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|result=*Pyrrhic [[Jedi]] victory<ref name="Episode III" /> |
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**[[Anakin Skywalker|Darth Vader]] is severely wounded, requiring the use of a [[Cyborg|cybernetic]] [[Vader's armor|suit]] of [[armor]] for the remainder of [[Sexes|his]] life<ref name="Episode III" /> |
**[[Anakin Skywalker|Darth Vader]] is severely wounded, requiring the use of a [[Cyborg|cybernetic]] [[Vader's armor|suit]] of [[armor]] for the remainder of [[Sexes|his]] life<ref name="Episode III" /> |
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| − | **[[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] retreats and takes [[Skywalker |
+ | **[[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] retreats and takes [[Skywalker lightsaber|Vader's lightsaber]] with him<ref name="Episode III" /> |
| + | |side1=[[Jedi Order]]<ref name="Episode III" /> |
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+ | |casual1=None |
| + | |casual2=Darth Vader severely injured; power diminished until recovery and retraining. |
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| − | {{Quote|I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you."<br>"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over!"<br>"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!"<br>"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"<br>"Well, then, you are lost!|Obi-Wan Kenobi |
+ | {{Quote|I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you."<br>"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over!"<br>"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!"<br>"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"<br>"Well, then, you are lost!|Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader|audio=YouAreLost-ROTS.ogg|Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith}} |
| − | The |
+ | The '''Duel on Mustafar''' was a confrontation where the recently apprenticed [[Sith Lord]] [[Anakin Skywalker|Darth Vader]], formerly Anakin Skywalker, fought his former best friend, and [[Jedi Master]], [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]], on the [[planet]] [[Mustafar]] in the [[Outer Rim Territories|Outer Rim]]. After learning of Skywalker's downfall from [[Grand Master]] [[Yoda]] at the [[Imperial Palace|Jedi Temple]], Kenobi arrived on Mustafar, where he attempted to reason with Vader, not believing [[Galactic Emperor|Emperor]] Palpatine, also known as the [[Sith Master]], [[Darth Sidious]], had taken control of his mind. However, Vader no longer cared for their friendship, and quickly claimed that Kenobi was his enemy; the pair then ignited their lightsabers and locked blades, fighting through the murder scene in the [[Mustafarian mining complex]], where Vader had recently slaughtered the members of the [[Separatist Council]], the legislative branch of the [[Confederacy of Independent Systems]]. |
| − | The fight progressed on the structures of the massive facility that hovered over the deadly lava of Mustafar. Kenobi and Vader soon found themselves trapped on a structure collection arm connected on the facility when it was separated from the facility by the lava and descended onto a hot stream. Kenobi managed to fall onto a lava skiff that was heading in the opposite direction of the fallen collection arm in the stream. Vader soon followed and |
+ | The fight progressed on the structures of the massive facility that hovered over the deadly lava of Mustafar. Kenobi and Vader soon found themselves trapped on a structure collection arm connected on the facility when it was separated from the facility by the lava and descended onto a hot stream. Kenobi managed to fall onto a lava skiff that was heading in the opposite direction of the fallen collection arm in the stream. Vader soon followed and jumped onto a droid collector where the two continued to fight. Kenobi managed to jump onto a high lava bend slope, and claimed that the duel was over due to his advantage. The Sith attempted to follow, but Vader, in his hubris, failed to block Kenobi's final attack, a powerful maneuver, which severed Vader's remaining organic limbs, and Vader rolled down to the edge of the lava bend, bringing the duel to an end. |
| − | Then, Kenobi—overcome with disgust and remorse over his friend's transformation—cried out that he had believed that Vader was the |
