Obi-Wan Kenobi ‘Part IV’ ending explained

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the fourth episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, “Part IV.”

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 IV” picked up from last week’s gripping cliffhanger as Obi-Wan made a plan to rescue Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) from the clutches of Reva (Moses Ingram) after she was kidnapped.

The Princess and the Inquisitor

While Obi-Wan and Tala (Indira Varma), with the help of new friends from the Path, infiltrate an Empire ship to find Leia, Leia impressively withstands the worst of the Empire’s interrogation tactics.

While the interrogation sequences foreshadow the infamous moments between Leia and Vader in A New Hope, they also revealed more about Reva’s deep-seated resentment of the Jedi as she reflected on the things she once had as a child that were taken away from her.

Leia also seems to be expressing some force sensitivity, easily resisting Reva’s attempts to enter her mind and in later moments with Obi-Wan.

A Healing Force

I’ve previously theorized that Obi-Wan had cut himself off from the Force since we last saw him in Revenge of the Sith, both as a defense mechanism and out of fear and pain. This episode seems to at the very least prove that, between his recent injuries, and his lack of practice, Obi-Wan is rusty.

As Tala incisively points out, his body is not the only thing that needs to heal. Yet the thesis of this episode, and perhaps the entire series, comes with one line from Obi-Wan:  “I can’t lose her.”

With Obi-Wan having lost everyone meaningful to him he ever loved–his family as a child, Qui-Gon, Padme, Anakin to the Dark Side, and Satine–it’s clear he is hanging on by a thread and unable to process his grief. To lose Padme and Anakin’s child would be one more loss he couldn’t take, especially now that the two have bonded.

As Obi-Wan’s confidence builds with his determination to save Leia, his powers return and we finally see a hint of the former General he once was. Once they are reunited, and safely on a Path ship, Leia grabs Obi-Wan’s hand in a quiet, tender, and beautiful moment that exemplifies why Leia trusts the old Jedi with her life and why she is a healing force in his.

Of course, with two episodes left to go, and a tracker implanted in Leia’s droid, Lola, we know they aren’t safe just yet.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is available to stream on Disney Plus.

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