Chat corner 89: Obi-Wan Kenobi

[annathecrow]

Welcome to the Monday chat corner!

This week, the topic is Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Disney live-action show. It’s been out long enough now, so spoilers are allowed, although you’re welcome to use the <details> tag to hide them:

<details> <summary>spoiler</summary> Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father.</details>

Have you seen the show? What did you think? Would you recommend it? Any fic recs?

Comments

[astromech1138]

A "some content may disturb viewers" disclaimer was added to the beginning of Kenobi, to be fair...but only way after the fact. When the show first aired, it was incredibly disturbing to be thrown into that scene without any warning.

I'm in the habit of treating anything other than the OT (and now Mandalorian and Andor, because they're so good) as a type of authorized fan fiction (and honestly, I've often read better, more creative fan fic than a lot of the Legends or recent tv/movie materials, like, ahem, yours or Cara's). Fortunately readers don't really seem to mind if you deviate from canon (at least the five of us still reading Han/Luke fics, anyway).

Rebels starts off rough, and Ezra is very annoying especially at the beginning. But definitely the third and fourth seasons have good moments. LOL he is definitely a Marty Stu Luke. (This is something that really annoys me about the "expanded" universe: it so often isn't expanded but a retread of characters or plotlines.) Kanan, Hera, Sabine, and a few other "special appearances" characters I won't spoil make the final couple of seasons worth watching. That said, I don't think Rebels is necessary the way The Clone Wars is.

Andor is next for you, once you're done Rebels, right?

[vysila]

I see there are warnings when I queue up various shows, even the animated ones.

A rough start to Rebels is putting it kindly. Ezra is SO annoying. And what, they gave him the exact same birth date as Luke & Leia? Could they be more obvious with the Marty Stu? I'm hanging in there, though.

I may take a break from SW for a while after Rebels and try something different.

Speaking of Cara, did you see that she is bringing her Kingdom of Shadows trilogy to AO3? One chapter per week. She's spent a good 3 or 4 years re-editing the novels.

[astromech1138]

Oh jeez, I didn't realize they gave Ezra the same birthdate as Luke and Leia. Very cringe! I hope Rebels isn't burning you out on the new shows.

I did see that Cara is posting Kingdom of Shadows! I'm so excited: Millennium Deal blew me away. Are you still in touch with her? It's so nice that you all are making sure your work remains accessible.

[vysila]

I must admit I am choosing to take a short break from Star Wars right now; Rebels is not to my taste at all. I gave up after discovering the birthday thing, made me mad.

I'm so glad you're enjoying Kingdom of Shadows. The nice thing is that there are three novels and they're all complete, so it's not so hard to wait when you know they will all be posted regularly.

Yes, I am still in touch with her. She's very special to me and has been for about 25 years. I miss collaborating with her, though. She doesn't really have much time for fanfic these days.

[astromech1138]

ugh, I'm sorry Rebels turned you off so much! The new stuff is so hit-or-miss, which is why I start with recommending the good stuff and then gently see how high someone's tolerance for nonsense is ;)

I'm really happy that Cara is updating K of S every week! I love a good serial read. And I'm glad to know that you are still in touch--that's not easy!

[vysila]

I'm working up to watching Andor soon. From what I've heard, there shouldn't be too much conflict with the original trilogy.

I need to read KoS myself. I helped with the edits a while back but am sure she's made more changes since then. She always tinkers (like most of us, I suppose).

[astromech1138]

Oh good, I'm glad to hear you're open to watching Andor soon! (I might recommend carving out the time to watch the first three episodes at once, like it was released, since the slow build can be off-putting at first--but so, so worth it.)

The tinkering is worth it! It's so nice to lose yourself in a story.

[vysila]

I'm thinking I may start Andor tonight and will try writing a running commentary of my impressions. Not sure I'll manage 3 episodes though, after the day I've had I think I'll be lucky to get through one! LOL!