+ | Then, Kenobi—overcome with disgust and remorse over his friend's transformation—cried out that he had believed that Vader was the [[Chosen One]] and his destiny was to destroy the [[Sith]], but instead he joined them. Unable, but most likely unwilling, to connect with his former best friend, the Sith was consumed by the fires of the lava that leaked onto the lava bend; leaving Vader to die, Kenobi retreated and took his [[Skywalker lightsaber|fallen apprentice's lightsaber]]. Afterwards, Vader's new master, Darth Sidious, found his injured apprentice and took him back to the [[The galaxy|galactic]] [[capital]] of [[Coruscant]], now known as Imperial Center, to be rebuilt; the [[Vader's armor|suit]] that Vader donned there was one that the Dark Lord would wear for the rest of his life. |
==Prelude== |
==Prelude== |
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| − | {{Quote|You turned her against me |
+ | {{Quote|You turned her against me!''"<br>"''You have done that yourself.''"<br>"''You will not take her from me!''"<br>"''Your anger and your lust for power have already done that. You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy.''"<br>"''Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new Empire.''"<br>"''Your new Empire?''"<br>"''Don't make me kill you.''"<br>"''Anakin, My allegiance is to the Republic, to Democracy!''"<br>"''If you're not with me, then you're my enemy.''"<br>"''Only a Sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must."''<br>"''You will try.|Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi, before their duel|Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith}} |
| − | [[File:PregnantDyingPadme.PNG|thumb|left|230px|The heavily |
+ | [[File:PregnantDyingPadme.PNG|thumb|left|230px|The heavily pregnant Amidala lies unconscious after being choked by Vader.]] |
| − | During the [[Clone Wars]], the [[Son]] lured [[Anakin Skywalker]] into the [[Well of the Dark Side]] and corrupted [[Sexes|him]] with a premonition of the [[Lightsaber duel|duel]] on [[Mustafar]].<ref name="Ghosts of Mortis">{{TCW|Ghosts of Mortis}}</ref> The duel began after [[Darth Sidious]], as the newly [[Proclamation of the New Order|appointed]] [[Galactic Emperor]] Sheev Palpatine, tasked |
+ | During the [[Clone Wars]], the [[Son]] lured [[Anakin Skywalker]] into the [[Well of the Dark Side]] and corrupted [[Sexes|him]] with a premonition of the [[Lightsaber duel|duel]] on [[Mustafar]].<ref name="Ghosts of Mortis">{{TCW|Ghosts of Mortis}}</ref> The duel began after [[Darth Sidious]], as the newly [[Proclamation of the New Order|appointed]] [[Galactic Emperor]] Sheev Palpatine, tasked Darth Vader, his new [[Sith apprentice|apprentice]], with [[Mission to Mustafar|the assassination]] of the [[Separatist Council|leaders]] of the [[Confederacy of Independent Systems]] on the [[Volcano|volcanic]] [[Outer Rim Territories|Outer Rim]] [[planet]] Mustafar, in order to bring an end to the [[Clone Wars]]. Vader was followed to Mustafar by his [[Marriage|wife]], [[Senator]] [[Padmé Amidala]], where he implied to her his designs to take over the Empire, saying he could overthrow Emperor Palpatine, and that he and she could rule [[the galaxy]] together, but the senator rejected this offer. He wounded her after seeing [[Jedi Master]] [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]], his former master, whom Vader wrongly believed that Amidala had led to Mustafar in order to [[Death|kill]] him after she discovered that Obi-Wan was right about Vader.<ref name="Episode III" /> |
==The duel== |
==The duel== |
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| − | {{Quote|It's over Anakin |
+ | {{Quote|It's over, Anakin! I have the high ground.''"<br>"''You underestimate my power.''"<br>"''Don't try it!|Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, moments before Vader attempted to attack Obi-Wan|Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith}} |
[[File:Kenobi Vader Mustafar.png|thumb|right|200px|Kenobi vs. Vader]] |
[[File:Kenobi Vader Mustafar.png|thumb|right|200px|Kenobi vs. Vader]] |
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| − | The duel was lengthy and brutal with neither of the combatants gaining the edge as their abilities countered each other's. The duel took place across the [[Mustafarian mining complex]], with the two combatants making their way through hallways, conference rooms, and command centers, the last of which led to their inadvertently triggering a meltdown |
