Holy Inquisitors, Obi-Wan!
Lucasfilm’s trailer for Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi promises Vader’s minions
Star Wars fans are riding the high of the official teaser trailer for Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi released by Lucasfilm. The Disney Plus series, debuting May 25, 2022, is arguably the most anticipated show on the streaming service since The Mandalorian. It features popular characters that fans only dreamed of ever seeing in live-action again. The trailer offered a glimpse of a few of those plus some surprise appearances from the Star Wars animated series.
It opens with the familiar landscape of Tatooine and its twin suns hanging in a hazy sky. The first few frames are reminiscent of the 2015 trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opened with Rey’s routine of survival on Jakku. It’s a powerful parallel to the life Obi-Wan now leads under the constant threat of discovery by The Galactic Empire.
His voice narrates the scenes with his hopeless decree that the war has been lost. The memory of Order 66, where he watched his fellow Jedi slaughtered at the hands of his friends, sealed that fate. Now we find him several years after those events watching over the galaxy’s hero, a young Luke Skywalker.
Although exciting to see Luke as a child growing up on Tatooine, it is heartbreaking to see Obi-Wan so soon after the betrayal of Anakin becoming Darth Vader. The animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars excelled at evolving the duo’s relationship after the film, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. The bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin was a friendship rich with respect and mutual admiration. They held the other up when their fears and vulnerabilities were exploited during the darkest of their adventures. Having that perspective makes Obi-Wan’s reality of surviving alone that much more poignant.
The trailer then cuts to the Lucasfilm logo and it’s eerily swept away to the sounds of John Williams’ “Duel of the Fates.” Just when the goosebumps hit their peak, we see the face of the Grand Inquisitor. Fans of the Star Wars movies may not be familiar with Inquisitors. They were introduced in Star Wars: Rebels as Darth Vader’s assassins to seek out any Jedi that remained after Order 66. They are an ominous bunch of Force-wielders who show no mercy in their quest. And the Grand Inquisitor’s spinning lightsaber is utterly fantastic!
We learn he is not alone in his Jedi hunt. A female Inquisitor threatens the townspeople of Tatooine, including Luke’s uncle, Owen Lars. Star Wars: A New Hope portrayed Owen as suspicious of Obi-Wan’s intentions, so it will be interesting to see their relationship at this point. Either way, he is clearly in the thick of the action.
The adventure will expand beyond Tatooine to the Inquisitor’s fortress and a new location known as Daiyu. It is ominous to see The Empire’s hunt for Force-sensitive beings in live-action after only being previously portrayed in the animated series and novels. Lucasfilm toys with our emotions by showing these dramatic scenes while continuing with the music that reminds us of the death of Obi-Wan’s Master, Qui-Gon Jinn.
It is a masterful trailer of spinning lightsabers, Jedi hunters, old friends, and suspenseful action. Disney Plus is on track to deliver Star Wars fans a mind-blowing ride with Obi-Wan Kenobi!
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