Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 Spoilers Ahead
From beginning to end, Obi-Wan Kenobi encapsulates the elements of Star Wars that have had the most considerable impact on audiences—the beating heart of the story that’s about humanity, survival, and the rebellions built on hope. Jyn Erso’s words have never felt more discernible as they do today. While every episode has brought tremendous weight to Leia’s “help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope,” the distinction feels far more earned now, going deeper into the lore than what we’ve all known when we first sped through a galaxy far, far away.
The expansion of this universe and thus, allowing us to continue getting to know one of the most essential characters in its history has been a tremendous gift. Deborah Chow‘s series is the story that reminds us of not only Obi-Wan’s significance in the narrative but every other character who’s paved the road for the victories we know of. The Empire wasn’t defeated overnight. The characters didn’t become legends with the first swish of their lightsaber. They are each the best versions of themselves because of the people who’ve come before them, paving the road for hope to survive.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 is about atonement in light of facing our own choices and fighting to improve the future. The series stands on a perfect high ground through solid, brilliantly thought-provoking writing, unparalleled visionary directing, and a compelling case study on the relationships that shape us.
You are the future
The Ben Kenobi we meet in the first episode and the one we leave behind in the sixth is a man who’s grown to understand that though grief will continue to haunt him for the rest of his life, he cannot sit back focusing solely on one task. Like Tala Durith and every soul who’s sacrificed their lives for the greater good of humanity, he needs to keep moving forward. He needs to fight to ensure that the future is in a better place than his past was.
A large part of that future are the Jedis they save today. And a prominent representative of that future, one he can see clear as day today, is Princess Leia Organa—the little girl who’ll become a leader, a General, and a colossal part in bringing down both the Empire and the First Order. From beginning to end, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a reminder of Leia’s resilience and the burdens she bore to care for everyone in her path.
What the two have been through thus far not only makes Leia choosing to name her son Ben Solo that much more wholesome, but it reminds us that she’s also equal parts of the people who’ve had an impact on her. She is the best of Padmé and Anakin, the best of Bail and Breha, and the best of Ben Kenobi. As Obi-Wan tells her in what seems like their genuine farewell until R2-D2 comes bearing the holographic message, she is wise, discerning, and kindhearted like her mother, and she is also passionate, fearless, and forthright like her father—”both exceptional people, who bore an exceptional daughter.” And in naming her son Ben Solo, she wanted the best for him. She wanted hope and love to be restored while taking on her most important role yet.
In her decision to sneak Lola into his robe, Leia knew exactly what she was doing. And in gifting her with Tala’s holster, Obi-Wan not only understands the weight of his gesture, but he shows the audience that Bail was right—she is just as important as Luke Skywalker (if not a little bit more). This very gesture leads little Leia to tell her father that she’d like to make changes, prompting Bail to meet her at eye level once more and promising that they’d do it together. The leader she becomes is because of the people beside her, and the detail that Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 shows us this with such warmth ties directly into how Leia’s presence continues to be a comfort to us all. In the darkest hours, Leia always knew how to remind people of the light, and seeing the origins of where that persistence came from feels deeply personal.
In the short time they knew each other, both Obi-Wan and Leia continued to look out for one another, fighting with all their might to ensure that Leia gets home to her parents and that Ben survives. To move forward from the sorrows in the past, they both needed to fight for the future. We knew he would. But the little girl who found herself attached to an uncle-like figure has no idea what her future yet holds, and thus, to hear Obi-Wan say that they must be careful while promising that should she ever need help from a tired, old man he’d be there is everything we need to add immense weight to the words that signify hope tirelessly.
Vivien Lyra Blair had enormous shoes to fill, and it’s imperative to note that not only does she do so beautifully throughout the series, but she adds nuances to the character that will be remembered for a long, long time.
Stepping Forward
No matter how long he’s known them, every loss has broken Obi-Wan Kenobi beyond repair, but today, his spirit is no longer crushed, and his will to fight is stronger than ever. Where he couldn’t dare to imagine venturing away from Tatooine and using the Force again, he moves forward in combat one last time, ready to fight his brother—to atone for the mistakes he still blames himself for.