+ | The duel was lengthy and brutal with neither of the combatants gaining the edge as their abilities countered each other's. The duel took place across the [[Mustafarian mining complex]], with the two combatants making their way through hallways, conference rooms, and command centers, the last of which led to their inadvertently triggering a meltdown of the facility when their misdirected weapons cut across a control panel. As a result, the facility's shielding deactivated, and the large stalks overhanging the lava river collapsed when covered with erupting [[Magma|lava]], one of the stalks taking the two Jedi with it. The fight moved onto the lava river—where [[Mustafarian]] workers witnessed it, unaware that the Confederacy was defeated as the facility collapsed—before ending on an embankment where Obi-Wan leaped, gaining the high ground. He begged Vader not to attack, but Vader, in his anger, refused to listen and attacked, to no avail as his left [[Limb|arm]] and both legs were severed upon attack.<ref name="Episode III" /> |
[[File:Kenobi Mustafar.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Kenobi and Vader's final blade lock of the duel]] |
[[File:Kenobi Mustafar.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Kenobi and Vader's final blade lock of the duel]] |
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| − | Following an impassioned indictment by Kenobi of how Vader, believed to have been the [[Chosen One]] |
+ | Following an impassioned indictment by Kenobi of how Vader, believed to have been the [[Chosen One]] and meant to destroy the [[Sith]] instead of joining them, Vader's body burst into [[Fire|flames]] from the intense heat from the lava river, and he was burned alive. Unwilling to finish his defenseless enemy, Kenobi took [[Skywalker lightsaber|Vader's lightsaber]] and remorsefully left him on the embankment for dead, before leaving the planet with the dying Amidala.<ref name="Episode III" /> |
==Aftermath== |
==Aftermath== |
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| − | {{Quote|Your majesty, this way!"<br>"There he is. He's still alive. Get a medical capsule, immediately."<br />"Yes, sir. Right away.| |
+ | {{Quote|Your majesty, this way!"<br>"There he is. He's still alive. Get a medical capsule, immediately."<br />"Yes, sir. Right away.|An [[Imperial shock trooper]] and Emperor Palpatine, upon discovering Vader's immolated body|Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith}} |
[[File:Endow AtG.png|thumb|right|250px|As a result of his injuries, Vader was forced to wear a suit of armor.]] |
[[File:Endow AtG.png|thumb|right|250px|As a result of his injuries, Vader was forced to wear a suit of armor.]] |
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| − | Sidious sensed his apprentice's struggle from across |
+ | Sidious sensed his apprentice's struggle from across the galaxy and personally traveled to Mustafar to retrieve him. Sidious then brought Vader back to [[Coruscant|Imperial Center]], where he placed his badly wounded apprentice into a [[Cyborg|cybernetic]] [[Vader's armor|suit]] of armor that would keep him alive for the rest of his life before Vader learned that he killed his wife in anger. Kenobi, meanwhile, brought Amidala to [[Polis Massa]], where she died shortly after giving birth to her and Anakin's [[twin]]s, [[Luke Skywalker|Luke]] and [[Leia Organa|Leia]]. Kenobi delivered Luke to his former apprentice's stepbrother, [[Owen Lars]], and his wife, [[Beru Whitesun Lars|Beru]], on [[Tatooine]] and went into exile on the same planet, where he kept watch over him<ref name="Episode III" /> and took on a new name: Ben Kenobi. The final [[Rescue of Princess Leia|encounter]] between Kenobi and Vader took place many years later on the [[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station|Death Star]], where Vader killed his former master.<ref name="Episode IV">[[Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope|''Star Wars'': Episode IV ''A New Hope'']]</ref> During the [[Battle of Endor]], Anakin, inspired by his son, found redemption, sacrificing himself by killing Sidious and rejoining Kenobi in [[the Force]].<ref name="Episode VI">[[Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi|''Star Wars'': Episode VI ''Return of the Jedi'']]</ref> |
==Behind the scenes== |
==Behind the scenes== |
