One of the main plot points for the the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series is the revelation that Obi-Wan Kenobi does not realize that Darth Vader survived their battle on Mustafar and he only discovers he’s still alive when he’s informed by the Inquisitor Reva on the planet Daiyu while attempting to rescue a kidnapped Princess Leia.
In the show’s second episode, Reva taunts Kenobi as she hunts for him in a hangar bay, “I’m just going to take you to him. Lord Vader will be pleased.”
It’s at this moment the show reveals that Kenobi didn’t realize Vader was still alive as after a brief shot of Kenobi’s emotions upon hearing Reva’s taunting, it returns to Reva who says, “You didn’t know. He’s alive, Obi-Wan. Anakin Skywalker is alive.”
However, this is a canon-breaking change to not only the original Star Wars film, but Return of the Jedi as well as Revenge of the Sith. Kenobi knew he did not kill Vader on Mustafar and that he was still alive.
Here are four moments from Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith that make it abundantly clear that Obi-Wan Kenobi knew that Darth Vader was still alive well before he was informed of the matter by Reva on Daiyu.
1. Star Wars: A New Hope
In the original Star Wars film after Obi-Wan Kenobi rescues Luke Skywalker from the Sand People, Luke asks Kenobi how his father dies.
Kenobi responds, “A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father. Now the Jedi are all but extinct.”
He added, “Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force.”
2. Return of the Jedi
In Return of the Jedi, Luke confronts Obi-Wan about the story he told regarding the death of his father. He also specifically asks him about who the other is that Yoda mentioned.
Kenobi tells him, “The other he spoke of is your twin sister.” Luke replies, “But I have no sister.” Kenobi then explains, “To protect you both from the emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born.”
“The emperor knew as I did that if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous,” he answered.
3. Revenge of the Sith
In Revenge of the Sith, following Kenobi’s battle on Mustafar with Vader that left Vader significantly maimed, Padme gives birth to both Luke and Leia.
She tells Kenobi right before she dies, “Obi-Wan. There’s good in him. I know. I know there’s…still-”
4. Revenge of the Sith
Towards the end of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Sidious senses through the Force that Vader is in danger on Mustafar.
After his battle with Yoda, Sidious says, “Tell Captain Kagi to prepare my shuttle for immediate takeoff. I sense Lord Vader is in danger.”
It’s hard to imagine that Obi-Wan Kenobi wouldn’t be able to sense Darth Vader’s life if Darth Sidious can sense that he is in danger all the way from Coruscant.
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These four moments make it very clear that Obi-Wan Kenobi knew that Darth Vader was still alive following the battle on Mustafar. Kenobi has significant knowledge about Vader hunting down and killing the Jedi after he was seduced to the dark side that he relays to Luke in the original Star Wars film. He clearly knows he’s alive.
He then informs Luke in Return of the Jedi that he and his sister were separated at birth to hide them from his father. This makes it clear he knows that Vader didn’t die on Mustafar as soon as Luke and Leia were born because they had to be hidden from. If he thought he was dead, he wouldn’t need to hide them from him.
Finally, Padme tells Kenobi that there’s still good in Vader as her dying words. Meaning she still thinks he’s alive following the battle on Mustafar. In fact, after their battle on Mustafar, but still while on the planet, Padme asks Kenobi, “Is Anakin all right?”
He doesn’t answer her, but it’s probably safe to assume that he eventually answered her as she tells him with her dying words that there’s still good in him. A clear implication that she either knows or believes he’s still alive.
This idea that Kenobi did not know that Darth Vader was still alive following their battle on Mustafar is one of the many story inconsistencies created by the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, and more than likely one of the reasons why the show has the worst audience scores of any Star Wars show on Disney+.
What do you make of this massive story problem regarding Obi-Wan Kenobi’s knowledge of Darth Vader being alive?