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I've been meaning to ask this for some time. When Obi-Wan walked away from Vader on Mustafar, leaving him burning alive and screaming in pain, the first thought that jumped into my head was, "You bastard! At least finish him off!" I mean, it seemed pretty cruel, leaving him to such a slow and painful death, considering Obi-Wan loved Anakin and considered him a brother.

Now, obviously the out of universe reason for Obi-Wan just walking off was because Vader had to live to the OT, but I was wondering if an in universe explaination was ever given in the novelization or anywhere else.

Was it that Obi-Wan simply could not bring himself to strike the death blow against Vader? Slavish obedience to the Jedi edict against killing (if so, that's got to be the most blatant instance of a following the letter of a law and totally ignoring its spirit, in this case mercy, in the entire PT)? Or something else entirely?

The novel specfically states two factors. One it would've been merciful to kill him and he wasn't feeling merciful. Another was he left Anakin's fate to the Will of the Force.

Wow, he didn't seem too vengeful in the movie...

Thanks.

The novel says that Obi Wan was still a Jedi, and he wouldn't murder a helpless man.

Yeah, but let's face it. Powerful as Vader was, if Palpatine hadn't come for him, he'd have died. Obi-Wan had no way of knowing that Palpy would show up and get him, he probably hoped that Yoda would kill Palpatine. So far as Obi-Wan knew, he'd already as good as killed Vader. Making it quick would've been mercy, not murder.

Trogdor wrote:Yeah, but let's face it. Powerful as Vader was, if Palpatine hadn't come for him, he'd have died. Obi-Wan had no way of knowing that Palpy would show up and get him, he probably hoped that Yoda would kill Palpatine. So far as Obi-Wan knew, he'd already as good as killed Vader. Making it quick would've been mercy, not murder.

In the novel it's a bit interesting because he does see the Chancellor's shuttle enter the atmosphere. And this happens after he cuts off Anakin's arm and legs and before he leaves Anakin to whatever fate the Force has in store for him.

Oh, so he knew, or at least suspected, that somebody was coming for Vader. That makes a lot more sense now.

He knew Palpatine was about to land, yes, which, for all Obi Wan knew, meant that Yoda was dead, making him the last Jedi, and atleast one needed to survive in order to train Luke and Leia.

I think Obi-Wan just couldn't pull the trigger. No matter what Yoda told him, he still saw Anakin as the person he'd known all these years, and to whom he owed his life several times over. He didn't know the Emperor was coming, and probably would have assumed he'd have gotten what he wanted from Anakin and would let him die before he can supplant him. As a result, Obi-Wan seemed to assume Anakin would slide away into the lava or burn at the edge of it, and that would be that.

CDiehl wrote:I think Obi-Wan just couldn't pull the trigger. No matter what Yoda told him, he still saw Anakin as the person he'd known all these years, and to whom he owed his life several times over. He didn't know the Emperor was coming, and probably would have assumed he'd have gotten what he wanted from Anakin and would let him die before he can supplant him. As a result, Obi-Wan seemed to assume Anakin would slide away into the lava or burn at the edge of it, and that would be that.

Except as was said, it directly contradicts the novel - he saw palpatine inbound.

The novel basically has obi wan giving a bunch of reasons - he doesn't feel merciful, he still loves anakin, he will let the force decide, he won't kill a man in cold blood. But the kicker is that he sees Palpaine inbound. It shows how upset and messed up in the head he is at the time, still trying to decide how to deal with it, and then realizes he doesn't have time, he has to leave now.

At that point, Kenobi's main concern, after seeing the Emperor's shuttle is getting to Padme and getting Vader's kid the hell out of there.

Vader was now a cripple, even with cyberknitic replacements, he was defeated, and Kenobi could probably sense it was the Emperor on the shuttle, with troops.

Quite simply, suppose he'd walked over to Vader and sliced his head off. Fine, but that's precious seconds wasted on killing what is for all intents and purposes, a corpse. Seconds that, once the Emperor senses Vader is dead, well, that's what his shuttles weapons are for. Open fire on Kenobi, then on the ships on the planet to make sure he can't leave.

Thus condeming Padme and the baby (since no one knew about the twins yet) to death.

