Why Episode 5 of ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Has a Content Warning and What It Means

You may have noticed that Episodes 1 and 5 of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the new Star Wars series on Disney Plus which tells the story of Obi-Wan’s years on Tatooine, come with content notes at the beginning. These notes read, “There are certain scenes in this fictional series that some viewers may find upsetting.” It would have been nice if Disney had been more specific, since the whole point of a content note is to give you a heads up about what potentially upsetting content there might be. It’d be like including a trigger warning that just says “a thing happens.” That’s why we’re going to break down the episode 5 scene in question for you, so you can make an informed choice about how or whether to view the upsetting content. It’s Disney, so it’s not graphic, but why not be prepared?

This post will give you the basic gist of the scene, followed by a more detailed description in case you want to be ready ahead of time, and then the time stamp in case you want to skip the scene all together. (And yes, it’s okay to skip upsetting or triggering content. I am hereby giving you permission to do so, so if anyone bugs you about it, tell them to talk to me. Taking care of your mental health doesn’t make you a wimp or any less of a fan.)

The Gist of the Scene

The scene depicts violence against children in one character’s flashback.

The Detailed Description

In Episode 5, one of the characters flashes back to their experience as one of the younglings who were targeted by the Sith. We see one of the Sith swinging his lightsaber, and a child falls to the ground. We then briefly see an image of the child lying on the ground with their eyes closed and no visible wounds. The character who flashed back says that they “played dead” to escape, “hid with the bodies,” and “felt them go cold.”

The Time Stamp

The flashback begins at 16:20, and alternates with the character describing their memory of the event. The flashback ends at 17:10. Major plot points are revealed just before and after the flashback, but you don’t need to watch the flashback itself to understand what’s going on.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fantastic series, and the story that stems from the events in the flashback is one of the best parts of the show, but you don’t have to sacrifice your wellbeing if violence against children is a trigger or tender spot for you. Take care of yourself, enjoy the series, and may the Force be with you.

(featured image: Lucasfilm)