While one of the main themes in Star Wars is hope, not every story ends happily. Fans who saw George Lucas' prequel trilogy and watched The Clone Wars animated series knew how these stories would end; and in many ways, the same can be said for Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. However, due to recent real-world events, the fictional tragedies from that galaxy far, far away are now hitting close to home.
Following the horrific May 24 school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Disney+ added a content warning to Episode 1 of Obi-Wan Kenobi due to a flashback scene showing Order 66 from the perspective of a group of children.
Disney+ wasn't the only streamer aware of the sensitive nature of such imagery. Netflix added a similar warning to Season 4 of Stranger Things, which happened to premiere the same day as Obi-Wan Kenobi's first episode.
Now, several weeks later, Disney+ added the same warning to another new episode of the Ewan McGregor-led series; and considering what this penultimate tale revealed, it was necessary.
The Reason Behind Obi-Wan Kenobi's Episode 5 Warning
As covered by The Hollywood Reporter, Episode 5 of Obi-Wan Kenobi included another content warning due to new "upsetting" scenes involving violence against children. Again, this follows Disney first attaching a warning to Episode 1, which premiered on May 27.
However, the caution Disney added to its latest Obi-Wan Kenobi episode, which reads "There are certain scenes in this fictional series that some viewers may find upsetting" may be even necessary due to a character's description of events.
In addition to violent action sequences, a character in Episode 5 describes a violent event that, while fictional, strongly echoes the actual accounts and actions of students at Uvalde.
Why Disney's Warning Is Necessary
Even though Star Wars is no stranger to violence, particularly in regard to Revenge of the Sith, Disney's decision to caution audiences ahead of Obi-Wan Kenobi's latest episode wasn't just appropriate but necessary.
While every violent attack should disturb and upset the public, the fact that Uvalde's shooting involved young children and so closely mirrors the events of this episode requires additional sensitivity. It's also necessary as children and families make up a significant portion of the Star Wars audience, and likely even more so than Stranger Things or other television series.
With only one episode remaining, it's hard to know whether fans have seen the last of these scenes which parallel current events. However, since Disney has served its audience by cautioning them against familiar and disturbing imagery and descriptions so far, it seems safe to say that the studio will continue if the sixth episode warrants the need.
Episode 6 of Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Wednesday on Disney+.
