Content Warning: This List Contains Spoilers For Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+!
The latest installment from a galaxy far, far away, Obi-Wan Kenobi has come to a close on Disney+, fulfilling a decades-long desire for many diehard Star Wars fans. It brought Ewan McGregor back in one of his most iconic roles as the titular character, showing part of what he was doing over the 19 years he lived on Tatooine.
While the series was periodically met with some mixed reviews, overall it was a worthy inclusion to the massive franchise by showcasing how hope is still there even when surrounded by insurmountable grief and fear. In particular, Obi-Wan Kenobi was entertaining for the numerous fun easter eggs and hidden details pervasive throughout each episode.
R2-D2 & C-3PO, Waiters Extraordinaire
Ahead of the series premiere, fans were largely expecting the show to focus on Obi-Wan’s life on Tatooine, and thus his task of watching over Luke Skywalker. However, they shocked audiences in “Part I” by instead bringing in young Leia, played impressively by Vivien Lyra Blair. While she was a scene-stealer from the start, she was not the only massively important character there on Alderaan.
During the Organa family get-together, when Leia aptly reads her cousin presumably using the Force, both C-3PO and R2-D2 are seen in the background. They are just like any other droid, serving drinks or helping guests. This is a staple of nearly every Star Wars project – as it should be since they are the first speaking roles in Star Wars history.
Cameos
Over the course of the sequel series and now in the Disney+ era, cameos have become a standard in new projects. In The Mandalorian, there were plenty, including Adam Pally and Jason Sudeikis as a pair of Stormtroopers and Obi-Wan Kenobi director, Deborah Chow as a New Republic X-Wing pilot, along with fellow directors Dave Filoni and Rick Famuyiwa.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is no different. In the second episode, Ewan McGregor’s daughter, Esther-Hope McGregor appeared as a spice dealer on Daiyu named Tetha Grig. In the next episode, Scrubs star Zach Braff also cameoed as the slimy, Empire-loving alien, Freck, who feigned hospitality to bring Obi-Wan into the Empire.
Lola
Young Leia is given a trusty droid companion in Obi-Wan Kenobi, not only to serve as a friend but also to highlight how she operates and thinks differently. She is shown to be compassionate even to droids, a trait her adoptive family members do not share – though this is something that links her more to her father since Anakin was quite close to several droids.
The droid is named Lola and should be remembered as a likely toy ready to hit stores soon. It was actually named after Carrie Fisher’s pet bird from her youth, a subtle nod in remembrance of the legendary and beloved actress.
Corran
From “Part II” onward, Obi-Wan is embroiled in protecting Leia from Reva and the Empire, and thus gets himself wrapped up in the Path, the secret smuggling network that shelters Jedi and force-sensitive children across the galaxy. One such child is named Corran. While that might seem unimportant, if they continue to draw from the legends canon – as they did with Admiral Thrawn in Rebels – he could play an important role in future projects.
In the legends cannon, there is a character named Corran Horn, a Force-sensitive pilot who goes on to become a New Republic hero and Jedi Master alongside Luke Skywalker. Whether this could be a teasing of an older Corran appearing in Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron or not, it is nice to see the main canon reference Legends.
The Writings On The Wall
With Obi-Wan working alongside Tala and Roken on The Path, he is confronted with several figures from Jedi history. This starts with his noticing names engraved on the wall in Aurabesh, the common writing language. The biggest name to pop out, and one that Obi-Wan exclaims about is Quinlan Vos – a renegade Jedi and ally to Obi-Wan who had for a time fallen to the Dark Side but has since evidently, found the light.
Other names include Valin Halcyon, Roganda Ismaren, Djinn Altis, Drake Lo’Gann, Ekria, Drun Cairnwick, Corwin Shelvay, and Tiberius Anderlock. These characters each survived Order 66 and several of their stories from Legends canon also related to themes in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Interestingly, Valin Halcyon is also Corran Horn’s father, giving another link to the important Legends character and making it seem slightly more possible he could become an important figure in mainline canon.
Obi-Wan's Brother
Along with all the mentions of Legends characters and stories making their way subtly back into canon, Obi-Wan Kenobi also embraces some scrapped material in sharing this tale. While Obi-Wan and Kenobi are riding along in Freck’s truck, he shares that he has or had a brother before being taken in by the Jedi.
This could just be a comment to allow audiences to know more about Obi-Wan, but it might also be a reference to a deleted storyline from Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It was initially going to be revealed that Uncle Owen Lars – played by Joel Edgerton again in Obi-Wan Kenobi – is Obi-Wan’s long-lost brother. Had this gone farther than the writing stage it could’ve been one of the best deleted scenes in Star Wars history.
From Video Games to Live-Action
Obi-Wan Kenobi also takes inspiration from the many Star Wars video games in creating some of the amazing action and set pieces throughout the series. Some of the most obvious inclusions to gamers come from Jedi: Fallen Order – the popular video game set in the same time period, whose sequel, Jedi: Survivor was recently revealed at Star Wars Celebration.
The bulk was in Fortress Inquisitorius, such as the aquatic entrance and Obi-Wan creating the wall of water with the Force. Additionally, the utterly exhilarating moment in “Part V” when Vader stops the ship from flying away is taken right from the decanonized The Force Unleashed video games, and Obi-Wan throwing the rocks at Vader during their duel in "Part IV" is a move from The Old Republic.
Flashback To A Better Time
The beginning of “Part V” gave fans what they had been wanting for weeks: flashbacks to Obi-Wan and Anakin during the Clone Wars. This gave Hayden Christiansen another chance to really play Anakin and he delivered. While these segments could just be seen as nostalgic moments, they are incredibly important in the context of the series.
Anakin is first shown looking out to the distance, but he is actually looking at Padmé’s apartment. These were set before their reunion in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, thus showing how he’s harbored his feelings for a long time. Furthermore, these flashbacks are actually from Vader’s perspective, not Obi-Wan’s. This shows that he is still partly fighting internally against his past self all these years later – something that he is forced to resolve in the next episode.
Hello There!
After an exhilarating final episode full of intense fights – including the long-awaited rematch between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, which could come to be one of the best in the franchise – Obi-Wan finds himself back on Tatooine and at peace. He is then finally given permission to meet Luke, presumably for the first time since he brought Luke to Tatooine.
He brings with him the T-16 toy he intended to give to Luke in “Part I” – the toy he is seen still playing with nine years later in Episode IV: A New Hope. However, more importantly, he finally utters Obi-Wan’s iconic and memeable line, “Hello there.” This is something fans were waiting to hear, and it works perfectly as a button for this monumental episode.
Ready For What's Next
Ahead of the final episode, rumors have been percolating that Obi-Wan Kenobi could actually get another season. Whether that was always the intention from the start and they kept it hidden or not, many fans are happy to be able to explore more of the galaxy with Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. The series, or season, finale does set it up for the future quite well with him going to train more with his old master, Qui-Gon Jinn.
He’s also gone through a costume change to get ready for the future. The same can be said for Leia too now that she has her own special holster. Some fans noted that this is the same look he has during some of his appearances in the comics during this time. It’s a nice and subtle way to reference them while also highlighting how his emotional transformation over the series – from dark tones to light.