Cue the mechanical breathing. Darth Vader. A dark menace since 1977. Nothing says villain quite like him. In the recent Star Wars offering, Obi-Wan Kenobi, we see the Sith Lord inside and outside his iconic black suit. James Earl Jones once again voices the character with some help of behind the scenes magic while Hayden Christensen is inside the costume.
What’s fascinating about Vader during Obi-Wan Kenobi’s story is that he is somewhat in flux. He is not Anakin Skywalker, nor is he the powerful killing machine we see in Rogue One. Instead, the mannerisms are very much the Chosen One, as is the audacity we see from the famed Jedi Knight during The Clone Wars, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
Given we see Vader outside of the suit inside his bacta tank, we also see what is left of his body from the fight with Obi-Wan on Mustafar a decade earlier. This is a brutal reminder of his enflamed (no pun intended) ego and how cocky he got during that duel.
Kenobi had to defend himself, and cutting down his former Padawan was the only way he could do that. The high ground does work, as Obi-Wan flawlessly reveals. Anakin becoming Vader was of his own making. He took the first offer to save his wife from death and didn’t bother looking for another solution. In Skywalker’s mind, Palpatine was the only one who could prevent Padmé from dying. However, he realises that he was given an empty promise.
Vader Lets Obi-Wan Go
On Mapuzo, the former Jedi and Obi-Wan come mask-to-face for the first time in a decade. Reva had only just told Kenobi that the Sith Lord was alive. While this shock doesn’t prevent him from being hunted by the man he once considered his brother.
When Vader does catch up with Kenobi, they fight, but not to the same degree as a decade prior. After Force choking his former master, the Sith Lord uses his lightsaber to ignite coals and then drags Obi-Wan through the flames. If it weren’t for Tala’s quick thinking, the Jedi Master might’ve died.
With the Sith distracted, it allows Tala and her droid NED-B to get Obi-Wan to safety. However, Leia is captured by Reva and taken to the Fortress Inquisitorius.
If Vader were fully formed, he would’ve killed Obi-Wan on the spot. While we know Kenobi’s death doesn’t happen for another decade, the Sith is merely playing with his food. There will be another time to make him suffer.
Blaming Obi-Wan For Everything
Vader is like a Lothwolf with a bone. He cannot let anything go. When they come face-to-face again, Obi-Wan asks what he has become with the Sith saying, “I am what you made me.” He blames Kenobi for being put in the suit.
Yes, Obi-Wan cut him down, but actions have consequences. If it were not for Anakin’s cocky attitude while relishing his so-called new power, he wouldn’t have been roasted on Mustafar’s lava shores. Let’s not forget that he believes Kenobi turned Padmé against him.
As Obi-Wan said that day on Mustafar, “You have done that yourself.” He’s right. Anakin turned his wife against himself through his actions. Palpatine twisted Skywalker’s mind so much that he made him blind with rage for the man who raised him.
Obi-Wan was trying to be an excellent friend to Anakin, not trying to ruin his life. Deep down, he knows that, but the darkness has swallowed him. Drowned him and allowed Vader to emerge victoriously. Skywalker wouldn’t have allowed a rift to form in his friendship with Kenobi. However, outside forces became the contributing factor. One such influence was his paranoia.
As seen in Attack of the Clones, Anakin ranted to Padmé after his mother’s death that Obi-Wan was jealous and holding him back. Now, we don’t believe he meant it. Instead, he was grieving Shmi and venting his frustrations.
Brothers In Arms
Before Anakin became fully dark, he and Obi-Wan had put their differences aside during the war and often served together. As a result, their father-son dynamic disappeared, and they became as close as brothers. This passed to their clones, too, as did their mannerisms.
Captain Rex and Commander Cody would’ve followed their generals off the face of the galaxy.
Cody follows Obi-Wan in the way he commands. He even walks with his hands behind his back.
Rex adopted Anakin’s unorthodox methods of fighting a war and even agreed to keep his general’s marriage a secret.
Even after the war, Rex held his general in the highest esteem. He even remained in contact with his Commander, Ahsoka, who he saw as a sister. Even when Order 66 went down, he attempted to fight his programming.
Going back to Anakin and Obi-Wan, they could quickly bounce off each other, as seen in Revenge of the Sith. In conclusion, this part of their bond is what is the most tragic. They became each other’s rock where they lifted each other, though there was a downside. Skywalker felt Kenobi was too slanted towards the Jedi ideologies that he couldn’t confide in him about his marriage, fears for his unborn child and his nightmares of Padmé’s demise, especially after the reaction Obi-Wan had to the visions of Shmi’s death.
