One of the producers of the Star Wars prequel trilogies recently confirmed the real reason Obi-Wan Kenobi left Anakin Skywalker for dead on Mustafar in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. After Order 66 and Anakin’s fall to the dark side and transformation into Darth Vader, Obi-Wan confronted him on the volcanic planet Mustafar, and the two had their fateful duel. Though Anakin was the Chosen One, and much more powerful in the Force, Obi-Wan was able to defeat him. After a heartfelt speech, though, Obi-Wan left without killing Anakin, a decision that made many fans wonder why he wouldn’t destroy the new Sith Lord.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, producer Rick McCallum explained that Obi-Wan left Anakin because he thought he was as good as dead.
“I also think he doesn’t believe Anakin will recover – he thinks he’s going to die. It’s only because Palpatine comes in and uses everything to save him and create this freak [that he survives].”
As McCallum pointed out, Anakin shouldn’t have survived, and he only did because Palpatine went to extraordinary measures to keep him alive by fitting him with cybernetics and Darth Vader’s iconic suit. His injuries were extremely severe, as Obi-Wan cut off his three remaining organic limbs and watched his body catch on fire. Obi-Wan was also extremely surprised when Reva told him that Anakin was still alive in Obi-Wan Kenobi, which supports that idea even more.
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Obi-Wan Probably Thought He Made A Mistake – But He Saved The Galaxy
Though he had a chance to destroy Vader and prevent many of the atrocities he would commit over the next decades, Obi-Wan sparing Anakin would eventually save the entire galaxy. In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Anakin finally turned back to the light side of the Force and helped his son, Luke Skywalker, destroy Emperor Palpatine. If Obi-Wan had killed him on Mustafar, Luke likely wouldn’t have been able to defeat Palpatine without his father’s help. What Obi-Wan carried immense guilt over and deemed a mistake turned out to be the galaxy’s saving grace.
Obi-Wan turned out to be one of the most important people in saving the galaxy from the Empire. He trained Luke and gave him guidance in the most crucial moments of his training, but his greatest contribution came before Luke was even born, and he didn’t even mean to do it. This was one of the reasons Obi-Wan won his duel with Anakin in the first place, because it was the will of the Force. If he had actually killed Anakin like he thought he did in Revenge of the Sith, the galaxy may never have been saved from the Empire.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- Release Date
- May 19, 2005
- Director
- George Lucas
- Cast
- Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Hayden Christensen , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L. Jackson , Christopher Lee , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Frank Oz , Ahmed Best , Temuera Morrison
