Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi — 14 Mistakes The Disney+ Series Needs To Avoid

With the release of the highly-anticipated new Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series approaching later this year, there are plenty of reasons for fans to be excited about the beloved character’s long-awaited return to the franchise. However, the other Star Wars shows on Disney+ have illuminated the potential pitfalls that the new series must avoid.

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Some of these mistakes could drastically affect the quality of the show, such as including too much fan service, while other choices have the potential to deeply impact the larger Star Wars universe by contradicting the established continuity or undoing satisfying arcs that had been previously completed.

Updated on May 2nd, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: As the release date for the Obi-Wan series grows near, more and more information is arriving about the upcoming series. This includes the news of who might be coming to the show from the movies and the expanded universe. With Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader and both Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru returning, it appears that the series might be shooting for nostalgia as well as a fresh new story.

That might not be the best idea. While The Mandalorian was a huge success for Disney+ and Star Wars, its sequel The Book of Boba Fett was underwhelming to some fans, and there is a chance that the Obi-Wan series could fall on either side of that line. If the new series wants to be more like Mando and less like Fett, there are some pitfalls it needs to avoid.

Ignoring Obi-Wan In The Series

The biggest sin that The Book of Boba Fett committed was making the show move away from its main character one too many times. For some fans, the best episodes were ones that had nothing to do with Boba Fett at all. That is a sin that Obi-Wan Kenobi can’t repeat.

Fans wanted to see something new in The Mandalorian and they wanted to see an old favorite in The Book of Boba Fett. They got what they wanted in the first series and embraced it. They didn’t in the second and rejected it. Obi-Wan is a case where fans want to see the Jedi Master, and making it about something else would be pure poison for the series.

Too Many Obscure Cameos

One thing that the Star Wars world on Disney+ has tried to do was to bring in some obscure fan favorites from the extended universe for fans. That is fun – if it is done in a small measure and fits the story. If obscure characters are brought in just to make a small portion of the audience happy, but it does nothing to move the plot, the Obi-Wan series needs to avoid that.

Bring in characters that are important to Obi-Wan. If they are from the movies, that is great and if they are from the animated Clone Wars series, that is even better. But bringing in characters from books or videogames with no purpose other than filling the movie with Easter eggs is a bad idea that will just make most viewers feel like the show has created homework.

Ignoring Obi-Wan’s Clone Wars Experience

While bringing in obscure characters from books and games might not be a good idea, ignoring Obi-Wan Kenobi’s contributions in the Clone Wars cartoon would also be a bad idea. While this cartoon might not be solidified as canon in the movie world, it was one of the most popular animated Star Wars series of all time and should offer a lot to the Disney+ shows.

Some of the shows have already dipped into the lore of the Clone Wars series and Obi-Wan Kenobi should do the same. Obi-Wan was a major character there and it was also where Anakin got most of his work as a Jedi before his turn, so with both men in the new series, play into that in the new series.

Further Diminishing Luke Skywalker

If there is one thing that fans hated more than anything about the sequels, it was how Luke Skywalker ended up at the end of his life. While some fans won’t admit that he took the same path that Yoda did in his final days, going to a remote planet and living away from the Force, fans hated how he got there.

Now, Obi-Wan Kenobi is bringing in a Luke Skywalker fans have never seen. Grant Feely will play Luke in the series when the future Jedi Master was just an 11-year-old dreaming of becoming a flight pilot. In the first Star Wars movie, Luke was at his worst early with his whining about getting off Tattooine, and the last thing that the Obi-Wan series should do is make a young Luke look too much like little Anakin in The Phantom Menace.

Too Much Star Wars Fan Service

Because the show takes place during a period when plenty of recognizable characters was alive, Obi-Wan Kenobi must resist overstuffing the series with forced cameos and callbacks. While there is an acceptable and even expected level of fan service, the show must walk a fine line and make sure each reference and cameo actually serves the story.

When done properly, fan service can be an exciting and enjoyable treat for viewers and so far the franchise shows have mostly featured great Star Wars fan service moments. But if done poorly or overused, fan service can become a pandering creative crutch that prevents the story from developing organically.

