Star Wars Speculation: Clarifying the Kenobi Clickbait

Unlike my other Star Wars Speculation posts, I did not put much planning into this one. This is not something I anticipated writing because I didn't expect a tweet of mine to circulate online as much as it has. For those confused what I'm referring to, last weekend I went to Comicpalooza, met Ray Park, and tweeted the following:

And the last person I met for the weekend was Ray Park. Very nice guy! Had a chat with him about the character of Darth Maul and various Lucasfilm endeavors. I’m just gonna say he strongly implied that a Kenobi movie will happen so all the reports are PROBABLY legit. pic.twitter.com/XV7lgNXdWJ

— David Weiser (@weiser_david) May 26, 2018

A mutual Twitter follower soon reached out to me via direct message asking about my conversation with Ray Park and then for permission to source my tweet over on Super Bro Movies. I agreed, of course, and honestly figured nothing much would come of it. That quickly proved not to be the case though as the article blew up on Reddit and soon spawned several other articles and videos. Just google "David Weiser Kenobi" or "Ray Park Kenobi" and you'll quickly see what I mean. Anyways, I think the Super Bros Movies' article represented my comments wonderfully so that site doesn't fall under the "clickbait" umbrella I'm referring to. In light of all this, I thought it would be well worth it for me to add my own two cents of the context of this original conversation since I was actually there. 

**Spoiler Warning for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Solo: A Star Wars Story**

My interaction with Ray Park

The interaction essentially went as follows:

I waited in line to meet Park and selected an 8" x 10" photo for him to autograph. While waiting in line, I noticed he seemed very personable and talkative. Since I had recently seen Solo: A Star Wars Story and been taken off-guard by Maul's unexpected appearance, I figured it was worth a shot to bring that up in conversation.

As I approached him, I shook his hand and introduced myself. At that point, I told him that I saw Solo last Thursday and was really surprised to see Maul show up. You could tell immediately that he was VERY excited to talk about it because his eyes lit up instantly. He asked what I thought of the film and how surprised I was by the cameo. I told him I loved Solo and was taken completely off-guard when Maul appeared because I was expecting Jabba the Hutt or Boba Fett to show up as the big "surprise cameos" since they're more commonly associated with the character of Han Solo.

He let me know that he's had to keep the cameo a secret for an entire year or so and has been eagerly awaiting the fan response. We then began to have a conversation about the character where we agreed to both be excited about the Maul's return in Clone Wars and Rebels because it really fleshed out Maul as a character and gave him a great arc.

I then rattled off some future possibilities for live-action Maul appearances which included a sequel to Solo, a Maul standalone, and the long-rumored Kenobi standalone. When I mentioned Kenobi, Park leaned over a little and told me that he really (emphasis on REALLY) thinks Kenobi is going to happen. He finished signing my photo, we thanked each other, and I walked away from that table a very satisfied fan because it was a very pleasant interaction.

Takeaways

What I took away from that conversation was the following:
1. Ray Park seems like a very nice man
2. Ray Park a fan of the franchise himself
3. Ray Park is really excited about the opportunity to play the character once more
4. Ray Park is passionate about the character
5. Ray Park believes the long rumored Kenobi spin-off film will be made.

I tweeted about it for many reasons, but largely because I'm one of the fans who is actively interested in the status of a Kenobi spin-off and I felt fellow fans might want to hear about it. I never imagined it would fuel the fire and become the source of as much clickbait as it has, but the internet is insatiable about this kind of thing so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. When I mentioned Kenobi to Park, I just threw it out as a possibility for him to reprise the role with no expectations to hear anything about the project from him in return. However, that wasn't the case. I don't think his comments are official confirmation by any means, but it does have me thinking there's a high likelihood that a Kenobi film will be made in the near future. I suspect we will have an official announcement with a December 2020 release date from Lucasfilm either sometime later this year so they can begin shooting in 2019 or it will be announced with more of Lucasfilm's future slate of films at next year's Star Wars Celebration.

Maul in Kenobi? 

Some are now speculating that Park must be involved in the film in some capacity to feel so confident about it, but I think it's just as likely that Park has heard the rumors and simply believes Lucasfilm is interested in the idea. Given his relationship with Lucasfilm, it's also not hard to imagine that he might simply be aware that it's in development.

