The best thing about Obi-Wan Kenobi is his secret second main character

in the War of stars: The Empire Strikes Back, Jedi Master Yoda tells Luke Skywalker not to judge others by looks, which is a bit rich coming from a guy who spent his first hour with the boy pretending to be a senile bog hobbit be. After the premiere of Obi Wan Kenobiviewers might feel a similar mix of emotions.

The show was marketed as another Disney Plus offering in the desert, a solo adventure for Ewan McGregor’s defeated Jedi Master, who was struggling to look after a young Luke Skywalker while escaping agents of the dark side, resulting in a Confrontation with Hayden culminated in Christensen’s Darth Vader himself. In the first episode of his two-episode premiere, Obi Wan Kenobi shows that it is something completely different.

It’s a great reveal, well done, intelligently executed and full of promises! Like Luke, viewers are likely to get very excited when they realize they’ve already found the Jedi they were metaphorically supposed to be looking for. But it begs the question of why the show’s marketing was faking it in the first place.

[Ed. note: The rest of this piece contains a significant spoiler for the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi.]

In its premiere Obi Wan Kenobi Vivien introduces Lyra Blair as 10-year-old Princess Leia Organa, and Old Ben Kenobi is her only hope. One might joke that this is the future of Star Wars television, handed down by The Mandalorian: Jaded outcast meets adorable child and adventure ensues. Aside from the careful specificity of Obi Wan‘s exploration of Leia and Blair’s extraordinary performance speak for themselves.

This is a cinematic exploration of the young Leia, which parts of the Star Wars fandom have wanted for years, an establishment of her dreams, her abilities and her upbringing to stand alongside the film’s focus on Luke. Obi Wan don’t have to say “well, that’s what you get when the daughter of a woman who was elected president of an entire planet at the age of 14 has slight force sensitivity and grows up to be a princess.” It shows This development as the script not only makes Leia a precocious little “smart kid on TV” but more emotionally savvy than most of the adults around her. Blair’s delivery smoothly alternates between age-appropriate naivety and the reassurance of being the leader of a hardened national student protest movement – which, of course, will essentially be her character in just a few years.

That’s not the only way Obi Wan, or at least the first two episodes of it, commits to showing rather than telling. The series seems to cleverly bridge Lucas’ prequel trilogy, consciously selecting its best aspects: McGregor’s performance as Obi-Wan, Sith doom and the tragedy of a golden age, which have proven to be just patinas. A nearly wordless scene between Obi-Wan, a street beggar, and two patrolling stormtroopers says as much about Jedi hubris, the passing of an age, and the false dream of a “just war” as the whole Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In those small moments, director Deborah Chow has an ally in power: Ewan McGregor.

McGregor wears these episodes less like a workhorse with a pack and more like a king with a crown. He is not alone in his efforts; he and Blair play adorably together, evoking fonder memories of Obi-Wan’s dry wit prevailing over Anakin’s moody sarcasm. Jimmy Smits – reprising his role as Bail Organa, the only good father in Star Wars – shows that he’s always been great at the job, even if he only gets to do it for 70 seconds at a time every three to eleven years. Kumail Nanjiani skillfully walks the fine line between humor and sympathy without the viewer feeling winked at.

But Chow agrees to turn the camera on McGregor and have him portray a betrayed, discouraged, disillusioned Obi-Wan Kenobi simply by using his face. It’s far from screaming “I loved you!” in the middle of a lightsaber fight on a planet made entirely of lava in front of a full John Williams orchestra (although John Williams did come back to take over the topic for this one).

The show has its flaws so far – the editing of each chase scene starring little Leia weighs on the suspension of disbelief as she seems to dodge grown adults at the speed of a jog across open ground. And Inquisitor Reva Savander remains one-sided, which will hopefully change in the next four episodes. Disney Plus projects have a history of starting strong and ending limp, losing the promise of their concept due to lack of execution. As far as we know, Obi-Wan will hand Leia over to Bail in Episode 3 and head straight back to Tatooine to deal with his inquisitor problem.

But I sincerely hope it doesn’t: it’s the most interesting thing about the show. If, after Book by Boba Fett, we’re going to do another Star Wars series about established characters, so let it be executed well. But it certainly begs the question of why Leia’s central role was kept secret. To illustrate with a brief moment of personal experience, it’s an amazing shift in expectations.

The Mandalorian Set the example for a huge first episode reveal in Star Wars TV – something that the Western monthly comics industry has embraced as simply the best way to start a series story – and did so by creating a tiny version of a character from the original featured trilogy. But it’s obvious why the presence of “Yoda, but a cutie-wutie-pie.” Baby cot baby‘ was not part of the series’ marketing.

The Mandalorian had a definite tone and introduction that sold this character’s burgeoning relationship with an isolated bounty hunter and established without a doubt that the crew had a duty to honor the beloved iconography they toyed with. In a trailer, the reveal would have seemed like a stark nostalgia redemption, coming just before the biggest toy-buying event of the year. Aside from his obvious inspiration, Grogu was something the Star Wars universe had never seen before. Leia is one of the founding heroes.

Obi Wans scenario remembered The Force Awakens, in which Rey’s status as the Jedi hero of the new trilogy was kept so under wraps that no toys of her with a lightsaber could be found until months later. Even then, one could blame JJ Abrams’ obsession with obfuscation. It’s baffling that Lucasfilm and Disney teased Luke’s performance Obi Wan rather than Leia’s. Unless, of course, they thought the audience was more interested in Luke for…some reason.

But I digress. Today we know: At least at the beginning Obi Wan Kenobi is the Ben and Leia Show. And if it can maintain its current level of quality, Lucasfilm may finally have a worthy successor The Mandalorian on his hands.