Summary
If our feelings for it had weakened in the past, our love for Star Wars returned today.
This recap of Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1, episode 6, “Part VI,” — the finale and ending explained — contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
My love for Star Wars dissipated after The Last Jedi. Not because of the film. I loved it. The toxic reaction from certain quarters of the fanbase set aside my feelings for the series. The Universe became too divisive. There were too many debates. A story that is meant to unite people did everything it was not meant to do.
If our feelings for it had weakened in the past, our love for Star Wars returned today. Let’s recap the finale and ending of Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1.
Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1, episode 6 recap – the finale and ending explained
Episode 6 opens with Reva on Tatooine. She’s looking for farmer Owen. Meanwhile, Darth Vader and the Empire are chasing the ship Obi-Wan and company are on. Obi-Wan knows the shields will not hold out for long, and the hyperdrive is unlikely to work. He knows he needs a plan. Obi-Wan tells Leia that he needs to leave the ship because Darth Vader wants him, not them. He believes it will buy Roken and his people time. Leia refuses to accept the plan, but Obi-Wan is adamant and asks Haja to take Leia back to safety. Obi-Wan is prepared to face Darth Vader and settle their past once and for all. It only gets better if you haven’t had goosebumps by now.
Meanwhile, Owen learns that Reva is coming for him. He tells his wife they need to leave, but she doesn’t want to. She wants to defend their home.
Obi-Wan scurries off in an escape ship with the Lola droid. Darth Vader chooses to follow Obi-Wan rather than take down the ship’s occupants, just as his former Master predicted. Darth Vader cannot help himself. He wants to face Obi-Wan Kenobi alone.
Obi-Wan settles on a planet and nestles Lola on the ship’s dashboard. He sighs, knowing that he once again has to face the man he saw as a brother to him. Darth Vader lands on the same planet, which is foggy and dark. The scene is set. There’s a horror that Obi-Wan has to face. I applaud the production behind this series for choosing to make Darth Vader into a horror villain.
Meanwhile, Reva arrives at Owen’s home, and the alarms go off. Owen and his wife ambush her. Reva and Owen face each other, but Reva easily bats him away. The young Luke runs away into the distance, and an angry Reva chases after him.
But let’s be honest. What happens with young Luke and his family is hardly a focal point at this stage of the finale. Darth Vader walks toward Obi-Wan. It’s almost ceremonial and has a feeling of inevitability. Obi-Wan says the famous line, “I will do what I must,” and he brings out his lightsaber. Oh boy, the thrills we once endured in Revenge of the Sith come rushing back, but it feels like an earned moment. Our patience has been rewarded.
Obi-Wan and Darth Vader duel with intent and purpose. This is personal. This is historic. This is everything that the audience wants. There’s no holding back between them. Darth Vader recognizes that Obi-Wan’s strength has returned, but he uses his powers to crumble the floor beneath him and buries him with rubble. Darth Vader walks away, believing he is victorious. The common theme between these two is that they underestimate each other in the most important moments.
Of course, Obi-Wan is not defeated. He refuses to be beaten as he uses the force to move away the rubble above him. He thinks of Leia and Luke and everything that is at stake. The debris moves with ease, and he jumps out.
And so, at this point, the finale spoils the fans, and we are not complaining. Obi-Wan and Darth Vader duel again. This time Obi-Wan seems stronger, and he throws a wave of rubble at Darth Vader. Darth Vader struggles to duel with Obi-Wan after taking a few blows; he’s wheezing and weak — it’s almost like moving in a robot suit is not feasible against a formidable opponent. He takes a fatal blow to the head from Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, revealing a disfigured part of his face. This is another incredible moment and well-timed. Seeing Darth Vader vulnerable is a turning point in what this series represents.
Obi-Wan is shocked at what his old friend’s face looks like and calls him “Anakin.” Darth Vader states that Anakin is gone, and “this is what remains.” Obi-Wan looks at him with sadness and apologizes for everything he’s done. Darth Vader states he is not “his failure.” He explains that Obi-Wan did not kill Anakin Skywalker, but “I did,” referring to himself as Darth Vader. Obi-Wan’s eyes fill with tears as Darth Vader declares he will destroy him. Obi-Wan knows his friend is truly gone and walks away. Darth Vader screams after him, but once again, he’s alone, just like in Revenge of the Sith.
Back in Tatooine, Reva finds Luke unconscious, and as she’s about to kill him, she’s reminded of the time Anakin Skywalker attacked her as a youngling, and she hesitates with her lightsaber.
Obi-Wan returns to Owen and his wife and learns that Luke is missing. But then, in a wonderful twist, Reva carries the young Luke to them. She couldn’t kill him. Reva sobs, and she’s upset that she failed to kill Darth Vader and get revenge for what he did to the younglings. Obi-Wan tells her she chose mercy and that who she becomes next is up to her.
A recovered Darth Vader tells Emperor Palpatine that they will destroy everything in their path to destroy Obi-Wan. Palpatine suggests that Darth Vader is weakened by feelings for his old friend. Darth Vader changes tune and states that “Kenobi means nothing” and that he only serves Palpatine. He calls him “Master,” and the soundtrack for Darth Vader rings around him. This is a pivotal moment in the timeline. This was when Darth Vader needed to prove that his feelings were not weakening him and that his dark ambitions were paramount. He had to choose to leave Obi-Wan Kenobi alone.
Leia is back with her family, safe and sound. Obi-Wan visits her, and she’s delighted to be reunited with Lola. Obi-Wan tells Leia that she’s wise and has similar qualities to her mother, but that she’s also passionate, fierce, and forthright, which are similar to her father. He wishes he could tell her more. Leia accepts his affirmations and wonders if she’ll see him again in the future. Obi-Wan suggests they may do, but if they cross paths, no one must know of their connection, or it will endanger them. Obi-Wan’s parting line is “may the force be with you.”
Well done to the writers for addressing canon here; we know the most extreme side of the fanbase keeps questioning the moment when the older Princess Leia meets Obi-Wan in the future, and they do not reference the past.
The ending
At this point, audiences may be emotionally exhausted, but the finale brings two more pivotal moments to end the series.
Obi-Wan visits Owen again. He tells Owen he’s right — that Luke “needs to be a boy,” and the future will take care of itself. He tells Owen to take care of him. As Obi-Wan walks away, Owen gives him permission to meet Luke. And so, Obi-Wan meets Luke Skywalker properly for the first time since a baby and says, “hello there.”
As Obi-Wan goes back into hiding, he is confronted by the force ghost of Master Qui-Gon in another monumental moment. Qui-Gon tells him he’s been here all this time but that he “just needed to see.” He asks Obi-Wan Kenobi to follow him. Another amazing moment in the finale, making it difficult for audiences to choose which scene was their favorite.
This series fits nicely into the Skywalker series and is highly rewatchable.
What did you think of Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1, episode 6 (finale), and the ending? Comment below.
