- "Have you come to destroy me, Obi-Wan?"
"I will do what I must."
"Then you will die." - ―Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi
The fight on a barren moon[4] was a lightsaber duel fought between Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader on a barren moon,[2] taking place in the moon's dry lands and a labyrinth of rock pinnacles[5] during the Great Jedi Purge.
Prelude[]
- "I have to face him, Master. Whether he dies or I do, this ends today."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, attempting to speak to his deceased master, Qui-Gon Jinn before the fight
The Jedi Master had lured the Sith Lord to the moon in a bid to give the Hidden Path time to escape.[2] Kenobi confronted Vader not far from the Dark Lord's landing site. His former apprentice asked if he was ready to finish their battle to which Kenobi ignited his lightsaber and reaffirmed his resolve, assuming a classic defensive stance. The Sith Lord replied with murderous intent before igniting his own saber and striking the first blow.[2]
The Duel[]
- "Your strength has returned. But the weakness still remains. [...] And that is why you will always lose."
- ―Darth Vader to Obi-Wan Kenobi
Both Jedi and Sith initially fought evenly against each other with Vader's strikes, slashes, lunges, and ripostes met by Kenobi's blocks, parries, dodges, and counterstrikes.[2] Kenobi soon sought to end the duel by landing two strong, sudden blows on Vader's blade to knock the Dark Lord off-balance and telekinetically dislodge a nearby pillar on top of him but Vader caught it with his own abilities.[2] The Sith Lord acknowledged that his former master had lost none of his power but quickly boasted he was still no match for him. Vader swiftly proceeded to gain the upper hand, pummeling Kenobi with lightsaber strikes, force-guided boulders, and his own armored fist before using his power to collapse the ground beneath him and bury him alive by collapsing the stone columns around them. Declaring his victory, the Sith Lord turned and left for his shuttle.[2]
Kenobi had survived but was slowly being crushed by the combined weight of the rubble and his own guilt. However, thoughts of his young charges allowed him to put his feelings aside and find the strength he needed to blast himself free before setting off to re-engage the Dark Lord. He caught Vader before he reached his shuttle, attempting to cut him down from behind only to meet the Sith Lord's blade instead.[2]
Abandoning his customary defense, Kenobi launched a furious lightsaber assault that drove Vader back. The Dark Lord attempted to catch Kenobi's blade with telekinesis but the Jedi Master quickly broke his hold and retaliated by pushing him into a distant pillar.[2] Taking advantage of his momentarily dazed opponent, Kenobi used his powers to lift the rocky debris around them and hurl it at Vader in a massive telekinetic onslaught. Vader frantically attempted to retake the offensive but Kenobi soon recovered and renewed his attack.[2]
The two former brothers-in-arms traded saber blows and grapples before Kenobi used his lightsaber pommel to smash Vader's chest control panel unit, heavily damaging his armor's life support system.[2] The Sith Lord managed to block a killing strike from the Jedi Master but Kenobi hit him from behind with a piece of force-propelled debris. Desperate, Vader made a overhead strike that Kenobi dodged and immediately countered with a slash that caught the Dark Lord in the back, driving him to his knees.[2] Forcing himself back to his feet, Vader once again struck at Kenobi only to blocked and telekinetically pushed back against a pile of debris. Kenobi then launched himself at the Sith Lord in a running leaping slash, avoiding Vader's counterstrike and slicing open his helmet.[2]
Aftermath[]
- "Anakin."
"Anakin is gone. I am what remains."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Anakin. For all of it."
"I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn't kill Anakin Skywalker. I did. The same way I will destroy you!"
"Then my friend is truly dead. Goodbye, Darth." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader
At first, Kenobi moved back and assumed a ready stance but stood down as Vader visibly struggled. The sight of the Sith Lord's scarred face stunned Kenobi into calling him by his old name; he attempted to apologize to his former apprentice for everything that had happened between them. Vader responded by proclaiming he had fully embraced his new identity and reaffirmed his hatred of Kenobi. Upon hearing this, the Jedi Master finally let go of his guilt and departed with the belief that his friend was truly gone, ignoring the Dark Lord's impotent screams of rage.[2] He would later describe Vader as "twisted" and "more machine than man" to his new Padawan: Anakin Skywalker's son, Luke.[6]
Behind the scenes[]
The fight on a barren moon first appeared in the sixth episode of the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series,[2] which aired on June 22, 2022.[7] The scenes on the moon were filmed in[8] the virtual LED set[9] known as the Volume. Ewan McGregor, the actor who played Kenobi, was suspended with wires when his character sliced off his mask. Vader was attached to wires for when he was Force pushed by Kenobi.[8]
According to Stuart Beattie, writer for Obi-Wan Kenobi, the idea that Kenobi could confront Vader was based on the film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. There is dialogue where Luke Skywalker tells Vader "I know there is good in you," who responds "Obi-Wan once thought as you do." Obi-Wan Kenobi retroactively had this dialogue reference the fight on a barren moon, where Kenobi thinks there is still good in him.[10]
Appearances[]
- "This is Obi-Wan" — Meet the Galactic Heroes
- Obi-Wan Kenobi — "Part VI" (First appearance)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi 6
- Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (First mentioned) (Indirect mention only) (Retcon)
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi junior novelization (Indirect mention only) (Retcon)
- The Return of the Jedi - The Film Novel (Indirect mention only) (Retcon)
- Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side! (Indirect mention only) (Retcon)
- "From a Certain Point of View" — From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi (In flashback(s))
Sources[]
- This Week! in Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi Props, LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return | Official Trailer on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- "Decoding Darth Vader" — Star Wars Insider 214 (First identified as fight on a barren moon)
- "Return of the Jedi: The End of the Beginning" — Star Wars Insider 217 (Indirect mention only)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 223
- 1:10 Scale Statues (Pack: Darth Vader) (backup link)
- barren moon in the Databank (backup link)
- Darth Vader in the Databank (backup link)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Obi-Wan Kenobi — "Part V"
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 Obi-Wan Kenobi — "Part VI"
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi to 9 BBY. Therefore, the events of "Part VI," including the fight on the barren moon, must be set in 9 BBY.
- ↑ "Decoding Darth Vader" — Star Wars Insider 214
- ↑ 1:10 Scale Statues (Pack: Darth Vader) (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- ↑ Everything New You Can Stream on Disney+ in June 2022 on D23.com (backup link)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return
- ↑ Inside the 17-year journey to reunite Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen for Obi-Wan Kenobi by Ross, Dalton on Entertainment Weekly (March 10, 2022) (archived from the original on March 10, 2022)
- ↑ Darth Vader Originally Won Obi-Wan Kenobi's Final Battle (Exclusive) by Johnson, Nathan on thedirect.com (July 6, 2022) (archived from the original on July 6, 2022)