Reunion time has come.
In May 2005, Ewan McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi for the last time in the cinema in "Revenge of the Sith".
Seventeen years later, the actor resumes his Jedi knight tunic in the event miniseries "Obi-Wan Kenobi", on the Disney + streaming platform.
"Finally! We've been waiting for this for a long time," enthuses Thomas, aka Absolute, who runs a popular "Star Wars" channel on YouTube.
For him who discovered this child universe with the prelogy (we will come back to this), the release of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is an unmissable event.
The huge community of "Star Wars" fans is in turmoil at the idea of finding master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"He's one of the fan-favorite characters," Absolute recalls.
And that's not all: the charismatic Darth Vader, third greatest villain in the history of cinema according to the American Film Institute, is also in the cast.
For the most passionate, the Star Wars galaxy no longer holds any secrets.
Neophytes, on the other hand, can be confused by the multiple lives of the saga created by George Lucas: already twelve films and now eight major series.
And you have to add to that a number of time jumps…
So where do you start if you've never seen "Star Wars"?
And how to find your way around if you missed a few episodes?
Let's rewind.
The original trilogy (1977-1983)
Any major work needs foundations.
In 1977, filmmaker George Lucas brought the universe he imagined to life with the film "Star Wars", later renamed "A New Hope".
It is part of the space-opera genre, of which the saga will become one of the greatest representatives.
The story is Manichean, with a heroic Rebellion opposed to the tyrannical Empire which dominates and persecutes the galaxy.
On the side of good, the Jedi use the Force, a stream of mystical energy, to maintain peace and justice.
The Sith, at the head of the Empire, exploit the "dark side" of the Force to quench their thirst for power.
"A New Hope" is a huge success.
The characters of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader, Leia and other Chewbacca are all the rage with a large audience.
The film, carried by the music of composer John Williams, won seven Oscars and opened a new page in the history of cinema.
In 1980, the pillar episode of the saga arrived on the screens: "The Empire strikes back".
And in 1983, George Lucas closed a first arc of the "Star Wars" story with "Return of the Jedi".
The public is conquered.
In six years, the saga has gone beyond the status of a simple cinematographic work.
The "Star Wars" universe is a protean phenomenon, as will later be the universes of "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings" or "Game of Thrones".
"This trilogy is the basis of everything", summarizes Absolute.
The prelogy (1999-2005)
At the end of the 1990s, George Lucas relaunched his franchise by carrying out what he had imagined from the start: recounting the events that took place before "A New Hope".
In other words, how the Sith took power, how the Republic gave way to the Empire and how Darth Vader was born, a former Jedi who switched to the "dark side".
A new trilogy is born and gives rise to a new numbering of feature films.
The three new films become "Episodes" I, II and III and are a prequel to the three previously released films.
These are now Episodes IV ("A New Hope"), V ("The Empire Strikes Back") and VI ("Return of the Jedi").
Episode I, "The Phantom Menace", was released in late 1999. In the "Star Wars" timeline, the story takes place 32 years before A New Hope.
Alec Guiness, who played an elderly Obi-Wan Kenobi in episodes IV, V and VI, is replaced by 28-year-old actor Ewan McGregor.
As far as special effects are concerned, the saga logically takes a big step.
But the new opus disappoints many fans who do not find the spirit of the films released twenty years earlier.
Some screenplay choices are confusing and the critics are half fig and half grape.
"There was a generational conflict," says Absolute.
Episode II, "Attack of the Clones", was released in 2002. And in 2005, the "prelogy" ended with Episode III, "Revenge of the Sith".
Despite sometimes harsh criticism – actors Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen will suffer greatly – Star Wars has reinvented itself and attracted a new generation of fans.
The New Trilogy (2015-2019)
In 2012, Disney disbursed more than 4 billion dollars to buy Lucasfilm, the production company of George Lucas, and materialized the project pending for years: to offer the saga a new trilogy.
Producer Kathleen Kennedy, the new boss, gives the green light.
Chronologically, the beginning of this trilogy is thirty years after "The Return of the Jedi".
Episode VII, "The Force Awakens", was released at the end of 2015 and mixes old and new characters.
This album is a hit at the box office.
Episode VIII, "The Last Jedi", is released in 2017. The new trilogy ends in 2019 with Episode IX, "The Rise of Skywalker".
As with the "prelogy", reviews are harsh, especially among fans of the first or second hour.
Absolute itself says it has a "very mixed" opinion on these Disney-branded films.
But they opened the door to other much-loved works, like new series and comics.
Derivative films (2008-2019)
Alongside the three essential trilogies, the producers have explored the path of derivative films, also called spin-offs.
The first attempt dates back to 2008 with the animated film "The Clone Wars", whose story is located between episodes II and III.
It will then be necessary to wait until 2016 and the Disney paw to discover a new derivative feature film: "Rogue One", which tells the events which precede two of episode IV, receives a favorable reception.
On the other hand, "Solo", released in 2018 and whose action also takes place before episode IV, will disappoint many fans, unhappy to see in particular the character of Han Solo interpreted by someone other than Harrison Ford. .
The negative reviews of "Solo" will cause Disney to put aside the big screen.
"There are still film projects, but we have very little information", slips Absolute.
The franchise now mainly focuses on series broadcast on Disney+.
The series (since 2003)
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" is just the latest "Star Wars" work for television.
In 2003, a first and short animated series, "Clone Wars", enriched the saga.
As its name suggests, it takes place after "Attack of the Clones".
This series will however be replaced in 2008, in the official continuity of the saga, by the derivative film "The Clone Wars" and by another animated series, also called "The Clone Wars", more mature, more careful and longer. .
In 2014, another animated series was born: "Star Wars Rebels".
Its story is located between episodes III and IV, and fans will welcome it with as much enthusiasm as its elder "The Clone Wars".
Two other animation series are then released: "Star Wars Resistance", in 2018, is located before episode VII, while The Bad Batch, in 2021, is located after episode III.
But the series are not limited to animation.
The biggest success of recent years on television remains "The Mandalorian", the first series with flesh and blood actors, which appeared on screens at the end of 2019. This is located after episode VI in the chronology of "Star Wars".
"The Book of Boba Fett", also in live action, was released in 2021. Ella was less well received and her future is uncertain.
The time for #ObiWanKenobi has arrived…early.
Start streaming the first two episodes on @DisneyPlus TONIGHT at 9PM PT.
pic.twitter.com/5gKVNzRovq
— Obi-Wan Kenobi (@obiwankenobi) May 27, 2022
Where to start ?
The accumulation of series – four since 2018 and at least three others in the works – makes Absolute fear "a Marvel-like model where we will have to see everything to follow, where the series will join each other".
Despite everything, these series still have a lot of interest for the YouTuber.
They are used in particular to explain certain aspects of the films, and even to correct inconsistencies.
But let moderate "Star Wars" fans be reassured: they don't need to watch the 125 or so hours of various series to understand the films.
"They are self-sufficient. They remain the base that everyone can see without worry," says Absolute.
One question remains tricky: in what order to watch the twelve films (i.e. 27 hours of viewing)?
Absolute, from the height of his 22 years, started with the prelogy… out of order, since he was 6 years old when his dad took him to see “Revenge of the Sith” at the cinema.
The expert still recommends opting for the order of release of the films, and therefore starting with the original trilogy (episodes IV, V and VI).
"It's the most logical," he promises.
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