He was a Jedi. A general in the war. He could sit atop the Jedi Order's ranks as a Master of its Council because he was a warrior monk of such skill and balance. He put a child under a trenchcoat on a wing and prayed while I was loving every second of it.
Since the fourth episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi aired last week, it has been the subject of discussion among Star Wars fans. Desperate to escort the newly liberated Princess Leia from Reva's clutches, Tala, an expert at Imperialinfiltrating, teetered on a knife's edge as she pushed herself deeper and deeper into the heart of the Inquisitor's base.
The picture of perfectness of the two is called tala. Even after her nervy encounter with Reva, she strides towards her escape with a projected confidence that she doesn't need. Is it possible for a Star Wars escape plan to go off without a hitch? As she faces down Reva again and tries to bring Obi-Wan and Leia to safety is the idealized Star Wars hero we love and dream of.
Her partner in this scene is Obi-Wan, and he is nothing but. Obi-Wan is a mess next to Tala. Obi-Wan is tense as his head darts left and right if he is steely eyed and front facing. Obi-Wan's disguise is a loose-fitting Imperial officer's hat and a comically oversized trench coat. If the plan to escape Fortress Inquisitorious is a smart, practiced act, it will slip out under the confusion by simply projecting that haughty Imperial aura of confidence.
It's funnier than it already is because it does for most of the time. Star Wars is built on reckless plans made out of desperation, plans that only kind of work down to our heroes winging it and going with the flow. The escape from the Death Star, the infiltration of Starkiller Base or the Supremacy in the sequel is more than anything else. It makes sense that Obi-Wan would be that kind of Star Wars hero instead of being smarter than this.
It's more than just the humor of it all that makes the moment feel like Star Wars, it's that reflection between Obi-Wan and Tala that is most important of all. It is the life she has known for a long time. Obi-Wan isn't because he doesn't know how to be a Jedi Knight. At a time when he is barely regaining his confidence and connection to his past as he is in the show, it is important to see how he handles doing things outside of it. What are Obi-Wan's strongest moments in this episode? He gets to be a Jedi at those places. Even as he struggles with them, like calling on the Force to Stormtroopers, Obi-Wan's most confident moments come with his lightsaber in hand.
It is equally important to see Obi-Wan in those moments as it is to see him as a complete disaster, but also uncharacteristically nervous and unsure of himself. It is possible that Obi-Wan is using the Force to trick people into not seeing the child he is saving. That would ruin the moment and make it less interesting. He isn't meant to be perfect there, he's meant to be awkward and clumsy, and a little afraid. He is supposed to be a person. We don't come to Star Wars to see people with perfect skills. We have to deal with that and come through the other side even though they messed up. Whether it's with a lightsaber in hand or with a princess under a coat, Obi-Wan Kenobi reminds us that its eponymous hero is capable of both.
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