Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi follow. For more on the series, check out our reviews of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Premiere and Obi Wan Kenobi episode 2.
We were promised Revenge of the Century between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. While the third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi does not enough delivering on that front for now, Darth Vader’s presence elevates what might otherwise have been a slightly weaker follow-up to last week’s solid one-two combo. It also helps that the specter of Vader looms large throughout the episode – there’s a scene on Mustafar, in which Reva composes in an attempt to further her career, and an apparition of Anakin appears on the colony. Mapuzo mining – before unleashing the iconic villain at full power.
Before the saber duel, Obi-Wan and Leia, now affectionately known as “Little Leia” on social media, slowly make their way to the nearest spaceport in Mapuzo. After a nice back and forth between the two, Leia signals Freck (voiced by Zach Braff) to try and get past the Empire’s legion of Stormtroopers stationed on the planet.
As a trip, it’s enough rote and highlights the issues with the prequels as a whole. The episode spends a lot of time trying to make Obi-Wan and Leia look more and more vulnerable, but we know that both characters get away with it on the other side. At least Freck, the Empire’s head sucker, offers an intriguing window into who would welcome the Empire, not resist it. Obi-Wan’s revelation that he may have had a sibling also offers some tantalizing lore implications that are sure to be devoured in Reddit threads and forums for years to come. Expect the Obi-Two spin-off to drop on Disney Plus in 2026.
Away from Mapuzo, the Inquisitors meet again. In the previous episode, the group looked more like bickering kids. Here, Moses Ingram’s Reva commands a slightly more complex scene. While internal Empire politics almost always comes down to who gets to stab someone in the back first, it’s refreshing to see Sung Kang’s fifth brother retaliate in venomous fashion as the struggle to hold on to the sides of Vader rumbles.
Later, after a slip from Leia/Luma, Freck sells his hitchhikers to the Empire, and we get a snippet of action. Where the first two episodes floundered a bit in this regard – hello, Force backflips – here it’s much snappier and Ewan McGregor is clearly much more comfortable in his choreography. Leia and Obi-Wan are rescued by Imperial spy Tala (Indira Varma, continuing the series’ pattern of strong one-off performances) and quickly rush through a secret tunnel system to help them escape the planet. Except Obi-Wan isn’t going. He feels Something and tells Tala to accompany Leia as he faces an impending threat.
If you weren’t already out of breath during Anakin’s “cameo” earlier in the episode, you will be by this point. The show gets it all on Darth Vader. He’s both the classic Vader from the original trilogy, with the thundering voice of James Earl Jones, and the horror slasher from Rogue One. He even chokes innocent people as he searches for Obi-Wan, providing a threat as fearsome as seen in Star Wars media.
For Obi-Wan, things only get worse. As Vader stalks him across the barren plains, Obi-Wan chooses not to fight. Instead, he runs. At first it’s a little deflating but it makes perfect sense for the character. The Jedi Master is not the force – pun unintentionally – that he once was. When the two finally face off, it’s a complete mismatch. Instead of crossing lightsabers, the two exchange words. “What have you become? Obi-Wan yells. Vader’s pragmatic response causes more pain than any flesh wound: “I am what you made me.”
When attacking, Vader slaps Obi-Wan as if he were a cat playing with his prey. The lightsaber battle was never going to be at the Duel of the Fates level of expertise but, as a defeated character, Vader slashing and slashing violently as Obi-Wan struggled to defend himself. It hits as hard as any complex battle.
With Obi-Wan broken and beaten, Vader has one last trick up his robotic sleeve. With a touch of irony that would make the Emperor proud, the Sith Lord attempts to burn Obi-Wan, just as he left Anakin for dead in the lava banks of Mustafar. He even drags Obi-Wan’s shattered body through the fire in one particularly sharp moment. Their reunion is filled with flashes that are both brutal and instantly iconic, but also worth the 15+ year wait. If there was any fear that Obi-Wan and Anakin’s pre-A New Hope reunion would fall flat, it helps silence the doubters in amazing ways.
Obi-Wan, of course, lives to fight another day. Tala rushes in and saves the Jedi, while Reva meets Leia at the end of the tunnel and collects her golden ticket to join the upper ranks of the Empire. It’s not quite the punch of the ending to The Empire Strikes Back, but it goes in the same direction. The heroes have lost and the future is unknown. Our only hope is that Obi-Wan finds some advice – from Qui-Gon Jinn or otherwise – to set him back on the right track. Rematch, anyone?
For more on Obi-Wan Kenobi, check out our interviews with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen on their best memories from filming the show and how their characters’ relationship changedas well as Christensen on why he didn’t talk to george lucas before returning as Darth Vader and Moses Ingram on the role of the galaxy’s new villainReva.
For everything else coming soon from the galaxy far, far away, check out our guide to all the upcoming star wars movies and TV shows.
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