What We Learned from the Obi-Wan Kenobi Trailer

One thing that can be said from the start is that Obi-Wan won’t be remaining in the desert indefinitely, which should have been fairly obvious to guess since despite being resourceful, Kenobi is still there to protect Luke Skywalker. But after watching the trailer it becomes evident that Owen Lars and Kenobi aren’t going to see eye to eye at any given point since while Obi-Wan appears intent on training Luke when the time comes, Ben is adamant about keeping him out of danger. But throwing Anakin in Obi-Wan’s face is kind of savage, even if Ben is doing so out of concern for the boy he’s taken into his home. This makes his grizzled countenance and demeanor in the original trilogy come into greater focus as Joel Edgerton already appears as though he’ll do a great job of bringing Uncle Owen into firm focus as he tries to keep his nephew from falling under the sway of the crazy old space wizard. It does feel fair to say that Anakin’s actions on Tatooine while trying to save his mother was understandable, but still ill-advised. 

The Inquisitors look vaguely intimidating and probably would be to non-Force users that don’t know how to handle Sith or Jedi, but it would appear that they either feel that Obi-Wan is beneath them, or that they don’t want to risk their own lives until they’re good and certain that the Master Jedi has been run ragged. That could be why the call for thugs and bounty hunters can be heard in the trailer, all while it would appear that Darth Vader is being assembled by droids in the process. Some might be kind of confused as to why this would be happening now since in the third prequel it was seen that Vader was being put together not long after being rescued by Palpatine. 

There is the idea that the show might flash to the recent past to see how Vader was being pieced together while Obi-Wan and Bail Organa were seeking to hide Padme and Anakin’s children, but there’s another explanation as well. There is a novel that might as well be canon at this point since it doesn’t threaten the continuity much, if at all. But Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, goes into detail concerning how Vader is being forced to live within his suit, and more importantly, the fact that nothing appears to fit the way it should. With his mobility limited and the parts he needs not suiting him, Vader goes on to narrate the story by stating what works and what doesn’t, and how he has to fashion his own parts from time to time and tweak others to obtain the greatest level of efficiency. It’s not a guarantee, but it would be great if this is part of what is being seen during the trailer, as Darth Vader continually upgrades and improves upon his own limbs and armor until it suits his needs as much as possible. This is another reason why Vader can be seen as undeniably tough and absolutely ruthless, he knows to fix his own body when it’s needed. 

But getting back to Obi-Wan, it would appear that his seclusion isn’t going to be as quiet as he might have hoped, especially since bounty hunters are notorious for taking on some of the most dangerous jobs in the galaxy, and a Jedi, or former Jedi, certainly counts. How much time he spends in the city is going to be interesting, especially with the idea that the Purge is still in effect. But so far it would appear that the scenery is only getting more impressive as the Inquisitors are seen doing what they must to ferret out Kenobi while making it clear that they’re supposed to be insanely tough, even though they’ve been manhandled in the past by Ahsoka Tano, who is incredibly skilled but is not quite at the same level as Obi-Wan. Without taking anything away from Ahsoka, this means that the Inquisitors are more bark than bite and that their effectiveness is akin to that of bloodhounds being sent forth on a trail, but with a sense of superiority that isn’t bound to do them any favors. 

The idea of seeing Vader show up in this admittedly limited series doesn’t sound like the worst idea, but having him square off with Obi-Wan still doesn’t sound like a great idea since just about any fan could remind people that haven’t seen Star Wars in its entirety that Vader and Kenobi encountering each other on the Death Star felt like a meeting that had been building for years. But perhaps a few near misses and a lack of comprehension could explain a meeting between these two. It still feels as though Kenobi would be able to deduce who Vader is, if only because of a connection through the Force. But let’s wait and see what happens.