Ever since it was announced that Hayden Christensen was attached to star in the Disney+ Star Wars prequel series Obi-Wan Kenobi, it was pretty clear that fans would once again get to lay eyes on that ultimate absentee father and supervillain, Darth Vader. Christensen portrayed a young adult Anakin Skywalker (who would eventually turn in to the menacing Dark Lord Vader) in George Lucas’s prequel film trilogy of the early 2000’s, and he’s back in the helmet once again beginning in Episode Three of the new series.
But how exactly did the titular hero and is old apprentice manage to run into each other again after all these years?
Previously On: Obi-Wan Kenobi
After Obi-Wan escapes from Daiyu with the help of his new ally Haja Estree (Kumail Nanjiani), he and Leia Organa (Vivian Blair) must make their way across the mining planet of Mapuza without setting off any Empire alarms.
Though Obi-Wan and Leia are wanted and actively hunted by Stormtroopers, they manage to hitch a ride with a miner named Freck (Zach Braff) who accommodates them while still being friendly with the Empire.
When several Stormtroopers hop on the transport with them, their true identities are almost given away when Obi-Wan accidentally calls Leia by her real name. (He’d given her a fake name, Luma, to get past the watching eyes of the Inquisitors.)
Despite managing to fool most of the Stormtroopers, they are discovered when a Droid makes a positive ID on Obi-Wan at a checkpoint. Obi-Wan, ever desperate to remain anonymous, refuses to use the Force and instead blasts his way out of the melee.
Just when things are looking up for the fleeing pair, another convoy of Stormtroopers arrives, and it looks as though Obi-Wan and Leia have reached the end of the road. Until it is revealed that the Imperial Officer on board the ship, Tala (Indira Varma), is a friendly member of an underground resistance group. She eliminates the remaining Stormtroopers and instructs Obi-Wan and Leia to follow her for safe passage across the planet to the rendezvous point provided by Haja Estree.
The Force Is Strong With That One
Meanwhile, Reva (Moses Ingram) has been instructed by Darth Vader to find Obi-Wan and Leia, and in return, he promises to promote her to Grand Inquisitor (though she killed the last Grand Inquisitor without permission). Driven by her hatred of Obi-Wan and desire to please the Sith Lord, she hops on a ship with Vader to confront Obi-Wan on Mapuza.
Upon his arrival, Vader wastes no time eliminating any locals who may be sensitive to the Force. This is Vader at his sloppiest and most vengeful; he wants Kenobi that bad. Eventually, Vader gets his desperately-sought confrontation with Obi-Wan. Which poses some questions.
Why is Obi-Wan Kenobi Holding Back?
It is understandable that Obi-Wan refuses to pull the Force card on Tattooine and Daiyu. He knows that Imperial hunters are looking for anyone showing signs of the Force, so Obi-Wan has gone out of his way to appear normal in his desire for anonymity. Despite several near-death and almost-captured moments, Obi-Wan has yet to break “character.”
But in the final moments of Episode 3, when Darth Vader batters him with his light-saber (one-handed) and Force-drags him across burning embers (clearly looking to make him suffer as he did in Revenge of the Sith), Obi-Wan still holds back. The question is: Why?
With Vader and co. on the cusp of killing him and capturing Leia, shouldn’t the “Nothing to see here” routine get left behind? Even in the face of death, Obi-Wan refuses to go “full Force” so to speak. Is Obi-Wan still hoping his old friend Anakin will snap out of it?
In Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan went out of his way to avoid confrontation with his former Padawan, only relenting when he was given no choice. But after watching Vader snap an innocent bystander’s neck, it’s strange that Obi-Wan hasn’t altered tactics.
Hot Take: Obi-Wan Was Always Inferior to Anakin
The unpopular opinion that may explain this is that Obi-Wan was simply never up to the task of creating carnage, not in the same way that Vader is. Though Obi-Wan did defeat Anakin in the final minutes of Revenge of the Sith, he was never as clever or innovative in his fighting tactics as Anakin.
In the prequel films, Obi-Wan’s preference for stringent and religious fealty to established practices prevented him from acknowledging something very clear: His friend Anakin was destined to do terrible things. And that unwillingness to acknowledge Anakin’s true nature led to inaction on Obi-Wan’s part, which then led to death and destruction.
In the prequel series, Obi-Wan hasn’t changed his tune. Except in this go-round, he has almost no chance of survival. In fact, had it not been for Tala, he and Leia would have been toast. The message the first few episodes are sending is clear: Darth Vader wants you dead, that is all.
After this confrontation, will Obi-Wan begin to acknowledge his old friend’s true nature? Will he acknowledge that the young man he one considered a brother will stop at nothing to make him suffer? Perhaps this new scourge of death and destruction is exactly what Obi-Wan needed to see in order for him to be honest with himself about his friend Anakin, now Lord Vader.
Will this mean that Obi-Wan will finally drop the “regular dude” act and put Reva in her place? Only time and Episode 4 will tell.
New episodes drop every Wednesday on Disney+.
Want all the news from a galaxy far, far away streaming right into your inbox? Subscribe now.