Though fans got to know a bit about Jedi Knight Ben “Obi-Wan” Kenobi via the “Original Trilogy” of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, it took the “Prequel Trilogy” to flesh out the character. Across The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sity, we learned more about how Ben ended up on Tattooine.

This still left the 20 years or so between the end of Sith and the events of Star Wars< largely uncovered in the franchise’s canon. A 2022 mini-series simply called Obi-Wan Kenobi gives us a glimpse at that period.

This two-disc 4K UHD set includes all six episodes. The plot synopses come from the series’ official website.

Part I: “When agents of the Empire pose a new threat, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) emerges after years of hiding.”

I must admit that over my 48 years as a Star Wars fan, I never really wondered what Ben was up to between his battle with Anakin and the events of the 1977 film. I assumed he just chilled and kept an eye on Luke but not much more.

Of course, the original movie made it obvious Obi-Wan didn’t act as a total hermit since it revealed Luke knew who he was. Still, I figured Ben didn’t get out much and maintained a reputation as an isolated kook among the residents of Tattooine.

And perhaps that’s what George Lucas thought as well, but this series offers a different interpretation of Ben’s activities between Episodes III and IV. This seems fair, as Lucas left the door open for an expanded story.

“Part I” launches this exploration well. We find an Obi-Wan who views the Jedi as a spent force and who seems resigned to a life of seclusion and disengagement from galactic conflicts.

We also get exploration of characters old and new. “Part I” sets up the series on a positive note.

Part II: “On a dangerous crime-ridden world, Obi-Wan becomes a target.”

With Obi-Wan on an actual mission, matters heat up via “Part II”. Of course, the fact that the series exists between Episodes III and IV removes some tension, as we know no real harm will come to our lead or a variety of other familiar characters.

Nonetheless, “Part II” opens some interesting possibilities. While I can’t claim we get classic Star Wars one-third of the way through the series, “Part II” manages to move along the narrative pretty well.

Part III: “Obi-Wan searches for allies as he attracts the attention of the Empire, threatening the locals.”

“Part II” ended with a revelation for Obi-Wan that proves less revelatory for the audience. Still, it reintroduces a certain really famous character in a manner certain to influence the remainder of the series.

The episode brings a confrontation between Obi-Wan and said noteworthy role earlier than expected. That said, I strongly suspect a rematch will occur during the series’ final program.

“Part III” manages to up the ante to a reasonable degree. As noted, however, the general lack of tension that comes from the series’ prequel – or “midquel”, since it takes place between the PT and the OT – status continues to dampen matters somewhat.

Part IV: “Obi-Wan Kenobi plots a daring mission into enemy territory.”

The Obi-Wan of this series’ first half suffered from a lack of faith and self-confidence. “Part IV” shows him as he begins to emerge from that funk.

This becomes a good shift, as the uncertain Obi-Wan of the first three shows frustrated me. I get why the series opted to make him doubt himself, but I still don’t know if it fits the character as we already knew him.

“Part IV” offers a very obvious nod toward the Death Star rescue from Star Wars, but it doesn’t go too far into “fan service” territory. The episode amps up the action in a positive manner.

Part V: “Obi-Wan plans his next move as the Empire closes in and tries to draw him out.”

We find a pretty major character twist in “Part V”, one that I’m not sure works. Obviously I can’t discuss specifics if I hope to avoid spoilers, but I don’t think the series sets up this shift in a way that makes it especially believable.

That leap of logic aside, “Part V” manages to create a good level of action and intrigue. While I can’t claim to feel desperate to see how matters conclude in the final chapter – with its inevitable re-confrontation – “Part V” also pushes us along reasonably well.

Part VI: “Obi-Wan is drawn into a confrontation with Vader (Hayden Christensen), as Luke's (Grant Feely) fate hangs in the balance.

Was it silly that I avoided a reveal of Vader’s presence in the series when I discussed prior episodes? Probably, as it likely wasn’t hard to figure out who I meant and this set’s cover art reveals the fact Vader will appear anyway.