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The duel on Mustafar was first indirectly mentioned in the [[1977]] original ''[[Star Wars]]'' film [[Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope|''Star Wars'': Episode IV ''A New Hope'']]. The origins of the duel traced from the [[original trilogy]], such as the conversation between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader aboard the Death Star or Vader's numerous visible scars.<ref name="Episode IV" /><ref name="Episode VI" /> The duel itself was first depicted on-screen in the [[2005]] film [[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|''Star Wars'': Episode III ''Revenge of the Sith'']] as the climactic battle of the film.<ref name="Episode III" /> By then, it had already become a highly anticipated event in ''Star Wars'' fandom.<ref name="WaM:TMoEIII">''[[Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III]]''</ref><ref name="Episode III Audio Commentary">[[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|''Star Wars'': Episode III ''Revenge of the Sith'']] audio commentary</ref> |
The duel on Mustafar was first indirectly mentioned in the [[1977]] original ''[[Star Wars]]'' film [[Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope|''Star Wars'': Episode IV ''A New Hope'']]. The origins of the duel traced from the [[original trilogy]], such as the conversation between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader aboard the Death Star or Vader's numerous visible scars.<ref name="Episode IV" /><ref name="Episode VI" /> The duel itself was first depicted on-screen in the [[2005]] film [[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|''Star Wars'': Episode III ''Revenge of the Sith'']] as the climactic battle of the film.<ref name="Episode III" /> By then, it had already become a highly anticipated event in ''Star Wars'' fandom.<ref name="WaM:TMoEIII">''[[Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III]]''</ref><ref name="Episode III Audio Commentary">[[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|''Star Wars'': Episode III ''Revenge of the Sith'']] audio commentary</ref> |
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| − | The duel |
+ | The duel took [[George Lucas]] nearly two weeks to complete, and only took up half of a page.<ref name="WaM:TMoEIII" /> During the animatics stage, [[Steven Spielberg]], Lucas' friend and a renowned [[Wikipedia:Hollywood|Hollywood]] filmmaker, participated in the duel's production. [[Ewan McGregor]] and [[Hayden Christensen]], who played Obi-Wan and Anakin, practiced the duel constantly for several months.<ref name="WaM:TMoEIII" /> As a result, the speed in which Vader and Kenobi engage the duel in the completed film is the speed in which it was filmed, without being digitally accelerated.<ref name="Episode III Audio Commentary" /> Lucas named the duel during an interview in the documentary ''[[Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III]]''.<ref name="WaM:TMoEIII" /> |
| − | In the DVD commentary of Episode III, George Lucas pointed out that during the scene in which Vader Force |
+ | In the DVD commentary of Episode III, George Lucas pointed out that during the scene in which Vader Force-chokes Obi-Wan, the latter is holding the former's lightsaber, because Obi-Wan was at one point going to take Vader's blade, and shots for this were filmed but edited out of the final cut for pacing reasons.<ref name="Ep. III DVD Commentary">[[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|''Star Wars'': Episode III ''Revenge of the Sith'']] DVD commentary</ref> |
| − | As seen in ''[[The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith]]'', concept art by [[Sang Jun Lee]] shows |
+ | As seen in ''[[The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith]]'', concept art by [[Sang Jun Lee]] shows that Kenobi and Skywalker were originally intended to fight a being known as the Mustafar Monster while having the duel. This idea was scrapped by the finished version of the film.<ref name="MoRotS">''[[The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith]]''</ref> Additionally, Vader was meant to beg Kenobi for help, reaching out for him, but Kenobi, while acknowledging he loved him and initially thinking he should help him, refuses to help, with Anakin's eyes turning from blue to the trademark yellow of the Sith.<ref>http://whenanangelfalls.tumblr.com/post/146077883540/revenge-of-the-sith-deleted-scene-a-cry-for</ref> |
===Controversy=== |
===Controversy=== |
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| − | Before the duel |
