Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 review (the series Finale), thorough analysis, and breakdown of important moments, references, and more!
On June 27th, the long-awaited Obi-Wan Kenobi series finally debuted. Almost a month later, we got an emotional final episode to close the series. I have so many feelings about it, some moments of this episode made me jump out of my seat and others had me in awe. This review includes many spoilers so I urge you to watch it first and come back later.
Story Recap
Reva tracks Obi-Wan and the rest of the refugees to the Jabiim system. Vader wastes no time and sends the Third Sister with an assault force to eliminate them. Obi-Wan tries to stall by negotiating with Reva, this is when he learns that Reva’s plan is to kill Darth Vader for what he did to her.
A small battle starts and the refugees are forced to pull back to the hangar. Before they all can get to safety, Tala stays behind and sacrifices herself to buy them enough time. The hangar doors are still jammed, they can’t escape. Obi-Wan decides to surrender himself and tells Reva that he’s bringing Vader to her.
Kenobi is taken inside the tunnel by two stormtroopers but he manages to escape. Vader arrives at the hangar, a transport is already attempting to leave but in an incredible display of power, he pulls the transport to the ground and tears it apart.
Obi-Wan knows him very well and he anticipated this, the first transport was just a decoy. The second transport that’s carrying everyone leaves as Vader witnesses, incapable of doing anything.
This is the moment Reva was waiting for, she attempts to strike Darth Vader with her lightsaber but he was always aware of her intentions. They fight each other, but Reva is no rival for the Sith lord. He toys with her for a couple of minutes before impaling the Inquisitor.
The Grand Inquisitor returns to mock how the Third Sister’s desire for revenge, he and Vader left her on the ground, not even bothering to finish the job. Minutes later, she finds Kenobi’s personal communicator “Children. Tatooine. Owen” These are the words heard in the transmission, and that’s all she needs.
Obi-Wan’s goal to protect the future
The small ship that transports Obi-Wan, Leia, and the rest of the refugees is being chased by Vader’s Star Destroyer, the hyperdrive doesn’t work and time is running out. Roken tries to calm down everyone and tells them that repairs are being done, but Obi-Wan knows that they’re not escaping anytime soon.
So, he does what any Jedi would so, draw the enemy so that they, the future of the Jedi can escape. Just like he said, he’s returning the favor to the people that have been helping Jedi for the last ten years.
Roken isn’t a fan of the idea, but deep inside he knows it’s the only scenario where they escape. Leia gets mad when she hears Kenobi’s plan, and it’s easy to see why. Growing up surrounded by politics, pretentious family members, and what most would consider “the elite” of the galaxy, it has to be very hard to make an actual friend.
This old, beat-up Jedi is the first person (aside from her parents) who genuinely cares about Leia. She might not be able to figure out why, but the bond they created is very strong, so strong that she would name her own son after Ben Kenobi. Her first real friend.
Haja is able to calm down Leia. Before saying goodbye, Obi-Wan gifts her Tala’s holster. A gift that will certainly inspire her every day until she becomes the fierce, brave leader of the Rebel Alliance that we met in A New Hope.
Darth Vader vs Obi-Wan, the second duel
This could be the most anticipated rematch in Star Wars. Revenge of the Sith gave us an incredible and intense duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan, lots of people would argue that both of them were at their peak during that duel. Anakin is an aggressive fighter capable of overpowering most of his enemies while Obi-Wan is a calm, cool-headed duelist with more experience fighting lightsaber wielders than anyone in the council.
The first time they faced in the series Vader wiped the floor with his former master, it wasn’t even close. If it wasn’t for Tala, Obi-Wan would’ve spent the rest of his days in a torture chamber. But this time, Kenobi has a purpose to fight, someone to protect.
The duel opens with two important lines “I will do what I must” and “Then you will die”. If they sound familiar to you it’s because you have heard them before, the first one is pretty obvious, Obi-Wan said that to Anakin when he met him on Mustafar.
