another person, and that is because he actually is. The wise, sassy, and unconquerable Jedi Master is no more. Ben is an impatient, grumpy, apathetic man who trusts no one. But how could he?
The Clone Troopers, his brothers in arms, who he fought side by side for many years against the droid armies of the CIS betrayed him. His brother, best friend, and former apprentice lead the Republic’s army against the Jedi Order, killing hundreds of them in mere minutes. It’s almost as if (most of) Obi-Wan Kenobi died with Anakin Skywalker in that agonizing duel on Mustafar.
Now, he’s just a memory of what he used to be. Sometimes, even having the patience to answer Leia’s questions proves to be a challenge. One would normally think that the time passed would ease the pain, but I think this is not the case. If only, it has gotten worse, like an unattended infection.
Not that he hasn’t tried to overcome it, but the trauma is too deep within him that simple meditation is far from being enough. There are some wounds that not even the Force can heal.
You are not alone, Obi-Wan
After being taken to an Imperial checkpoint. The situation gets pretty rough, Leia and Obi-Wan are going to be inspected. The imperial probe approaches and Kenobi has no other choice but to draw his blaster and shot it right in the eye. He’s able to kill the other Stormtroopers but a transport with reinforcements arrives just a few seconds later.
Luckily, the Imperial Officer is on their side and she quickly dispatches the Stormtroopers. She takes them to a refuge in a nearby town, this refuge has been used several times to smuggle Jedi out of the planet, according to Tala.
To Obi-Wan’s surprise, Quinlan Vos is alive! We already knew that he’s among the few Jedi that survived Order 66 but hearing his name in the series is such a joy.
For those who aren’t familiar with him, Quinlan Vos is a Jedi Knight who grew up with Obi-Wan. He’s an unusually chill Jedi that used to break the rules as much as Anakin. Quinlan possesses the ability to perceive other people’s memories by being in contact with objects they had touched.
This ability and his personality allowed him to dwell in the underworld. This is where he met Aayla Secura and made her his new padawan. Aayla would become a prominent Jedi Master, sadly, Aayla dies during Order 66.
After that little explanation, I need to express how excited I am for the little possibility of seeing him with Obi-Wan. Quinlan is a fighter who rarely gives up on people, if there’s someone that could make Obi-Wan return to himself, it’s Quinlan Vos.
The revelation of his old friend’s survival shows Kenobi that some people haven’t given up. They are still fighting the Empire and helping people in need. It was the other way around, but now the Jedi are the ones who need protection. At least until they can regroup.
The true power of the dark side
Darth Vader is no pushover, we have seen him kill people many times but this time, this time it felt different. I believe this is the first time that I genuinely felt some degree of anguish when watching Star Wars.
Vader knows his former master is watching, what does he do? He proceeds to go on a killing spree unleashing his rage on the unlucky people of that town. Just like in Attack of the Clones, men, women, and children were subjected to his cruelty. All of this is to see if the emotion of Obi-Wan overwhelms him and reveals his location.
Obi-Wan is stunned by what he’s witnessing. I’m sure he doesn’t want to believe that dark figure used to be Anakin, but he can’t be mistaken. His mere presence took his breath away.
Anakin’s immense raw power is now fueled by hate, anger, and pain. Even the Inquisitors don’t raise their heads in his presence. The poor civilians are watching death right into the eye and there’s nothing they can do about it.
This is the fearsome Darth Vader that we all have read about in books and comics. An unstoppable force, filled with endless hate and rage that could fight dozens of Jedi at the same time, and kill every one of them without breaking a sweat. The sound of his breathing, his deep voice, the way he walks, the mysterious suit that is as dark as the abyss itself. This is the monster other monsters are terrified of.
Rematch
After then years, Darth Vader is finally in front of the man he holds responsible for a good amount of his suffering. “OW: What have you become? DV: I am what you made me” I mean, Obi-Wan did cut his limbs and left him for dead only after watching him being burned alive, so he isn’t totally wrong in his reasoning.
Kenobi tries to stall and runs for a bit but this isn’t a fight he can evade so easily. It doesn’t take much time for Vader to know that his former master is in a weakened state.
In his prime, Obi-Wan was a master of Soresu, a lightsaber combat form that is considered the ultimate defensive form. How does this matter? Well, Anakin was a practitioner of Djem So, an extremely aggressive lightsaber form that relies on overpowering and overwhelming the opponent with a powerful succession of strikes.
Stylistically, Obi-Wan was the perfect match for Anakin’s aggressive approach. This is why he was able to match him in their final duel at the end of Episode III. But he is no longer in his prime, even if he has the perfect style to fight Vader, he’s out of shape.
Anakin was abnormally strong for a human, so now that he possesses artificial limbs that enhance his strength, there’s no hope for Obi-Wan to beat him in a duel. And Vader is aware of this.
He knows he could kill Obi-Wan without too much effort, but he intends to enjoy this. “Now you will suffer” Vader is going to make Kenobi experience the same agonizing pain for a very long time. At least that’s his intention, but Obi-Wan is saved at the last minute by Tala.
Debora Chow, director of the show confirmed that they will face two times in the series. This one was a very frightening experience for Obi-Wan (and certainly for many of us) so I’m eager to know how the second encounter unfolds.
Secret tunnel
I’m not sure if I got it right or not… Leia is left in the tunnel that leads to the pilot so Tala can help Obi-Wan. Reva also enters the tunnel while Tala is still inside, despite this not only do Reva and Tala never cross each other but Reva gets to the pilot before Leia. Honestly, I didn’t understand this part.
It might be as simple as the tunnel is actually a whole tunnel network with many routes that lead to different places. This could explain why Tala and Reva do not cross paths, but to me, it still makes no sense that she got to the other side before Leia. Am I missing something or do you also think it is odd?
Interesting facts
Vader’s castle: This imposing structure is Darth Vader’s headquarters. It was built on Mustafar, the same place where he lost to Obi-Wan, his first and probably biggest failure until the destruction of the first Death Star. Mustafar is also a planet with a strong connection to the dark side of the Force.
Trophy room: In the scene where the Inquisitors gather to discuss their plan. Lightsabers and youngling training helmets are being displayed like their trophies. This is a very cool and dark detail of the scene. I wonder how many Jedi they have killed.
Recruiting children: This is far from being the first time that we know Palpatine is trying to “recruit” younglings. In the Clone Wars, he hired Cad Bane to steal a Holocron that contained information about force-sensitive children. This is also the main topic in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. I wonder if we’ll learn soon what they do with them.
Predictions
I think it’s safe to assume that Reva got Leia. In the trailer, we see Imperial forces at the Fortress Inquisitorius being deployed. Including Purge Troopers, these types of soldiers are trained specifically to kill Jedi. So I think Obi-Wan will need to assemble a small force and head there to rescue the young princess.
If this happens, Obi-Wan (not Ben) is the one who needs to go. I doubt he has enough time to train and recover some of his strength, but if he embraces the name that should mean a significant development of the character.
Quinlan Vos or not, I want to see another Jedi help him. With the current information available, I can’t think of a way that he rescues Leia without everyone dying.
What are your thoughts about the series so far? How did you feel when Vader appeared?
