The Ending Of Obi-Wan Kenobi Part V Explained
Contains spoilers for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Part V
Five episodes down, one to go — and what a setup "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Part V leaves for the finale. The Disney+ "Star Wars" series has been a much wilder ride than a show focusing on Ben Kenobi's (Ewan McGregor) exile years should have any right to be, thanks to the premise of the rescue mission that introduces the Jedi to young Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair). Unfortunately, leaving his Tatooine hidey-hole exposes Obi-Wan to Anakin Skywalker, who's now known as Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen, voiced by James Earl Jones) and would very much like to have a word about the injuries Obi-Wan inflicted on him on Mustafar.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" frames several of its episodes with a specific theme. Part II has a distinct "John Wick"-style survival vibe, and the rescue mission in Part IV is a full-on heist episode. Part V is a bit more complicated than that. While it tackles the classic theme of a small, ragtag group trying to withstand the siege assault of a vastly superior enemy, it's ultimately a duel of wits between Obi-Wan and Vader — and the present-day plot ends up playing out much like the interspersing flashback scenes of a training duel they fought during the prequel trilogy's days. By the time the battle is over, the show's status quo has experienced significant changes. Let's take a closer look at the ending of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Part V.
Darth Vader shows the true powers of a Sith Lord
The battle with the Imperial forces takes its toll on the Path, and Imperial defector Tala Durith (Indira Varma) is among the casualties. However, Obi-Wan's surrender tactic and Leia's hacking skills end up opening the path to escape, and the remaining members of the Path are able to flee the planet in a cargo ship.
Darth Vader arrives just as the ship is leaving, and proceeds to unleash one of the greatest displays of force (and Force) in the live action franchise's history. He extends his hand and Force-yanks the entire, sizeable ship back on the ground, engines and thrusters be damned. Then, just to make a point, he tears it open. To the Sith Lord's frustration and grudging respect, however, Obi-Wan is two moves ahead of him. The ship Vader destroys is merely a decoy, and the real evacuation ship behind it is able to fly away while he's busy.
This isn't the only show of strength Vader gives in the episode. Immediately afterwards, Reva (Moses Ingram) sees her opening and attacks from behind. What follows is a massively one-sided lightsaber battle, in the sense that Vader doesn't even bother to wield one until late in the game. Initially, he simply uses the Force to block and counter all attacks that Reva can throw at him, withstanding the barrage with ease and eventually breaking her Inquisitor lightsaber in half. After driving a lightsaber through Reva, Vader finally reveals that he knew who she was all along.
All of this makes clear just how many receipts Darth Vader has for his fearsome reputation. Who wouldn't be creeped out by a giant, armored space wizard who can pull spaceships apart with his mind?
Reva's backstory is finally explained
Throughout "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Reva hunts the Jedi with ruthless focus and unrelenting aggression, and expresses interest in getting her hands on Obi-Wan in particular. Yet, it's also clear that the other Inquisitors consider her to be far beneath them. Turns out, there's a reason for both.
In Part V, Reva finally gets the Grand Inquisitor title she's seemingly been after, but it turns out she's had an entirely different goal in mind all along. Obi-Wan deduces that Reva is actually a former Jedi youngling — in fact, the only one who survived Anakin's infamous massacre in "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith." With this, he understands that her true mission is to kill Vader for what he did. Reva still has a bone to pick with Obi-Wan, though. After all, he's Vader's former master, and Reva holds him guilty for allowing the youngling tragedy to happen in the first place.
This fascinating anti-villain reveal is the missing piece from the Reva puzzle, and the reason behind her almost desperate need to complete his missions is now crystal clear: Becoming the best is her only chance to get close to Vader. However, Obi-Wan eventually gives her an even better chance: By surrendering to Vader, he draws the Sith Lord's full attention, which allows Reva to attack while Vader is distracted.
Of course, this doesn't go too well for Reva, because Vader was one step ahead of her all along. What's more, the grievously wounded Reva finds out that the original Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) is still alive, and promptly takes his title back.
Reva is still alive at the end of the episode, though. Will she be too consumed by revenge to acknowledge anything else, or could she have a shot at a last-minute redemption arc?
Bail Organa needs a crash course in message encryption
Early in Part V, Leia's worried stepfather Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) reaches out to Obi-Wan with a holographic message to find out what's what. Unwisely, he ends up saying a whole bunch more than he should in a message that, as it turns out, basically anyone can read. Apart from essentially spelling out that Darth Vader has children he doesn't know about, Bail also helpfully notes that one of them is on Tatooine, under the custody of a man called Owen (Joel Edgerton).
In the very end of the episode, this short missive turns out to be a colossal mistake. By a stroke of luck, the injured Reva gets her hands on it, which pretty much spells out the central theme of the final episode. Since Reva is no match to Vader even at full health, she'll likely attempt to get at the Sith Lord through his children. As such, it looks like she's planning to make a beeline to Tatooine, where she's already met a strange man called Owen.
Since Vader is aware of Luke's identity in the original trilogy, it seems that "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is heading toward the pivotal moment when he finds this out, likely courtesy of either Reva or Obi-Wan. Since the latter is still on Tatooine in his Ben Kenobi disguise when Luke is a young man, the Jedi and Vader might even reach a temporary, uneasy truce to keep Luke's existence as a secret. Will they be able to do this on their own, or will the Force ghost of beloved Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) turn up to act as a mediator? We'll find out when Part VI drops on June 22.