Obi-Wan Kenobi Part V Delivered The Anakin Scene Fans Have Been Waiting For
As the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series gets closer to the end, Ewan McGregor's titular Jedi is finally starting to return to being the heroic figure that he was during the prequel era of the franchise. His mission to save young Leia Organa (Vivien Lyra Blair) helps him reconnect with the Force while he deals with his internal guilt over what he did to Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) at the end of "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith." Fans have already seen how the fiery events on Mustafar have changed Anakini into the hulking Sith Lord, Darth Vader — and at this point in Vader's journey, he's desperate to get his revenge on his former master.
The ending of Part III shows just how brutal Vader can be, as he casually murders several civilians on Mapuzo before dragging Kenobi through a raging inferno — much like the one he endured. It's fascinating to see how "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is fleshing out Vader's arc, and Hayden Christensen recently revealed he's open to spin-offs after the series has wrapped things up.
The stage has been set for that all-important rematch between Vader and Kenobi now that the Jedi has got a grip on the Force again after all these years. Remember, in Part III he's reluctant to fight his former-padawan — he barely even defends himself — so their next duel should be something special.
But before we get there, "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Part V delivered the Anakin scene that fans have been waiting for.
Part V uses a flashback with Anakin and Obi-Wan
"Star Wars" fans have held out hope for flashbacks to the prequel era ever since Disney announced that Hayden Christensen was coming back to play Anakin, and "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Part V delivered on that hope. The episode is framed against a duelling lesson with the master and his padawan — who's still got his hair-braid — as Kenobi teaches him the importance of not focusing too much on winning a fight. The older Jedi points out that there's more than one way to fight in a duel, using the Force to beat Anakin in their practice duel even after he gets disarmed.
It's a touching scene that's spread across the episode, and it's great to see McGregor and Christensen share some wholesome screen time together. The scene looks like it takes place shortly before the events of "Episode II – Attack of the Clones" thanks to the duo's hair and outfits. Obviously, this lesson is a way of connecting to the events on Jabiim — as Kenobi once again proves there are more ways to fight than just with a lightsaber. He uses his diplomatic skills to get inside Reva's (Moses Ingram) head and discover the truth about her traumatic experience during Order 66 thanks to Anakin, ultimately turning the Inquisitor against Vader. It's a great tactic that also gives us a thrilling fight between Reva and Vader.
This isn't the first time "Star Wars" has used flashbacks to help tell a story in its present timeline – "The Book of Boba Fett" uses a similar format whenever the titular bounty hunter sleeps in his bacta tank. Still, it's fair to say that the "Kenobi" flashbacks carry more emotional weight for most fans.