The 2022 Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+ was arguably one of the most highly anticipated spinoffs of the Star Wars franchise. Featuring Ewan McGregor in the titular role, the show became nothing short of an iconic series. Although fans were extremely eager to witness a standalone show for Obi-Wan Kenobi, they were disappointed with the plot holes of the show.
One of the most outrageous plot holes that fans and audiences found was during the laser fence scene when he was tasked with protecting Leia from the Empire, on the mining planet of Mapuzo. According to fans, they couldn’t fathom why Obi-Wan Kenobi shot the control panel instead of walking around the barricade. But eventually, a hardcore Star Wars fan debunked the plot hole and offered an explanation.
Fans Found Obi-Wan Kenobi Scene Riddled with Plot Holes
Following Ewan McGregor’s introduction as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999), he finally got his standalone Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022. The show was overall a fun ride and fans enjoyed watching the actor turning the series into an iconic watch. But unfortunately, not everything in the series made sense to fans.
A few of the scenes in the 2022 show Obi-Wan Kenobi, perplexed fans and later got slammed on social media for having plot holes. Although the Disney+ show captured the essence of the story and Ewan McGregor’s character edge, a few elements in the show were repeatedly called out and mocked by fans. One such element is the laser fence scene.
While Obi-Wan Kenobi was on the mining planet of Mapuzo, he was tasked to protect Leia from the Empire. But since the planet was under the lethal control of the Empire, Obi-Wan and Leia were never too far away from its grasp. Thus, upon arriving at a checkpoint, Ewan McGregor’s character was forced to defeat his empirical foes to ensure his as well as Leia’s safety.
During that particular scene, Obi-Wan was seen struggling to bypass a security fence. After fiddling with the gate’s controls for a while, he decided to shoot the control panel, resulting in the shutting down of its laser force field. Although fans initially thought it was necessary, eventually after noticing an overhead shot, they realized Obi-Wan and Leia could have easily walked around this deadly barricade.
Star Wars Fan Debunked Plot Holes with Proper Explanation
Eventually, this particular laser fence scene seemed to bewilder fans especially after they figured out a rather easy way to navigate to the other side. Audiences begged for an answer to the question as to why Obi-Wan Kenobi didn’t do the same in the first place. Instead of making things complex, why didn’t Ewan McGregor’s character choose to walk around the barricade?
This question led to fans slamming the show repeatedly and mocking the scene for making things super complex just for the sake of suspense and thrill. But after witnessing repeated mockery, a true Star Wars fan finally came ahead on X, to shut down the trolls and debunk the plot holes by sharing a proper explanation.
Hope you gave him some tips about laser gates? pic.twitter.com/nx1dP6OSQ2
— Scott (@TheScottJonesy) February 4, 2024
Oh, yeah, I was just thinking that those turnstiles are going get old REALLY fast. Feel like Obi-Wan in Ep1 waiting for those laser gates. 😬
— Mark Fujimoto (@Foojish) October 14, 2017
Life hack pic.twitter.com/IQGTSfCyqN
— 🩷💜💙 Robin (Smallville era) (@dredpiraterobn) February 7, 2024
Stating that the laser gate was there to stop vehicles and not people, the fan explained that stormtroopers were there to stop people from making it to the other side. But when Obi-Wan Kenobi vanquished the stormtroopers, he tried to find a way to the other side of the laser fence. Now this brings us to the question of why Obi-Wan and Leia didn’t walk around the barricade. To which the netizen noted that the laser fence was equivalent to a government-proclaimed state/country border. Thus, for the same reason why people jump fences all the time but don’t cross borders just like that, even Obi-Wan Kenobi didn’t jump over the fence.
This is the worst kind of criticism, when people are so quick to "outsmart" the media they hate, they don't think about the functions of its world for a second.
The gate is there to stop vehicles (trade) from moving through. The stormtroopers can just shoot people. Obviously. https://t.co/Agibn6Bcem
— Man (@PunishedJake2) February 6, 2024
"He didn't have to shoot it he could just go around" yeah but shooting and running is quicker and he needs a clear exit if more troopers show up, which he knows they will. https://t.co/RmJ77X5sB2
— Man (@PunishedJake2) February 7, 2024
Finally, the netizen explained the reason why Ewan McGregor’s character decided to go the extra mile and shoot the control panel. Explaining that Obi-Wan Kenobi shot down the laser gate to have easy access to the other side, the fan added how it ensured a clear exit. In case more stormtroopers showed up, a shot-down laser fence would offer a clear exit to Obi-Wan on his way back.