+ | Before the duel, Vader tells Kenobi, "If you are not with me, then you are my enemy!" Kenobi responds with "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." George Lucas intended for this line to reflect what he believed to be the viewers' views on then President of the United States [[Wikipedia:George W. Bush|George W. Bush's]] War on Terror, particularly Bush's black-and-white views of the world.<ref name="George Lucas' reference to George W. Bush in Episode III">Chris Taylor. ''How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise''. New York, New York, USA: Basic Books, 2014-2015. Pp. 342. "Episode III, however, was written around the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. In the Bay Area, protests against the Iraq War and [President] Bush were as hard to avoid as Vietnam and Nixon were during the writing of "Star Wars," especially for a self-confessed news junkie like Lucas. Suddenly, after Anakin Skywalker is first dubbed Darth Vader and confronts Obi-Wan, we find him using this line: 'If you're not with me, you're my enemy.' Few adult listeners at the time would fail to pick up a reference to Bush's line in his speech to Congress on September 20, 2001: 'Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.' Obi-Wan's response would have cheered the heart of every voter who felt some nuance was lost in Bush's black-and-white worldview: 'Only a Sith deals in absolutes.' Promoting the film later, Lucas would declare his hostility to Bush for the first time, publicly comparing him to Nixon and Iraq to Vietnam. 'I didn't think it would get this close,' he told reporters at Cannes. The endless circle of politics, as Darth Vader might say, was now complete."</ref> |
==Appearances== |
==Appearances== |
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| − | {{ |
+ | {{Scroll_box|content= |
*{{Galaxy of Adventures|Jedi vs. Sith - The Skywalker Saga}} |
*{{Galaxy of Adventures|Jedi vs. Sith - The Skywalker Saga}} |
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*''[[Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel]]'' |
*''[[Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel]]'' |
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*[[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|''Star Wars'': Episode III ''Revenge of the Sith'']] {{1st}} |
*[[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|''Star Wars'': Episode III ''Revenge of the Sith'']] {{1st}} |
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*''[[Revenge of the Sith Read-Along Storybook and CD]]'' |
*''[[Revenge of the Sith Read-Along Storybook and CD]]'' |
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| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 1|''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith'' 1]] {{Mo}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 3|''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith'' 3]] {{C|Indirectly mentioned only; in the opening crawl}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 5|''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith'' 5]] {{Vision|Darth Vader}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 13|''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith'' 13]] {{Vision|Darth Vader}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader Annual 2|''Darth Vader Annual'' 2]] {{C|Mentioned only; in the opening crawl}} |
*[[Ahsoka (novel)|''Ahsoka'']] {{Imo}} |
*[[Ahsoka (novel)|''Ahsoka'']] {{Imo}} |
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*[[Ahsoka (audiobook)|''Ahsoka'' audiobook]] {{Imo}} |
*[[Ahsoka (audiobook)|''Ahsoka'' audiobook]] {{Imo}} |
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*''[[Lords of the Sith]]'' {{Imo}} |
*''[[Lords of the Sith]]'' {{Imo}} |
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*[[Lords of the Sith (audiobook)|''Lords of the Sith'' audiobook]] {{Imo}} |
*[[Lords of the Sith (audiobook)|''Lords of the Sith'' audiobook]] {{Imo}} |
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| − | * |
+ | *[[Age of Rebellion - Darth Vader 1|''Age of Rebellion - Darth Vader'' 1]] {{Flash}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 18|''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith'' 18]] {{C|Mentioned only; in the opening crawl}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 19|''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith'' 19]] {{C|Mentioned only in opening crawl}} |
*''[[Leia Organa: Ordeal of the Princess]]'' {{Flash}} |
*''[[Leia Organa: Ordeal of the Princess]]'' {{Flash}} |
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*''[[Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel]]'' {{Imo}} |
*''[[Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel]]'' {{Imo}} |
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*{{Shortstory|story=Time of Death|book=From a Certain Point of View}} {{Imo}} |
*{{Shortstory|story=Time of Death|book=From a Certain Point of View}} {{Imo}} |
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*[[From a Certain Point of View (audiobook)|''From a Certain Point of View'' audiobook]] {{Imo}} |