The second one is something Darth Vader told Ahsoka Tano when they duel in the Twilight of the Apprentice episode of Star Wars Rebels.
Obi-Wan displays his signature pose, two of his fingers pointing towards the enemy while the other hand holds his lightsaber above his head, like a scorpion preparing to strike. This moment gave me chills, for the first time in the series, the Obi-Wan Kenobi of our memories returns to fight his fallen apprentice.
Neither of them hesitates and they attack each other with everything they’ve got. Vader knows that the broken man he defeated days ago is gone, if he pretends to defeat this new version of his master, he must do it in a decisive and permanent way.
Kenobi is slowly gaining ground, when Vader is next to a big rock pillar, he uses the Force to throw it over Vader but he has no problem stopping it. “Your strength has returned, but the weakness still remains” says Vader.
The duel continues, and both of them clash their lightsabers while using the Force to unbalance their opponent. Vader manages to break the ground where Kenobi is standing, making him fall a few meters.
Vader gets confident and throws some of the other pillars at his already buried master. For a moment, I thought he was gonna say “It’s over, I have the high ground”, that would have been so cool and funny!
For a moment it appears like Obi-Wan is done, but he manages to hold the rocks from crushing him. He’s struggling, but a quick succession of memories come to his mind, memories of the reason he is fighting: Luke and Leia. The son and daughter of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, and the only hope to defeat the Galactic Empire.
Just like rage, suffering, and pain fuel Darth Vader; love, hope, and harmony provide Obi-Wan with the strength needed to push away the rocks burying him. Vader thought this was the end of the battle but they re-engaged combat as soon as Kenobi reaches him.
Darth Vader now struggles to keep up with his old master, the dark side is indeed a very powerful source of strength, but it is not enough to defeat one of the greatest Jedi of all time.
Obi-Wan is a Jedi Guardian, a type of Jedi that is more focused on combat and defense of people in need, when he uses the Force, it’s nothing too flashy or over the top. This is why watching him lifting and throwing so many boulders at Vader is so cool.
It’s true that lifting rocks is some of the first things that Jedi learn, but using it in battle as an extra resource isn’t common in Star Wars movies or series. I went crazy when this happened! And it only got better.
Vader refuses to stand down and keeps attacking, but just like their previous battle on Mustafar, his overaggression is his downfall. Obi-Wan damages the life support of Vader’s suit, then the back of it, and finally a decisive strike cuts through the left side of the helmet, revealing the face of who was once considered the chosen one, the fight is over.
Anakin Skywalker’s reappearance
For the first time in ten years, Obi-Wan is able to look directly into the eyes of his old apprentice. What he sees breaks him, still haunted by the guilt of his failure as a master, the Jedi Master can’t contain the tears “Anakin is gone.
I am what remains”. The Padawan and friend he once knew as Anakin Skywalker is now a dark, twisted being who serves the vilest person in the galaxy.
Kenobi attempts to apologize but Vader refutes his statement. “I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker, I did.” I think these words are key for Obi-Wan to finally get peace. I’m certain it’s not Vader’s intention, but I believe that Obi-Wan’s burden is lightened when saying this.
It is now that he realizes that Anakin chose to become Darth Vader. It wasn’t because of his teachings or the lack of them. Yes, it can be argued that Obi-Wan failed to realize the kind of person Anakin was becoming, but the ultimate choice of joining the dark side was made by him.
Earlier in the episode, Obi-Wan mentioned that no matter who dies, everything would end. If we exclude the obvious thing of altering the canon, I believe he didn’t finish the job because he was there to stop Anakin Skywalker, but Anakin was dead long ago, and he finally came to terms with it, closing this painful chapter of his life.
This is why he says “Goodbye, Darth.” From now on he will only refer to him as Darth Vader and not Anakin Skywalker. In A New Hope, when he faces him again he replies to the famous line “When I left you I was but the learner, now I am the master” with “You’re only a master of evil, Darth”. I think my assumption is pretty reasonable. What do you think?
