OBI-WAN KENOBI [The “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi” Cut]

When I woke up this morning I never thought I would be making another Star Wars fanedit anytime soon. To be fair, I thought this would be an amazing show. I even chuckled to myself yesterday thinking “Tomorrow there will be Obi-Wan fanedits popping up on OT.com”.

I am so utterly disappointed in the the directing, acting, editing and stunt work that I went straight back and watched the episodes all over again thinking about what to improve.

The entire show thus far pivots back an forth between “this is awesome” and “this is incredibly bad”. I switch between the two at any given scene. Sometimes within the same scene.

THE GOOD:

• Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan
• Owen Lars as Owen Lars
• Leia actor (when she is not told to run or look scared)
• Bail Organa
• The first 10 minutes of the series (including the recap to be honest)
• The scenes between Obi-Wan and Leia (most of them)

THE BAD:

• The Leia actress when she is told to run or look scared
• The writing and execution of the plot
• The overall directing
• The overall cinematography

THE UGLY:

• The editing in certain parts (the wood chase in EP 1) - looked like the actors are told to run slow, bad editing, Leia actress looks amused rather than scared
• The Anakin is alive reveal (felt cheap, unearned and also unecessary)
• The narrative beat of the fake Jedi (whom i actually enjoyed), the rooftop chase, and then the “Fake Jedi to the Rescue”. This needs to be handled a lot better.
• The Thug Gang hired by the Third Sister. Just… tone them down.
• The Inquisitors needs to be TONED DOWN. Just chill, guys. This ain’t a Halloween party at the forty-seventh vodka shot.
• The series’s Score. The Inquisitor Theme from the very beginning was thrilling. The rest was uninspired and dull.

GOAL:

This entire show pivots back an forth between “this is awesome” and “this is incredibly bad”. I switch between the two at any given scene. Sometimes within the same scene.

FIXES & ALTERATIONS:

• Toned down Inquisitors
• Massively improved “chase” sequence on Alderaan (it will be trimmed so hard you forgot there was grass)
• Improved rooftop chase on “New Planet”
• Trim bad acting or weird behaviour (!)
• Make plot EASIER to digest
• Pacing - when we end with Episode 5 of content, the edit is at 1 hour and 54 minutes.
• Improve the musical continuity with The Prequels and The Originals, but without sacrificing the original score that both works and the ability for the series/film to have its own identity.

… and more, I can gurantee, as we move on.

UPCOMING PRODUCT:

• Film format.

Original statement:

Film or TV series. Depends on how much juice there will be to work with, and how reliable the plot is for a fulfilling and exciting experience. If the series’s narration will continue to be a rollercoaster of bad editing and confusing or lacking plot beats a film format will most likely be the outcome to keep it a thrilling bag of the good.

VIDEO EXAMPLES AND FIXES:

NEW OPENING:

https://streamable.com/20aaq6

HUNT FOR JEDI - INQUISITORS FIX:

https://streamable.com/qv28ex

Alternate Vader Sensing Kenobi:

https://streamable.com/y62c2j

Softened Leia Introduction

https://streamable.com/nupbaj

Leia Kidnapping:

https://streamable.com/cjvo9r

Anakin reassembled (crossfade is fixed):

https://streamable.com/q1dhqg

Alternate Rescue - Entrance

https://streamable.com/exojia (Not finished as of yet)

Alternate Rescue - Escape

https://streamable.com/waa16m (Not finished as of yet)

The Final Duel

https://streamable.com/isatqd

The Imperial’s are Here:

https://streamable.com/otm6f2 (something more with soul and first time we see Obi-Wan properly use his saber again; feel-good)

Friendly Reunion:

https://streamable.com/vsc492 (emotional AOTC connection -> upbeat feeling -> darkness takes over, shots will be deepfaked before release)

Scrapped Video Ideas:

ANAKIN RETURNS - SAD PIANO (Idea is scrapped - too much sorrow)

https://streamable.com/vwhsix

ANAKIN RETURNS - IMPERIAL MARCH (Idea Is Scrapped - too bombastic):

https://streamable.com/sbzh7g

WitchDR said:

I’m hoping by the end of this series, the inquisitors can just be entirely removed. You could have Leia never be captured, thus Obi-Wan never leaves Tatooine. Could just cut episode 2 out all together, obviously depending on how the […]

• If the future episodes deem this a possibility (the removal of the Inquisitors that is), then yes; this will have to be discussed as a potential solution to what can become, and so far is, a cringeworthy addition.

As of right now, we agree that the most likely best approach is to keep the Inqusitors on the same page and tone down their goofyness. The same goes for the Leia plot.

If their storyline massively improves, I think having them as background characters in the beginning can work just as well; building them up instead of crushing them down, before they even get to shine (if they do).

The film/series will also open up with Obi-Wan’s nightmare scene in the cave, followed by him watching Luke. This is a stronger and more emotional opening, I feel.

• Obi-Wan Nightmare
• Watching Luke
• Inquisitors Arrive (followed by removal of cringe)

The only two things that leapt out at me to cut out of a potential fan edit is Leia being chased on Alderaan and the dialogue about Padme between Leia and Ben. (Just to cut it off after, “You remind me of someone.” Let the audience assume it’s in reference to Anakin, and avoid straining continuity with my own fan edit of Episode 3. Also lop off the opening recap to part one.)

