Kenobi is out this week, with the long-awaited Disney Plus series filling in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s story before the events of A New Hope. Whereas A New Hope implied that Kenobi lived on the sands of Tattooine like a hermit, his story has been somewhat fleshed out over the years, with comics, books, and animated series giving him some things to do while ensuring Luke Skywalker’s safety. However, in Kenobi, the Jedi Master’s story on Tattooine will be fully fleshed out, with it even potentially retconning existing Star Wars lore by having Obi-Wan embark on a dangerous adventure when it was previously believed that he did little more than kick rocks while waiting for Luke to grow up.
So if you want to get up to speed, what should you watch before Kenobi releases on Disney Plus? Here are the films and shows you should see before the much-anticipated series’ premiere date.#
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
The obvious starting point, The Phantom Menace marks the first time Obi-Wan Kenobi meets a young Anakin Skywalker, laying the foundations for both the downfall of the Jedi and the future Darth Vader. As is the case with the entire trilogy prequel, the intent from George Lucas is spot-on, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The Phantom Menace depicts a stuffy Jedi Order unwittingly planting the seeds for Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side, after the death of Qui-Gon Jinn leaves the child in the hands of Kenobi, who isn’t all too thrilled with the idea of training him.
There’s a strong chance that Qui-Gon Jinn will appear in Kenobi, with Episode I highlighting the difference between the Master and Padawans’ relationship. Qui-Gon is something of a rebel among the Jedi, realising the flaws within the Order that will eventually lead to its demise. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is firmly entrenched within the dogma, following the Jedi code to the point that will eventually tip Anakin over the edge and into the hands of Palpatine.
The Clone Wars director Dave Filoni explained the importance of The Phantom Menace perfectly, highlighting how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s ‘Duel of the Fates’ with Darth Maul determined Anakin’s tragic future:
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
In Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship is fleshed out far more than in Episodes I–II, with the brotherly bond between the two finally being showcased on the big screen. While Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side here is rushed and filled with questionable decisions — Palpatine is clearly manipulating Anakin to the point where it’s downright comical — watching the downfall of the Jedi as a result of their own mistakes will lead us to the sullen Obi-Wan we’ve seen in the Kenobi trailers.
The entire Jedi Council being beaten so mercilessly that the remaining Jedi have to go into hiding will be a huge cross for Obi-Wan to bear, as his own failures as a Jedi Master played a huge part in the Sith taking over. Even though Ewan McGregor’s turn as Obi-Wan was great, there’s no doubting that the character isn’t that great at his job. Not only does his rigid following of the Jedi code push Anakin away, but he makes huge missteps throughout the entire prequel trilogy that had major ramifications across the galaxy, from not listening to Dooku’s warnings about the Sith having infiltrated the Republic, through to not questioning the construction of the Clone army. It’s these decisions that will likely haunt Obi-Wan in Kenobi.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
We already know from the trailers that Kenobi will show the Jedi overseeing a young Luke Skywalker, with A New Hope officially beginning Luke’s journey as a Jedi. You’ve no doubt already seen A New Hope by now, but it’s worth revisiting before watching Kenobi as, much like the prequels, the show will likely cast the character in a new light.
While A New Hope shows Obi-Wan’s death at the hands of Vader, his demise ultimately leads Luke to the path of becoming a Jedi Knight and toppling the Empire once and for all. Well, that is until the sequel trilogy rolled around and promptly undid much of George Lucas’ vision for the franchise, but that’s a whole ‘nother story…
Star Wars Rebels
Obi-Wan’s hologram message guides the plot of Rebels even if he doesn’t feature in the animated series all too much, though season 3 episode ‘Twin Suns’ is still an important bit of Kenobi lore. Those who tuned into The Clone Wars and Rebels know that even after being cut in half in The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul is still very much alive, having one of the more interesting character arcs in Star Wars. Fuelled by a hatred of Obi-Wan, the former Sith eventually meets his confronts his nemesis in Rebels, and dies at his hand following a short-lived lightsaber battle.
It’s unclear if Maul will appear in Kenobi, with reports claiming that the character was cut from the show and replaced with Darth Vader. Considering that Maul’s story was well-covered in Rebels and The Clone Wars, this is probably for the best, though it’s still worth catching up on Rebels to see one of Kenobi’s greatest enemies meet his demise.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The Clone Wars succeeds where the prequel trilogy failed by giving Obi-Wan, Anakin, and co. well-rounded characters and good dialogue to work with. While the prequels struggled to make us care about these characters and their bond with one another, The Clone Wars really fills in some gaps in this department, including giving Obi-Wan a relationship that almost convinced him to leave the Jedi Order.
Satine is hugely influential in Kenobi’s life, as whereas in the prequel trilogy he seems unmovable in his dedication to the Jedi, the Mandalorian Duchess gives him a flirtation with romance. The episodes focused on Obi-Wan and Satine’s relationship mostly take place in season 2’s Mandalore arc, beginning with ‘The Mandalore Plot’ and concluding with ‘Duchess of Mandalore’, before it all comes to a tragic end in season 5’s ‘The Lawless.’ Next to Anakin, Satine is arguably the biggest loss in Obi-Wan’s life, so it’s likely the character will at least be referenced in Kenobi. It’s worth finding out exactly why she’s so important before watching the new series.
