"Obi-Wan Kenobi"

⭐⭐⭐⭐💖

"Obi-Wan Kenobi is a six-episode Star Wars series that takes place in the time period between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope". Of course, it features Obi-Wan Kenobi and his whereabouts during this time, but it's so much more than that. I expected to see what Obi-Wan Kenobi was doing on Tataooine and perhaps some interactions with Luke. Instead, it went in a completely different direction.

Feisty young Leia is kidnapped and Obi-Wan Kenobi is tasked with rescuing her. All the while, he's being hunted down by the Inquisitors and the one and only Darth Vader (who Obi-Wan just realizes in this series that Darth is the former Anakin).

With the exception of the third episode, which I thought was a snooze fest, this is a strong, action-packed series. It has the same kind of Star Wars vibe that the original movies have, which was nice to see even after having re-watched all of the live action ones last month.

Ewan McGregor reprised his role as Obi-Wan and he was great as always. However, three other characters stole the spotlight in my opinion. One was Darth Vader, played by Hayden Christensen and voiced by James Earl Jones. He's the villain most Star Wars fans love to hate. Include him in any Star Wars movie or series and you have my undivided attention.

The second character who stole the spotlight for me was Reva, played by Moses Ingram. (As a side note, I just found out she went to school in Baltimore. Woohoo! Maryland's got talent!) Anyway, she makes an outstanding villain who almost measures up to Darth Vader. I would love to see her carry her own series. 

The third character who I simply adored was young Leia, played by Vivien Lyra Blair. Good grief! How did they ever find such a talented young actress?! I think Carrie Fisher would be proud of her. She fills this role flawlessly and I can totally see her become the Princess Leia we're familiar with in the original movies. 

While the series is strong and I thoroughly enjoyed it, it lacks originality. This is why I gave it four instead of five stars. If you've seen "The Mandalorian", you'll most likely notice some glaring similarities in the plot, just with different characters. I have to give more credit to "The Mandalorian" because the plot is not only original, but their is also more creativity in the characters. There's also at least one scene in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" that seems to copy a scene in one of the sequel trilogy movies, again just with different characters.

If you're a fan of the movie episodes, then "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is a must watch. It does effectively bridge the gap between the end of the prequel trilogy and the beginning of the original trilogy. It probably could work as a movie of its own, with some edits, but as a series it's still definitely worth adding to your watchlist.