Part VI (Obi-Wan Kenobi)

"Part VI" is the sixth episode and series finale of the American streaming television series Obi-Wan Kenobi. It follows Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is set in the Star Wars universe, occurring ten years after the film Revenge of the Sith (2005). The episode was written by Joby Harold, Andrew Stanton, Hossein Amini, and Stuart Beattie, and directed by Deborah Chow.

"Part VI"
Obi-Wan Kenobi episode
Episode no.Episode 6
Directed byDeborah Chow
Story by
Teleplay by
Cinematography byChung Chung-hoon
Original release dateJune 22, 2022 (2022-06-22)
Running time51 minutes
Cast
  • Hossein Mardani as Dardin Shull
  • Johnathan Ho and Oliver Ho as Jedi Younglings
  • Heath McGough as Groff Ditcher
  • Indie Desroches as Corran
  • Crispian Belfrage as Devastator Captain
  • Grant Feely as Luke Skywalker

The episode stars Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, who reprises his role from the Star Wars prequel trilogy, alongside co-stars Indira Varma, Vivien Lyra Blair, Moses Ingram, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Maya Erskine, Sung Kang, Rya Kihlstedt, and Hayden Christensen. Chow was hired in September 2019, and following rewrites of the script, Harold became the head writer and showrunner. Both executive produce alongside McGregor, Michelle Rejwan, and Kathleen Kennedy, while the episode is produced by Thomas Hayslip and Katterli Frauenfelder.

"Part VI" was released on the streaming service Disney+ on June 22, 2022. It received praise towards the rematch of Kenobi and Darth Vader, action sequences, visuals, cinematography, Kenobi's character development, the redemption of Reva Sevander, and the emotional weight, but received some criticism for its writing.

Plot

Reva arrives on Tatooine to find Luke Skywalker, while Darth Vader and the Empire pursue the Path network. Obi-Wan Kenobi eventually decides to confront Vader alone on a nearby planet while the Path safely escapes. After regaining his full connection to the Force, Kenobi incapacitates Vader. Realizing Anakin Skywalker has completely embraced his identity as Darth Vader, a saddened Kenobi leaves. After arriving at Luke's home, Reva is confronted by Owen and Beru Lars. She subdues them and pursues Luke into the desert. After remembering Anakin's massacre of the Jedi Temple, she decides to return Luke to his family. Kenobi congratulates her for overcoming her trauma and liberating herself from the Dark Side. On Mustafar, a healed Vader abandons his search for Kenobi after his master, Emperor Palpatine, questions his motives and loyalty. Back on Alderaan, Leia Organa finds new resolve in her duties as a princess. Kenobi visits them and affirms that he will help the Organas when needed. Returning to Tatooine, he resolves his conflict with Owen by agreeing to let Luke have a normal life. Having found inner peace, Obi-Wan is finally able to converse with the Force spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn.

Production

Development

By August 2017, Lucasfilm was developing a spin-off film starring Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars films.[1] However, following the project's cancellation due to the financial failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), McGregor entered negotiations to star in a six-episode Disney+ limited series centered around Kenobi.[2][3] It was officially announced by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy at the 2019 Disney event.[4][5] At the time, Hossein Amini was writing scripts for the series, while Deborah Chow was hired to direct all episodes for the series.[6] Following Kennedy's disapproval of the scripts and subsequent rewrites, Joby Harold became the head writer and showrunner for the series in April 2020, who executive produced the series alongside Chow, McGregor, Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan.[7] Chow and Harold worked to connect elements from the prequel trilogy and original trilogy.[2][8][9] Harold wanted to further explore Kenobi's character following the events of Order 66 and wanted him to deal with issues from his past. Chow also took inspirations from "gritty, poetic westerns" including The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), The Proposition (2005), and the works of Akira Kurosawa.[10]

Writing

On November 2021, a concept art of Kenobi fighting against Vader in a lightsaber battle was released as part of a rematch.[11] Series director Deborah Chaw revealed that Vader won't be fully formed, stating that the character was between the prequel and the original trilogies "So he isn't the New Hope Vader quite yet, you know what I mean? So we are with the character sort of in the middle of this period. It is still Vader obviously, but it's a Vader that isn't quite as fully formed as A New Hope."[12] The fight between Kenobi and Vader which is considered to be the "Rematch of the Century" was confirmed and teased to be included in the final episode, with the hope of bringing an epic fight between the two characters ans satisfy the fans that have awaited the fight for several years.[13]

Casting

The episode stars Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, and features co-stars Indira Varma as Tala Durith, Vivien Lyra Blair as Princess Leia, Moses Ingram as Reva Sevander / Third Sister, O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Roken, Maya Erskine as Sully, Sung Kang as the Fifth Brother, Rya Kihlstedt as the Fourth Sister, and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader. James Earl Jones also provides the voice for Darth Vader.[14]