Lars and Beru’s story
Lars and Beru are some of the first characters introduced in A New Hope. How their lives ended is tragic, to say the least. We never really got to know them, combining A New Hope, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, I’d guess they have 4-6 minutes of screen time.
Their role in the story is relatively simple so it makes perfect sense to have them appear just a couple of times. This series finale is the first time (and probably last) we actually get to see them in action.
An injured Reva is coming to get Luke, in her mind killing him will grant justice for what Vader did to her and the other younglings, but Owen and Beru are prepared for it. They know that the day when someone tries to capture Luke is inevitable.
They ambush Reva in the courtyard of their house. Their shots miss and Reva gets angry at the couple. Owen knows he has very little chance of defeating the Third Sister, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try. In a close encounter, he manages to punch where Reva is wounded, causing her a lot of pain.
Both Owen and Beru are knocked down but the fact that they put up a fight with an Inquisitor really tells us how much they love Luke. They protect him just like how a mother and father would protect their children. It’s brief but this scene gave me a new respect for these two characters.
Reva’s future
Reva has been one of my favorite characters in the series, she acts and thinks like some of the ancient Sith that lived in the Old Republic era. Volatile, impulsive, and ambitious. In another era, she would have been a perfect Sith. But in this era, she’s only a minion on Vader’s game, like everyone else.
After failing her assassination attempt on Vader, she’s left for dead. I’m not gonna lie, I also thought that we might not see her again, but Star Wars has shown us that no one is truly dead until you see the body.
Reva heads to Tatooine, to end what she started. This part confused me a little bit, did she acknowledge that Luke is Anakin’s offspring? Or she just wants to unleash her anger on a force-sensitive child?
After beating Owen and Beru, she follows Luke into a small canyon. She pulls him off a ledge, Luke collapses to the ground and ends up unconscious. Reva ignites her crimson lightsaber, but the only thing she sees is her younger self. The memories of being stabbed twice by Darth Vader come to her mind, despite all the anger inside her, she can’t kill this boy.
Reva returns Luke to his family, unharmed. She breaks and tears pour from her eyes. “I couldn’t do it. I failed them. He killed them all and I couldn’t do it”. She still thinks that killing Luke is a synonym for justice, but as Obi-Wan points out, she chose not to give in to the hate, she chose not to become what Vader is. She is now free of Vader’s leash and her destiny only depends on her.
I’m very happy that Reva survived the series not only because I like the character but because this gives us the possibility of watching her in future Star Wars stories. I’ve read rumors that she’s getting her own spinoff series. I don’t know how true this is but considering the treatment other characters have received it wouldn’t surprise me that much. I can’t wait to see Reva’s redemption arc!
Vader’s aftermath
Vader is back at his castle in Mustafar, he’s saying how nothing is going to stop him from finding Obi-Wan. The Emperor himself appears in the show for the first time! He knows Vader is agitated, this is the second time that he lost to his former master.
The ruler of the galaxy knows how Vader’s passions can be a liability for the Empire if he’s not held back. He proceeds to ask Darth Vader if he can’t overcome his past. Vader knows that being weak could endanger his position. So, he tells his new master that Obi-Wan means nothing.
This could be the reason why the Vader didn’t continue to look for Obi-Wan after all those years. It makes sense to me, he already failed twice, and a third time would probably mean the end of his life at Kenobi’s hand or his own master.
With the resurgence of many rebel cells in the following years, Kenobi is going to be the last of the Empire’s problems.
Princess Leia Organa’s growth
One last scene of the brave little princess. Throughout the series, her outfits have resembled how she looks in different scenes of the original trilogy. Wearing a white dress with the matching hairstyle of A New Hope’s award ceremony gave me an emotional reaction that would last.
Leia has now accepted to be a leader, how she’ll lead is still unknown to her. But these events are what propel her to become one of the most notorious and respected leaders in the upcoming years.