While I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of a Maul appearance in Kenobi, I think it would be a logistical nightmare to avoid retconning the confrontation between Kenobi and Maul in Star Wars Rebels. It's always possible that they could recreate the duel between them in live action, but that would also involve the baggage of bringing a live action Ezra and Chopper onscreen which might be really confusing for casual fans who haven't seen Rebels. The reason this would be confusing is that these characters effectively showed up out of nowhere from Obi Wan's perspective, and I imagine that's how the audience would see it as well. If they decided to do this, it would be very tricky to pull off and I don't think Lucasfilm is interested in retconning their newly established canon so it seems unlikely.

I know it seems weird considering I named-dropped Kenobi in my conversation with Park, but I'd actually prefer Maul not to show up. My qualifications for Maul appearing in Kenobi hinge on following the pre-established canon history of their characters. In my mind, the only acceptable way the two can interact with another in Kenobi would be a recreation of that duel from Rebels because that is the first interaction between them since the Clone Wars that results in Maul's death. Maul doesn't even know that Kenobi is alive and on Tatooine till shortly beforehand in another Rebels episode.

If Maul showed up, his appearance would need to be in a recreation of the aforementioned Rebels duel or he would need communicate via hologram with someone related to his criminal enterprise like his cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story. If that were the case, it would be imperative that he could not learn of Kenobi's survival and location as a result of his appearance. So long as Lucasfilm doesn't break canon to include Maul, I'm fine with an appearance. I just doubt he will show up because of the canon complications that will arise. Maybe, it's for the best if he's not in it.

Recasting Obi Wan?

In addition to the Maul story, I've noticed that a lot of people seem concerned about the possibility of another actor in the Obi Wan role aside from Ewan McGregor. I quickly want to provide evidence of Lucasfilm's willingness to go to great lengths to preserve the continuity of actors portraying characters because these reports bug me.

Most recently, we have Solo: A Star Wars Story doing double duty with the Maul cameo, as the character was physically portrayed by Ray Park who was the physical stand-in for The Phantom Menace while Sam Witwer returned from Clone Wars and Rebels to voice Maul once again. Next up, Rogue One has a slew of examples. It's often brushed over that Jimmy Smits reprised his role of Bail Organa and they brought back Genevieve O'Reilly who only previously had played Mon Mothama in a DELETED SCENE from Revenge Of The Sith for goodness sake. Then there's the fact that they went to the trouble of digitally recreated Tarkin and Leia rather than recasting those roles. I think the backlash they received from digitally recreating a deceased actor will keep them from "resurrecting" Alec Guiness via CGI in the future, especially since Ewan McGregor could easily return. Based on all that and Lucasfilm's reluctance to recast in the sequel trilogy, I find it very hard to believe that Ewan McGregor would not return.

Conclusion

With all that out of the way, I'd like to quickly share what I'd like to see in a Kenobi standalone. While I think that particular Rebels episode, From A Certain Point of View, and the Marvel Star Wars comics all make a strong case for an Obi Wan film, I'd be most interested in seeing a completely new story. When I imagine a Kenobi film, I envision a film that's Seven Samurai-esque and involves Kenobi stepping up to protect Luke and the Lars family homestead from Tusken Raiders or bounty hunters against the wishes of Owen Lars. I'd like to also see a broken down, older, and wearier Obi Wan as a result of the events of Revenge of the Sith ala Logan. Oh, and Ewan returning is a must.

-I suppose that's all I have to say on the matter so, as always, may the Force be with you!

Star Wars Speculation: Reflecting on Rebels

Star Wars Rebels is an animated Star Wars series I've quite enjoyed watching these last four years, and I'm happy to see it received a fitting series finale unlike the abrupt, unfortunate cancellation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. With Rebels' recent wrap-up, I knew I had to dedicate a post to the show because it deserves to be discussed like any other form of Star Wars storytelling. I settled on the idea of sharing my quick, spoiler-free thoughts on the series as a whole as well as a couple of my favorite episodes from each season. It's almost unfair for the series, as a whole, for me to selectively cherrypick my favorite episodes from each season... because honestly there's A LOT of incredible episodes to choose from, so naturally, some of them got the short end of the stick and won't be featured below.

