Why Did Reva Spare Luke Skywalker?

It was revealed in episode 5 of Obi-Wan Kenobi that Reva had only been working as an Inquisitor so that she could get as close to Darth Vader as possible to take revenge on him for killing all of her youngling friends in the Jedi Temple during Order 66. She failed to even scratch Vader in their fight as she found out at the end of that episode that Luke was Anakin’s son. He chased the Skywalker boy all the way to Tatooine, where he was in a position to kill him but decided not to. So, why did Reva spare Luke’s life?

Reva decided to spare Luke’s life because, when she was about to strike the killing blow, she saw herself in Luke. She realized that killing Luke would only turn her into the monster she swore to take revenge on. Reva would not have been different from Anakin had she decided to kill a helpless boy.

The fact that Reva decided to spare Luke proved that not everyone in the galaxy could fall to the dark side just as easily as Anakin did. While Reva had been killing Jedi and Force-sensitive people for a long time, it was then and there that she realized that she was becoming the very same monster she hated. As such, she decided to spare Luke’s life instead of continuing the vicious cycle of hatred.

Did Reva Kill Luke?

The biggest revelation of the entire Obi-Wan Kenobi series happened in episode 5 when Reva spoke about her past to none other than the titular character himself. When Kenobi found it weird that she knew that Anakin was Darth Vader, Reva revealed that she was there in the Jedi Temple during Order 66. She saw Anakin slaughtering all of her youngling friends as she hid under their bodies to keep herself alive.

Reva eventually joined the Inquisitors so that she could find a way to get as close to Darth Vader as possible and exact her revenge on him for what he did to her friends. And finding Obi-Wan and earning the title of Grand Inquisitor was the best way for her to get close to Vader.

However, when she found a way to duel with Vader in episode 5, Reva lost the fight without even having a chance to scratch the Sith Lord. She was stabbed and left for dead on the ground when she found Kenobi’s communicator device, which showed a transmission of Bail Organa talking about “the boy” and Owen. Reva realized that Owen was keeping Anakin’s son all along.

In the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale, she hunted Owen’s family down so that she could kill Luke herself, as this was the only way that she could take revenge on Anakin for what he did to her friends ten years ago. Owen, however, was prepared and was able to shore up their defenses well enough to hold Reva back.

Despite the fact that Owen and Beru were able to put up a good fight against a wounded Reva, the former Inquisitor broke through their defenses and was able to chase Luke all the way to a cliffside, where he was running away from her on an elevated level.

Reva used the force to bring Luke down to the ground as the ten-year-old boy fell unconscious on the ground. She was in the position to strike him down and avenge her friends for what Anakin did to them. So, did Reva kill Luke?

At that very moment, all that Reva needed to do was to strike her lightsaber on an unconscious boy. However, instead of killing Luke, she carried him back to his uncle and aunt, as Obi-Wan Kenobi was there to help Owen and Beru after his fight with Darth Vader. They were surprised to see that the boy was alive as Owen carried him back home while Reva was on her knees.

Why Did Reva Spare Luke Skywalker?

Reva was in the best position to kill Luke Skywalker so that she could take something important from Anakin, just as he took away her family all those years ago. So, why didn’t Reva kill Luke Skywalker at that very moment?

Back when Reva was about to strike Luke down with her lightsaber, she suddenly saw her younger self in the boy. She saw how weak and powerless she was when Anakin was striking her friends down ten years ago. It was the same case for Luke, who was just as weak and powerless before her at that very moment.

Reva opted to spare the boy because she realized deep inside that she would have just been like Anakin had she decided to kill an innocent boy for no reason at all. When she saw her younger self in Luke, she realized that she was becoming the very same monster that Anakin was when he slaughtered all of those younglings during the events of Order 66.

Her better judgment won at that very moment because she realized that she would just be repeating the cycle of hatred that Anakin began ten years ago. Reva realized that taking revenge on an innocent boy would not have changed things.

As she was on the ground crying in front of Obi-Wan, she told the Jedi Master that she failed her friends when she couldn’t strike the boy down. That was when Kenobi told her that her friends were at peace with her decision and that sparing Luke was the best way for her to honor the death of her friends.

In a way, she prevented herself from becoming the monster that she swore to take revenge on. She also proved that she was a better person than Anakin because she had the strength to prevent herself from taking an innocent and helpless life. 

What’s Next For Reva?

For ten years, ever since Order 66, Reva had been fueled by her desire to take revenge on Anakin Skywalker for what he did to her friends in the Jedi Temple. However, after failing to kill Darth Vader and sparing Luke Skywalker, she seemingly had no purpose in life anymore. So, what’s next for Reva?

As Obi-Wan Kenobi told her, they were both free. Kenobi was now free from the guilt and regret that had been bothering him for ten years ever since he failed Anakin. Meanwhile, Reva was now free from the vengeful spirit that had taken over her for ten years. 

This was the very first time in her life that she was now free to do whatever she wanted to do in life. She was no longer tethered to the Empire as an Inquisitor. On top of that, she was no longer bound to her quest for vengeance. 

That is why she can now do whatever she wants to do in life, and it might be possible that she would try to atone for all of the things she did as an Inquisitor by joining the Path. As such, it might be possible for us to see Reva sometime in the future in another Star Wars spin-off series that takes place after the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi.