Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Joby Harold explains the larger significance of the tombs

Of all the chilling moments in Obi-Wan Kenobi “Part IV,” Obi-Wan stumbling upon a room full of what can only be described as Jedi tombs might be the one sticking with fans the most. We’ve been able to identify one familiar fallen Jedi, which makes the whole thing even more heartbreaking.

One of the creators responsible for the show’s compelling story, however, says this moment is extremely important to Obi-Wan’s life moving forward.

In a recent interview with SYFY WIRE, Obi-Wan Kenobi head writer and executive producer Joby Harold explained that part of what the show has to accomplish in its story is forcing its main character to confront the reality of what’s still happening to the Jedi.

“Obi-Wan’s been in his cave [on Tatooine] and he knows what’s been happening, but he hasn’t been confronted with it and the reality of it and how it’s evolved,” he told SYFY. “In that cave, you are somewhat cut off. Leia calls him to action, but through the course of his journey, he has to confront what has happened to the galaxy and also what’s happened to the Jedi. It stops being theoretical and philosophical and starts being right in his face to the point where it’s a couple of feet away, and he’s faced with this harsh horror. [It was about] finding those places along the way, where he was confronted by the reality of the world now.”

Obi-Wan’s journey in this series has always been about creating a bridge between the broken man recovering from the events of Revenge of the Sith and the version of the character Star Wars fans know from A New Hope (or, if you’re an animation fan, the Obi-Wan seen in Rebels). He has to get from Point A to Point B somehow. Perhaps the Jedi tombs are the horror he needs to see in order to realize the galaxy still needs him, even if it failed him once before.

Characters have to grow; that’s how extraordinary stories are formed. In order to give its main character an arc, the show had to begin with him outright refusing to help anyone. That’s why the first episode showed him turning away a desperate, helpless Jedi survivor. That’s not the Obi-Wan we’re going to have by the time the series ends. That’s the point. You have to start at the bottom and build your way up to showcase a changed, better person than you started with.

Obi-Wan Kenobi stars Ewan McGregor with appearances by Hayden Christensen and Kumail Nanjiani and is directed by Deborah Chow, who previously directed an episode of The Mandalorian. The series is streaming now exclusively on Disney+.

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