Since A New Hope, Darth Vader has become the cynosure of the Star Wars saga. The grandiose Vader emits through his gigantic posture, deep voice, and the blazing red lightsaber is what every fan waits to see in each Star Wars project. That’s why even after his demise in Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader has shown up in every franchise project since, even comic books and video games. His presence in the franchise has reached a level where no story in the franchise can be completed without Vader’s presence.
But then, Darth Vader doesn’t deserve just a cameo here and there, especially when it’s well known that he is the ‘Chosen One.’ After all, his abilities supersede that of a planet destroyer. However, Vader never got to that center stage in the franchise before. Hence, his actual character arc was somehow incomplete, even after eleven films and several animated and live-action television productions.
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In the original trilogy, Vader’s character arc was more significant, given that he went on a road to redemption while also conflicting with his son, Luke Skywalker. But since Luke (Mark Hamill) was the lead and the trademark “Hope” for the Jedi, he took the limelight. In George Lucas’ prequel films, Jake Lloyd and then Hayden Christensen took over the role of Anakin Skywalker. Along with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Anakin played a central role in the franchise, leading to his eventual transformation into Vader. Besides these two trilogies, Vader has only appeared in cameo appearances, with James Earl Jones returning to voice him.
That void has been filled in Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. The series, set ten years after Revenge of the Sith, brought back both Obi-Wan and Darth Vader for a face-off, primarily focusing on their relationship and the idea of Anakin becoming a Sith. Such a story centered on a personal battle finally allowed Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader to complete his tragic and thrilling arc and become what probably George Lucas had always wanted for that character.
We are diving into the areas which completed Vader’s persona and made his story come full circle.
A ‘Ten-Year-Old Vader’: A Striking Conflict of Emotions
In the series, it’s been ten years since the Republic fell and Palpatine’s Empire took over. After Obi-Wan left Anakin, thinking he’d die in the fire, Palpatine saved him, fitted him with body armor, prosthetics, and a voice modulator, and named him Lord Vader. The lie about Padme’s death eventually fueled his rage and shifted towards the dark side.
Though Anakin has become Vader, it hasn’t been long since he has turned sides. And that’s how the show starts bridging the gap between these two conflicting personalities. In between the fearful Anakin, who failed to find balance in the Force, and a ruthless Sith who’s strong with the dark side – there’s this man, a different version of the character, who hasn’t forgotten his past life and is driven by rage, hell-bent on revenge, and is struggling to find his way.
Throughout the show, Anakin pushes his inquisitors to take out the Jedi to bring in Obi-Wan. He is not perfect with the dark side yet. Although his rage does fuel his insurmountable power, his thirst for revenge drives him away from his bigger goals as a Sith, which is to conquer the galaxy and eradicate the Republic’s way of order.
His internal conflict with his two personalities makes him vulnerable and his mind somehow less powerful. This is the first step of connecting Anakin and Darth Vader, which leads to the completion of his character arc.
The Power of the Dark Side
Though Vader may be facing a conflict between his duties as a Sith, he has no good left. Obi-Wan Ken gave Vader a chance to show the dark side’s true powers. The sequences where he pulls Obi-Wan and drags him through fire or the one where he brings down an entire spaceship through the use of Force were jaw-dropping. For the first time, a Star Wars story showed what being on the dark side truly means and how Vader’s powers extend beyond his lightsaber.
We have seen Vader in Rogue One taking on an entire team of republic soldiers or choking Orson Krennic almost to death using two fingers. But that’s when Vader was at his prime as a Sith. In Obi-Wan, the scenario is different. This is the first time (since The Clone Wars) that Vader is going for an all-out assault, using every ounce of power in him to rip apart his enemies.
The idea of this gigantic figure terrifying everyone around him brings out his antagonistic attributes in the open, making him a true villain. And Obi-Wan Kenobi makes that truth come to life on-screen, offering viewers an enthralling experience.
