Darth Vader’s Biggest Mistake on Obi-Wan Kenobi Cost the Empire Everything
The third episode of Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed Darth Vader’s biggest mistake cost the Empire everything, years before Return of the Jedi.
Darth Vader’s journey isn’t revered only within the Star Wars franchise, but also in culture. Fans became invested in his character arc, from the conflicted Jedi Anakin Skywalker to the charred, corrupted Sith Lord, and finally someone who found redemption in the defeat of Emperor Palpatine. Admittedly, however, his sacrifice gave rise to the Sith Eternal and the First Oder. Vader brought balance to the Force, in essence, by burning everything to the ground and leaving his son Luke to sweep up the ashes. It’s difficult to forget how ruthless Vader was, and how close he brought the Empire to absolute rule over the galaxy.
While some fans believe it’s his abrupt turn in Return of the Jedi that spoiled everything for Palpatine, the seeds for that were laid much earlier. Darth Vader had many nemeses during his time serving the Galactic Empire, but there was always one person whom he could never outdo: Obi-Wan Kenobi. Having been completely and utterly defeated during their first battle in Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader harbored a grudge against his former master which fueled his hatred for many years. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s third episode confirms Darth Vader’s biggest mistake came when he had a chance to finish the job. When he finally got the chance to prove that he had outgrown Obi-Wan, Vader failed spectacularly. He may have doomed the Empire in that moment.
Updated on February 20, 2024 by Robert Vaux: Of the Star Wars franchise’s many iconic rivalries, few are as enduring or as tragic as that of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. Once the best of friends, Obi-Wan and Vader transformed into the most bitter of enemies, as the two former Jedi stood opposed at differing sides of an emerging war. After their bitter duel on Mustafar, the two enemies meet again during the events of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series. A decade after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader makes many of the same mistakes that he had made in previous encounters with Obi-Wan, proving once and for all that he would never surpass his former master. The article has been updated to conform to current CBR guidelines.
Darth Vader Sparing Obi-Wan’s Life Was A Mistake
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader finally reunited in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series, after Obi-Wan had been plagued by haunting visions of Vader. With the help of Inquisitor Reva, Vader tracked Obi-Wan and the young Leia Organa to the dusty planet Mapuzo and cornered them in a village. Thankfully, the child was smuggled out by Tala, a defecting Imperial officer, while Obi-Wan remained to hold off the Sith Lord. That resulted in Vader creating a fire pit and dragging and flaying parts of his former Master in retribution for what Obi-Wan did to him on Mustafar, as shown in Revenge of the Sith where a maimed Anakin was left for dead among the lava and ash. However, rather than kill Obi-Wan on Mapuzo, Vader Force-pushed him away and ordered his lackeys to take the Jedi to his fortress on Mustafar to be tortured.
The deadly Sith Lord harbored such undying hatred for his former master that he grew arrogant and unwise in his tactics. Given Anakin’s temper and inability to let go of a grudge–even in the face of logic and reason–it only makes sense that he would savor Obi-Wan’s suffering and eventual demise. With the added effect of the Dark Side influencing his every action, Vader couldn’t help but relish the pain of the very person who had caused his immense agony over the last decade. Even more, he could use Obi-Wan’s suffering to enhance his own Dark Side powers: savoring his rage and vengeance as his former master suffered the torments of the damned. Unfortunately for him, he never got to experience the full taste of revenge, as Obi-Wan managed to escape his wrath. Even worse, Obi-Wan then went on to shape the future in ways Vader could never have foreseen, but could have prevented had he simply killed his enemy.
Not only did he fail to finish the job on Mapuzo, but Vader also succumbed to Obi-Wan’s strength during their second battle in Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 1, Episode 6, “Part VI”. After confidently claiming that he had far exceeded his former master in power, Vader was left mangled once more, screaming out the name that had been haunting him for the last ten years. Obi-Wan again proved himself to be far more capable and level-headed in combat than even Darth Vader himself. In what is already considered to be one of Darth Vader’s most iconic scenes in Star Wars, the Sith Lord proved both why he is so fearsome and why he was always destined to lose.
Even during his Jedi days, much of Anakin Skywalker’s conflict with Obi-Wan Kenobi was based on his rash decision-making and intense emotions. Anakin didn’t learn his lesson and fell to the Dark Side. And, to add insult to injury, these very same issues were what caused Anakin to be defeated by Obi-Wan during their battle on Mustafar during Revenge of the Sith. In his first meeting with his former master after ten years, Darth Vader proved that he hadn’t learned much from his previous mistakes, but was in actuality far more likely to slip into the same patterns that ruined his life in the first place. He allowed a personal grudge to take priority over furthering the Emperor’s rule: so reliant on his hatred for Obi-Wan and people like him that he couldn’t break out of his all-too-predictable behavior patterns. Obi-Wan ultimately exploits that, and gives Vader a sound thumping in the process.
The Empire would pay dearly for Vader’s vengeful act of narcissism. By sparing Obi-Wan, Vader created a path for the heroic Luke Skywalker and the relentless Rebellion to orchestrate the fall of the Galactic Empire. Had Vader killed the Jedi Master during their meeting on Mapuzo, Luke likely would have never been indoctrinated into the ways of the Jedi or become a hero of the Rebellion and, later, the Resistance. This theoretical domino effect would have even prevented Rey from becoming a savior as well, carving into Star Wars canon in ways that altered everything fans have come to know over the last decade. In other words, Vader letting Obi-Wan live caused a ripple effect that would destroy two Death Stars and Palpatine’s two opportunities for galactic domination — once with the Empire and once with the First Order.
Ultimately, fans can understand why Vader wanted to savor his revenge. After all, he blamed Obi-Wan for Padmé’s death. But, little did he know, this shocking display of ego would undo Palpatine’s work and crumble the very same Empire that he sacrificed every part of himself to join. Ironically, everything that Vader sacrificed himself for was torn apart, not by Obi-Wan Kenobi, but by Vader’s hatred for his master. Obi-Wan never did anything to purposely destroy Anakin’s life, but the headstrong young Jedi allowed his own insecurities to warp his thinking. In trying to prove himself over his master once and for all, Anakin fell to him. And, in trying to prove that he had finally outshone Obi-Wan ten years later, Vader proved that he would never be as powerful. In fact, the two former friends would come to blows twice more during their lifetimes, with Obi-Wan emerging as the true victor on both occasions.
Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s final duel comes another nine years after their encounter in the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale. During the events of A New Hope, Obi-Wan confronted his former pupil in order to buy Luke Skywalker and the other heroes more time to escape the Death Star. The two engaged in a far tamer duel in comparison to their previous battles, exchanging barbs the entire time. Upon seeing that Luke and his companions were aboard the Millennium Falcon, Obi-Wan made direct eye contact with Vader, smiled, and turned off his lightsaber, allowing the Sith Lord to strike him dead. Although Vader was the survivor of this battle, it was clear he was not the victor. By letting Vader win, Obi-Wan had ensured that his enemy would never overpower him. For the rest of his short life, Darth Vader would be consumed with the idea that he had never defeated his greatest enemy, but had merely killed an unarmed man. Indeed, he’s consumed by thoughts of his old master, even after his death: fuming about him during The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and effectively acknowledging that he’s now permanently living rent-free in Vader’s head.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will always be more powerful than Darth Vader, not because he has a stronger connection to the Force or because he has a better mastery of lightsaber combat, but because he has a more level head in combat. Anakin Skywalker could never control his emotions, even after becoming Darth Vader. This ultimately proved to be his downfall, as he allowed his need for revenge to lead him to defeat after defeat.
