[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 5, “Part V.”]
Well, they’re not exactly straight-up Clone Wars flashbacks… but it’s good to see Ani (Hayden Christensen) and his master again.
In “Part V,” fans are treated to snippets of Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin sparring in the Jedi temple. These brief clips, made possible by de-aging tech, are meant to show Vader’s brutality and focus on victory rather than preserving life. As foreboding as they’re meant to be, it’s heartwarming to see these beloved characters from 20 years ago again (occasionally wonky de-aging aside).
(Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd., courtesy Everett Collection)
On Jabiim, the rebels prepare to escape, but the Empire, using Leia’s (Vivien Lyra Blair) droid, locks them in their facility. An Imperial ship appears above them, and Obi-Wan realizes Vader’s there. “He’ll attack next,” Obi-Wan says. “He hasn’t the patience for a siege.” They make plans to lock down the entrances to the facility, leaving the pilot enough time to override the lock on their controls.
Pleased with Reva’s (Moses Ingram) success in tracking the rebels, Vader awards her the title of Grand Inquisitor. The Imps arrive on the planet and start blasting the doors, and the pilot isn’t able to open the roof. To figure out what’s going on, they must enter the vents — and Leia’s the only one small enough.
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As she helps, Obi-Wan receives a communication from Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) saying that he hopes Leia and he are okay. After discovering the Empire will soon break down the door, Obi-Wan says he’ll talk to the Third Sister to stall for time. He does — and through the door as they chat, he makes a discovery. Reva was a Jedi Youngling when the temple fell, and she managed to survive Vader’s slaughter. “You’re hunting him,” Obi-Wan says, shocked. He volunteers to help her, but she doubts that they really want the same thing (Vader’s death) and says she can handle it alone.
In the end, Tala (Indira Varma) and her droid sacrifice themselves to blow up a squadron of troopers… and Obi-Wan decides to turn himself over to the Empire in hopes that everyone else will be able to escape. He gives Haja (Kumail Nanjiani) his lightsaber and communicator and tells him to look after Leia, then he walks through the door with his hands up. As he’s captured, he and Reva have a conversation (in front of a whole squadron of troopers, which is odd. Could they not hear them?) about killing Vader. “What makes you think he won’t see it coming?” Reva asks. “Because all he’ll see is me,” Obi-Wan answers.
Thanks to Leia, the rebels do manage to escape, despite a badass scene of Vader pulling a decoy ship out of mid-air and ripping it open using the Force. After the rebels leave, Reva tries — and fails — to take him by surprise and kill him. She could’ve at least waited to ignite her saber until it would’ve wounded him! As Thanos said to Thor: “You should’ve gone for the head.”
To me, this scene shows the unfortunate problem with prequel stories. There’s very little tension in moments like these, because we already know who’ll lose. Vader has to go on to be the main antagonist for the movies, and Reva, for her intriguing backstory… isn’t in the animated shows or the films. Anyway, Reva’s no match for him and he runs her through with her own lightsaber. As she lies bleeding out in the sand, the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) emerges, very much alive and very much able to go on and be the main villain for Season 1 of Rebels. He takes the Grand Inquisitor pin off her uniform and leaves her to die.
Except she doesn’t die, and that sets up what seems to be a major problem heading into the finale. Aboard the shuttle, which has lost its hyperdrive, Obi-Wan senses something is wrong. And something is. Reva, still alive, has managed to find Obi-Wan’s communicator in the dirt — and conveniently, its glitchy final message talks about Luke. What does this mean for the finale? We’ll have to wait and see… but we’re guessing nothing good.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wednesdays, Disney+
