'Star Wars' Theory: What If Anakin Defeated Obi-Wan On Mustafar?
The Star Wars franchise is filled with many "What if?" type of questions. One might wonder how different things would have been had pivotal moments in the saga gone differently. One such pivotal moment is the duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar at the end of Revenge of the Sith. So let's speculate about what might have happened had Darth Vader defeated Obi-Wan.
In order to truly defeat Obi-Wan, Vader would have had to kill his former master. As has been speculated, Vader may not have been using his full dark side potential, seeing as how his eyes are not Sith yellow during the duel. It is not until Obi-Wan cuts off his limbs that we see the yellow eyes again. Maybe Vader could have won by not jumping onto the shore, or maybe he could have won earlier by unleashing his full dark side potential during the duel and not holding back. In any case, let us just assume the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is prior to him receiving the training to become a Force ghost, so Vader striking him down in this case might not have made the Jedi more powerful than he could have imagined.
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We have actually seen this type of scenario play out in an alternate ending for the Revenge of the Sith video game. Here, Vader leaped over Kenobi on the shore and stabbed him in the back and through the chest. This was then followed by the arrival of Emperor Palpatine and some clone troopers. Palpatine presented Vader with his red-bladed lightsaber, which Vader then used to kill Palpatine right then and there. Vader then told the clone troopers that the galaxy belonged to him now.
In light of what we know from canon, this type of ending seems highly unlikely. In Charles Soule's comic series Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, Vader had to corrupt a Jedi's kyber crystal in order to create his red-bladed lightsaber. It feels too convenient for Sidious to just have one ready as he's on his way to check on Vader, whom he had sensed was in danger. More likely, Palpatine probably would have wanted Vader to corrupt the crystal his own blue-bladed lightsaber, or perhaps even that of his former master. In the comic series, he has to seek out and kill a Jedi and then corrupt that Jedi's crystal, so corrupting the one from his former master would have been the ultimate test in this scenario.
That being said, Vader could have still used his own blue-bladed lightsaber (or maybe even looted Kenobi's and dual-wielded) to try and kill Sidious. I highly doubt that Sidious would not have seen it coming. If Vader did kill him, however, I believe that the clone troopers would not have been loyal to Vader. Sidious is someone who has contingencies, so he probably would have had his own agents in play trying to eliminate Vader in the case of his death. Vader could have killed the clone troopers present, but he would have still become an enemy of the Empire. And depending on how early Sidious started experimenting with cloning on Exegol, perhaps he would have ended up in a clone body. Whether or not it would have been strong enough to contain him is difficult to say.
The alternate video game ending also seems to disregard the fact that Padme has been injured. Vader might have been evil, but he still would have worried about Padme. After killing Kenobi, he likely would have gone to check up on her right away. Artoo and Threepio got her aboard her ship and were waiting for Kenobi. In the novelization of the film, the droids witness a bit of the duel from afar, which makes one wonder whether they would have been able to witness Kenobi's demise.
With Vader's return without Kenobi, perhaps the droids would have tried taken off without him. Depending on how soon they try fly away, perhaps Vader would have tried using the Force to pull the ship down. If it got too chaotic, maybe the ship would have crashed, thus killing the droids, Padme, and the unborn children, thus sending Vader spiraling out of control. With this incident, maybe he would have gone mad and unleashed the power of the dark side against Sidious upon his arrival.
The winner of such a duel is anyone's guess, but perhaps Vader would have stood a chance, not being confined in the suit and all. Plus, he is the Chosen One, so perhaps I am not giving him enough credit, and he could kill this Sith. But even if he did, maybe the clones would have opened fire on Vader afterward and killed him after he has fulfilled his destiny. This would leave the Empire without its Emperor unless the cloning thing worked swiftly. Perhaps Sidious had someone in mind to rule in his place in the interim.
But let's say Vader is somehow successful getting aboard Padme's ship. He would have seen his dying wife and regretted his actions. Whether it be Polis Massa or elsewhere, maybe even aboard the ship itself, the babies could possibly have been delivered alive. It is unknown whether Padme would have lost the will to live. On the one hand, Vader killed Kenobi and many others. On the other hand, perhaps seeing Anakin repent and trying to save her and the babies would have been enough to keep her fighting for life. Whether she lived or died, Anakin would have probably tried running far away from the Empire, trying with the help of the droids to keep the babies safe.
But whether it would have taken a short while or a long while, I have a feeling that Sidious and the Empire would have eventually found them, just as Krennic found the Ersos. And in one last stand to protect his children, Anakin would have tried to strike down Sidious if he were the one who arrived. Again, he is the Chosen One, so maybe he could have killed him. But then maybe the Empire would have accused him of treason and either eliminated or captured him, the fate of his family in question, as it could all go either way.
Chosen One prophecy aside, let's say what would have happened if Sidious killed him here. Then the children would have been taken and trained in the dark side, which would have been bad news for the entire galaxy. Maybe the twins would have eventually teamed up against Sidious to take his place. Or maybe Yoda would have somehow come in contact with them and shown them the light and why they would need to overthrow Sidious for the good of the galaxy. But again, there is still the cloning on Exegol to consider. Whether or not Leia would have met Han Solo in this alternate scenario and eventually had a child with him is unknown, but the lack of one might have made events of the sequel era very different. Somehow, Palpatine would return one way or another, and he would need to be defeated.
Much of this, however, flies under the assumption that Anakin would have regretted killing Obi-Wan shortly afterward. Vader lusts for power, and he very well could have stood by Sidious' side, even if Padme and the droids got away, and he might have spent years trying to find his children. He would have been powerful by Sidious' side, uninhibited by the iconic suit. But I truly believe that, in the end, Anakin cares most about his family, and the light would have won him over sooner or later.
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