Warning! Spoilers ahead for the third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, “Part III.”
Perhaps the most anticipated Star Wars series yet has arrived on Disney Plus. Ewan McGregor has made his triumphant return to the franchise in Obi-Wan Kenobi, a limited series exploring the period in Obi-Wan’s life between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
“Part III” took Obi-Wan and a young Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) deeper into the throes of the Empire as they attempted to escape back to Alderaan.
Shades of Padme
Even while they were fleeing Stormtroopers and making chase, Obi-Wan and Leia found some time to bond, especially as they pretended to be father and daughter, and the sad Jedi was once again confronted with the reminder of his other friend he’d lost, Leia’s mother, Padme.
Obi-Wan’s musings about Padme led to a tender and heartbreaking conversation where the ever-insightful Leia asked Obi-Wan if he was her real father and seemed to want him to say yes.
Instead, Obi-Wan reflected on his own memories of leaving his family behind as a young padawan, connecting with her over their shared sense of displacement and search for family.
The scenes are not only beautifully acted, but also set up the relationship and trust that would come in A New Hope, reinforcing Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s success in connecting the larger thematic and relational arcs of Star Wars.
An Unexpected Reunion
Unfortunately for Obi-Wan, he may have trained his apprentice a little too well. Now that Obi-Wan is out of hiding, it didn’t take long for Vader (Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones) to find him.
Obi-Wan once again sent Leia ahead while he stayed behind to fight off Vader and the Empire, which led to a terrifying and emotional sequence as Vader force choked his way toward his one-time brother and master.
Kenobi is also a bit rusty after not using the Force for a decade and was no match for his padawan, who came in ready to exact a revenge plot and throw Obi-Wan into a fire as was done to him on Mustafar.
Luckily for Obi-Wan, at Leia’s insistence, their new ally, Tala (Indira Varma), came back to help him out and rescued him from the flames. However, that left Leia vulnerable to a power-hungry Reva (Moses Ingram), setting up a heart-clenching cliffhanger for the midpoint of the season.
We’ll have to tune into Part IV to find out if Obi-Wan can get to her in time before she’s captured again…
Obi-Wan Kenobi is available to stream on Disney Plus.