Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) was a disappointment in a whole slew of ways. Poorly written episodes. A production value closer to Disney Channel than The Empire Strikes Back (1980). A whole cloth reliance on nostalgia. The sum total is an underbaked and misguided exercise in craven corporate pursuits. Even so, the issue with Kenobi that I cannot shake is how utterly it failed the stunningly talented Moses Ingram. Ingram plays Inquisitor Reva, one of Darth Vader’s (Hayden Christensen/James Earl Jones) force-wielding attack dogs in search of Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor). We learn that Reva was one of the Jedi younglings Vader tried to kill during Order 66. She pursues Obi-Wan as part of a long game to try and vanquish Vader. In concept, that could make for a compelling and layered character. Yet, in execution, it leaves Ingram little to work with.
Within Obi-Wan Kenobi, Reva functions as a malevolent plot device that forces Ingram to act her way through a series of illogical and, frankly, absurd developments. We meet her first on Tatooine in pursuit of another force-wielder. Her mounting obsession with finding Obi-Wan leads her to kidnap Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair). Only the first salvo in a string of havoc to flush the old master out. But, if you stop and think about it for more than a passing moment, Reva’s whole arc is nonsensical. Why would a former youngling driven entirely by hatred and vengeance and characterized by a lack of impulse control wait so long to move on Vader? When she finally does attack him, it is illogical. It would have made just as much sense for her to pounce in a Star Destroyer hallway.
Reva’s entire existence is tailor-made to swoop in and push the narrative along. A ready-and-waiting catalyst for the writers reason to force Obi-Wan along. Yes, there is a fundamental truth to most villains functioning in a similar way. But, the well-written ones have a meaty reason for their actions. Narrative arcs that treat them like characters instead of plot pawns. Reva is not well-written, and no herculean effort of thespian might from Ingram can change that fact. She does her absolute best to balance trauma, menace, and recklessness throughout the mini-series. Somehow, she even salvages moments of brilliance from the dumpster fire she’s handed. That’s not nearly enough for an actress of her talent. Especially when underwriting Black characters opens the performers up to even more racism from bigoted factions of Star Wars fandom.
Now, one underwritten role in a major mini-series would be enough to frustrate me on Ingram’s behalf, but Obi-Wan Kenobi is the second. For anyone who may have forgotten, Ingram also appeared in Netflix’s smash hit The Queen’s Gambit (2020). As opposed to Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Queen’s Gambit was a critical and popular success, riding a wave of love all the way through to 11 Primetime Emmy Award wins. In that mini-series, Ingram plays Jolene, an orphan who functions as a pseudo-older sister to Anya Taylor-Joy’s chess prodigy Beth Harmon. The opening episodes set in the orphanage position Jolene as Beth’s guide. It’s a role with the same rudimentary function as Reva: a Black woman who exists in a story about a white character only to move the story needle and allow the white lead to emotionally mature.
For all my frustration with Obi-Wan Kenobi, it is The Queen’s Gambit that remains the more nauseating of the two in terms of this particular transgression. Jolene disappears from the narrative early on. She is lent no other mention or consideration until returning in the closing chapters. An appearance mandated only because the narrative requires someone to boost Beth’s spirits. That choice fits Jolene squarely into both the “Magical Negro” and “Mammy” tropes. Both of those racist caricatures fixate on Black characters devoid of their own stories. They exist in the story world only written to support white character’s emotional and narrative arcs. The Queen’s Gambit also manages to fit Jolene back in for just enough screen time to serve that purpose, and then unceremoniously kicks her out again. Ingram is sensational in the limited bandwidth she is provided, spinning moments of gold from garbage.
Both The Queen’s Gambit and Obi-Wan Kenobi needed to do better, and those involved in making sure these versions of the characters that Ingram went on to play appeared as they did should be ashamed of their hand in perpetuating violent stereotypes. It is unfortunately a longstanding tradition. Talented Black actresses are forced to take roles such as these to break through to better ones. Cases in point, just take a few moments to look at Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis’s career arcs. Moses Ingram is a shimmering talent who deserves roles that embrace and celebrate her abilities instead of shunting her into the fold as a story cog. Until then, I offer a steaming cup of @#$% off to everyone who enables the system as it is to constantly fail her and performers faced with the same situations..
Devin McGrath-Conwell holds a B.A. in Film / English from Middlebury College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting from Emerson College. His obsessions include all things horror, David Lynch, the darkest of satires, and Billy Joel. Devin’s writing has also appeared in publications such as Filmhounds Magazine, Film Cred, Horror Homeroom, and Cinema Scholars.