Episode 101: Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi

One of the most anticipated TV series in years has just concluded its first season, and there's been a lot of talk about it, especially between the members of Planet 8. We're talking, of course, about Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latest Star Wars show on Disney Plus.

Picking up threads from the prequel trilogy and the Clone Wars series, the show follows up on a downtrodden Obi-Wan Kenobi, years after the devastation of the Jedi Order and the fall of the Republic. Obi-Wan lives an unremarkable life on Tatooine, making a living harvesting meat from gigantic desert beasts, and living in a cave not far from the Lars homestead, where he can watch over the young Luke Skywalker. However, through a turn of events, Obi-Wan is called back into service, and must ultimately confront his former friend and now greatest foe, Darth Vader.

One of the problems of doing a story like this, where you're dealing with events that take place in a character's past, is you know they can't be killed off or face serious physical jeopardy, so the focus is much more on their development and growth. The show managed to believably take us from a defeated, self-doubting Obi-Wan to one who has rediscovered his self-worth. It's rewarding to watch, mainly due to the wonderful acting skills of Ewan McGregor. He fully embodies the former Jedi knight and makes him relatable and sympathetic.

A true delight was the unexpected appearance of ten-year-old Princess Leia as portrayed by the marvelous Vivien Lyra Blair. She perfectly captured the spirit of Carrie Fisher's performance.

The introduction of the inquisitor Reva, played by newcomer Moses Ingram, brings to mind questions regarding how the Jedi council functioned -or didn't - and the idea of redemption and how that works in Star Wars. It seems like a person can be truly reprehensible but repent and then be completely redeemed. Does that make sense?

This series, along with Rogue One, helps establish Darth Vader as a true villain again. He and Obi-Wan have several encounters, with Ben getting the upper hand only at the end. The last battle also sets up their encounter in the original film and explains Kenobi's somewhat cryptic remarks to Luke regarding his father. It's a bit of backwards dancing but it's done well.

All in all, we enjoyed the series. It provides some insight into established characters without breaking canon and gives us some new characters and developments that might allow for a season two.

Our Sensor Sweep carries on the Star Wars theme, as Karen presents a fabulous book, Secrets of the Force: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross. This hefty tome moves chronologically through the history of the Star Wars films, animated series, and The Mandalorian via interviews with the people who made them. It's a treasure trove of great stories and information for any Star Wars fan.

Big News: Your Planet 8 crew will be appearing live at Creatures Con! Held in Orinda, California on August 7, all three of us -Larry, Bob, and Karen - will be hanging out at a table at the convention! The show is going to be a blast. This year author and film commentator David J. Skal will be a special guest, along with Sara Karloff, daughter of Boris Karloff, and many others. The show is hosted by our good friend, Lord Blood-Rah, and Tom Wyrsch, also friend of Planet 8. It's going to be a fantastic show, so please check it out. You can find all the info at http://www.creaturescon.com/.

All right kids, that's it for this time. Please be good to each other and be safe!

Episode 101: Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi

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