The Rotten Tomatoes audience score is significantly lower than the critical score for Obi-Wan Kenobi which could be from a variety of factors.
There are many possible reasons for the low audience score on Obi-Wan Kenobi, the new Star Wars mini-series on Disney+, from genuine criticism to potential review bombing by more toxic elements of the fanbase. Ewan McGregor returns to the role after portraying the character in George Lucas’s Star Wars prequel series, joined by his co-star Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Deborah Chow (The Mandalorian) serves as showrunner and director of the show with a cast that includes Moses Ingram as Inquisitor Reva, Sung Kang as the Fifth Brother, and Vivien Lyra Blair as young Leia Organa. Yet, despite this star-studded line-up, there has been a decidedly mixed audience reaction, with some responses turning into overt and unwarranted hostility.
Star Wars is one of the most popular franchises in Hollywood history and as such reaches a huge and dedicated fanbase. As with many successful franchises, Star Wars‘“Toxic fandom” has become increasingly prominent in recent years, causing problems across the board. With decades of lore from films, books, comics, video games, etc., fans have developed a very specific appetite for the material that causes a rift when some creative choices are made (or not made). From issues with canon, to casting, characterization, design, and beyond, Star Wars fans have a lot to say when it comes to the direction of the franchise. Sometimes, this brings out the worst in people, including racist commentary of late, particularly with Kelly Marie Tran in the sequel trilogy and now with Moses Ingram in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Since Obi-Wan Kenobi debuted, the show has seen an interesting trend in terms of its Rotten Tomatoes scores. Currently halfway through the series, the show sits at 87% Fresh for critics reviews out of 180 ratings, but has not yet reached a critical consensus. The audience score, however, currently sits at 60% out of 3,407 ratings. This is a fairly stark contrast in reception for a show that Disney said in a press release is “the most-watched Disney+ original series premiere globally to date, based on hours streamed in an opening weekend.” Most of the complaints levied at the show are very similar in tone and reflect many fans’ experiences, which include criticisms of the general story direction, poor acting, poor direction, poor action, and not enough focus on Obi-Wan. Though some claim that the show is being “review bombed”, that term is used a little too freely when faced with genuine criticism that’s averse to “certified” critics, making it often difficult to ascertain the truth. However, there can be no doubt that some Obi-Wan Kenobi critics are displaying some of the most toxic and problematic aspects of internet fan culture – especially regarding attitudes to race and gender.
While McGregor has received praise for being the shining light of the series, others have taken issue with almost everything else, from cheap-looking sets to unpolished performances to transparent fan service. While there are certainly ugly comments from the more toxic side (including those who devolve into racism), it also appears that many viewers simply aren’t enjoying the show as much as they had hoped to. Disney and Lucasfilm have defended rightfully against racist attacks against their cast members. However, that doesn’t diminish the valid complaints of the show, which are many and in many cases justified, especially given that it is reportedly breaking viewership numbers.
Fan division has been a constant struggle since Disney bought Lucasfilm, but it was also an issue when Lucas released the prequel trilogy. Beyond the original trilogy, Star Wars has been a divisive (yet still lucrative and successful) property. While the sequel trilogy brought out the racist, sexist trolls, who certainly made things ugly, especially for the targets of their toxicity, it doesn’t negate many criticisms of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which suffer from several legitimate issues, just as Obi-Wan Kenobi does. This will likely always be the case with something so far-reaching as Star Wars, as there’s simply no way to please everyone all the time. Toxicity is clearly a problem, but there may also be more deep-rooted problems under the surface.
- Rogue Squadron (2023)Release date: Dec 22, 2023
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