One of the most profound Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader scenes in Star Wars occurred in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but the true meaning behind the scene, and one pivotal Vader line, has been largely misunderstood. Although Obi-Wan Kenobi had a mixed reception, many agreed that it was thrilling to see Hayden Christensen back as Anakin/Darth Vader.
In fact, this was more than fan service. Obi-Wan Kenobi ended up being an important addition to Anakin’s Star Wars timeline, as it revealed Vader’s whereabouts and priorities during an era of the Star Wars timeline that hadn’t yet been shown on-screen—about halfway through the Dark Times.
The show also revealed a brand-new Obi-Wan and Vader showdown. It was in that face-off that Darth Vader uttered the chilling line, “You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.” This quote, delivered with Anakin’s creepily cracked mask glowing red on the screen, was truly horrifying, but over the last 3 years, I’ve realized there was another devastating revelation within it.
Darth Vader “Killing” Anakin Skywalker Was About Self-Hatred
The notion that a dark side Force-user or Sith killed off their Jedi self isn’t exclusive to Darth Vader. On the contrary, this seems to be a common sentiment, with even Anakin’s grandson, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, discussing how his light side self was weak, so he destroyed him. However, Vader’s declaration that he killed Anakin was due to self-hatred.
Vader’s psyche is one of the most interesting in Star Wars movies and TV shows. From the beginning, even when he was a still-innocent little boy, Anakin clearly had the capacity to be emotionally volatile. After all, the attachment to his mother and his already complex emotions were a key factor in the Jedi Council’s initial decision to reject him.
Obviously, that only worsened with time, as Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones depicted multiple violent outbursts (including his brutal slaughter of the Tusken Raiders), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith saw him go full-blown dark side. Yet, it really was never simple with Anakin.
Throughout the prequel trilogy, and eventually in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as well, Anakin was conflicted. Even when he committed heinous acts and had definitively fallen to evil, he didn’t seem proud or even content with the choices he had made, as one would expect from a villain (like Palpatine).
Instead, Anakin consistently seemed devastated by his own behavior, especially towards the end of Revenge of the Sith, which led to Vader’s declaration in Obi-Wan Kenobi that he had ‘killed’ Anakin, not because he was pleased with the power he had acquired but rather because he couldn’t live with the truth of what he’d done.
Revenge Of The Sith Forced Anakin To Confront What He’d Become
The prequel trilogy is interesting because, while some believe Anakin’s fall to the dark side happens too quickly, it really does show an incremental shift in Anakin. This is especially clear when comparing Attack of the Clones to Revenge of the Sith. In Attack of the Clones, Anakin is still the hero of his own story.
Even when he kills the Tuskens, he feels entirely justified, which is apparent when he tells Padmé he slaughtered them like animals with, disturbingly, absolutely no remorse or hesitation. The Clone Wars then revealed how much Anakin was hailed as a hero across the Republic in the years that followed, which no doubt reinforced his view of himself.
In Revenge of the Sith, however, we get a very different Anakin Skywalker. Suddenly, Anakin has serious doubts about not only his behavior but also his worthiness to be a Jedi. This begins with Anakin killing Count Dooku and immediately lamenting doing so, telling Palpatine he shouldn’t have done that, as it’s not the Jedi way.
Later, he tells Padmé that he isn’t the Jedi he should be, that he wants more, and he knows he shouldn’t. These doubts come to a head when Anakin is faced with perhaps his most difficult decision yet: save Palpatine, a Sith Lord but also the person offering to save his wife, or defend Mace Windu and risk Padmé’s death.
Ultimately, Anakin decides to side with Palpatine, but even then, he isn’t proud that he’s chosen evil, nor does he seem even remotely happy with the decision he’s made. In fact, echoing his sentiments that he shouldn’t have killed Dooku, Anakin’s reaction to Mace’s death is, “What have I done?”
Anakin’s most egregious acts are yet to come, including massacring the younglings and choking Padmé, both of which are among Star Wars’ most disturbing moments. He doesn’t actually take the former lightly, and he’s shown with tears on his face after carrying out this act, but it’s choking Padmé, and believing he killed her, that truly breaks Anakin.
On Mustafar, Vader doesn’t claim that Anakin is dead, nor does he resist Padmé or Obi-Wan calling him Anakin. The refusal to accept that he is still Anakin Skywalker only comes after Palpatine tells him that he killed Padmé. This suggests that guilt was the real reason Vader said he killed Anakin.
It makes sense that Anakin would need to distance himself from what he’d done, and it follows his pattern of being increasingly horrified by his behavior in Revenge of the Sith. In this case, there’s nothing Anakin could do or say to justify killing his wife, so he is unable to bear the truth—until Padmé’s son changes everything.
Only Padmé’s Son Could Convince Anakin He Was Worthy Of Redemption
Just as Padmé’s death (and his role in it) was Anakin’s breaking point, it was only with the forgiveness of Luke Skywalker, Anakin and Padmé’s son, that Anakin was able to forgive himself and be redeemed. Sadly for Anakin, once Padmé was gone, she was well and truly dead.
As she wasn’t Force-sensitive, she had no hope of returning as a Force Ghost, so there was no possibility of closure or forgiveness. Vader also had no idea that Padmé had given birth before her death, so, to him, it seemed as though what was done, was done. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Proving that he was truly his mother’s son, Luke saw that there was still good in Darth Vader, and it was only because of that faith and forgiveness that Vader was able to view himself as Anakin Skywalker once again—the titular Jedi who returned in Return of the Jedi—and be redeemed.
Ultimately, this scene in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and specifically the line about Vader killing Anakin, is therefore about Anakin’s inability to live with himself and all that he’d done, especially to Padmé, making this not about his dark side winning out but rather about the extent to which Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader had grown to hate himself.
