Star Wars: Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker’s top 15 moments

Photo Credit:[Star Wars: A New Hope] Lucasfilm

8. Vader’s duel with Obi-Wan

Over the course of the Star Wars saga, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi have two lightsaber duels. And in one of the franchises most compelling parallels, the duels are actually complete inversions of one another.

The pair’s first in-universe confrontation is drawn out and incredibly intense. Their second is comparatively sedate and only lasts a few minutes. In the first, both men are overwhelmed by emotion, but in the second they are both fairly detached. And each dualist has undergone significant changes in time between lightsaber fight.

Initially, both men are young and full of vigor and while Anakin is the more natural Force adept, Obi-Wan has the edge in experience. Later, the fighters are older and tentative in their strikes. Where years of non-use have atrophied Kenobi’s skills and connection to the Force, Vader’s swordsmanship is sharp and he practically radiates with dark power.

However despite their differences, both of Vader and Kenobi’s duels end the same way. The man who walks away leaves the battleground with no satisfaction. And the person who is struck down has not been defeated for good.

The duels also represent crucial points in Vader’s life. In the first he reaches his personal nadir, failing as a Sith Lord, as a warrior and as a man. In the second, he learns that for all his years of devotion and natural faculty with the Force, it still kept secrets from him.

It’s also worth noting that in duels between Anakin and Obi-Wan, for all their narrative and emotional weight, end up with very little resolve.