Hal 9000 said:

The only two things that leapt out at me to cut out of a potential fan edit is Leia being chased on Alderaan and the dialogue about Padme between Leia and Ben. (Just to cut it off after, “You remind me of someone.” Let the audience assume it’s in reference to Anakin, and avoid straining continuity with my own fan edit of Episode 3. Also lop off the opening recap to part one.)

Yes and yes. Agreed.

The omittance of the Alderaan Chase was painfully easy and euphorically rewarding.

• I also removed Bail Organa’s “One last fight” line. It just felt too on the nose, and the line before (“For her”) is much more impactful.

• Also, Obi-Wan working at the factory is repeated a total of four times in the first episode. I’ve reduced it down to three, and removed the unecessary long one (the second one).

• Removed the “Ten years later” text upon the wideshot of Tattooine as well. The time gap is delivered by a line ten minutes later.

NEW OPENING:

https://streamable.com/20aaq6

HUNT FOR JEDI - INQUISITORS FIX:

https://streamable.com/qv28ex

I’m unsure whether this will end up feeling better as a single feature or miniseries, fan editing-wise, but I plan to also have fun and play with it myself. Been… been a little while to really do that that way. Nothing may come of it, we’ll see.

Hal 9000 said:

I’m unsure whether this will end up feeling better as a single feature or miniseries, fan editing-wise, but I plan to also have fun and play with it myself. Been… been a little while to really do that that way. Nothing may come of it, we’ll see.

I suppose we won’t know until we know what we are dealing with. Hopefully, Hal, we are in for enough material to craft something fun and improved.

I’m very excited for edits of this and to take a crack at it myself. So far, I’d just tone down the Inquisitors/Mercenaries. Cutting the Leia chase, some of Flea, and a bit of the exposition about the Inquisitors and their methods.

NFBisms said:

I’m very excited for edits of this and to take a crack at it myself. So far, I’d just tone down the Inquisitors/Mercenaries. Cutting the Leia chase, some of Flea, and a bit of the exposition about the Inquisitors and their methods.

This will be the new “Tone down Jar-Jar Binks” of the Kenobi Show.

Darth Raditz said:

Anjohan said:

• The Anakin is alive reveal (why the F does she assume Obi-Wan doesn’t know this? They haven’t talked)

Same way Vader sensed Luke’s feeling & found out about Leia being his daughter? The Third Sister prodded an emotional reaction out of Obi-Wan and capitalized it, not sure this is that big a deal.

Still, I’m excited for this edit. I’m more optimistic then I was with Book of Boba, but only time will tell.

1. But only a handful should know that Anakin is Darth Vader, and It feels weird that this random Sith wannabe sits on this type of knowledge.
2. She knows Obi-Wan Kenobi was his best friend, and to scream Anakin is alive to provoke a reaction felt cheap. But your arguement is good because it is a sort-of canon explanation.

Thank you. I am as well.

I don’t mind Kenobi not knowing Vader is alive in principle, but it seems hard to square with how he’s depicted as a big deal and well known.

Hal 9000 said:

I don’t mind Kenobi not knowing Vader is alive in principle, but it seems hard to square with how he’s depicted as a big deal and well known.

Exactly.

Also, and I mean this seriously, if any fan edits want to include any of Order 66 footage (what we’ve seen any any more to come), they’d have to do something to make the troopers look less real. Otherwise they’d totally stick out. And probably rotoscope any lightsabers, at least when they’re in fast motion when they start to look like sticks.

Alternate Vader Sensing Kenobi:

https://streamable.com/y62c2j

leftshoe18 said:
She was probably one of the kids at the temple in the order 66 scene. If she was hidden and saw Anakin being addressed by the clones as Vader then she’d know.

Darth Raditz said:
That’s what I thought too. I rewatched the beginning of Part 1 & the very first person we see is the little black kid we see training before Order 66. I have a feeling the show will end with the Third Sister being that kid and coming briefly back to the light to help Kenobi escape.

Interesting and good theories. That would make sense.

Idk, it doesn’t seem like that that much of a stretch for Vader’s reputation to grow in political/Inner Rim circles, while being completely irrelevant to the day to day on a backwater planet without any consistent Imperial presence.

Ben is specifically keeping out of The Fight and to himself too. I think it makes a lot of sense and works towards establishing just how much he’s isolated himself. If it’s contrived, I don’t mind it. It’s small detail that says so much more about the character than the alternative IMO

Obi-Wan realizing Anakin is alive is also one of the only emotional beats that would have made this show worth making anyway, do we really want that to have just happened off screen?

NFBisms said:

Obi-Wan realizing Anakin is alive is also one of the only emotional beats that would have made this show worth making anyway, do we really want that to have just happened off screen?

Well, the alternative clip i released could work in fixing it.

WitchDR said:

Anjohan said:

Alternate Vader Sensing Kenobi:

https://streamable.com/y62c2j

This is great!

Thank you, friend! I feel it has more of an emotional beat to the reveal when it occurs just as Obi-wan uses the force, saving Leia nonetheless.

Way, WAY to soon to start considering fanediting this show, we’re only two episodes in!
The only two things I see need editing so far is Obi-Wan asking how old Leia is and the lead bounty hunters tie dye shirt 😋.

I’m liking the show so far 👍