In the second episode of “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” our favourite retired Jedi hermit picks up the lightsaber and embarks on an adventure that definitely has elements of “One Last Job” in it. Young Princess Leia Organa (Vivien Lyra Blair) had been abducted at the end of the first episode, and Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) begs Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) to stop pouting and go retrieve the impressionable future Rebel leader. Because you can’t say no to Jimmy Smits, Obi-Wan agrees and directs them to Daiyu, a brand-new planet with a grimy neon glow.
One of his first interactions is with Tetha Grig, a nice drug dealer who comes up to the Jedi and asks if he wants some “spice.” Tetha has vivid pink hair and is a human. It’s notable that the drug pusher in question is none other than Esther Rose McGregor, Ewan McGregor’s own daughter. The scene is a cleverly written short scene that illustrates the futility of being in a galaxy-wide hub for human trafficking, but it also adds levels of irony for reasons we’ll discuss later.
Obi-Wan has found his daughter
In the sequence, Obi-Wan is trying to establish a base in Daiyu so he may start looking for young Leia. Tetha enters and inquires about his interest in her spice supply (she has Kessel Pure, Glitterstim, and Felucian; the “Star Wars” trilogy is significantly expanding our understanding of intergalactic narcotics). Answering, Obi-Wan “What about some details? My kid was abducted and I’m hunting for her somewhere on this globe.” Tetha responds that he won’t see her again if she’s at Daiyu and “No one leaves this building. I once served as someone’s daughter.” He moves on to look for other leads when she offers him a free sample of her illegal goods that helps him save Leia.
The scene between Obi-Wan and Tetha is amusing because it is so overtly ironic and obvious. Obi-pretext Wan’s is that he is searching for his daughter. He contacts Ewan McGregor’s daughter in real life (so I presume he found her! ), and when she responds that she was once someone’s daughter, well, that’s also true. Just before they shouted “action!” they revealed that she was Ewan McGregor’s daughter.
Watching the scene with this in mind adds a lot of subtle and contextual humour to an already fantastic sequence. Esther-Rose is fantastic in the cameo and a tremendous contribution to the series.
Disney+ now has the first two episodes of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” available for streaming.
