Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t hanging around. Fresh from a beating (and a burning) at the hands of Darth Vader, the defeated Jedi is put on the Bacta Tank Treatment Plan and is back on his feet in no time. With just six episodes in the series, it’s a move that could be seen as surgical – a swiping cut that does away with any bloat. Instead, it hurriedly sets the scene for a so-so episode that counts as the series’ first real minor disappointment.

Leia has been whisked away to Fortress Inquisitorius, a location that will be familiar to fans of Jedi: Fallen Order. The premise – essentially a prison break, aided by an Imperial spy – also proves familiar. It’s here where the episode falls down, namely because it’s a pale imitation of two far stronger episodes of The Mandalorian in ‘The Prisoner’ and Bill Burr’s double agent turn in ‘The Believer’.

With Tala on distraction duty, Kenobi swims in and just about outmanoeuvres on-duty troopers. In his sights? Leia, who is being interrogated by Reva for the location of the Path and all those who hide within it. The moxie of Leia (“Is this a staring contest?” she quips) proves to be one of the episode’s highlights, though there are just one too many scenes of Reva – supposedly the Inquisitors’ shining light – trying and failing to get information from a ten-year-old for these scenes to really hold much weight.

There is still plenty to like dotted throughout the episode. There are a few breathless moments as Obi-Wan and Tala sneak into the Fortress, especially as their responders cackle, drawing the attention of Stormtroopers. Later, too, when Obi-Wan rescues Leia, his attacks in the dark showcase the Jedi slowly finding his feet again in a visually arresting scene that acts as a warped mirror to Vader’s own rampage in Rogue One. Coupled with the tunnel fight later in the episode, the episode shows just how capable Deborah Chow is at handling all sorts of action in a galaxy far, far away.

The episode is also a treat for Jedi: Fallen Order fans, with the location, troopers, and even the final act’s flood and escape sequence feeling like fun nods to the 2019 video game. Obi-Wan’s discovery of the Jedi tomb – a twisted monument to Order 66 – also brings in a deep cut Clone Wars character. If nothing else, it proves Lucasfilm has become more adept at casting a wider net around Star Wars’ legion of side stories and spinoffs and is now capable of weaving them into a ‘main’ narrative without feeling like throwaway fan service. Instead, this is a rich, full galaxy that Obi-Wan Kenobi exists in.

Aside from the Fortress’ beautiful interiors – Star Wars’ retrofuturism has never looked better – there’s something oddly cheap about the assault and escape on the Imperial base. That’s best seen in an awkward sequence involving Reva deflecting blaster shots while clearly not in eyeline with the rebel ship. When looking at The Mandalorian and even the cinematic quality of the Andor trailer, it stings to see Obi-Wan occasionally feel like a B-tier show when it should be the main event.

Vader does, however, swoop in and provide the episode with a much-needed jolt of energy. His confrontation with Reva is as terrifying as anything we’ve seen so far in the series, though his limp excuse for keeping her alive less so. Reva, presumably, is still breathing for plot purposes – but Vader has never been one to suffer fools gladly. The show’s failure to reconcile immediate story with established canon, then, is something that could work against it moving forward as it continues to fill in more gaps.

Obi-Wan, Tala, and Leia eventually escape but, with Reva’s tracker firmly in place on Lola, it’s clear they’re not in the clear yet. The Empire – backed by Vader’s fury – promises a more vicious response next time around and should make for a stronger episode. When the season is over, it’s likely that this will feel like an anomaly – an episode that doesn’t quite match up to what’s come before it.

For more on Obi-Wan Kenobi, check out our interviews with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen on their favorite memories filming the show and how their characters’ relationship has changed, as well as Christensen on why he didn’t speak to George Lucas before returning as Darth Vader and Moses Ingram on playing the galaxy’s newest villain, Reva.

For everything else coming soon from the galaxy far, far away, see our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

The Verdict

3

3 out of 5

Obi-Wan Kenobi

While Leia’s prison break at Fortress Inquisitorius contains a handful of engaging scenes, the episode stands out as the weakest of the bunch so far thanks to redundant Reva scenes, tough-to-swallow Vader logic, and wobbly CGI.