Spoiler-Free Series Review- I can recall when Rebels first started, I didn't think it would ever compare to The Clone Wars. At first, I wasn't a huge fan of the Ralph McQuarrie animation style and wasn't fond of the idea of introducing force wielders in that time period between Revenge Of The Sith and A New Hope. However, once the show found its groove, it really won me over thanks to charming characters and spectacular storytelling. I'll admit that it takes a good portion of Season One for the show to truly become great, and there were occasional episodes that could be considered filler, but the quality of the series was pretty consistent once it reached that point. I realize there's also an existing stigma that animation is just for kids, but in this case, it couldn't be further from the truth. Sometimes the humor can be a little juvenile and clearly aimed at children, but Star Wars has always been family friendly and meant to be enjoyed by all. To me, that's simply in keeping with the franchise... With that being said though, there are so many episodes that really hit the ball out of the park. I'm not trying to hype the series up for you as some masterpiece that demands to be seen by all Star Wars because I do honestly feel there are some mediocre episodes, but it's really worth watching if you like the idea of expanding the Star Wars universe and following new characters. You'll more likely to enjoy the series if you're a Star Wars fan, but I think anybody can pick up on it and eventually get invested regardless of age or fandom, and you'll get much more out of it if you've already invested yourself in The Clone Wars because Rebels brings back certain characters and resolves dangling story threads in unique, satisfying ways.

**Spoiler Warning for Star Wars Rebels**

Favorite Episodes from Each Season (Chronological Order):

Season One:

"Path of the Jedi"- I've always been a fan of any Star Wars story material which is able to explore the Force while providing necessary character development. This episode was a turning point for both Kanan and Ezra as they're each guided towards a new sense of purpose as master and apprentice. Also, it entails Ezra undergoing trials to retrieve the necessary kyber crystal for building a lightsaber. I really liked the nature of the trial because it reminded me of a Clone Wars episode where younglings must confront their inner conflict to prove themselves worthy to obtain their crystal.

"Fire Across the Galaxy"- This was Rebels' first season finale and took place right around when the show found its legs. It features a fun rescue operation, an epic lightsaber duel between Kanan, Ezra, and the Grand Inquisitor, and the reveal that Ahsoka is alive and also "Fulcrum." In the wake of Rogue One, it's also cool to know that Kanan was being brought to Vader's castle on Mustafar. Then, the cherry on top is that Vader's brought into the series because of this. 

Season Two:

"Shroud of Darkness"- Similarly to "Path of the Jedi," Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra go to the Jedi Temple on Lothal in search of knowledge and answers. Each individual must confront their fears and doubts, and I think their respective takeaways are very interesting. Ahsoka confirms her suspicion that her former master Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader, Kanan is knighted and learns the Grand Inquisitor was once a Jedi Temple Guard, and Ezra learns they must go to Malachor to find a way to defeat the Sith. Overall, it's brilliant build-up for the second season finale.

"Twilight of the Apprentice"- If you ask anyone whose watched both Rebels and The Clone Wars for a list of their favorite episodes, "Twilight of the Apprentice" is sure to fall somewhere on that list. I think it can easily be considered a fan favorite episode because it featured the return of Maul, an interesting exploration of a Sith Temple, and tons of exciting lightsaber duels. The duel between Ahsoka and Vader was simultaneously epic and emotional. It seriously gave me goosebumps, and this is largely due to their shared backstory as witnessing Vader mercilessly attack his former Padawan was tragic and horrifying to say the least. It really reminds you just how far gone to the Dark Side he was, and really strengthens the significance of his redemption in Return Of The Jedi. As terrible as I'm sure this will sound, I also think it's cool how Kanan was blinded as it enabled him to strengthen his connection to the Force and I appreciate what it did for the character in terms of character development. Truly a terrific episode.

Season Three:

"The Last Battle"- I love this episode because it brought a sense of closure to The Clone Wars. It was very cool to see the Ghost crew fight against and alongside Battle Droids, and I liked the idea that the Tactical Droid and Rex perceived the ordeal as a means to officially end the conflict. Also, it was awesome to see the animators redesign the logo in the style of The Clone Wars for the closing credits which was accompanied by The Clone Wars theme.

