Obi-Wan Kenobi: Beneath the Helmet - A Fan Theory

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Beneath the Helmet - A Fan Theory | Anakin and His Angel
Please note: This post contains major spoilers from the finale.

During the duel between former Master and Apprentice in the finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi, part of Anakin’s face can be seen after Obi-Wan slices Darth Vader’s helmet open.

Obi-Wan tearfully exclaims, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Anakin. For all of it.” Darth Vader responds with, “I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker. I did.

While he says this, the blue hue from Obi-Wan’s blade shines on Vader’s face. Is this Anakin, the "good", coming through for a split second after witnessing Obi-Wan’s sorrowful apology? Did he say this to prevent his Master from experiencing continued guilt? You’ll notice that directly before and after this moment, the lighting on Vader’s face is red from his own blade.


Obi-Wan Kenobi: Beneath the Helmet - A Fan Theory | Anakin and His Angel
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Beneath the Helmet - A Fan Theory | Anakin and His Angel
(Photo Credit: Star Wars Shots)

We know the story. There’s always been good in Vader, and we’ve seen it come through before. So, I think this is something that could have very well been intentionally done. I personally think it adds even more emotional weight to this scene, as gut-wrenching as it already is. Through clothing, lighting, and scenery, color is something that plays a very prominent role in the various media we consume, often representing character emotions, statuses, pasts and futures.

While I noticed the color of the lighting on Anakin’s face changing, it was my husband Jason who recognized the correlation between Vader’s response and the blue light on his face. In that moment, during our second re-watch, my heart broke all over again. And as much as it hurt, their duel was my absolute favorite scenes in the finale.

Edit: After hearing from many of you via social media that you agree with this theory, some of you even mentioned the color of Anakin's eyes shifting from yellow to blue in this scene. I was watching his eyes but only noticed the yellow. I'll definitely be going back and utilizing the pause feature to check this out. I thought you might want to look for it as well!


Also...
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Beneath the Helmet - A Fan Theory | Anakin and His Angel
(Credit: Mashimero)


Twitter user, Mashimero, was at theater last night where they streamed Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Toronto Marathon Screening as well as the Q&A afterwards. As you can see above, we now have confirmation from Hayden Christensen himself that our theory about this scene was correct! I am speechless. I

What did you think of this scene? Did you notice the lighting? Let me know in a comment below or get in touch with me on Instagram or Twitter.

4 comments

  1. Absolutely agree. I had the same thoughts regarding the use of the lightsaber illumination on Vader's face. I definitely think it was beautifully done and told a much deeper story than the words spoken in this seen.

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  2. I 100% agree! My first viewing, I let everything go by as I cried uncontrollably as I'm sure most of us did lol but I did notice the saber colors on his face as he spoke. Watching it a second time, I took note of what color was displayed during what piece of dialogue and when he says the line "I did" and saw that it was blue, I knew it had to be intentional. and much like you said, my heart was also broken all over again.

    This is a wonderful theory and I am glad I wasn't alone at seeing it. I hope this catches on and people can watch this scene again with a new perspective and understanding

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  3. I had the same thoughts as well. The lighting as well as the fighting style. I noticed when i watched REVENGE before OBI-WAN KENOBI stared, that when Anakin becames Vader, he 'stabs' the younglings and 'slashes' at the Trade Federation. When Anakin killed the Tuskens, he cut them in half. In his confession afterward to Padme and when she comforts him about his anger, he says, "I am a Jedi, i know i am better than this". Anakin FOUGHT against Vader evert day. All I could here over and over in my mind was Padme, "There's good in him. I know there is still good in him."

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  4. I had this SAME thought! Absolutely agree. It made it so much more painful. He's always been conflicted. It also lends background to the ROTJ line "Obi-Wan once thought as you do."

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