The final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered on Disney+ this past Wednesday, and to mark the occasion, director Deborah Chow and star Hayden Christensen attended a special Q&A event in Toronto, Canada. Collider was on hand for that and got to ask the actor about the epic final lightsaber battle between Darth Vader and his former Master.
The battle culminated with Obi-Wan defeating Vader, and with the Sith Lord partially unmasked, the two old friends shared an emotional exchange which saw the Jedi realise just far his friend has fallen thanks to the Dark Side's influence.
Talking about the scene, Christensen said, "It was a very emotional scene to shoot, and obviously a very important one. It was something that I think everyone was very aware of just, like, stepping out on set that day. There was a very different feeling. For both Ewan and I, it was a rather emotional experience, and I think that comes across onscreen."
While the site didn't share specific quotes, their report mentions talking to the actor about the moment Vader's helmet is broken open and how it parallels a similar exchange between the villain and Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars Rebels. Apparently, Christensen watched that "several times" as part of his preparation, and this isn't the first time he's credited those animated TV shows.
Both Rebels and The Clone Wars were seemingly key to tapping into Anakin again, and this may go some way in explaining why the two scenes did end up feeling so similar. The symmetry hasn't been lost on fans as Ahsoka destroyed the right-hand side of Vader's mask, while Obi-Wan broke the left.
However, only Luke Skywalker was able to get his father to finally remove it and become Anakin again.
What did you think of Obi-Wan Kenobi's big final battle?