Battle for Revenge: The Mask Cracks Open
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The most iconic moment of the series has to be the final lightsaber duel between Vader and Obi-Wan. The series was always a drum-roll to this moment when the master and his Padawan continue their fight that ended in stalemate. While the duel was amazingly choreographed and was shot to look like each warrior’s limits and mental state were at the test. The sequence features Vader at the prime of his anger, whereas Obi-Wan fights his friend while also going through a visible emotional breakdown.
In a final blow, Obi-Wan manages to defeat Vader and cracks open his face mask in half. Then comes one of the most heartbreaking and terrifying moments of the series. We see half of Vader’s mask, along with half the disfigured face of Anakin. Obi-Wan looks at him and remembers his friend, but then, with a heartbreaking crack in his voice, Vader says,
For the first time, we see Vader talking in his own voice. His vocal cords are clearly damaged, and he struggles to speak, which will send any Star Wars fan into pain. But then, this scene completes his transformation into Vader for good in a fashionable manner.
Anakin is gone. I am what remains now.
In Revenge of the Sith, in a similarly cracking voice, Anakin expresses his hatred towards Obi-Wan. When Obi-Wan sees his friend through that mask, there is this unseen realization for a short while that the Tatooine kid may still be in there. Obi-Wan, who has held himself responsible for Anakin’s fate, apologies to his friend. However, Anakin, at the same time, replies,
And a cunning grin is then visible in his expressions. Saying this, he relieves his former master of his grief and guilt and becomes Vader in a true sense, revealing that the presence of darkness was always there in him.
I am not your failure Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.
The scene becomes more emotional as this blend of James Earl Jones and Hayden Christensen is in that dialogue. At this point, this symbolism indicates the presence of two people inside Vader. Only after this scene, during the end, Anakin gives up his quest to hunt Obi-Wan, surrenders to his Master Palpatine, and gives up the last shreds of Anakin Skywalker from his soul. This is how the series eventually connects the dots between the prequels and the original trilogy, completing the character arc through his progression from Anakin to Lord Darth Vader.
Relationship Between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Vader
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The series also does justice to Vader’s relationship with Kenobi. After the duel, Kenobi, unable to kill him, leaves Vader to fend for his own. Later he decides to take care of Luke again, giving up the thought of training him in the Jedi way for the time being.
While in Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan leaves Anakin, believing he’ll succumb to his injuries, the culmination of that movie didn’t justify the pain he would have gone through after seemingly killing his brother at arms. Obi-Wan fills in that information.
When Vader somewhat exonerates Obi-Wan of his failure as a Jedi master, there is this sense of completeness in that relationship. This is how Obi-Wan became convinced that Anakin is “truly gone.” This realization motivates him to push Luke into a battle with his father years later.
In Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan’s Force ghost iterates that Anakin Skywalker was dead and Vader took his place. That scene becomes more convincing with the series, as now we know what led Obi-Wan to reach such a conclusion, where he didn’t hesitate to put a son against his father.
Hayden Christensen is Darth Vader
The idea of Darth Vader has never been associated with one person besides James Earl Jones’s voice that brings the character’s wrath to reality. Several actors and performers have stepped in that suit. But, Disney’s call to get Christensen back to the role finally put a nail in that coffin. Hayden Christensen is Darth Vader.
Not only Christensen outdid himself in the role, but he also made full use of the opportunity he got in essaying the role without that voice-changing mask. While gazing through Christensen’s eyes in the duel sequence shall make any viewer realize how significant it is to finally have an identity for the character of Darth Vader.
And since Christensen has earlier played Anakin in the prequels, watching him also don the Vader suit somehow helped complete the character’s progression from those films to this point. Knowing that it’s the same person playing the role spurs a sense of good and acceptable continuation of Darth Vader’s character, which the viewers of this shared universe will definitely align to.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was a highlight for Ewan McGregor’s character and journey towards becoming one with the Force. However, the show significantly gave Darth Vader the emotional journey that his character deserved. The show signifies that Anakin’s journey toward the dark side was troubling, and it took years of grief, pain, and guilt to overcome what he went through at Mustafar. The series feature how Vader struggles with powers and emotions, leading up to the point where he learns to control them and become a dreaded figure for all of the galaxy. It’s like, connecting Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen, and James Earl Jones, making all those portrayals one and bringing that entire story arc full circle.
