[Spoilers ahead]

Wister Hitt recently penned a glowing review of Disney’s streaming show Obi-Wan Kenobi for NRO, and I’ve been unable to sleep in the three days since as the sand-laden winds of Tatooine mock me. I don’t disagree that parts are enjoyable, but to say Kenobi is “a carefully paced, lavishly constructed connector covering a previously unexplored period in the Star Wars universe” goes too far. But I think I know why Hitt says this — it’s because the final two episodes are awesome.

In the penultimate and ultimate episodes, Vader and Kenobi have arguably the best lightsaber duel and Force use displayed in any Star Wars product, excising from the audience’s mind the painful dialogue, ludicrous chases, and general incompetence of all parties that brought Kenobi and Vader together. Every character, from young Leia and the vengeful padawan-turned-Imperial Reva to the proto-Rebellion bunch that isn’t worth remembering — they’re a fleet of awkward, stupid vehicles delivering us to witness Vader crushing spacecraft and the return of Kenobi’s prodigious Force abilities.

If you have the stomach for levels of directorial bumbling akin to the ride quality of an AT-AT, director Deborah Chow, to her credit, does a bang-up job when it matters the most. Or, if you haven’t the patience, just go watch the Vader–Kenobi fight scene on YouTube.

After all, the series changes little in the lore: Kenobi can defeat Vader but hasn’t the heart to do so. Vader remains the most intimidating and compelling villain in cinema, and it’s because of him that the series has any legs to stand on — hideous as they may be, as if burned by the lava flows of Mustafar.

Last note: Can we please stop with capital ships not being able to shoot fleeing civilian craft into stardust? I get that Vader was attempting to force a confrontation with Kenobi, but it shouldn’t take hours to tire the shields of an intergalactic Greyhound bus. The very first scene of Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope has a Star Destroyer reducing the shields of a relatively well-armored CR90 Corellian Corvette, reeling it in with tractor beams, boarding it via Stormtroopers with a semblance of aim, and successfully capturing Princess Leia. Why do recent Star Wars shows and movies make turbolaser batteries out to be ping-pong ball shooters? Lazy. Where are the tractor beams? Why do stormtroopers wear armor that protects them less than the cloth garb of rebels? It gets to me.