Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part IV - The Shortest One Yet

As Obi-Wan Kenobi starts the back half of the series with Part IV, the Star Wars series delivers its shortest episode yet at 38 minutes.

The following contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part IV. Please read at your own risk if you didn’t watch the episode yet.

The episode continues immediately where we left off following the end of Part III. Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) is now in Reva/Third Sister’s (Moses Ingram) custody on Nur. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Tala (Indira Varma) start planning a rescue mission to save her. Well, this comes after Kenobi stars the healing process in a bacta tank. While in there, we get quick edits between Kenobi and Vader. Roken (O’Shea Jackson) and his crew, including pilots Wade and Sully (Maya Erskine), have to help them escape following Tala blowing her cover. After breaking in, we begin to see the Obi-Wan Kenobi of old. The one that is a master of the Force and lightsaber, not the one who has cut himself off from the Force. Last week was certainly a tease of things to come. It’s so good to have him back!

On the Darth Vader (James Earl Jones/Hayden Christensen) side of things, he threatens to kill Reva after Kenobi, Tala, and Leia escape. I know what you’re thinking–this is why she doesn’t make any appearances in Star Wars Rebels. It turns out that she places a tracker with them. This action ends up saving Reva’s life for now and sets things up for the next two weeks.

Vivien Lyra Blair is really honoring the late Carrie Fisher this season. When you look at Blair on screen, you see this mini-Padme and a young girl who is going to grow up into a brave leader of the Rebellion and Resistance. Leia doesn’t break no matter how hard Reva tries getting information from her. I’m really glad that the show made a decision to follow Leia rather than Luke. It is one of the best twists ever especially with hiding Leia from the marketing material. But again, that’s why trailers are known for being classic misdirection. Another thing in looking at their relationship is putting A New Hope into a new perspective. Scenes in the original trilogy plays differently because of this. They’ll certainly be playing differently in another two weeks.

Both O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Pen15‘s Maya Erskine make their Star Wars debuts. Not much is known about their character backstories. However, their interactions with Kenobi immediately put the Jedi Master back into Clone Wars General mode. We’ll see them again next week.

One thing to note about the Fortress Inquisitorios is that it is also a tomb for Jedi. We see quite a few dead Jedi while Kenobi is looking for Leia. One that fans recognize from The Clone Wars is Tera Sinube. There’s a Jedi youngling in there and a few other faces that I couldn’t make out.

It’s certainly hard to believe it but we only have two episodes remaining this season. Well, unless Lucasfilm and company are hiding any other secrets that we don’t know about. I’m gonna be honest in that I want to see more adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi during his years in exile. On that note: Rupert Friend’s Grand Inquisitor is still missing in action. There are two more episodes to give him a come back and pave the way for his appearances his Star Wars Rebels. Time will tell.

Part IV is a very fast-paced episode and sets up what should be a pair of thrilling episodes to conclude this season/series.

SHOWRUNNER/DIRECTOR: Deborah Chow
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, Joby Harold
CAST: Ewan McGregor, Indira Varma, Vivien Lyra Blair, Moses Ingram, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Maya Erskine, Sung Kang, Rya Kihlstedt, James Earl Jones, and Hayden Christensen