Summary

• Obi-Wan Kenobi used the dark side of the Force in his victories against Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker.
• In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan's emotions take over as he fights Darth Maul out of anger and grief.
• The duel on Mustafar between Obi-Wan and Anakin was a personal battle, with Obi-Wan fueled by emotions rather than Jedi principles.

Obi-Wan Kenobi may be a celebrated Jedi Master, but he actually used the dark side of the Force to win his two greatest battles. Anakin Skywalker may have been the Chosen One, but Obi-Wan Kenobi is the Jedi Master who has developed a reputation for being Sith Kryptonite. He seems to have been foiling Sith plots since he was a youngling, and he triumphed against Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.

That victory was mostly luck, of course. But Obi-Wan's most famous victory was undoubtedly the so-called "Battle of the Heroes" on Mustafar in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which saw him fight against his former Padawan Anakin Skywalker. Anakin was one of the greatest Jedi warriors of all time, and yet Obi-Wan not only matched him, he ultimately defeated him. This victory, more than any other, has made Obi-Wan a legend – seen by many as the ultimate Jedi. And yet, surprisingly, Obi-Wan used the dark side to win both times he defeated the Sith.

Obi-Wan Was Hardly A Calm & Reserved Jedi In The Phantom Menace

He Let His Emotions Take Over In The Fight Against Darth Maul

In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan fights Darth Maul after the Sith apprentice murdered Qui-Gon. During the duel, it is clear that Obi-Wan's emotions are taking over. He screams in pain and horror after Qui-Gon is fatally stabbed, and he comes after Maul with extreme aggression. Obi-Wan forgets all about his traditional Star Wars lightsaber form, becoming much more direct and aggressive. The Jedi Padawan is no vision of serenity, but rather fights out of anger and grief. As far as the Jedi are concerned, then, he was under the influence of the dark side – lashing out in fury.

Further, even before Maul kills Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan's emotions are taking over. During the fight, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Maul get separated by force fields. Qui-Gon takes the few available moments before the force fields open to meditate. Obi-Wan, in contrast, paces around, clearly frustrated and anxious. Once Qui-Gon is killed, Obi-Wan fully gives in to his emotions. Although it is true Obi-Wan was lucky to beat Maul, his emotions and the strength of the dark side surely allowed him to come at Maul with more power.

Obi-Wan's Mustafar Duel With Anakin Was No Light Versus Dark Confrontation

The Jedi Has A Personal Vendetta Against Anakin

Fast-forward to Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and this too was no straightforward victory. Matt Stover's novelization – written in coordination with George Lucas himself – makes that clear. According to the novelization, this isn't light versus dark; it's two wounded people lashing out at one another. It isn't Sith versus Jedi, it is Anakin versus Obi-Wan. In fact, the novelization stresses that Obi-Wan knew killing Anakin as he lay burning would be the merciful thing to do – but Obi-Wan "was not feeling merciful."

The novelization is expanding on what is already there, though. Obi-Wan's emotions are clear throughout the duel, and he ends his speech with the heartbroken comment, "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." Obi-Wan is obviously taking this battle very personally, which isn't what a Jedi is meant to do.

Obi-Wan Needed A True Victory, Which Is What His Disney+ Triumph Gave Him

The Show Bridged The Gap In His Character Arc

In the original trilogy, Obi-Wan faces Darth Vader calmly, as a Jedi should. This is in stark contrast to the prequels, and Star Wars needed to bridge the gap between the Obi-Wan in the prequels and the Obi-Wan in the original trilogy. Of course, he had plenty of battles where he solely used the light side and behaved exactly as a Jedi should during the movies and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but those weren't against people he loved. With a handful of exceptions involving Darth Maul, those fights weren't personal. To show his character growth between movies, Obi-Wan needed a true Jedi victory.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ TV show provided that. The end of Obi-Wan Kenobi features another duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan, and this time the Jedi Master is not motivated by any sense of personal vendetta. In fact, Obi-Wan even apologizes to Anakin for failing him, rather than shouting in anger. He finds power in the light side rather than the dark. This is the perfect way to show how Obi-Wan matured as a man and a Jedi during his exile, and it proves that he needed his own spinoff show.

There are no confirmed plans for an Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2.

Watch on Disney+