*[[From a Certain Point of View (audiobook)|''From a Certain Point of View'' audiobook]] {{Imo}} |
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| − | * |
+ | *[[Star Wars (2015) 1|''Star Wars'' 1]] {{Imo}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader (2015) 1|''Darth Vader'' 1]] {{Imo}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader 6|''Darth Vader'' 6]] {{Imo}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader 20|''Darth Vader'' 20]] {{Imo}} |
| − | * |
+ | *[[Darth Vader 24|''Darth Vader'' 24]] {{Vision|Darth Vader}} |
| + | *[[Doctor Aphra 40|''Doctor Aphra'' 40]] {{Vision|Darth Vader}} |
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| − | * |
+ | *[[Star Wars Special: C-3PO 1|''Star Wars Special: C-3PO'' 1]] {{Imo}}}} |
===Non-canon appearances=== |
===Non-canon appearances=== |
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| Line 110: | Line 111: | ||
==Sources== |
==Sources== |
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| − | {{ |
+ | {{Scroll_box| |
*{{SWE|character|obiwankenobi|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} |
*{{SWE|character|obiwankenobi|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} |
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*{{SWE|character|anakinskywalker|Anakin Skywalker}} |
*{{SWE|character|anakinskywalker|Anakin Skywalker}} |
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[[Category:Battles of Mustafar]] |
[[Category:Battles of Mustafar]] |
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[[Category:Battles of the Great Jedi Purge]] |
[[Category:Battles of the Great Jedi Purge]] |
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| − | [[Category:Duels |
+ | [[Category:Duels]] |
Revision as of 06:08, 16 February 2020
 |  |
- "I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you."
"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over!"
"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!"
"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"
"Well, then, you are lost!" - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader
The Duel on Mustafar was a confrontation where the recently apprenticed Sith Lord Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker, fought his former best friend, and Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, on the planet Mustafar in the Outer Rim. After learning of Skywalker's downfall from Grand Master Yoda at the Jedi Temple, Kenobi arrived on Mustafar, where he attempted to reason with Vader, not believing Emperor Palpatine, also known as the Sith Master, Darth Sidious, had taken control of his mind. However, Vader no longer cared for their friendship, and quickly claimed that Kenobi was his enemy; the pair then ignited their lightsabers and locked blades, fighting through the murder scene in the Mustafarian mining complex, where Vader had recently slaughtered the members of the Separatist Council, the legislative branch of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
The fight progressed on the structures of the massive facility that hovered over the deadly lava of Mustafar. Kenobi and Vader soon found themselves trapped on a structure collection arm connected on the facility when it was separated from the facility by the lava and descended onto a hot stream. Kenobi managed to fall onto a lava skiff that was heading in the opposite direction of the fallen collection arm in the stream. Vader soon followed and jumped onto a droid collector where the two continued to fight. Kenobi managed to jump onto a high lava bend slope, and claimed that the duel was over due to his advantage. The Sith attempted to follow, but Vader, in his hubris, failed to block Kenobi's final attack, a powerful maneuver, which severed Vader's remaining organic limbs, and Vader rolled down to the edge of the lava bend, bringing the duel to an end.
Then, Kenobi—overcome with disgust and remorse over his friend's transformation—cried out that he had believed that Vader was the Chosen One and his destiny was to destroy the Sith, but instead he joined them. Unable, but most likely unwilling, to connect with his former best friend, the Sith was consumed by the fires of the lava that leaked onto the lava bend; leaving Vader to die, Kenobi retreated and took his fallen apprentice's lightsaber. Afterwards, Vader's new master, Darth Sidious, found his injured apprentice and took him back to the galactic capital of Coruscant, now known as Imperial Center, to be rebuilt; the suit that Vader donned there was one that the Dark Lord would wear for the rest of his life.
