There's no denying that Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a divisive film. For every Star Wars fan who absolutely loves and adores it, there's another around the corner who hates it. It seems the discourse that resulted from the release of The Last Jedi has had a knock-on effect on how new Star Wars projects get made at Lucasfilm, and that attitude has culminated in the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Last Jedi is clearly Rian Johnson's film. It's a love letter for all things Star Wars, but very specifically through Johnson's lens. It has a lot to say on the legacy of Star Wars, both on a narrative and meta-textual level. And it ends on a hopeful note, one that forges a clear new direction for the franchise. However, the film's controversial reception meant Lucasfilm couldn't follow through on this vision. Star Wars became less focused on forging a new direction, and more on revisiting the familiar.

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luke skywalker in front of the sacred jedi texts

This inability to move on from the past was not so obvious with the first season of The Mandalorian. The show primarily focused on new characters visiting new worlds, as well as developing a corner of the Star Wars mythos that was not often explored. It was, instead, The Rise of Skywalker that was the first sign of the franchise's course correction from The Last Jedi -- a film interested in bringing back all the things fans recognized: the Emperor, Luke's X-Wing, Lando, Kylo Ren's helmet and even Tatooine. It was a visual onslaught, but it was just the beginning.

It's interesting that after the success of a unique show such as The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm did not choose to greenlight more shows starring original characters and locations. Instead, it was announced that audiences would be treated to The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, Andor and, of course, Obi-Wan Kenobi. It became clear why in the second season of The Mandalorian. There were fewer new locations and more familiar characters, culminating in the return of a young Luke Skywalker in the season finale. Fans were angry with the old and grouchy Luke of The Last Jedi, so here is Luke Skywalker as audiences remembered him in Return of the Jedi. The effect is incredible, but there is something unsettling about watching a CGI Mark Hamill on screen, one with a completely synthetic face and voice.

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This has culminated with the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi later this month -- a show entirely about the familiar within Star Wars, and almost nothing about the new. With the trailers, fans are super excited for the return of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan. They adored the use of "Duel of the Fates" as the music, and they're hyped for the introduction of the Inquisitors into live action. This is all very exciting stuff, but none of it is new. Once again, audiences find themselves wrestling with the familiar.

One of the biggest selling points of Obi-Wan Kenobi is the apparent rematch between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. It's been leaked through concept art and teased very heavily in the marketing. It's going to be a great fight. However, in wanting to engage with the familiar, the show inadvertently undercuts the original film. If the two reunited and duel in Obi-Wan Kenobi, what does that mean for their duel in A New Hope? For better or for worse, Star Wars has been stuck in a holding pattern for the last few years, revisiting the same ideas and characters to get the same basic reaction out of fans and the audience. The franchise needs to take off and become something truly great again. A lot of people won't like this, but it needs something like The Last Jedi.

The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere May 27 on Disney+.