Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Darth Vader reveal gives Star Wars fans “chills”

This is where the fun begins: Obi-Wan Kenobi dropped on Disney+ today, and its opening episodes gave Star Wars fans a “chilling” Darth Vader reveal. 

In 1977’s A New Hope, we watched Obi-Wan sacrifice himself in a duel with Vader. “I’ve been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner, but now I am the master… you should not have come back,” he told him.

In the prequels, we saw the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and his relationship with Obi-Wan, culminating in a duel of the fates on Mustafar. For years, that was assumed to be their last moment together before the eventual face-off on the Death Star.

Until now. 17 years after Revenge of the Sith, Ewan McGregor has returned as Obi-Wan alongside Hayden Christensen as the iconic Sith Lord, and the stage is set for an all-time moment in the Star Wars canon. It’s going to be the “rematch of the century.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi spoilers to follow, you’ve been warned…

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Darth Vader reveal explained

Towards the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s second episode, Reva (Moses Ingram), an Inquisitor hunting down Jedi, reveals to Obi-Wan that Anakin is still alive after being left to die in the ashes of Mustafar. Now ruling the Empire as Lord Vader, Reva warns Obi-Wan he won’t be able to hide from him forever.

In the closing moments, Obi-Wan is clearly distressed by the news, having assumed he’d died after their duel. “Anakin,” he utters, before it cuts to Anakin in his bacta tank, surrounding by water and apparatus. The episode cuts to black on his breaths; the man he once was is gone, he’s now Darth Vader.

• Read More: Dexerto’s thoughts on Obi-Wan Kenobi episodes 1 & 2

The vast majority of what we saw in the trailers can be found in the first two episodes, so it’s an exciting path ahead for the series, with Vader desperate to find Obi-Wan.

Star Wars fans stunned by Darth Vader reveal

One fan tweeted: “The sound that came out of my mouth when it cut from Obi-Wan saying Anakin’s name to Vader in the bacta tank was inhuman and should probably be illegal,” while another wrote: “Obi-Wan finding out Anakin is alive gave me chills seeing him at the end of episode 2.”

A third wrote: “Obi-Wan’s horrified reaction to discovering Anakin has been alive all this time then cutting to unmasked Vader i’m feeling dizzy.”

A fourth tweeted: “Obi-Wan finding out that Anakin is alive is my villain origin story. You can tell he’s so relieved, yet so distressed about this news.”

The third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi will hit Disney+ next Friday, June 3.