Television Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+, May 27) - Official Trailer

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

I see some of the “why didn’t Vader do X” all around. There’s two problems at play, and one is a persistent issue with Star Wars. 
 

One, this is a prequel series. Vader can’t kill Kenobi yet. There may even be one more face off where Kenobi gets the better if Vader again. 
 

Two, the Force is not a Hard Magic system. It’s like plot armor. Characters can do or won’t do things at the whim of the writers. Fuck putting the fire out. Vader could have dragged both Kenobi and anyone else through the fire to him. Could have probably just leveled that entire town while Kenobi hid inside that one building. 
 

anyways, supposedly one of the writers for the show alluded that the GI isn’t dead, or that they didn’t break canon. I assume whatever is done to him to bring him back will give more insight to his final words in Rebels, “there are worse things than death”. 
 

we’ll see. I’m enjoying the show so far. Weirdly enough my biggest gripe is how big the lightsaber blades are they’ve been using in these Disney+ shows are compared to the movies. 

[Gavin King]

On 6/4/2022 at 3:55 PM, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

My approach to the canonicity (yes, this is actually a word - I looked it up!) of the events of Star Wars is to take the series at its word that everything we're witnessing happened:

 

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

 

When viewed from within this conceptual framework, we're not watching a factually-based "historical" telling of these events, but rather we're watching an interpretive "mythological" telling of these events which means that inconsistencies, etc. in the telling of these tales can be somewhat more understandable/forgivable "from a certain point of view".

 

Once I developed this view of the Star Wars lore, it just became so much easier to simply enjoy what was being presented to me rather than be overly concerned as to how it lined up with canon.

 

Except for The Rise of Skywalker.  There is absolutely no redeeming that abomination whatsoever.

 

Could not agree more. I hope that when the powers at be eventually let go of the Skywalker saga, they warp a 100+ years and all of the previous Star Wars material is treated just like this, lore, stories, exaggeration. They can then start building a universe where it maintains it's own set of rules, especially around The Force. This way you don't lose those stories we love, but you can kind of do a soft reboot and start grounding the rule beyond plot armor.

[CitizenVectron]

Yeah, after watching all the (released) content for Stranger Things S04, I really wish Disney would put the same level of care and talent into the Star Wars shows. ST just blows all the D+ content out of the water.

[skillzdadirecta]

On 6/4/2022 at 11:42 PM, johnny said:

it could be better but to be fair stranger things is like the top streaming show. not sure what the budgets are for each show but i’ve been happy with kenobi thus far. 

I would imagine Obi Wan has as high a budget as Stranger Things or higher even. The main difference is that Obi Wan is such a VFX heavy show that a lot of it is shot on blue screen while Stranger things isn't. Two different types of shows with two different visual approaches. I've been happy with Obi Wan as well, and haven't started Stranger Things yet, but the two shows have two different demands.

 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

I would imagine Obi Wan has as high a budget as Stranger Things or higher even. The main difference is that Obi Wan is such a VFX heavy show that a lot of it is shot on blue screen while Stranger things isn't. Two different types of shows with two different visual approaches. I've been happy with Obi Wan as well, and haven't started Stranger Things yet, but the two shows have two different demands.

 

Yup. When you compare the things that are more alike, scenes in ST where they make heavy use of CG environments (anything in the upside down for example)…the apparent differences decrease.

 

When it is largely physical sets with actual lighting, ST looks really beautiful. It just happens that most of the show is practical.

[skillzdadirecta]

39 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

Yup. When you compare the things that are more alike, scenes in ST where they make heavy use of CG environments (anything in the upside down for example)…the apparent differences decrease.

 

When it is largely physical sets with actual lighting, ST looks really beautiful. It just happens that most of the show is practical.

