When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, they announced their interest in producing Star Wars films outside the Skywalker Saga. One of the most requested films was a spinoff centered on the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Years of fan demand prompted Lucasfilm to eventually begin development on the project. However, due to the financial failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018, Lucasfilm moved their focus from theatrically-released films to television. Obi-Wan Kenobi was then changed to become a Disney+ miniseries.

Shows like WandaVision and The Mandalorian proved that Disney+ series can stand toe-to-toe with the films. Of course, the nature of television has had a major impact on how they told their stories. With the first season of Obi-Wan Kenobi now concluded, fans have been wondering whether making the switch to television was the right move. There are advantages and disadvantages to both formats. Here is one reason why Obi-Wan Kenobi worked better as a television series, and two reasons why it would have made a better movie.

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TV: More Screen Time for Supporting Characters

     Lucasfilm

The Star Wars franchise has featured countless characters, many of whom developed a strong fanbase with minimal screen time. Due to the structure of film, the nine installments of the Skywalker Saga had to keep a certain pace and adhere to a limited runtime. Characters like Wedge Antilles, IG-88, Shaak Ti, and even Boba Fett had to have their backstories told outside the films. Other characters like Constable Zuvio were cut out from a film entirely (though Constable Zuvio still received a detailed action figure).

When Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Disney+ series, Lucasfilm naturally got more screen time to work with. While the original Star Wars film was two hours long, in comparison Obi-Wan Kenobi had a runtime of over five hours. This additional runtime allowed more characters to be featured and also allowed for more character development. One of the more interesting developments was Owen and Beru Lars being portrayed as incredibly resourceful and tremendously brave. They refused to surrender Luke to an Inquisitor without a fight. Previously, they were generic supporting characters that were quickly forgotten.

Tala Durith, NED-B, Kawlan Roken, and Haja Estree were all great additions to the ever-expanding Star Wars mythos. By introducing new supporting characters alongside the ones fans already know and love, Obi-Wan Kenobi was able to feel fresh and engaging. The galaxy far, far away has always been a large place, and it has always been a plus when Star Wars has used its supporting characters to properly convey that. Obi-Wan interacted with lots of people throughout his life, and that was on display in his own series.

Movie: Bigger Budget, More Hype

     Lucasfilm Ltd.

Regardless of the success of television series on Disney+, they have still generally been considered to play second fiddle to theatrically-released films. Star Wars films such as Rogue One had both a higher production budget and higher marketing budget than The Book of Boba Fett. The difference in budget between a Star Wars film and a Disney+ series has definitely been felt. As a result of the shorter runtime, there likely would have been fewer action sequences if Obi-Wan Kenobi was a feature film. However, the choreography and special effects would have been superior to what was featured on the show.

Films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Endgame, and Top Gun: Maverick would not have had the level of cultural impact they did, had they made their debut on a streaming service. In the same vein, Obi-Wan Kenobi could have benefited from being designed as a major theatrical event. There was a reason why Star Wars fans initially campaigned for a Kenobi movie and not a television series. The experience of watching something in a theater together has always been a much different experience from watching at home. As a feature film, Obi-Wan Kenobi could also have reached more fans in regions where Disney+ has not yet been made available.

Movie: Story Was Stretched Out for Television

According to director Deborah Chow, Obi-Wan Kenobi was designed to be a limited series that would tell “one big story” (via ET) with a single season. It provided a stark contrast to The Mandalorian, which would require multiple seasons to finish telling the story of Din Djarin and Grogu. As a standalone story, Obi-Wan Kenobi could have worked better as a character-focused film like 2017’s Logan than as a television series. Additionally, the Star Wars canon has made it very difficult for the series to be picked up for more seasons. Kenobi cannot repeatedly leave his post on Tatooine or make a habit of coming face-to-face with Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was held back by a storyline that felt relatively stretched out. The real core of the story was the fan-favorite character answering his call back to action when Leia was kidnapped. What’s more, this storyline had to encompass an entire six episodes, when it was perfectly suited for the runtime of a movie. The slow pacing did no favors for what was an otherwise entertaining show.

The new Inquisitor, the Third Sister known as Reva, was a welcome addition to the cast. She had an interesting and very clever backstory that tied her to the timeline of the prequels. But Reva’s relationship with Darth Vader and the other Inquisitors was enough for her own standalone story. When Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Disney+ series, it had to accommodate the Grand Inquisitor, Reva, and Darth Vader. While their story was interesting, the series unfortunately lost some narrative focus on its titular character.