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Ingram – who previously appeared in The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix – recently took to her Instagram (opens in new tab) account to share the abusive messages she has been receiving. “Long story short, there are hundreds of those. Hundreds,” she said. 

McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan and acts as an executive producer on the show, issued a message on social media that started with a celebration of the new series being the most streamed debut for any Disney Plus series, and went on to address the vitriol being aimed as Ingram.

“It seems like some of the fanbase have decided to attack Moses Ingram online and send her the most horrendous, racist DMs, and I heard some of them this morning and they just broke my heart,” McGregor said. “Moses is a brilliant actor, she’s a brilliant woman, and she’s absolutely amazing in this series… It just sickened me to my stomach to hear that this had been happening… We stand with Moses, we love Moses, and if you’re sending her bullying messages then you’re no Star Wars fan in my mind. There’s no place for racism in this world.”

A personal message from Ewan McGregor. pic.twitter.com/rJSDmj663KJune 1, 2022

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The main Star Wars account issued a similar statement. “We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold,” reads a statement on the official Star Wars Twitter account. “If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.”

“There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist,” the account added in a follow-up tweet. 

We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist. pic.twitter.com/lZW0yvseBkMay 31, 2022

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Kumail Nanjiani, who also appears in the series, sent a message of support for Ingram. “Moses Ingram is a phenomenal person and actor and I am excited about the decades of amazing work she has ahead of her,” his tweet (opens in new tab) reads. 

Ingram has previously revealed that she was warned racism would probably be coming her way. “It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, ‘This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen,” she told The Independent (opens in new tab). “But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens.'”

In the same interview, Ingram talked introducing more diversity to the franchise. “Obi-Wan is going to bring the most diversity I think we’ve ever seen in the galaxy before,” she said. “To me, it’s long overdue. If you’ve got talking droids and aliens, but no people of color, it doesn’t make any sense. It’s 2022, you know. So we’re just at the beginning of that change. But I think to start that change is better than never having started it.”

You can check out our Obi-Wan Kenobi release schedule to find out when the next episode drops on Disney Plus. 

The post Star Wars and Ewan McGregor issue messages of support for Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram appeared first on Game News.

Did you stay for the credits? Yes, Zach Braff has a surprise cameo in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3. It might be hard to place the Scrubs actor, however. Read on for more on who he is playing and where you can spot him in the latest episode on Disney Plus.

Who does Zach Braff play in Obi-Wan Kenobi?

Zach Braff plays Freck, the mole-like alien driver who takes Obi-Wan and Leia towards the spaceport on Mapuzo. You can spot him from 13 minutes onwards. Unfortunately for the pair, Freck is in league with the Empire – and makes their journey decidedly difficult as it wears on.

As to be expected, fans were shocked to see Zach Braff’s name in the credits. One wrote on Twitter (opens in new tab), “That Zach Braff cast in the credits caught me off guard.” Another asked (opens in new tab): “Who the heck did Zach Braff play?”

Others weren’t quite so perplexed. An Obi-Wan viewer, who was listening closely, said (opens in new tab), “Oh man, Freck is so obviously @zachbraff. I’d recognize that voice inflection anywhere!”

Braff joins the latest in a long, long line of big-name actors to have bit-parts across Star Wars movies and shows. Daniel Craig showed up in a galaxy far, far away as a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis was also on the Dark Side as a trooper in The Mandalorian’s first season. Simon Pegg even performed a turn as alien junk dealer Unkar Plutt in the sequel trilogy.

Braff’s cameo wasn’t the only shocker this week. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s most recent episode also confirmed the fate of a deep-cut Star Wars character. For more on Obi-Wan Kenobi, check out our interviews with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen on their favorite memories filming the show and how their characters’ relationship has changed, as well as Christensen on why he didn’t speak to George Lucas before returning as Darth Vader and Moses Ingram on playing the galaxy’s newest villain, Reva.

For everything else coming soon, see our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

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