Like the Disney shows are head and shoulders above other VFX heavy shows on other streamers like The Witcher and Cowboy Beebop on Netflix and Halo on Paramount. Not that those shows are bad, but the Disney+ stuff definitely looks more cinematic than those shows. Amazon, Apple and HBO are closer in that regard with their VFX heavy shows to Disney than anything I've seen on Netflix.

[skillzdadirecta]

On 6/5/2022 at 12:22 AM, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

I assume whatever is done to him to bring him back will give more insight to his final words in Rebels, “there are worse things than death”. 

That's already been answered in the current Star Wars and Darth Vader comics where it's been revealed that

 

Spoiler

Vader trapped his spirit in Jedi Outpost to guard it.

 

Quote

However, Darth Vader still had use for the Grand Inquisitor, trapping his spirit on Tempes in the Outer Rim, where he served as a guardian over an abandoned Jedi outpost. It was here that he engaged in a duel with Luke Skywalker, who was looking for an ancient lightsaber, but lost. Vader arrived shortly after, displeased with the Grand Inquisitor's failure. Before leaving, the Grand Inquisitor asked Vader what his fate would be, if there was a chance he could be released. Vader dismissed this idea, calling the Grand Inquisitor a tool for his own purposes. The Grand Inquisitor lamented over his fate, speaking of how there were worse things than death

 

 

His wookipedia listing has this info and has already been updated with the events of the Obi Wan series.

 

[CitizenVectron]

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

Yup. When you compare the things that are more alike, scenes in ST where they make heavy use of CG environments (anything in the upside down for example)…the apparent differences decrease.

 

When it is largely physical sets with actual lighting, ST looks really beautiful. It just happens that most of the show is practical.

 

I think what makes this difference so apparent is that Disney/Lucasfilm/Marvel seem to rely on just not using good practical locations as often and choosing to fix so many things in post. Is that budget? The rush to get things done for release schedules? I don't know. Everyone uses the Thor/Loki scene that was moved from a back alley to a green field, but there are more. Hopefully everyone using the giant screen walls like Mandalorian will help over time...but we still aren't at the point where you can fully replace the actual realness of a room/lighting, etc. 

[Reputator]

2 hours ago, CitizenVectron said:

Yeah, after watching all the (released) content for Stranger Things S04, I really wish Disney would put the same level of care and talent into the Star Wars shows. ST just blows all the D+ content out of the water.

 

Yep, and even with a greater reliance on physical sets and effects, it's still not on par with ST4. It goes beyond that though. The quality of the acting is much more consistent on ST, and I think the directing and editing is better too.

[skillzdadirecta]

15 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

Is that budget? The rush to get things done for release schedules?

It's both really. They have more VFX shots and it's quicker and sometimes cheaper to make use of these CGI sets depending on the nature of the shot than using practical sets. Stranger Things is set in "the Real world" for the most part while these Star Wars shows have to pretty much create locations out of thin air sometimes. They really are two different types of show despite being genre shows. Plus Stranger Things has had the benefit of a longer production schedule. I'm not defending the Star Wars shows (don't really think I need to) but just explaining why it's not a 1:1 comparison between the two series.

[CitizenVectron]

2 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

It's both really. They have more VFX shots and it's quicker and sometimes cheaper to make use of these CGI sets depending on the nature of the shot than using practical sets. Stranger Things is set in "the Real world" for the most part while these Star Wars shows have to pretty much create locations out of thin air sometimes. They really are two different types of show despite being genre shows. Plus Stranger Things has had the benefit of a longer production schedule. I'm not defending the Star Wars shows (don't really think I need to) but just explaining why it's not a 1:1 comparison between the two series.

 

For sure. For all that, it definitely would be possible for Disney to get these shows up to a similar level as Stranger Things...but would they do it for the increased cost and much-longer production timeline? Obviously they won't. It's a shame. But even those things aside, the difference in other things like acting and directing is apparent.

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

54 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

That's already been answered in the current Star Wars and Darth Vader comics where it's been revealed that

 

  Hide contents

Vader trapped his spirit in Jedi Outpost to guard it.

