Your Nerd Side Halloween Special part 01:
Your Nerd Side Halloween Special part 02:
During their Star Wars rivalry, there were many contentious moments between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker that led to the fracture of their relationship. It mostly stemmed from Anakin's feeling that he was shown disrespect by the Jedi High Council when it wouldn't promote or trust him as much as he believed they should. This condescension is something Anakin often voiced to Padme Amidala, who would often offer him consolation.
However, Anakin turned his rage against Padme in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Force-choking her on Mustafar before turning that anger towards Obi-Wan. The future Sith Lord thought everyone around him would betray him out of envy of his power. However, as shown in Marvel's Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 (by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Neeraj Menon and Joe Caramanga) it wasn't envy of power that drove Anakin over the edge, but rather something far more personal: Skywalker believed that Padme and Obi-Wan might have had an affair.
Anakin Hated Obi-Wan Because of an Imagined Relationship With Padme
Although Padme and Obi-Wan's affair couldn't have been further from the truth, Anakin apparently built up a scenario in his mind, which was only heightened by the Jedi Council's obfuscation in other areas. In the Star Wars: Darth Vader #5, as Vader parses through data banks at an old Rebel base to gather details about Padme's death, his droid discovers her final moments. They learn that Obi-Wan, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Padme had all come into the medic bay together. It was shortly thereafter that Padme met her tragic end.
This revelation triggers Darth Vader to recall his argument with Padme on Mustafar — and how she had brought Obi-Wan with her to try to change her husband's increasingly wicked ways. Despite both Padme and Obi-Wan professing their love for him in an attempt to make him see reason, Anakin hated that they were trying to stop him from ascending to what he saw as greatness. Vader's emotions are kindled when the droid accesses holograms that showed Padme in her birth chamber, which would ultimately become her deathbed.
Darth Vader Harbored Feelings of Insecurity
n her pained final moments giving birth to Luke and Leia, Padme calls out for Obi-Wan. The droid cheekily admits she keeps calling out for this person, therefore, he must be really important to her. This observation angers Darth Vader, who instinctively slices the droid to bits, not realizing the droid is unaware that he is Anakin. The moment reveals that this is still a sensitive issue for Anakin, even after his transformation into Darth Vader. He is clearly appalled that his wife called out for Obi-Wan instead of himself in her time of dire need.
This lingering insecurity suggests that Darth Vader was still sensitive about the idea that Padme could have had an affair with Obi-Wan. In Vader's mind, Padme should have called for Anakin. The cruel irony of the matter, of course, is that his own actions had led to his wife's demise and her reliance on Obi-Wan in her final moments. As Darth Vader's intense rage increases when he thinks of her and Obi-Wan, it's clear that he's still plagued by his inner demons. Ultimately, Anakin is most likely still in denial about the role his actions played in driving her away. While Vader might think there was more to her relationship with Obi-Wan, his guilt over failing his wife is part of what ends up pushing him further to the Dark Side.
Anakin And Obi-Wan Have The Most Tragic Relationship in Star Wars
As much attention as the relationship between Anakin and Padme gets, it's actually the dynamic between Anakin and Obi-Wan that proves to be one of the most tragic in the entire Star Wars franchise. The relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan is like one taken directly out of a Shakespearean tragedy, as two best friends close enough to be brothers are slowly ripped apart by the rage and jealousy of one. Anakin Skywalker's inevitable downfall only came at the end of years of brooding and envy as he wished for a seat on the council, to win the affections of Padme, and even surpass his master. Obsessed with these goals, he became a dangerous threat to the council, the murderer of his true love, and the clear inferior to Obi-Wan.
Even more tragic is that Obi-Wan never wanted a rival in Anakin, but truly wanted to see him succeed. The events of Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed that the exiled Jedi Master had discerned through the Force that he had once had a brother before being taken to the Jedi Temple. This was never really a loss for Obi-Wan, though, because he always had Anakin. When Anakin fell, however, he lost a brother for the second time. Even worse, he was forced to live with the knowledge that he had failed Anakin terribly. In each of Obi-Wan and Darth Vader's successive duels, the older Jedi continually proves his superiority over his former apprentice, enraging him and pushing him further away. Merely by virtue of being strong, Obi-Wan kept pushing away the man he always looked to as a brother, losing him in the process. In the end, Obi-Wan finally gave up, giving Anakin what he always wanted by allowing him to defeat his former master — though not in the way Vader had always envisioned.
The dynamic between Anakin and Obi-Wan has always been one of two brothers who rarely got along. Though Obi-Wan was often an important ally for Anakin, the young Jedi could never see past his envy, even going far enough to allow himself to believe that his master was having an affair with his wife. In the end, Anakin's own jealousy was his undoing and the reason that he would never surpass his master.
Comments