Obi-Wan Kenobi has been a deep dive into the relationship between Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and his former Master, and while the two of them have shared very few moments together in the series, it has been enough for fans to get to explore what their relationship has meant to them throughout the years and the pain that still lingers there after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The two were brothers, and so, while they are on opposite sides now, they are still struggling to understand how to turn against each other even if they’re both convinced they have to defeat the other.
And the most recent episode, “Part V,” is no different for them, but it is also a masterclass in just how dramatic Anakin Skywalker can be. So, let’s get into it.
**Spoilers for the series Obi-Wan Kenobi lie ahead.**
One of the reasons we love Anakin Skywalker is because he’s as dramatic as can be. He is aggressive and doesn’t think things through, and Obi-Wan Kenobi knows that most of all. What we learned in “Part V” of Obi-Wan Kenobi is that every move that Vader is going to make, Ben knows it, and vice versa. The difference is that Ben is aware of it, while Vader thinks that he has one up on him.
What’s so great about this show is that while we don’t have high stakes, we still know how these characters work and how the two of them know each other so completely. But what “Part V” really makes clear is that Anakin is so overwhelmed by his own power that he doesn’t see what’s happening right before him.
The drama king of the dark side spends the entire episode coming for Obi-Wan. After Reva put a tracker on Ben and Leia, Vader made his goal going after Ben, and it wasn’t ever about Leia or even the rebellion. It was all about Anakin going after Ben, and that was it.
The most dramatic moment of the episode though wasn’t the flashbacks between Obi-Wan and Anakin training or even his fight with Reva. It was Vader pulling down an entire ship that he thought Obi-Wan was on just to get to him. But Obi-Wan could anticipate how Anakin was thinking and made moves to work around his Padawan.
Obviously not before Vader dramatically pulled down an entire ship or broke Reva’s saber in half so they could fight because, again, Anakin Skywalker is as dramatic as can be and doesn’t care who knows it. He’s not afraid to do whatever it takes to get his way, but he does so with a flare that is so very Vader that it is unmistakable.
“Part V” was just a look into how much Anakin connects to his relationship with Ben and how it informs what he does. Yes, he’s dramatic. Yes, he thinks he’s in the right. But more importantly, he’s someone who doesn’t care who he hurts to get what he wants, and the use of flashbacks helps to show just how much all of this is still hurting him—even if Anakin is as dramatic as can be about it all.
(featured image: Lucasfilm)
