Warning: This article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As a limited series sandwiched between two trilogies, Obi-Wan Kenobi pays homage to both the prequel movies that came before it and the original movies that are set after it, but it also gives a surprising amount of attention to the sequel trilogy, depicting an era in the Star Wars Universe that's still thirty years beyond the scope of its story.
From the cinematography of certain scenes to its themes of cynicism and hopelessness, and even direct references to the movies (particularly Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Obi-Wan Kenobi does a commendable job connecting all of the stories of the Skywalker saga with Easter eggs that show an appreciation for George Lucas's penchant for rhyming motifs. As its titular character says in A New Hope, "it binds the universe together."
Obi-Wan Living Rey's Solitary Lifestyle On Tatooine
Obi-Wan begins the series performing manual labor, carving up a sand whale for very little pay. What he does get compensated for is supplemented with pieces of the whale he steals for the eopie that lives with him in a remote cave on Tatooine.
In the sequel trilogy, Rey scavenges for junk on the similarly inhospitable desert planet Jakku, a tedious job that barely covers her living expenses. She gets paid in food portions by a cantankerous junk trader and lives in a converted AT-AT walker near the Graveyard of Ships. Both figures lead solitary lives born from incredible trauma while simultaneously reinforcing a frequent Star Wars theme of characters with incredible importance to galactic events living humbly on backwater worlds.
Obi-Wan Eating Rey's Instant Meals
Obi-Wan Kenobi uses a small hot plate to make a more or less instant meal of stew, and Rey adds water to one of her food portions to create a sort of bread. They eat them in silence while gazing over the vast expanse of their desert homes, which only serves to highlight their (seeming) insignificance in the scope of their world views.
In both cases, these simple activities serve to reinforce the monotony of Obi-Wan and Rey's daily routines, far removed from the important fighting happening across the rest of the galaxy. Contrast Obi-Wan's complacency with what Tala is doing for the Rebel Alliance, or Rey's stagnation with what Poe is doing for the Resistance.
Obi-Wan's Old Luke Exile
Like an exiled Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi chose to live under the radar on Tatooine, forgoing a connection to the Force and presenting himself as a humble day laborer. He abdicated any connection to the Jedi Order not only for his own protection but for the protection of the young Luke he was watching over.
Realizing just how few Jedi remained in the galaxy was one of the most important things fans learned from Obi-Wan Kenobi's premiere. Not only were their numbers dwindling, but their reputations were being slandered by the Inquisitors. Like Old Luke and the First Order, Obi-Wan felt powerless to stop the atrocities around him, preferring to stick his head in the sand rather than get involved.
The Aki-Aki From Obi-Wan's Bus Speeder
After a hard day's work, Obi-Wan takes a bus speeder from his workplace back to where his eopie is stabled, and eagle-eyed fans will be able to spot the robed Aki-Aki commuter that joins Obi-Wan on his journey.
The Aki-Aki species was introduced in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when Rey, Poe, and other Resistance fighters went to Pasaana in search of the Sith dagger. There, C-3PO makes mention of their widely known festival's "colorful kites and delectable sweets." Including an Aki-Aki from the Expansion Region on a planet in the Outer Rim adds to the sense of connectivity of the galaxy.
Obi-Wan's Old Luke Cynicism & Feelings Of Failure
One of the biggest surprises of the Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere was just how cynical Obi-Wan had become. He even tells a fellow Jedi that their time is "over", echoing the cynicism of Old Luke when he declares to Rey that it's "time for the Jedi to end."
It's not surprising that these two important figures should share a lack of faith in themselves and the teachings of the Jedi; Obi-Wan feels he failed Anakin Skywalker, and Luke feels like he failed Ben Solo, with both apprentices falling to the dark side. Old Luke's role as a sagacious and elderly mentor to Rey has always mirrored Obi-Wan's role to him in A New Hope, but Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals that their story will be even more alike decades later.
Obi-Wan Being Offered A Lightsaber By A Hopeful Jedi
Despite Obi-Wan doing his best to remain hidden on Tatooine, his presence is discovered by a young Jedi who still believes in the strength and compassion of the Jedi Order. He entreats the former Jedi Master to resume his place as a defender of peace and justice in the galaxy with the offering of his lightsaber.
Rey does the same to Old Luke in The Last Jedi, presenting him with Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber in the hope that it will cajole him into training her. Like Obi-Wan, Luke refuses the offering, going so far as to toss the lightsaber over his shoulder. It's difficult to see these legends so resistant to being the heroes the galaxy knows them to be, but it also cements the depth of despair that made them turn away from their calling.
Reva Killing The Grand Inquisitor Like Kylo Ren Killed Snoke
It's not surprising that there's shown to be infighting among the Inquisitors; those influenced by the dark side often harbor avarice and jealousy. Reva stabbing the Grand Inquisitor mirrors Kylo Ren, a petulant dark side warrior also prone to fits of rage, killing Supreme Leader Snoke in The Last Jedi.
In both cases, audience expectations are subverted by introducing primary villains and then having their underlings kill them off for their positions of power. It's important to reveal that there are many different types of people drawn to the dark side, and while some are stoic villains like Darth Vader and the Grand Inquisitor, some are unpredictable wild cards.
Obi-Wan Burying Lightsabers In The Desert
The series hammers home that Obi-Wan has changed a lot since Revenge of the Sith, forsaking the Jedi Order in favor of living a hermit's life, and even going so far as to bury his lightsaber in the desert. To Obi-Wan, a specific chapter of his life has closed (or so he thinks), and he seeks to bury his past.
Rey buries both Luke and Leia's lightsabers together in the desert on Tatooine as well, not far from the Lars homestead. For Rey, an entire tome has closed, and the Skywalker saga is concluded. She will be the author of the next story and create a new Jedi Order that honors those who have come before her.
Obi-Wan Reluctantly Rejoining The Fight To Save Leia
A specific Skywalker twin inspires Obi-Wan to return to the fray, and it isn't Luke; Obi-Wan Kenobi is Princess Leia's only hope once again, this time to save her from a group of bounty hunters who intend to turn her over to the Third Sister.
Ten-year-old Leia completely steals the spotlight from the former Jedi Master, and her charm makes it easy to see why he chooses to render aid, but the decision means something more. Decades later, her brother Luke casts off his self-imposed isolation and answers her call, with the two sharing a tender moment before he engages the First Order so that she — and the Resistance — can escape. By putting such an important focus on Leia early, her significance throughout tstar wars:he Skywalker saga is recognized.
Leia Naming Her Son Ben
The bond between Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi is well known, but Obi-Wan Kenobi aims to emphasize the equally strong connection he had with Leia. She addresses him as "Obi-Wan Kenobi" in her hologram in A New Hope, but when Luke mentions "Ben Kenobi" during her rescue on the Death Star, she clearly recognizes his alter-ego, too.
In Legends, it's Luke Skywalker who names his son Ben, out of respect for the mentor who started him on the Jedi path. By establishing the strong bond that young Leia has with "Ben Kenobi", it becomes clear why she's the Skywalker who names her son Ben in canon.