"Trials of the Darksaber"- I consider "Trials of the Darksaber" to be one of the best episodes of Star Wars Rebels in terms of writing and voice acting. It's epic, emotional, and entirely focused on character. We'd previously been given a vague notion of Sabine's backstory, but this episode lays it out much more clearly and it's heartbreaking to hear the reason she's taken up arms against the Empire. Aside from that, it makes great use of Kanan as a tough teacher.

"Twin Suns"- The build-up to this episode was insurmountable. There had been a few prior episodes which suggested Maul still sought revenge against Kenobi and implied we might eventually see Obi Wan in the series, but I was skeptical about having these characters interact with Kenobi during his exile. Thankfully, it was just Ezra, Chopper, and Maul though. Anyways, the obvious reason I'm drawn to this episode is that it finally resolved the ongoing conflict between Maul and Obi Wan that had persisted during The Clone Wars. We saw a final duel between the two that evoked the style of samurai and brought an end to the character of Darth Maul once and for all. I felt it was the perfect way for the character to go out, and for me, it only accentuated the case for a Kenobi spin-off film as there's clearly room for plenty of stories to be told detailing his protection of Luke on Tatooine.

"Zero Hour"- This episode saw Thrawn strike back against the Rebels with full force, as it outlined the brilliance of his strategic mind and ability to see the bigger picture in an epic space battle and ground assault. As a fan of Thrawn, I loved watching his plan finally unravel in an action-packed episode with an interesting outcome.  

Season Four:

"Jedi Night"- This episode easily stands as one of the most emotional because it was the first to kill off a major character in the series. The character of Kanan grew a lot over the course of the show, and even more if you dive further into his canon history in comics and novels. No matter what though, Kanan always seemed to be the backbone of the Ghost crew and his sacrifice was soul crushing because you really felt his absence once he was gone. This death hit home, and seeing the team cope with it was heartbreaking to say the least. The one thing that escalated my tears into waterworks was when Chopper rolled up next to Hera and grabbed her hand... I think my favorite little detail though was when Kanan's sight is restored as he's about to die so he can look at Hera one last time...

"A World Between Worlds"- My mind was blown by this episode. It not only introduced this insane world between worlds which exists outside of time and space, but the world was used to save Ahsoka right before Vader was going to strike her down in the Season Two finale I mentioned earlier. I was so glad to see the show tie up that loose end because it was going to drive me insane if the series ended and the Season Two ending remained as ambiguous as it did. Anyways, the very idea that Star Wars introduced a means to possibly alter space and time is fascinating in-of-itself. I hope this is used sparingly and I'd like it to remain a mysterious extension of the Force if possible. Ian McDiarmid returning to voice Palpatine and the incorporation of the Mortis Gods was just icing on the cake.

"Family Reunion- and Farewell"- The series finale tied up everything with a nice, neat bow, and I was satisfied with the respective character resolutions. The episode included everything I could have possibly desired from the season finale as it was an emotional, action-packed conclusion. In regards to the last few minutes, I thought it was great that Zeb took Kallus to Lira San where he was accepted to live alongside the Lasat. It was confirmed that Rex fought at the Battle of Endor, which is something fans (including myself) had been DYING to see incorporated as a fun retcon. Hera also fought at Endor, and it was revealed that she conceived a child with Kanan named Jacen Syndulla (likely inspired by Jacen Solo from Legends). Meanwhile, Sabine's been on Lothal to protect the people in the event the Empire ever returned, but they never came back because they were occupied with the Rebellion. To address everything else, I'm immensely interesting in learning what happened to Thrawn and Ezra after they jumped into hyperspace to who knows where... On that note, I'd like to present my theory on what I believe to be Dave Filoni's next project.

Looking Forward

The end of the episode saw an older white-cloaked Ahsoka and Sabine setting off to try and find Ezra. I believe this will be the basis of the next animated series that will fill in more of the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. I suspect it will be lead by the two characters and will reveal what happened to Ezra and Thrawn along with more backstory of what Ahsoka's been up to since leaving the world between worlds, but I have no idea what to expect beyond that. If this isn't the direction taken, then I suppose it will probably be addressed in a novel or comic series. Before I conclude, I'd like to point out a couple interesting things I noticed. One, Ahsoka's ship is a T-6 shuttle used by the Jedi in The Clone Wars. Two, Ahsoka's new white cloak and staff reminds me of Gandalf the White and I find it interesting how both characters changed their attire after near death experiences. Other than that, I guess that's all I have to say about Rebels for now... I hope those who followed the series enjoy this post, and as always...

