Ewan McGregor shines with his performance in the “Star Wars” miniseries
“Obi-Wan Kenobi.” (photo courtesy of Lucasfilm)

I almost envy folks who can enjoy the “Star Wars” prequels. I still remember watching “The Phantom Menace” in 1999, so excited to witness how it all began. Instead, I left the theater confused. I tried a repeat viewing before a sim­ple revelation surfaced: This is ter­rible.

And those prequels remained aesthetically constant: a crass blend of cringe and visual effects that couldn’t keep up with George Lucas’ ambition. But one of the few things that actually worked in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, howev­er, is Ewan McGregor.

Mind you, “The Clone Wars” animated series put in double time to present a much more palatable Anakin Skywalker and a compli­cated web of deceit entirely con­trolled by the Emperor, but that could only happen by retconning just how unwatchable those films are.

That’s to Dave Filoni’s credit. The former “Avatar: The Last Airbender” storyboard artist began producing “Star Wars” content in 2008 for the small screen. Oddly, he had little to no role in creating “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the limited series set while the lone Jedi hid in the desert sands of Tatooine (we may never escape this planet), pro­tecting young Luke from a distance.

But Deborah Chow, debuting in the multimedia franchise directing a couple “Mandalorian” episodes, takes the helm here as executive producer and director of all six parts (a rare feat for any single director of a series). Perhaps Filoni’s presence is missed, espe­cially amidst meandering moments across the first four installments, but the last 88 minutes are some of the best in a galaxy far, far away.

“Obi-Wan” begins much like the other live-action TV fare with a Western motif. That morphs into an interplanetary mission as the once Jedi Master must answer the plea of an old friend to save a familiar face (no spoilers on who here).

Hot on his trail are a special group of force-wielders, Inquisitors. Third Sister, also called Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram), is so filled with rage even her dark-side colleagues chastise her unhinged blaster focus on finding Obi-Wan. The first few episodes present her as a one-note foe, little more than rage, but that subsides eventually.

Marketing presented the series as a more thrilling Jedi hunt, also fea­turing the Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) and Fifth Brother (Sung Kang), who first appeared in “Star Wars Rebels,” another Filoni pro­ject. But their roles are minimal.

For that matter, very little lightsaber dueling occurs. This Obi- Wan, who now goes by Ben, has lost his once strong connection to the force. He constantly seeks out his former mentor Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), who has yet to respond from the great beyond.

That relationship might be per­manently severed, but Ben has unfinished business with his old padawan. Prepare for Darth Vader’s return. And this time, he’s not only voiced by James Earl Jones but played by Hayden Christensen. And their encounters are insanely satisfying.

Say what you will about the pre­quels, the finale episode of “The Book of Boba Fett” or the first four episodes here, but it all pays to see these two given the right scene, the right direction, the permission to make their titanic clash darkly poet­ic.

Filoni enjoys the same claim to fame. He oversaw a host of filler stories until “Clone Wars’” remark­able finale, another top 10 move­ment. Chow is the closest this series has to a primary author, and she fumbles the middle, but by Yoda does land the ending.

Vader receives one of his most baller moments on screen. Christensen gets a splendid redrew. And McGregor finally gets to take center stage. May he earn another shot because this one ends with far more story to tell.