Obi-Wan goes to Alderaan to personally say goodbye to the princess. L0LA returns with her owner. I find it so cute that she put her droid in Obi-Wan’s robes to “not be scared” before leaving to confront Vader.
Even though he’s the one who rescues her from the Inquisitors, it’s Leia who saved Obi-Wan. She allowed him to recover himself from an abyss that appeared to be infinite. The ten-year-old princess reignited the spirit of the Jedi he used to be in the days of the Galactic Republic.
In previous episodes, Leia asks him about her real parents, but for obvious reasons, he refuses to say anything about them. I imagine that being adopted isn’t easy for Leia, so many questions that can’t be answered for reasons she’s not told.
“When I said before that I didn’t know your parents… Princess Leia Organa, you are wise, discerning, kindhearted. These are qualities that came from your mother. But you are also passionate and fearless, forthright. And these are gifts from your father.”
For me, this is one of the most touching moments of the series, I feel like this is his way to thank her for everything she (unconsciously) did for him. These few words perfectly describe how Padmé and Anakin were, two exceptional people with an incredible legacy. A legacy that Leia would honor for the rest of her life.
Obi-Wan tells her that no one can learn that they know each other, as it would endanger both of them. This ties perfectly with A New Hope, as she addresses him as a friend of her father, not someone that saved her when she was a kid.
Meeting Luke and Obi-Wan’s iconic “Hello There”
Obi-Wan prepares to go into the Dune Sea to find a more suited place to live, but before this, he visits Owen’s farm. He acknowledges that Luke must live his life as a normal kid, Owen allows him to meet the young boy.
Obi-Wan approaches Luke with the T-16 Skyhopper toy that we see in A New Hope. “Hello there”. The iconic line of Obi-Wan Kenobi is finally said in the series! I got so excited just by hearing those two words, it’s so interesting how such a simple phrase can create a huge wave of emotions.
The best thing is that the way he phrased it is super similar to how Alec Guinness said it for the first time in 1977 when A New Hope came out.
Master Qui-Gon! Finally!
The cherry on the cake is watching Liam Neeson returning to play Qui-Gon Jinn one last time. For the entirety of the series, Obi-Wan tried to communicate with him, but he wasn’t ready.
I believe what made it possible for Kenobi to finally meet the force ghost of his master is the duel with Vader. He had to face his fear and trauma right in the eye and let it all go, releasing the guilt and regret he has carried for the last decade. It is only now when he is at peace that he can finally convey with Qui-Gon.
I’ve watched the episode three times and I got goosebumps every single one. I can’t describe how happy I am to see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan together again.
This season finale is incredibly uplifting for me. There are some things that I would have preferred to be different, but how they close everything in this episode makes me so happy. The last ten minutes are some of the best in Star Wars, it feels like a warm hug. I can’t describe how shocked (in a positive way) I was the first time I saw the episode. I’m so grateful that we got this series.
Interesting facts connecting series with movies
Following the fight with Reva, Owen walks with a limp. It is possible that this wound doesn’t fully heal, as he walks in a similar way in A New Hope.
When Vader takes his helmet off in Return of the Jedi, a scar can be appreciated on the left side of his head. This scar was made by Obi-Wan during their final duel in the series.
Obi-Wan’s outfit at the end of the episode is based on the Mythos statue, made by sideshow in 2012. Four years later, the comic book “Star Wars #15” was published. In this comic, he’s wearing the same outfit.
Every episode of the series has a lot of similarities with the corresponding episode of the original and prequel trilogies. Ep 1: A force-sensitive kid on Tatooine. Ep 2: Pursuing a bounty hunter in a cyber punk-ish city. Ep 3: Obi-Wan vs Anakin duel Ep 4: rescuing Princess Leia from an Empire prison compound Ep 5: Barely escaping from the Empire, leaving the hidden base behind Ep 6: the protagonist choosing to face Darth Vader.
Those are just a few of them, there are a lot more! Which ones can you think of?
