Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in Obi Wan Kenobiphoto: 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. The issue with prequels is you know how they’ll end. There can be a thrill in that. the star Wars prequels ran into this conundrum. For many fans, knowing that Anakin Skywalker would turn into the imposing Darth Vader didn’t detract from the enjoyment … Read more
Alright Anakin, we get it, calm down.Screenshot: Lucasfilm Darth Vader is star Wars‘ ultimate villain. We’ve always known that, but the revived era of the franchise has dug deep into Vader as a character beyond his iconography to re-establish why we’re fascinated with him, why we’re so scared of him, and why we ultimately invest … Read more
[ Indira Varma in Obi Wan Kenobiphoto: 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. I had to do one thing after I finished the third episode of Disney+’s latest franchise-expanding (padding?) series Obi Wan Kenobi. I hit play on star Wars, the groundbreaking and Oscar-winning 1977 film that started it all. Don’t worry, I didn’t watch thew whole thing. … Read more
[ Obi Wan Kenobiimage: Lucasfilm There’s a moment early on in the first episode of Obi Wan Kenobi‘s two-part premiere that, while an astute observation about how the Jedi work as characters, seems explicitly designed to be an explanation for why everything happens the way it does: Reva, the Sith Inquisitor known as Third Sister … Read more
[ Ewan McGregor in Obi Wan Kenobi (Disney+); Darth Vader as seen in Rogue One (Screenshot: Disney+)Graphics: Jimmy Hasse Assuming you don’t count his cameos in the sequels, it’s been 17 years since Ewan McGregor took up the mantle of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. The (famously divisive) Starwars prequels saw McGregor color in the larger-than-life … Read more
“We are moving on from the Skywalker saga,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. So no more Rey?image: Lucasfilm Now that tHey Skywalker Saga is over, what exactly is a Starwars movie? It’s a question Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has been dealing with on a daily basis for years. Things on the streaming side are purring … Read more
A crop of Drew Struzan’s poster for Attack of the Clones.image: Lucasfilm My life changed drastically the day I first saw Attack of the Clones. It was the first day the film opened, May 16, 2002, and I’d been awake a long time. The day before, May 15, I spent over 12 hours outside of … Read more