Over-Explaining Obi-Wan’s Character And Backstory

As in the scene in which Han Solo gets his last name in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was also set between the events of the prequel and original trilogies, the Obi-Wan series needs to avoid over-explaining every aspect of Obi-Wan’s character and backstory.

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While there are certain parts of Obi-Wan’s story that fans want to see explored, the show needs to leave some degree of mystique intact and avoid the urge to show too much of the character’s history that is thus far unexplained.

Changing Obi-Wan’s Character

One of the complaints about The Book of Boba Fett has been that the character in the show does not feel like the same ruthless killer in the movies. Obi-Wan Kenobi needs to avoid making this same mistake with its titular character and must deliver a version of Obi-Wan that feels congruent with what viewers know to be true about him.

Obi-Wan Kenobi has many well-known character traits and the show’s version of the character must show his growth from Episode III to Episode IV without contradicting the particular characterizations that have already been established in the films.

Setting Up Other Star Wars Spinoffs

As the Star Wars universe continues to expand with more and more shows and movies, it is only natural for Disney to use high-profile shows to set up spinoffs. However, the forced scenes in the second season of The Mandalorian showed the dangers of prioritizing future spinoffs over-focusing on compelling storytelling.

Obi-Wan’s story is compelling enough on its own and deserves to be the focus of the series. The show needs to deliver effective and organic storytelling rather than cram backdoor pilots into its narrative.

Contradicting Star Wars Continuity

As many fans have noted, the prequel trilogy created a plethora of apparent continuity errors and retcons from the Star Wars original trilogy that some have gone to great lengths to explain, such as Obi-Wan claiming not to remember owning a droid despite being shown going on plenty of adventures with R2-D2 in the prequels.

Because the show takes place in between the two trilogies, the series must avoid creating any further continuity errors or resolving the existing continuity errors in an unbelievable or unsatisfying manner.

Not Breaking New Ground In The Star Wars Canon

While there is clear entertainment value in revisiting Obi-Wan’s adventures, the show runs the risk of feeling unnecessary if it is not able to break new ground and do something new and original with the character or story.

If the show is unable to justify its own existence by making a meaningful contribution to the canon, then it will run the risk of feeling disposable or like a cash grab. With so much of Obi-Wan’s story already told, it is a daunting but essential challenge for the creative force behind the show to demonstrate a reason for the series to exist.

Undoing Satisfying Obi-Wan Arcs

As one of the best characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Obi-Wan completed a compelling and satisfying arc as he transformed from an optimistic Padawan to a heartbroken and world-weary Jedi Master. The films wrapped up his story beautifully and brought his arc to a close as he fought Darth Vader and vowed to look after his son.

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However, by revisiting the character, the series risks undoing his and other characters’ arcs that were completed in the prequel trilogy. If not handled properly, this could retroactively weaken the emotional journey that Obi-Wan went on in the previous films.

Poor Pacing

While viewers know what to expect from the flow of a regular season of a television show, streaming shows can be far more unpredictable and unconventional. The Star Wars and Marvel shows have occasionally fallen victim to uneven pacing and odd story structure, like Hawkeye waiting until the very end of the season to introduce Kingpin.

With just six episodes to tell the story, the show must make effective use of its runtime and deliver a well-paced adventure that avoids filler episodes or rushed storylines.

Overly Episodic

For all of its success, one consistent criticism of The Mandalorian has been its occasional overly episodic feel as many of the episodes feature a similar formula and revolve around the Mandalorian performing a task for strangers in exchange for their help or information.

As a limited series, Obi-Wan Kenobi should be able to avoid this problem, but the show needs to ensure that the story engine driving each episode does not become familiar or stale. Instead, it should keep audiences engaged with the overarching story the show is telling.

Wasting Darth Vader In The Obi-Wan Series

One of the most exciting aspects of the show is Hayden Christensen’s return as Darth Vader. Despite his polarizing performance, the character remains one of the most iconic villains in film history and his inclusion in the show brings massive expectations.

Given the history between the two characters, the show needs to handle the return of Darth Vader and his inevitable showdown with Obi-Wan well in order for fans to get a satisfying conclusion to the story that was set up and developed in the previous films.

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