Here’s What Would Happen if Obi-Wan Killed Anakin

When it comes to the Star Wars world, there are many “what if” stories that fans tend to look at because some things would have changed if certain characters just did things differently. In that regard, we know that one of the events that fans often look at when it comes to their “what if” stories is the battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, wherein the Jedi Master simply left his former Padawan for dead on Mustafar without delivering the killing blow. We all know that Anakin survived to become the dreaded Darth Vader. So, what would have happened if Obi-Wan killed Anakin?

Nothing much would have changed in Obi-Wan killed Anakin. That’s because, at that point, the Empire had already won, and Palpatine got what he wanted when he destroyed the Jedi Order. There’s also a chance that Anakin’s death would have been detrimental to the Rebels in the future.

In a way, Anakin needed to fall to the dark side and survive his encounter with Obi-Wan for the prophecy of the Chosen One to come true. His survival was the will of the Force because everything that happened after his duel with Obi-Wan led to the Empire’s eventual fall. So, with that said, let’s look at what would have happened if Obi-Wan killed Anakin.

Sidious Still Won

When Anakin fell to the dark side after betraying the Jedi to allow Palpatine to kill Mace Windu, things started to go Palpatine’s way. Palpatine initiated Order 66 right after he secured Anakin’s allegiance. He also ordered his new apprentice to go to the Jedi Temple to slaughter the Jedi that were there. As such, the Jedi Order had already lost most of its Jedi before the duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

The duel between the former master-and-student duo happened because Yoda thought this was their best last-ditch effort to try to stop the rise of the Empire. Yoda went to Sidious to try to kill him. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan fought Anakin in a fated duel that was bound to happen. And we all know that Kenobi won that fight but left Anakin for dead when he got burned by the lava of Mustafar.

However, let’s not forget that it was shown in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series that Obi-Wan thought Anakin died right there. That means that nothing would have changed regarding the final outcome because the Empire still won even if Kenobi did indeed kill Anakin. The fact that Yoda failed to kill Palpatine doomed the chances of the Jedi Order in that last-ditch effort to defeat the Sith. Even if Obi-Wan killed Anakin, the end result would remain the same because Palpatine would still be in power.

Nothing Much Would Have Changed

Nothing much would have changed because the Empire would have won even if Obi-Wan Kenobi had killed Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi Order would have still been destroyed, and the remaining Jedi in the galaxy would have tried to stay hidden to survive the wrath of the Empire. Anakin’s death would not have changed that Sidious was still the emperor and had control over the entire Empire.

The status quo would not have changed because the emperor would still have supreme control over the Imperial military and would have still continued to scour the galaxy for any surviving Jedi. The only thing that would have changed was his enforcer. Darth Vader acted as the one that enforced Palpatine’s will as he killed any Jedi that survived and hunted down any Rebels that tried to rise up against the Empire.

Because Palpatine always manipulated people to do things for him, he would have simply replaced Anakin with a new apprentice, as there were still Jedi that he could have tempted to the dark side to become his new apprentice. On top of that, there were also other Force-sensitive people that he would have eventually found and trained in the ways of the Sith.

In that regard, Palpatine’s reign would not have changed if Obi-Wan had killed Anakin. He would have still been the emperor and continued terrorizing the galaxy and hunting down any Jedi that survived the events of Order 66. This explains why Obi-Wan didn’t kill Anakin in their second duel in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. He understood that killing his former Padawan would not have changed anything.

The Empire Would Reign Perpetually

Originally, Palpatine wanted Anakin because he might have wanted to eventually take over his body by transferring his essence into someone whose potential in the Force was at an all-time high. But we all know Vader’s potential diminished when he got injured in that duel against Obi-Wan. Still, the fact is that Anakin was still the Chosen One that was supposed to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith.

So, because Anakin survived that fight with Obi-Wan, he still had a chance to redeem himself, and that chance came when he chose to save his son, Luke Skywalker, by betraying the emperor during the events of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Anakin’s sacrifice allowed him to fulfill the prophecy of the Chosen One, as he destroyed the Sith and brought balance to the Force.

But if Obi-Wan had killed Anakin, the prophecy would not have happened. Darth Sidious would have found a way to continue to reign perpetually by transferring his essence to younger bodies or clones whenever he got too old to reign. In that regard, Palpatine would have been an endless cycle ruling the galaxy.

Luke and Leia would have tried to oppose him, but they would have failed. In some way, Luke may have realized that he and the Rebels didn’t have a chance against the Empire, and that was why he sought to try to bring the goodness out of his father because he might have felt that this was the only way for them to defeat the Empire. Even Luke would have been powerless against Emperor Palpatine and the might of the Imperial Armada.

As such, Anakin’s survival was the will of the Force because he still needed to fulfill the prophecy of the Chosen One. Even if he had to take a detour to fulfill his destiny, Anakin still succeeded in destroying the Sith. But if Obi-Wan had killed him, he wouldn’t have had a chance to restore balance to the Force.