On the other hand, the involvement of Luke in “Part VI” does does act as a surprise given that the entire series revolved around Obi-Wan’s attempts to rescue Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair). It seemed more likely to me that the show would avoid Leia’s brother.

All of this leads to a generally interesting final episode but one that leaves me a bit cold, perhaps just because as matters end, the awkwardness with which Obi-Wan Kenobi links into the movies bugs me more. Of course, Lucas never kept a tight narrative as he made events fit his whims across his six films, but some of the series’ choices just feel illogical.

Anyway, I still like Obi-Wan Kenobi for the most part. It comes with some missteps and doesn’t honestly make a lot of sense within the Star Wars universe but it’s still a fun adventure.

Obi-Wan Kenobi appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on these 4K UHD Discs. A native 4K product, the series offered fine visuals.

Sharpness almost always excelled. A couple wide shots looked a smidgen soft, but the vast majority of the episodes boasted strong delineation.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.

The series’ palette often leaned toward a standard mix of orange and teal, but the various settings allowed for other hues as well. The shows represented the tones nicely, with a good boost in impact from HDR.

Blacks seemed dense and rich, while shadows appeared concise and smooth. HDR gave whites and contrast extra punch. All in all, the episodes boasted terrific picture quality.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the series’ Dolby Atmos audio also worked well, as the episodes presented engaging soundfields. Not surprisingly, its best moments related to the mix of action scenes, as these helped open up the spectrum pretty nicely.

Otherwise, we got good stereo impressions from the music along with solid environmental material. The latter reverberated in the rear speakers to positive effect, and some unique action beats popped up there as well.

No problems with audio quality occurred. Speech was always concise and natural, and I noticed no edginess or other concerns. Music seemed bright and lively.

Effects showed good distinctiveness, and they offered nice low-end when appropriate. All of this created a strong sonic impression that made the series more involving.

A few extras appear, and Disc One provides three featurettes. Duels of Fate spans 11 minutes, 22 seconds and involves director/executive producer Deborah Chow, filmmaker George Lucas (from 2004), Revenge of the Sith stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, stunt coordinator Jonathan Eusebio, property master Brad Elliott, production designer Doug Chiang, writer Joby Harold, costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb, director of photography Chung-Hoon Chung, and actors Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen.

“Fate” examines aspects of the series’ lightsaber battles. It delivers a good overview of the subject matter.

The Dark Times goes for 11 minutes, 46 seconds. It provides notes from Chow, Chiang, Larlarb, Elliott, McGregor, Eusebio, Christensen, stunt double Nailah Johnson, production designer Todd Cherniawsky, associate producer Stephanie Peters, movement coordinator Olga Sokolova, and actors Rupert Friend, Sung Kang, Moses Ingram, and Justin Dobies.

Here we find info about various topics related to the depiction of the series’ villains. Expect another engaging discussion of various production choices.

Finally, Designing the Galaxy goes for 10 minutes, 57 seconds. It features info from Chow, Chiang, McGregor, Larlarb, Elliott, Legacy Effects supervisor/puppeteer John Rosengrant, and actors Vivien Lyra Blair, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Kumail Nanjiani.

As implied by the title, “Galaxy” looks at the design of sets, creatures/droids, costumes, and weapons. We find more useful information here.

Disc Two brings an audio commentary from Chow for “Part VI”. She provides a running, screen-specific look at connections to the rest of the Star Wars universe, cast and performances, and various production elements.

Chow creates a decent chat but not one that I think becomes especially fascinating. While we learn some useful notes, the end result just doesn’t deliver a lot of real insight.

Despite a lot of choices that can make it an awkward fit with the previously established Star Wars universe, Obi-Wan Kenobi usually offers an engaging mix of action and drama. If nothing else, it’s good to see Ewan McGregor in the role again. The 4K UHD discs offer excellent picture and audio along with a smattering of bonus materials. Though not a great series, fans will still want to give this one a look.