Anakin Skywalker would not want his friends dead – Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker might share a body and a Force signature, but they’re not the same. One would die for his friends. The other would want them dead and acknowledge said in the past tense.
For Darth Vader, his goal was to eradicate whatever was left of his life as Anakin Skywalker, including severing his relationships. However, he had close bonds with his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his student, Ahsoka Tano, who were part of his family. Kenobi was his brother. Tano, his sister.
The tragedic part of the story is the last time Anakin would see his two closest friends; they would be his allies. The next time, they would be his enemies. Palpatine’s manipulations pushed Skywalker so far over the edge that he lost sight of who he truly was. A dedicated friend, leader, and above all, husband and father-to-be. The loss of Padmé and their child drove the future Sith Lord so far down the dark path that his friends were suddenly deemed enemies as they did not support the Empire.
Anakin Skywalker Is Dead, Darth Vader is Alive
There is a belief that Anakin Skywalker died on the banks of Mustafar, and Darth Vader was born at that moment. This statement has much truth behind it. When Anakin aligned himself with Palpatine after his accidental killing of Mace Windu, he was only given the name ‘Darth Vader.’ The birth of the man inside the suit did not happen until he lost to Obi-Wan.
While the crimes he committed in the mass slaughter of the Jedi in the Jedi Temple were in Palpatine’s name, he believed the power he now wielded would save his wife and unborn child’s lives. The newly minted Emperor says himself that anyone who disagreed was an enemy of the Republic, including Obi-Wan.
At this time, Ahsoka was on Mandalore hunting down Maul. She felt Anakin’s fall but didn’t realise this had happened until years later. She thought her master had fallen during Order 66 and that he was dead. However, she would learn the horrifying truth when she feels his presence while she is onboard the Ghost.
After this horrible realisation, she goes looking for answers, and eventually, she follows Kanan, Ezra, and Maul to Malachor. She takes her final stand against the man she had once seen as her brother.
Why?
Obi-Wan and Ahsoka represented Vader’s past as Anakin and the man he had once been. That kind of individual who would always hold his friends dear. Any piece of Vader’s former life had to be eliminated as they would potentially push back to the light.
