The duel between Ben and Vader is no longer believable. Let’s dive deep into how this came to be and what this duel needs to fit into the continuity again. Part 3/4
Justin Vader
He doesn’t just want Obi-Wan dead; he wants Obi-Wan to suffer. The Star Wars Rebels animated series and the Darth Vader comics only further reinforce all of the aforementioned ideals.
We also get a look at Obi-Wan before their fateful final duel. We see that this is an Obi-Wan who had cut himself off from the force and forsaken the Jedi way.
In today’s era of Star Wars, I am expected to believe that this is how this fight went down? It simply defies all logic. Let's break this down for a moment:
While Vader was not allowed to hunt Obi-Wan, it is clear that his hatred for Obi-Wan was limited only by his fear for the emperor. This is Vader’s chance, and he acts like he does not give a hoot.
This is the same Darth Vader who just killed an entire platoon of rebels with ruthless effectiveness over the Death Star Plans, something he should care far less about than killing his arch-nemesis.
He portrays no feeling of power, no semblance of hatred is shown, nothing. This should have been the moment where Vader lets out 9 years of pent up rage.
He uses the force a total of never times and doesn’t make a serious effort to slay his master until he is literally given the chance to. It defies everything we’ve come to know about Darth Vader.
Then there’s Obi-Wan/Ben. It is very clear from Kenobi that Obi-Wan will never be able to bring himself to kill Darth Vader unless he has to, even if he sees that he is no longer Anakin.
He is still willing to have a spirited and powerful battle with the dark lord. It is also very clear how much he cares about Luke and how much power that caring grants him.
He has love for Luke and has so little for his former apprentice that he only calls him Darth; it is nonsensical that he only gives partial the effort and emotion he used to fight Darth Maul.
Ben shows no real effort or delay long enough for Luke to escape. His fighting style lacks its identity, and his strikes and dialogue in no way seem to have any emotion behind them.
I can get behind the idea that Ben was willing to sacrifice himself to ensure that Luke would survive. Still, you cannot tell me that this would not have been an emotional reunion for him too.
He is sad about leaving Anakin. He may accept this as Darth Vader, but Anakin is still in the suit. His speaking highly of Anakin to both Leia and Luke shows that he still has some attachment.
The way this fight is portrayed goes against everything we have come to know about both of these characters. I could forgive the reserved fighting style, but the lack of emotion is inexcusable.
This should have felt like the duels in Revenge of the Sith and Kenobi, and it just does not. It feels like Anakin and Obi-Wan had limited experiences, and we know they had anything but.