In the first episode and last week’s penultimate, Obi-Wan is asked by two different Jedis where he was when the Empire was slaughtering their kind. His expressions tell us a plethora in both those instances as guilt floods him once more. In the first, he fights against it, mentioning their need to stay hidden. In the fifth, the real battle begins.
The fight didn’t end on Mustafar—the massacres continued with the Inquisitors eliminating the Jedi, leaving the best of them hiding. But grief and guilt, and darkness break a person too. Nightmares plagued Obi-Wan for ten years, and though they’ll never stop haunting him because grief never leaves us, at the very least, Obi-Wan could now admonish some of the guilt remaining in him. Knowing that he’s tapped back into the Force and fought with everything in him for the people who matter—the people who’ll make the world a better place than when he found it, he could rest. And that all comes down to one more duel with his former Padawan and friend. A duel that intrinsically parallels their first one in Episode 3 while drawing on familiar tactics from their flashback in Episode 5.
And Obi-Wan is still no match for the dark side, leaving Vader thinking that he’s finally buried his Master trampled under rocks, only to be surprised when he rises, drawing strength from the kids who’ve brought purpose back into his life. A direct showcase of the detail that he not only keeps his promise to Padmé this way but to Leia and Luke as well as the Anakin Skywalker he once knew.
The kids are his second chance, and though he tries to get through to Anakin, bringing to our screens yet another gut-wrenching performance from Ewan McGregor, Obi-Wan finally understands that Anakin killed himself with the choices he made, day by day, feeding Vader while leaving every hairsbreadth of his humanity behind. There’s still good in him—a minute trace of it, but it’s no longer in Obi-Wan’s path to get through to him. We’ll see that years later when his son’s life becomes far more important than his own. Still, for now, the wounded Sith is temporarily bested by his former Jedi Master, leaving both men with the understanding that this fight must come to a temporary halt.
Goodbye Darth
Where it’d once be goodbye to Anakin, it’s officially Darth, signaling to Vader’s later conversation with Palpatine, where he declares that he’s the only Master he’ll serve while the Imperial March finally plays. There are ways to go for both Vader and Obi-Wan until they’re united once more in the final battle, but it’s no less a testament to excellent writing that tugs on the importance of character agency, showcasing that much of what we become is our choice.
Emotions aren’t a choice. We feel what we feel because they’re an uncontrolled part of us drawn from the love, rage, or even hatred that we feel, but the choices we make when tormented by those haunting emotions matter. Vader chose more power; Obi-Wan decided to move forward—to protect the future and the present.
Anakin Skywalker died the day he began slaughtering younglings; there was no going back for him after the lives he ruined when following Palpatine’s commands. Nevertheless, this isn’t the light of the story; this isn’t why he was the chosen one. It all comes down to the kids he still doesn’t know he has and the people they decide to become despite their worlds being cruel too.
Who You Become
Reva’s arc is one of the most vital, well-executed aspects of Obi-Wan Kenobi, giving Moses Ingram a full range of emotions to work with and a substantially fascinating character to flesh out. In her attempt to hunt for Luke, in the end, as we would’ve all predicted, she sees herself in the little boy, haunted by her losses once more, and chooses to return him home to his parents safely.
In an emotional conversation with Obi-Wan, he reassures Reva that with her choice to do better, she’s given her family peace while honoring them. “Now you are free. We both are,” couldn’t be more true when the roads they were both on led to sleepless nights full of grief and rage intermingling to break them beyond repair. Reva could choose who to become now, and whether we’ll see her again or not, only time will tell. Still, the series wraps up her arc beautifully with her lightsaber on the ground, and Obi-Wan helping her up, which showcases yet another stunning parallel to the penultimate.
At the very least, she survives, and this way, she can forge a new path that’ll be better than the road she was on—another way for hope to survive.
A New Introduction
Gone are the grays and darker tones, with the white and brown robes returning to signify the hope that’s newly mended in our Jedi. After everything, Obi-Wan realizes that he doesn’t need to keep such a close eye on Luke, telling Owen that the future will worry about itself. It’s a significant step forward for the man who needed something to cling to in order to feel alive again–to find a purpose. But like Leia, for now, Luke Skywalker is in good hands. And when the time comes, old Ben Kenobi will be ready to be beside them both.
