To take a life, especially in anger, is for a Jedi to turn their back on what they know is right. Death and hatred are the way of the dark side. Mercy and compassion are the way of the light side.
That line helps separate the Jedi from the Sith. But a Jedi’s job is to protect life, not take it. As episode five’s flashback showed, Anakin was always blinded by his need for total victory. He didn’t fight Vader the way Vader fought. That’s how we know Obi-Wan did the right thing. He refused to do what Vader surely would have done had the roles been reversed. But at that moment, even though he realized his friend was truly gone, Obi-Wan let Darth Vader live to fight another day. With the Sith Lord all but defeated once more, the opportunity was there for Obi-Wan to make amends for what seemed like a failure before. Had he killed Anakin on Mustafar all those years ago, Obi-Wan would have stopped Darth Vader’s reign of terror before it truly began. LucasfilmĮven knowing both men would live, it was hard not to root for the Jedi to defeat Vader once and for all during Obi-Wan and Darth Vader’s final fight on Obi-Wan Kenobi. Because you do not defeat the dark side by fighting on its terms. Considering the death and carnage we know the Sith Lord brought to the galaxy far, far away for the next decade, it might seem Obi-Wan Kenobi made the same mistake twice in allowing Darth Vader to survive.īy granting Vader mercy, Obi-Wan Kenobi showed the Jedi at their best. Ben once more allowed a weakened and vulnerable Darth to live when total victory was Obi-Wan’s to claim.
That was still true ten years later when Obi-Wan and Darth Vader drew their lightsabers and dueled again during Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s season finale. Because while the Jedi didn’t save his Padawan, whether out of love, guilt, a sense of right and wrong, or all three, he couldn’t kill him either. Darth Vader survived, though, because his former Master could not deliver a final blow. Obi-Wan Kenobi once left Anakin Skywalker to die along Mustafar’s shores.
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