Prelude
- "You turned her against me!"
"You have done that yourself."
"You will not take her from me!"
"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that. You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."
"Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new Empire."
"Your new Empire?"
"Don't make me kill you."
"Anakin, My allegiance is to the Republic, to Democracy!"
"If you're not with me, then you're my enemy."
"Only a Sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must."
"You will try." - ―Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi, before their duel
The heavily pregnant Amidala lies unconscious after being choked by Vader.
During the Clone Wars, the Son lured Anakin Skywalker into the Well of the Dark Side and corrupted him with a premonition of the duel on Mustafar.[4] The duel began after Darth Sidious, as the newly appointed Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine, tasked Darth Vader, his new apprentice, with the assassination of the leaders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems on the volcanic Outer Rim planet Mustafar, in order to bring an end to the Clone Wars. Vader was followed to Mustafar by his wife, Senator Padmé Amidala, where he implied to her his designs to take over the Empire, saying he could overthrow Emperor Palpatine, and that he and she could rule the galaxy together, but the senator rejected this offer. He wounded her after seeing Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, his former master, whom Vader wrongly believed that Amidala had led to Mustafar in order to kill him after she discovered that Obi-Wan was right about Vader.[1]
The duel
- "It's over, Anakin! I have the high ground."
"You underestimate my power."
"Don't try it!" - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, moments before Vader attempted to attack Obi-Wan
Kenobi vs. Vader
The duel was lengthy and brutal with neither of the combatants gaining the edge as their abilities countered each other's. The duel took place across the Mustafarian mining complex, with the two combatants making their way through hallways, conference rooms, and command centers, the last of which led to their inadvertently triggering a meltdown of the facility when their misdirected weapons cut across a control panel. As a result, the facility's shielding deactivated, and the large stalks overhanging the lava river collapsed when covered with erupting lava, one of the stalks taking the two Jedi with it. The fight moved onto the lava river—where Mustafarian workers witnessed it, unaware that the Confederacy was defeated as the facility collapsed—before ending on an embankment where Obi-Wan leaped, gaining the high ground. He begged Vader not to attack, but Vader, in his anger, refused to listen and attacked, to no avail as his left arm and both legs were severed upon attack.[1]
Kenobi and Vader's final blade lock of the duel
Following an impassioned indictment by Kenobi of how Vader, believed to have been the Chosen One and meant to destroy the Sith instead of joining them, Vader's body burst into flames from the intense heat from the lava river, and he was burned alive. Unwilling to finish his defenseless enemy, Kenobi took Vader's lightsaber and remorsefully left him on the embankment for dead, before leaving the planet with the dying Amidala.[1]
Aftermath
- "Your majesty, this way!"
"There he is. He's still alive. Get a medical capsule, immediately."
"Yes, sir. Right away." - ―An Imperial shock trooper and Emperor Palpatine, upon discovering Vader's immolated body
As a result of his injuries, Vader was forced to wear a suit of armor.
