The following contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi, Season 1, Parts I and II
Let’s face it, kids can be a hassle, and unfortunately, Obi-Wan learns this the hard way during Part II of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Part II sees Obi-Wan go to the crime-ridden planet of Daiyu in order to rescue a very young Princess Leia who has been kidnaped by a group of space thugs hired by Reva, the Third Sister. The rescue definitely doesn’t start according to plan.
The 10-year-old Leia is astoundingly mature and observant, yet also painfully naive when it comes to the workings of the larger galaxy. Part I of Obi-Wan Kenobi establishes that Leia already has the makings of an incredible leader, but she has yet to leave Alderaan and is eager to burst out of her bubble. Unfortunately for Leia and Obi-Wan, Reva grants that wish, and her hired goons are able to apprehend the young princess on Alderaan after what is probably one of the silliest chase sequences ever filmed.
Reva knows astutely that Obi-Wan has a deep connection to the Organa family, and predictably, Bail Organa enlists Obi-Wan’s help in rescuing Leia. The old Jedi is quite hesitant to assist at first but nevertheless finds himself heading to Daiyu to find the young princess. It is definitely apparent during Part II that Obi-Wan is, indeed, quite rusty and not entirely the man he used to be, as he expressed to Bail when pressed to help save Leia. He is almost overtaken by Reva’s thugs, but fortunately overcomes the situation and secures Princess Leia, who is incredibly skeptical of the entire situation.
Obi-Wan states that he is a friend of her father’s and that she has to trust him, but he withholds information, and that eventually causes a brief rift between the two which almost jeopardizes the mission. Old Ben gets pretty exasperated by the sassy princess as she eggs him on with questions about the rescue and about himself. His stoic attitude and withdrawn nature eventually draw some accurate criticism from Leia who says, “How can I trust you when I know you are hiding something? You think the less you say, the less you give away, but really, it’s the opposite.”
Obi-Wan is both surprised and amused by Leia’s observation but still does not indulge the young princess with more information about himself and their predicament. This, of course, leads to Leia running from Obi-Wan when she misinterprets a bounty notice from Reva as a sign that the Jedi is not who he claims to be. This results in another chase sequence, the pair running across the Daiyu rooftops as Old Ben does his best to ward off the coming bounty hunters.
The conflict ultimately leads to Obi-Wan reconnecting to the Force in order to save Leia from a perilous fall, which inevitably leads the princess to accept that Obi-Wan really is the Jedi he claimed to be. This whole sequence could have been avoided if Obi-Wan treated Leia a bit more like an adult and given her more insight into their current situation, but like many adults, Ben assumes that Leia will just listen to him outright as an authority figure. It just goes to show that even wiser people like the Jedi don’t always know what’s best when it comes to handling children.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+.