 

 

 

His wookipedia listing has this info and has already been updated with the events of the Obi Wan series.

 

right. I just mean as far as we know, he didn’t know that Vader would do that at the time of Rebels … unless something like had already been done, leading him to that quote. 
 

like maybe Vader bound him to something inside of his own body. And then bound him to something inside the Jedi temple after his body was destroyed or as a failsafe in the event his body was destroyed. Which it was in rebels.

 

 

maybe in rebels he thought he would be free. Or maybe he knew exactly what awaited him. Right now we really don’t know. 

[Greatoneshere]

So long as Disney+ shows continue to use The Volume; the special set created by Jon Favreau and crew for The Mandalorian (that is used extensively on all Star Wars shows now) there will always be a disparity. The Volume is an incredible piece of tech/set/whatever, but it will always make the shows feel less practical and more "CG-y" than something like Stranger Things since the focus on the set of the volume (or StageCraft) is better green screening, but still almost all green screen.

 

Stranger Things uses a lot of practical locations and actual sets. It's why whether you liked the movie or not Eternals felt a lot more real and tangible (to me) because it was shot on real locations in real places unlike a lot of Marvel films which are shot on lots in Georgia making them feel a lot less "real" and tangible. I mean, the upside down is very obviously CG and I would say it doesn't look any better than the CG in Kenobi. I mean, it looked pretty fake during the major Max scene everyone knows I'm talking about where she's running. Vecna is clearly CG and looks it, etc.

[Kal-El814]

1 hour ago, Greatoneshere said:

So long as Disney+ shows continue to use The Volume; the special set created by Jon Favreau and crew for The Mandalorian (that is used extensively on all Star Wars shows now) there will always be a disparity. The Volume is an incredible piece of tech/set/whatever, but it will always make the shows feel less practical and more "CG-y" than something like Stranger Things since the focus on the set of the volume (or StageCraft) is better green screening, but still almost all green screen.

 

Stranger Things uses a lot of practical locations and actual sets. It's why whether you liked the movie or not Eternals felt a lot more real and tangible (to me) because it was shot on real locations in real places unlike a lot of Marvel films which are shot on lots in Georgia making them feel a lot less "real" and tangible. I mean, the upside down is very obviously CG and I would say it doesn't look any better than the CG in Kenobi. I mean, it looked pretty fake during the major Max scene everyone knows I'm talking about where she's running. Vecna is clearly CG and looks it, etc.

I’m pretty sure Vecna was done with prosthetics and makeup. 

[Greatoneshere]

1 minute ago, Kal-El814 said:

I’m pretty sure Vecna was done with prosthetics and makeup. 

 

I was thinking more the tentacles than the actual person since I also understand that was prosthetics. Point being that the CG is quite obviously CG in Stranger Things as in Kenobi to me.

[Kal-El814]

Just now, Greatoneshere said:

 

I was thinking more the tentacles than the actual person since I also understand that was prosthetics. Point being that the CG is quite obviously CG in Stranger Things as in Kenobi to me.

 

Ah, then yeah. I think they basically gave him the "Falcon" treatment, in that it was a person in makeup / masking and they touched up some of the finer stuff with CG.

[Guest]

I think some of the cinematography complaints about the SW shows are not technical in nature, but are actually subjective aesthetic preferences.

 

As an example, Chow really loves low camera angles in action sequences. Some people just don’t like how that feels when watching, but it’s not a better/worse thing. I think the same about some of the Rodriguez directed episodes of Fett/Mando and complaints about the cinematography there.

[johnny]

kinda feel like we are going in a circle with this episode. obi wan killing the stormtroopers in the dark was sick though 

[Kal-El814]

Just now, johnny said:

kinda feel like we are going in a circle with this episode. obi wan killing the stormtroopers in the dark was sick though 

 

So you're saying the circle is complete

[Brick]

Another solid episode. 

