‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: Part V Review

On the one hand, the idea of an Obi-Wan Kenobi show that revisits his relationship with Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) is a dangerous move. Fans treat Star Wars canon as dogma. It’s holy and untouchable. To insert stories into this time period in Obi-Wan’s (Ewan McGregor) life means challenging that canon. Any move they make runs the risk of affecting past and future stories in a negative light. But there’s also a tremendous upside. The relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin has barely been explored. Even with all the stories that have already been told through the films, animated series, and comics, it’s still such a complicated dynamic with plenty to mine.

The latest episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi finally started to breach that wall and get to the heart of the issue at hand. When people face off against Vader they are facing off against the Sith Lord. He’s a dark, menacing figure that intimidates and is incredibly mysterious. But aside from perhaps Luke and Ahsoka, Obi-Wan is the only one who doesn’t face off against Vader. He’s facing off against Anakin, his former Padawan. He knows how Anakin thinks. He’s trained him and has spent more time with him than anyone. So to see them match wits in this siege is interesting.

And then there’s Reva (Moses Ingram). Her character has had ups and downs through this season, but it’s been an interesting journey to explore. This episode provides more insight into the complicated nature of her personality. She’s pulled in two different directions. One is the frustration over the Jedi Order’s past. The other is frustration over the Empire of her present. These two competing natures mean her future is uncertain. She makes a decision this episode that leans one way over the other. The story is not over yet, though. So it will be interesting to see how the finale both ties up Reva’s journey as well as Obi-Wan’s in a way that sets up future canon.

New episodes of ­Obi-Wan Kenobi stream Wednesdays on Disney+.