"Part II" is the second episode of the American streaming television series Obi-Wan Kenobi, based on Star Wars created by George Lucas.
The episode stars Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, who reprises his role from the Star Wars prequel trilogy, alongside co-stars Kumail Nanjiani, Márise Álvarez, Flea, Moses Ingram, Vivien Lyra Blair, Rupert Friend, Sung Kang, Rya Kihlstedt, and Hayden Christensen.
After tracking the kidnappers to the planet Daiyu, Obi-Wan Kenobi encounters con man Haja Estree, who pretends to be a Jedi.
The Grand Inquisitor kills bounty hunter Vect Nokru for his earlier failure to keep Leia captive, then tracks down Kenobi to arrest him himself.
[4][5] Deborah Chow was hired to direct all episodes for the series by September 2019, while Joby Harold became the head writer and showrunner in April 2020 following Kennedy's disapproval with the scripts and subsequent rewrites.
[2][8][9] Chow also took inspirations from "gritty, poetic westerns" including The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), The Proposition (2005), and the works of Akira Kurosawa.
Chow had felt that it had a "grittiness and energy to it, but that is sort of weird and a bit shady", while Harold described it as having "a graffiti-ridden nightlife" and being "kind of edgy.
Harold had originally conceived that the series would take place across multiple planets, as he had felt it was a core element of Star Wars.
[17] The episode stars Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, and features co-stars Kumail Nanjiani as Haja Estree, Márise Álvarez as Nyche Horn, Flea as Vect Nokru, Moses Ingram as Reva Sevander / Third Sister, Vivien Lyra Blair as Princess Leia, Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor, Sung Kang as the Fifth Brother, Rya Kihlstedt as the Fourth Sister, and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader.
Chow had used pictures of various brocaded Asian fabrics for reference, with Chiang describing it as "this really rich jade green mixed with very wonderful maroon red.
He used an image from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and the Turkish Yuzluk, a coin currency used during the Ottoman Empire as references.
[24] Principal photography began on May 4, 2021, on the annual Star Wars Day celebration, with Deborah Chow directing, and Chung-hoon Chung serving as cinematographer.
[27] Morrison had filmed his scene for the episode while shooting The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022), as the two series' production locations were next to each other, making his appearance possible.
[18] Visual effects for the episode were created by ILM, Hybride, Image Engine, Important Looking Pirates, Soho VFX, Wētā FX, Blind LTD, and ReDefine.
The site's critical consensus reads, "Obi-Wan Kenobi steps up the pace by thrusting the reluctant hero into a fairly exciting rescue mission in an urban underbelly that is oh so uncivilized.
While he felt it was inferior to the first episode, he praised Nanjiani's performance, McGregor and Blair's chemistry, and the overall visual aesthetic of Daiyu, feeling that it was inspired by Blade Runner (1982).
However, he expressed some criticism with the scene when Leia runs away from Kenobi, saying it "is contrived; you can almost feel the writers contorting themselves into pretzel-shaped knots trying to figure out an organic way for the duo to be separated as the Inquisitors close in".
[41] At Collider, Maggie Lovvit gave the episode an A+ grade, praising Blair's performance, writing she "embodies the sassy, headstrong, and determined Princess Leia we have come to know and love from the late and great Carrie Fisher".
[43][44] Vulture's Jesse Hassenger, giving the episode a 4 out of 5 rating, also praised the visuals of Daiyu, but felt that it was "hampered by the limitations of the Star Wars series' signature StageCraft virtual effects".