Final thoughts
I find it hard to express how much I enjoyed this series. That doesn’t mean that it’s perfect, my biggest critique is the short duration of the series. I really think some characters deserved more time on the screen; The Grand Inquisitor, Roken, and Haja, to name a few.
The score composed by Natalie Holt is incredible. There isn’t a moment where I thought something didn’t fit or is out of place. The last episode has a musical hint of the “Hyperspace” theme that appears in The Empire Strikes Back, it is brief but very cool. My favorite one is the Inquisitors Theme, it really fits the dark, menacing presence of the Inquisitors.
Of course, John Williams’ music is iconic, and the moments when The Force theme or the Imperial March play are some of my favorite ones. I think Battle of the Heroes would have been perfect for the final confrontation but that’s just my opinion.
I missed the sight of beautiful and diverse planets, but it makes sense for them to show none of them. The Empire extracts every resource without any regard for the planet’s local habitants. The times when someone could see a beautiful landscape everywhere they go are in the past. I do appreciate how the planet where Obi-Wan and Darth Vader have their final encounter looks so similar to Malachor, that’s a cool visual reference.
New personalities like Reva, Tala, and Roken are always interesting to me. Characters that have very strong convictions improve the cohesion of the series. I really hope we get to see more of them in the future, whether it’s in another live-action series, books, or even a videogame.
We love Obi-Wan and Anakin/Darth Vader, their relationship developed through 4 movies, one animated series, many books, comics, and now this live-action series. At this point, it’s almost needless to describe their relationship. Master and apprentice, friends, and ultimately, brothers. This is a perfect closure for their relationship, Obi-Wan finally accepted that his friend is long gone and that he must focus on the future.
What I mentioned above might be the highlight of the series but I want to point out how important Obi-Wan is for Leia and Luke. The bond he develops with both of them is very strong and will last until their final days. The most tangible example of this is how both Luke and Leia’s lightsabers are clearly based on Obi-Wan’s. A wonderful tribute to the man that spent a good portion of his life protecting them.
Obi-Wan is a man that experienced adversity his entire life, he lost his master, his apprentice, his closest friends, and even himself, but even at his most desperate moments he never gave in to the dark side.
Fighting enemies like General Grievous, Count Dooku, Darth Maul, or his own apprentice never made him deviate from the Jedi path. Even when their opponents tried to kill him, he never hesitated to spare their lives.
He is what I think a Jedi should aspire to be, not because he’s perfect, cause he certainly isn’t, but because he embodies the best traits a Jedi could have: calm, kindhearted, patient, disciplined, humble, powerful, merciful, and sincere. The qualities of a true Jedi Master.
Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series is a love letter to all prequel fans. This journey was full of joy, screams, tears, and smiles. I haven’t enjoyed something this much in a long time. All episodes are full of references to either the original trilogy, the prequels, and even games and comic books!
This shows us how careful they were when doing it and how much they thought about the fans when writing it. It seems like the controversial sequel trilogy taught them a lot and they are finally steering the wheel in the right direction, at least that’s my personal opinion.
This series isn’t perfect by any means, but I’ve never cared about perfection when it comes to Star Wars. There might be some aspects of the production or acting that aren’t top-level, but I won’t pretend to be knowledgeable about those topics. The only aspect I’ll mention is the fact that some scenes are very dark, it might serve some purpose but I don’t enjoy having to turn off the lights completely to know what’s happening.
I’m more than satisfied with how the series went. It gives Obi-Wan and Anakin’s brotherhood a well-deserved closure while perfectly set up for A New Hope.
Second season?
Apparently, there are already conversations about a second season, but as much as I’d like to see Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in the same frame again, I’m not sure I want to see another season. For me, this finale is extremely fulfilling and I want to think that’s how it stays.
What are your thoughts? Did you like it or not? Which are your favorite moments of the series? Do you want to see a second season?
You can revisit all of the previous Obi-Wan Episodes Reviews I’ve done and see for yourself if you have missed any secrets, references, or easter eggs.
