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Editor’s word: The under article incorporates spoilers for Episode 3 of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
This week’s episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi delivered a second that followers had been ready for, as Ewan McGregor‘s titular Jedi Grasp lastly got here head to head together with his former apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen/James Earl Jones). Opposite to Obi-Wan’s perception, Skywalker had survived their last duel in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and have become the armored Sith Lord referred to as Darth Vader. Vader and his Inquisitors tracked down Obi-Wan, who was referred to as to rescue Princess Leia Organa (Vivien Lyra Blair) from bounty hunters on the planet Mapuzo. Whereas Leia and the Imperial defector Tala (Indira Varma) try and make it off-world, Obi-Wan and Vader interact in a lightsaber duel that reveals how each males have modified within the years following their duel on Mustafar.
All through the prequel trilogy, Obi-Wan displayed his mastery of Soresu — the third type of lightsaber fight taught to all Jedi. Soresu is a primarily defensive kind, which inserts right into a line that the aged Jedi Grasp would ship to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill): “A Jedi makes use of the Drive for data and protection, by no means for assault.” This kind helped Obi-Wan overcome opponents together with Darth Maul and Common Grevious within the prequels, and even allowed him to finest Anakin throughout their duel on Mustafar. That is not the case right here.
On this duel, Obi-Wan’s actions are extra like a wounded animal than a Jedi grasp — he even makes an attempt to evade Vader by darting into the shadows. And when Vader assaults, Obi-Wan is barely capable of block his former scholar’s blows. It is clear that the years spent on Tatooine have worn down his Jedi abilities. On high of that, Obi-Wan is struggling together with his guilt over Anakin’s fall to the Darkish Aspect and the revelation that Anakin survived. All through the episode, he sees visions of Anakin, with director Deborah Chow tilting the digicam to suggest discomfort and misery. Merely put, Obi-Wan goes by it.
Vader, however, is pushed by his rage. He strikes with vicious, highly effective swings, driving Obi-Wan throughout the dusty plains of Mapuzo. The very sight of Vader rising from the shadows, crimson blade in hand, is the stuff of nightmares — and completely captures what makes the Darkish Lord of the Sith such a compelling antagonist. Vader and Obi-Wan’s dialogue additionally serves as a prelude to issues to return: when Obi-Wan sees his former scholar, his first sentence is “What have you ever develop into?” Vader responds, “I’m what you made me” — and he isn’t fully incorrect, as Obi-Wan leaving him to burn on Mustafar is what led to the development of the Vader armor.
The duel ends in Vader’s favor — and a somewhat disturbing scene, besides. Vader makes use of the Drive to carry Obi-Wan aloft within the air, then ideas over a barrel of coals and ignites it together with his lightsaber. “Now you’ll endure,” he growls, and, true to his phrase, he drags Obi-Wan into the flames, desiring to bestow his former grasp with the identical destiny that he suffered on Mustafar. Despite the fact that Tala manages to keep at bay Vader’s stormtroopers and save Obi-Wan, that is nonetheless one of many darkest scenes which were a part of a Star Wars undertaking. It additionally serves as one other method that Hossein Amini‘s unique plan for the sequence continues to be seen.
Whereas this is not the primary lightsaber duel to have layers of which means — Obi-Wan and Maul’s last battle within the Star Wars: Rebels episode “Twin Suns” involves thoughts — it is nonetheless as emotionally charged and nerve-wracking as followers may anticipate. With the primary half of the sequence now full, time will inform if Obi-Wan and Vader may have a rematch. The Jedi Grasp will certainly need to step up his recreation, and overcome his guilt, if he desires to in the end finest Vader and get Leia again to Alderaan.
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