 

 

One thing I like about this series is Leia's relationship to "Ben", and how it'll impact her future. Han and Leia naming their son Ben felt more like a nod to fans giving him Obi-Wan's pseudonym, or more of a thing Luke would name his potential son since he had more of a relationship with Obi-Wan than Leia ever did in the OT. Now though with Obi-Wan saving her life it makes more sense to honour him and name her son after him. 

[Kal-El814]

I have mixed feelings about this one. 
 

Leia being kidnapped again feels lazy, especially when the danger lasted less than 20 minutes of screen time. The conflict between Obi-Wan and the people who helped him resolved itself so fast that I don’t know why they bothered. And for a guy that the show has established is pretty rusty, he still seemed to have no issues dunking on a shitload of Troopers. 
 

But you know… Ewan and kid Leia have chemistry and that’s great. 

[Brick]

These episodes are definitely too short though. There are rumours that there will be a second season though. 

[Reputator]

8 hours ago, Kal-El814 said:

I have mixed feelings about this one. 
 

Leia being kidnapped again feels lazy, especially when the danger lasted less than 20 minutes of screen time. The conflict between Obi-Wan and the people who helped him resolved itself so fast that I don’t know why they bothered. And for a guy that the show has established is pretty rusty, he still seemed to have no issues dunking on a shitload of Troopers. 
 

But you know… Ewan and kid Leia have chemistry and that’s great. 

 

It was probably the worst episode so far, which isn't to say it was bad. Just nothing great.

[brucoe]

My problem with this show so far is the writing they're giving Reva to deliver. The actress does great, but the lines are atrociously awful. So far, they've told us very little about her, which is not a benefit to a show that's about to end its first season. We should have known her backstory by episode 2 and be rooting for her death. Right now, if she died, I wouldn't care one way or the other. Her character is still being written as a cardboard cutout with potential as a great character. Playing the mystery card only works if we first care about the character to begin with.

[jinx8402]

Inquisitors really need to beef up underwater security of their fortress. Second time in 5 years they've been breached.

[Kal-El814]

1 hour ago, jinx8402 said:

Inquisitors really need to beef up underwater security of their fortress. Second time in 5 years they've been breached.

 

Indeed. Also kinda wild that the base looked MUCH better in Fallen Order than on this show.

[CayceG]

 

[nublood]

I’m still waiting to enjoy this show. And this latest episode was about a 5/10 for me. Sneaking Leia under a bulging trench coat past hundreds of storm troopers and imperial officers… yeah. And those rebel fighters flying right into the hangar bay was borderline bollywood stuff. 

[skillzdadirecta]

On 6/8/2022 at 9:24 PM, Kal-El814 said:

no issues dunking on a shitload of Troopers. 

Let's be honest though, does ANYONE have problems dunking on Storm Troopers?

[Brick]

With all the mayhem and things being hectic, I could see no one really paying enough attention to really notice her under the trench coat. 

[skillzdadirecta]

4 hours ago, Brick said:

With all the mayhem and things being hectic, I could see no one really paying enough attention to really notice her under the trench coat. 

If it worked for The Little Rascals, it can work here

 

 

[Brick]

1 minute ago, skillzdadirecta said:

If it worked for The Little Rascals, it can work here

 

 

 

Plus, as Luke said, you can't see a thing in those Stormtrooper helmets. No wonder they can't aim for shit. 

[skillzdadirecta]

1 minute ago, Brick said:

 

Plus, as Luke said, you can't see a thing in those Stormtrooper helmets. No wonder they can't aim for shit. 

Didn't Finn say something similar?

[Kal-El814]

No lie detected, I love it.

 

 

[skillzdadirecta]

On the cinematography debate, I'm finally finishing Stranger Things and I got to the episode where

 

Spoiler

The kids are in the upside down

and the quality of the blue screen looks about on par with the Star Wars shows. Not better, not worse... The series just uses far less blue screen because of the nature of the show.