Darth Vader Was Anakin-Level Dramatic in ‘Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi’
Darth Vader – or Anakin Skywalker – and theatrics go together like space peanut butter and jelly. And the Sith Lord had quite a few dramatic moments in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Dragging Kenobi Through Fire
The initial fight between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi was just a giant excuse for the Sith Lord to show off and bring a little flair to his work. He didn’t need to do the slow walk-through and he definitely didn’t need to kill a bunch of civilians on his way through. But Vader had to give his former master a preview of his powers before the fight could start.
But perhaps the most over the top move was setting the sand on fire and then dragging Obi-Wan through the flames. Kenobi didn’t seem terribly hurt by this – at least not as hurt as somebody would normally be when placed directly on top of fire. It felt more like just another way to terrorize a middle aged hermit who he hadn’t seen in a decade. I’m just surprised Vader didn’t have a witty way to say, “Who’s on fire now, old man!?”
Triple-Crossing Reva
We knew that the Grand Inquisitor would be back. We see him appear five years in the future in Rebels so he couldn’t be dead. It wasn’t surprising when Reva was fired from her Grand Inquisitor position after ten hours and a failed assassination attempt and he showed up. But perhaps least surprising of all was how he came back.
As we discussed before, Vader has some amount of precognition and knew who Reva was the whole time. Vader was likely waiting for her to strike and had the Grand Inquisitor ready to strut back in at the most dramatic moment. Where was he hiding? How long do you think he would have hidden there for, waiting for the perfect opportunity?
Leaving to Face Kenobi Alone
It’s no secret that when it comes to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader/Anakin have a hard time being objective. Ignoring the ship full of force-sensitive targets to peruse Kenobi and then leaving to fight him alone were both ridiculous moves to make. Why not split off and have the Inquisitor follow the refugee ship? Why not just black Kenobi’s shuttle from space? Why derail the entire mission? The drama, that’s why.
Questionable Allegiances
Within moments Darth Vader went from “The probes are tracking every system within range. We will destroy everything in our path until he is found,” to “He will not evade me again. Kenobi means nothing. I serve only you, my Master.” It’s not exactly a secret that Vader’s allegiance to Emperor Palpatine wavers. But nothing drives home his commitment to defeating Kenobi and nothing else quite like this scene. I get it. I think for most of us our passion projects are closer to our hearts than the work our bosses assign to us. But Darth Vader will do everything an anything to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. Except for checking Tatooine. Y’know, because of all of that pesky sand.
What were your favorite dramatic Darth Vader moments in Obi-Wan Kenobi? What about in the entire Star Wars series? What is your favorite Star Wars one-liner? Let us know in the comments!
May The Force Be With You, Adventurers!
