Obi-Wan searches for allies.

I feel that I need be less coy this time. I previously didn’t mention the inclusion of young Leia or the reveal of Darth Vader at the end of the second episode. And what we get this week is the sort of material that I assumed would be saved for the finale, which begs the question as to what we’ll be getting further down the line.

Having set-up the show in Part I, and Kenobi rescuing Leia in Part II, I assumed that the remainder of the series would feature a series of linked adventures before a showdown with Vader. Not so. We meet Vader in the opening scenes this week, as his damaged body is reassembled to meet Third Sister. He may have the body of Hayden Christensen, but wisely he has the voice of James Earl Jones.

Kenobi and Leia experience Imperial entanglements at the rendezvous point with their new contact, the former alerting Vader and the Inquisitors of his presence when destroying a probe droid. And that’s really all I should say, except that this is big ticket Star Wars that is most assuredly in the movie universe, featuring the sort of scenes we only previously dreamed about. If there’s one complaint, the getaway/escape stuff is still clunky and unlikely, but the show gets a hall pass (for now) for some great moments.

Verdict: A case of ‘give the audience what it wants’, and fans will surely lap up what they’re served. 8/10

Nick Joy