Sidious sensed his apprentice's struggle from across the galaxy and personally traveled to Mustafar to retrieve him. Sidious then brought Vader back to Imperial Center, where he placed his badly wounded apprentice into a cybernetic suit of armor that would keep him alive for the rest of his life before Vader learned that he killed his wife in anger. Kenobi, meanwhile, brought Amidala to Polis Massa, where she died shortly after giving birth to her and Anakin's twins, Luke and Leia. Kenobi delivered Luke to his former apprentice's stepbrother, Owen Lars, and his wife, Beru, on Tatooine and went into exile on the same planet, where he kept watch over him[1] and took on a new name: Ben Kenobi. The final encounter between Kenobi and Vader took place many years later on the Death Star, where Vader killed his former master.[5] During the Battle of Endor, Anakin, inspired by his son, found redemption, sacrificing himself by killing Sidious and rejoining Kenobi in the Force.[6]
Behind the scenes
The duel on Mustafar was first indirectly mentioned in the 1977 original Star Wars film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. The origins of the duel traced from the original trilogy, such as the conversation between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader aboard the Death Star or Vader's numerous visible scars.[5][6] The duel itself was first depicted on-screen in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith as the climactic battle of the film.[1] By then, it had already become a highly anticipated event in Star Wars fandom.[7][8]
The duel took George Lucas nearly two weeks to complete, and only took up half of a page.[7] During the animatics stage, Steven Spielberg, Lucas' friend and a renowned Hollywood filmmaker, participated in the duel's production. Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, who played Obi-Wan and Anakin, practiced the duel constantly for several months.[7] As a result, the speed in which Vader and Kenobi engage the duel in the completed film is the speed in which it was filmed, without being digitally accelerated.[8] Lucas named the duel during an interview in the documentary Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III.[7]
In the DVD commentary of Episode III, George Lucas pointed out that during the scene in which Vader Force-chokes Obi-Wan, the latter is holding the former's lightsaber, because Obi-Wan was at one point going to take Vader's blade, and shots for this were filmed but edited out of the final cut for pacing reasons.[9]
As seen in The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith, concept art by Sang Jun Lee shows that Kenobi and Skywalker were originally intended to fight a being known as the Mustafar Monster while having the duel. This idea was scrapped by the finished version of the film.[10] Additionally, Vader was meant to beg Kenobi for help, reaching out for him, but Kenobi, while acknowledging he loved him and initially thinking he should help him, refuses to help, with Anakin's eyes turning from blue to the trademark yellow of the Sith.[11]
Controversy
Before the duel, Vader tells Kenobi, "If you are not with me, then you are my enemy!" Kenobi responds with "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." George Lucas intended for this line to reflect what he believed to be the viewers' views on then President of the United States George W. Bush's War on Terror, particularly Bush's black-and-white views of the world.[12]
Appearances
Non-canon appearances
- Revenge of the Sith: Episode III (LEGO Star Wars)
- William Shakespeare's Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge: Star Wars Part the Third
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Crisis on Coruscant" (In flashback(s))
Sources
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Since the senatorial arrests are stated by Star Wars: The Rebel Files as taking place no later than one day after the Proclamation of the New Order, and
Rebels Recon: Inside "The Siege of Lothal" on StarWars.com (backup link) establishing that Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were born no later than two days after the proclamation, and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith demonstrating that the birth of Luke and Leia took place on Polis Massa following the Duel on Mustafar, it can be deduced that the senatorial arrests took place concurrently to the duel on Mustafar, as well as the duel in the Galactic Senate, as they are concurrent.
- ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Ghosts of Mortis"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith audio commentary
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith DVD commentary
- ↑ The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ http://whenanangelfalls.tumblr.com/post/146077883540/revenge-of-the-sith-deleted-scene-a-cry-for
- ↑ Chris Taylor. How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise. New York, New York, USA: Basic Books, 2014-2015. Pp. 342. "Episode III, however, was written around the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. In the Bay Area, protests against the Iraq War and [President] Bush were as hard to avoid as Vietnam and Nixon were during the writing of "Star Wars," especially for a self-confessed news junkie like Lucas. Suddenly, after Anakin Skywalker is first dubbed Darth Vader and confronts Obi-Wan, we find him using this line: 'If you're not with me, you're my enemy.' Few adult listeners at the time would fail to pick up a reference to Bush's line in his speech to Congress on September 20, 2001: 'Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.' Obi-Wan's response would have cheered the heart of every voter who felt some nuance was lost in Bush's black-and-white worldview: 'Only a Sith deals in absolutes.' Promoting the film later, Lucas would declare his hostility to Bush for the first time, publicly comparing him to Nixon and Iraq to Vietnam. 'I didn't think it would get this close,' he told reporters at Cannes. The endless circle of politics, as Darth Vader might say, was now complete."