-May the Force be with you!

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released this December and since the Star Wars films are among my favorites I thought I should go back and review all six. I decided to review them in the order they chronologically take place because it seemed odd to start with the Original Trilogy then do the prequels then The Force Awakens. So I instead will review them in the order of the prequels, then the Original Trilogy, and lastly Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I wanted to review them all for the six consecutive weeks leading up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens but there are a few films in between that I would like to review the predecessors of including The Hunger Games, Rocky, and the newer Bond flicks. Be warned that there may be spoilers but this film has been out for over 15 years so they aren't quite spoilers. Next week's Throwback Thursday Review will be Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones.

'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace' Review 

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is regarded by many fans to be one the worst Star Wars films, and some even consider it an abomination to the franchise along with the rest of the prequels. While I agree that it's my least favorite Star Wars film, I don't quite feel that some of the criticism given to it is always justified. There are many things wrong with this movie, but few ever consider the things that the prequels added to the Star Wars mythos and some of the things it's done right.

Now, I'm not going to defend this film, as I see the flaws and will provide my honest opinion about them. One of the aspects that seems to accumulate the most hate from fans is the extensive use of CGI. I can agree that at some points CGI wasn't necessary and practical effects could have been used in place but there are some scenes where it actually adds to the experience.

First off, the podracing sequence is incredible and thrilling to watch.

Second, the effects for the Battle Droids, blasters, lightsabers, etc. actually look pretty great and really submerse themselves in this world adding to the experience.

One thing that I think actually improved from the Original Trilogy in some regards were the lightsaber battles. In the Original Trilogy these duels always seemed to have more weight and dramatic tension, which is a plus, but the prequel lightsaber battles are fun to watch. In particular the main fight between Obi Wan, Qui Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul at the end of the film is amazing! The fight choreography is beautiful and the scene is certainly enhanced by John William's epic score in particular "Duel of the Fates". The one thing that shall remain constant throughout every Star Wars film is the quality of John William's work.

One of the cons to this film is that there is a focus on intergalactic politics that honestly the audience could care less about at times. This focus was totally unnecessary and definitely detracts from the film.

Another negative was the introduction of what many fans consider to be the worst Star Wars character ever made, Jar Jar Binks. Now Jar Jar is obviously a part of the film for comedic relief but at times just seems too goofy and ridiculous to take seriously or even care about. I don't despise Jar Jar, but I wouldn't quite consider myself a fan so I have more of a neutral stance on the character. I can agree that he was unnecessary though.

Now one thing that was included that I did enjoy were the winks and nods to fans of the Original Trilogy with the inclusion of everyone's favorite droid duo, R2D2 and C3PO. I liked that Lucas decided to connect the films even more by including them and adding an origin story for both droids. Another thing I noticed was that there are some things that mirrored specific plot points and scenes from the Original Trilogy.

A few new characters in the film that I actually enjoyed were Padme, Qui Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul. Unfortunately, Maul had very little screen time and was sliced in half (however in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is considered canon, it is revealed that Maul survived). But Darth Maul was certainly a welcome addition, especially with his dual-bladed lightsaber.

Onto the acting... I can say some of the performances on display are fantastic while others are mediocre. Liam Neeson was a perfect choice for Qui Gon Jinn. Ewan Mc Gregor was a terrific choice for the role of a younger Obi Wan, and I particularly liked seeing him try to include some of the things Alec Guinness did to make the role so great.

Natalie Portman is fine as Padme, and Jake Lloyd does a decent job, either coming off very energetic in high energy scenes or like a generic child actor in dramatic scenes. The remainder of the cast either didn't quite catch my attention or weren't given enough to do for the film. I think the storyline of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a little bland and some moments of the film can be very boring but I did like some of the ideas Lucas planted within the film.

Overall, I can say this is in my opinion one of the worst Star Wars films, but a decent film when not under the pressure of comparison to the Original Trilogy. If you are planning on introducing your children to Star Wars prior to the release of The Force Awakens then I'd recommend showing them the movies in the order of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones, and then Revenge Of The Sith.

Film Assessment: C+