Obi-Wan Kenobi: Season 1

*Mild spoilers below.*

Ten years after Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi lives a reclusive life in the sands of Tatooine, keeping a distant eye on young Luke Skywalker. Now known as Ben, Kenobi goes to great lengths to conceal his identity, knowing the dangers should he be exposed. Little does he know just how near danger is . . .

Leia Organa is being raised as a Princess on Alderaan. She lives a peaceful, idyllic life until her kidnapping . . .

Darth Vader terrorizes the galaxy as second in command in the Empire. He employs dark Jedi, called Inquisitors, to hunt down any showing promise of Force use. As they make their way through the galaxy, one gets a whiff of Kenobi's trail, and Vader's obsession comes to the fore . . .

Heroes and villains from across the Star Wars movies and television series will collide in this epic tale of bereavement, suffering, reflection, and resolve.

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Overall, I enjoyed this 6-part series. Seeing Obi-Wan struggle with the past and his present responsibilities is powerful. And that moment Obi-Wan realizes that Vader is Anakin . . . wow. The cinematography and style is good- I couldn't help think about how the prequel trilogy could have been improved (in delivery) with this director and film crew. Seeing young Luke and Leia is fun. And there were some good cameos. But it wasn't all gold.

Some of the characters and plot lines felt rushed or strange. More importantly, exploring this era diminished the mystique of A New Hope and introduced some inconsistencies. Two examples:

- In the original movie, you get the sense that Obi-Wan and Darth Vader had not met since their parting almost twenty years prior in Revenge of the Sith. We now know that wasn't true.

- Some of Leia's pleas to Obi-Wan (via hologram) don't make as much sense now. 

Ultimately, I think filling in all things mentioned or implied in the films messes with the impression of depth. And as Tolkien says, "to go there [investigating events only glimpsed] is to destroy the magic." There was new magic generated here, but at the expense of the old.

Rating: A-