The tiring and disappointing expansion of the Star Wars universe

In the second episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the beloved protagonist enters a spice lab in Daiyu City to rescue Princess Leia, who has been kidnapped. As usual, Obi-Wan has already encountered various obstacles, including a panhandling clone soldier, a teenage spice dealer, and a fake Jedi. Shocking? He now believes that he has found Leia's location and needs a distraction to proceed. Moving forward, the solution lies in a flask containing a bubbling blue liquid, which Obi-Wan focuses on from a distance. The camera zooms in on the flask as the musical score swells and the liquid begins to boil. When the flask inevitably explodes (not shocking) causing a minor commotion that allows Obi-Wan to obtain a guard's key and slip into a locked passageway, this explosion looks more like a deleted scene from Morbius than a realistic event. A quick puff of smoke, the sound of tinkling glass, and the flask are no more. Everything vanished.

It seems that cinematic creation is battling some challenges. While not a major letdown, the director's decision to use a small shortcut in Obi-Wan Kenobi exposes a bigger issue. Despite its nods to canon and fan service, the show exposes its own limitations as a middle-of-the-road genre series. Although it still offers grand moments, such as the episode 3 showdown between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, the series' flaws are becoming increasingly apparent.

But Disney is poised to produce more Star Wars content, so it's possible that this type of show may be the best fans can expect. Recounting the plot of Obi-Wan Kenobi thus far would be pointless, as it shares the same rehashed elements that have been used as recent additions to the Star Wars franchise. Moreover, the show leans heavily on prequel material, which is not a surprise. Ewan McGregor is reprising his role alongside returning cast members Jimmy Smits, Joel Edgerton, and Hayden Christensen. Christensen previously played Bail Organa, and Anakin Skywalker. However, while the setting may differ, the story beats are just as reassuringly predictable as they were when The Force Awakens brought the original cast back in 2015.

However, in recent years, the prequels have gained some redemption, particularly among millennials who grew up with these films. Obi-Wan Kenobi sits between these two generations, with Tatooine's smoky hovertrains coexisting with Alderaan's pixelated panoramas. But the show's biggest challenge in its first three episodes may be Obi-Wan Kenobi's need to slow down to the child's pace at its core. This is sometimes literal: Vivien Lyra Blair is charming as 10-year-old Leia, but her two early chase scenes move at a sluggish pace, akin to a slowed-down version of The Benny Hill Show's credits. While Leia becomes a monumental figure in her life, she is reduced here to a Force-sensitive MacGuffin, seemingly only existing to bring Obi-Wan out of retirement and make him aware of his former apprentice's survival after the events on Mustafar.

The character of young Leia, played by Vivien Lyra Blair, may not be the most dynamic presence in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but she serves a crucial purpose as an entry point for younger fans. This is important for Disney-era Star Wars, which must lock in a new cohort of viewers while also pleasing the older generations. The Mandalorian's success with Baby Yoda demonstrated the power of bringing in younger audiences, and the pace of Star Wars Content™ has only accelerated since then. With four more live-action series on the way, including prequels, character adaptations, and new creations, the studio is exploring new corners of the galaxy far, far away.

It's clear that the inspiration for all this lies just one click away on the Disney+ homepage. While George Lucas initially planned TV projects - over 50 hours of Star Wars: Underworld footage remains shelved on a RAID array somewhere - it took Marvel mastermind Kevin Feige to demonstrate that a saga's DNA could be interwoven onto the small screen without sacrificing the cinematic experience. Under the narrative guidance of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, the Star Wars arm of the world's happiest media conglomerate appears to be following a similarly focused path for fans. However, as Boba Fett famously said, things are not so straightforward. As formidable as the Star Wars universe may appear, there are still a few weaknesses in the strategy.