Conceding that he’s moving a bit further (and a bit of nudging from Beru, if we’re honest), Owen asks if Obi-Wan would like to meet little Luke, leading to yet another triumphant “hello there” that feels especially like a homecoming. Obi-Wan Kenobi is back. His jagged pieces are still in need of mending, and there’s always a plethora of heartaches to work through, but he’s stepping forward on a path where he’ll be a little less defeated—a little more hopeful.
Master and Apprentice Reunited
But finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting and preparing for, though an impossible feat. Obi-Wan Kenobi walks towards Qui-Gon Jinn’s Force Ghost, telling him that it took him long enough while confirming that he’s always been there–he just wasn’t ready to see him yet.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 is a masterclass for many things, but how it handles the idea of what we’re haunted by hindering our vision is so achingly potent to dig into. Throughout the entirety of the season (and the last ten years), Ben was more lost than ever. His sorrows and regrets tangled in chains that made it far too difficult to see clearly, leading him towards crippling self-doubt and shame that barred him from everything, most importantly, his connection with the Force.
It took meeting Leia, fighting for the remaining Jedi, and ultimately finding himself again to remember the light that had faded from his life. And thus, how we see the light return to Obi-Wan through Ewan McGregor’s performances is an essay all on its own, but it’s here now, and the story has just begun. There are ways to go, and he’s on the right path to detangling the pieces towards a better understanding.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 is flawless in every way that matters. Natalie Holt‘s original score and John Williams‘ classics play into the episode brilliantly, and Deborah Chow’s directing is unequivocally a masterclass in all forms. If this were a film and we were sitting in a theater, multiple shots would lead to audible cheers and applause. For a small screen feature, the accomplishments are unbeatable. The series intended to follow a cohesive trajectory to advance an existing narrative, and through a brilliantly executed course, it takes us there with fundamental and poignantly unforgettable beats.
Further Thoughts
- No, but like clown me is actually glad that we didn’t see a live-action Satine show up because the episode was already too much to handle; I don’t know how I would’ve dealt with that!
- I need a spin-off series for Roken with Haja occasionally coming into the picture and getting stuck with baby-sitting duties. He could be Lucasfilm’s very own Steve Harrington.
- Owen and Beru fighting to protect their kid? LOVED THAT.
- I’m pretty sure I started sobbing the moment the camera panned to Obi-Wan’s face as he said Anakin and didn’t stop until the very end. And when I say sob, I mean like, hideous ugly crying.
- When Leia said, “come back,”–I felt that. That’s all of us wanting this show to come back for Season 2.
- IT’S ACTUALLY A CRIME THAT EWAN MCGREGOR CONTINUES TO OWN THIS ROLE SO WELL THAT WORDS FAIL ME EVERY TIME.
- No, but like, we all knew Liam Neeson was coming back, and yet somehow we’re shocked and sobbing through their entire exchange? HOW!?
- DEBORAH CHOW, YOU QUEEN, TRULY.
- Leia’s little outfit with the holster holding up Lola!!!?!?!?!? It’s actually upsetting that this show didn’t come out when I was a kid cause that would’ve been the cutest thing to replicate.
- I’m going to be thinking about Obi-Wan Kenobi saying the words “may the force be with you” to little Leia for the rest of my life. He’s the first person to have said this, right!?!?!?!
- Leia immediately seeing Lola jdakfjkl!
- EVERY SHOT IN THIS SHOW. EVERY SYNCHRONIZATION. EVERY TURN. ALL OF IT.
- I WILL NEVER, EVER GET OVER BAIL AND OBI-WAN BOTH KNEELING WHEN TALKING TO LEIA.
- Did I mention that I’m never getting over Leia’s outfit? It bears repeating.
- Also hi yes, Obi-Wan lifting the boulders, further reminders of the fact that Rey should’ve been Kenobi.
Now streaming on Disney Plus: What are your thoughts on Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6? Let us know in the comments below.