Filming

Principal photography began on May 4, 2021, on the annual Star Wars Day celebration, with Deborah Chow directing, and Chung-hoon Chung serving as cinematographer.[15][16] The series had used the StageCraft video wall technology provided by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Filming had taken place in The Volume set, the soundstage in which the StageCraft technology is implemented, at the Manhattan Beach Studios.[17]

Visual effects for the episode were created by ILM, Hybride, Image Engine, Important Looking Pirates, Soho VFX, Wētā FX, Blind LTD, and ReDefine.[18][19]

Music

Natalie Holt was hired as composer for the series, making her the first woman to score a live-action Star Wars project, while John Williams composed the "Obi-Wan Theme".[20] Originally, Chow and Holt was not sure if they could use Williams' compositions for the series, and as such, Holt created her own theme for Kenobi. Following Williams' composition for Kenobi's theme, Holt's original Kenobi theme became "Holding Hands", the musical track for when Kenobi and Leia hold hands in the episode as Chow liked her composition.[21]

Marketing

After the episode, Lucasfilm announced merchandise inspired by the episode as part of its weekly "Obi-Wan Wednesdays" promotion for each episode of the series, including different figures of Funko Pop for Kenobi, Vader, Reva, Durith and Roken, a Purge Trooper Statue by Gentle Giant LTD, a NED-B toy by Habro, a T-Shirt by Mad Engine, and a PopGrip by PopSockets.[22] Additionally, Lucasfilm and Disney revealed posters they had created in a collaboration with artists from Poster Posse for the series.[23]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 74% approval rating with an average rating of 7.80/10, based on 34 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "If Obi-Wan Kenobi never quite fulfilled its lofty promise, it thankfully sticks the landing with an action-packed finale that's fittingly full of hope."[24]

References
  1. Kit, Borys (August 17, 2017). "'Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi Film in the Works (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  2. Ross, Dalton (March 10, 2022). "Inside the 17-year journey to reunite Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen for Obi-Wan Kenobi". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  3. Kit, Borys (August 15, 2019). "'Star Wars': Ewan McGregor in Talks for an Obi-Wan Kenobi Series for Disney+". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  4. "The Galaxy Far, Far Away Just Got A Little Bigger…". StarWars.com. August 23, 2019. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  5. Thorne, Will (August 23, 2019). "Ewan McGregor Confirms Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney Plus Series to Shoot Next Year". Variety. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  6. "Deborah Chow to Direct Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Exclusively on Disney+". StarWars.com. September 27, 2019. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  7. Otterson, Joe (April 2, 2020). "Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney Plus Series Enlists Joby Harold as New Writer (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  8. Ross, Dalton (April 26, 2022). "How Obi-Wan Kenobi changes the meaning behind a classic Star Wars line". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  9. Ross, Dalton (April 12, 2022). "Obi-Wan Kenobi will focus on 'a time of darkness in the galaxy'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  10. Shepherd, Jack (April 28, 2022). "Obi-Wan Kenobi director reveals the surprise Westerns the series is inspired by". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  11. Vary, Adam B. (November 12, 2021). "'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Preview Shows Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in Lightsaber Rematch". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  12. Bacon, Thomas (May 15, 2022). "Kenobi's Vader Rematch Is Already Canon (It Was Teased In Return of the Jedi)". ScreenRant. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  13. Phillipson, Daisy. "'Rematch Of The Century' Is About To Happen In Final Episode Of Obi-Wan Kenobi". LADbible. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  14. Mathai, Jeremy; Shaw-Williams, Hannah (May 27, 2022). "Obi-Wan Kenobi: Complete Cast & Character Guide For The Disney+ Series". /Film. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  15. Baumgartner, Drew (May 11, 2021). "Watch Ewan McGregor Confirm Production Has Started on 'Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi'". Collider. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  16. ""There is a Strength in Asian Culture": A Conversation with Lucasfilm Legend Doug Chiang". StarWars.com. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  17. Ehrenhofler, Courtney (June 11, 2022). "The Volume: How the Inventive Star Wars Tech Is Changing the Future of Film". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  18. Frei, Vincent (May 20, 2022). "Obi-Wan Kenobi". Art of VFX. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  19. "Obi-Wan Kenobi". ReDefine. May 27, 2022. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  20. Burlingame, Jon (May 26, 2022). "'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Score Has 'Loki' Composer Natalie Holt Balancing 'Star Wars' Heritage With Fresh Touches". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  21. Lane, Carly (July 13, 2022). "'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Composer Natalie Holt on Adding Her Sound to the Star Wars Universe". Collider. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  22. "Obi-Wan Wednesdays: Funko's Obi-Wan Kenobi Pop! 5-Pack Revealed and More!". StarWars.com. June 15, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. Brooks, Dan (June 30, 2022). "You Can't Escape Poster Posse's Stunning Obi-Wan Kenobi Art Series". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  24. "Part VI". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
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