He spared Vader to save himself, Padme and the baby

Besides, Anakin was like a brother. I think when anakin jumped at him he instictivley cut his hand and legs off, but couldn't finish the job.

I seem to recall from the movie that Kenobi took off before Palpatine arrived. Damnit, hurry up DVDs.

Wicked Pilot wrote:I seem to recall from the movie that Kenobi took off before Palpatine arrived. Damnit, hurry up DVDs.

Kenobi does indeed leave first. He goes back to the spaceship, ses to padme, and 3po takes off. We then cut to anakin lying there, and the shadow of the Emperor's shuttle passes over him and lands nearby.

No contradiction there.

Besides, Anakin was like a brother. I think when anakin jumped at him he instictivley cut his hand and legs off, but couldn't finish the job.

Precisely, by the time Kenobi dismembered him, his emotions were madly out of control. No single outcome could have been predicted. It's amazing he had the wherewithal to avoid killing himself in the whole drama.

The Emperor's arrival should not have affected Obi-Wan's decision, at least not in the direction of sparing Anakin. A simple Force push to a helpless Anakin would have knocked him into the lava in a half-second, not nearly enough time to delay Obi-Wan's escape. The novelization does state that Obi-Wan's time pressure did factor into his decision to leave Anakin to his fate, so I can only assume that Obi-Wan was not thinking rationally.

Let me put it this way.

Imagine that your absolute best friend, who you've fought along, lived with, and basically know better than you know yourself, has suddenly become a Dark Lord of the Sith; who, moreover, has outright murdered Jedi and apprentices, as well as the entire Separatist council and whoever got in his way, and who has just strangled his own *wife* nearly to death. You've just fought him to a standstill, and you're trying to get him to stop. But he doesn't, and you have to take off his arm and feet to do that.

How do you think he was fucking thinking? 'Rationally' would certainly be out of the question...

Ender wrote:

CDiehl wrote:I think Obi-Wan just couldn't pull the trigger. No matter what Yoda told him, he still saw Anakin as the person he'd known all these years, and to whom he owed his life several times over. He didn't know the Emperor was coming, and probably would have assumed he'd have gotten what he wanted from Anakin and would let him die before he can supplant him. As a result, Obi-Wan seemed to assume Anakin would slide away into the lava or burn at the edge of it, and that would be that.

Except as was said, it directly contradicts the novel - he saw palpatine inbound.

The novel basically has obi wan giving a bunch of reasons - he doesn't feel merciful, he still loves anakin, he will let the force decide, he won't kill a man in cold blood. But the kicker is that he sees Palpaine inbound. It shows how upset and messed up in the head he is at the time, still trying to decide how to deal with it, and then realizes he doesn't have time, he has to leave now.

Way I saw it, Obi-wan was having a bit of an emotional breakdown. He probably couldn't have pulled the trigger on Anakin, and the arrival of Palpatine's shuttle denied him any more time he might have had to mull it over.

The Jazz Intern wrote:Besides, Anakin was like a brother. I think when anakin jumped at him he instictivley cut his hand and legs off, but couldn't finish the job.

That's an interesting observation. It would indeed have been easier to simply bisect Anakin's torso, rather than execute the complicated stroke necessary to remove three limbs.

Elheru Aran wrote:Imagine that your absolute best friend, who you've fought along, lived with, and basically know better than you know yourself, has suddenly become a Dark Lord of the Sith; who, moreover, has outright murdered Jedi and apprentices, as well as the entire Separatist council and whoever got in his way, and who has just strangled his own *wife* nearly to death. You've just fought him to a standstill, and you're trying to get him to stop. But he doesn't, and you have to take off his arm and feet to do that.

CDiehl wrote:No matter what Yoda told him, he still saw Anakin as the person he'd known all these years, and to whom he owed his life several times over.

Trying to picture Obi-Wan's thoughts and emotional state at that point is mind-boggling

Obi-Wan just had his only family destroyed. Vader just brought down the very organization that raised Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was betrayed by his best friend, giving him reasons enough not to be merciful and to let Vader suffer a painful death.

Would any of you let the person who killed all your loved ones die a painless death or a very long drawn out one?

Admiral Drason wrote:Obi-Wan just had his only family destroyed. Vader just brought down the very organization that raised Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was betrayed by his best friend, giving him reasons enough not to be merciful and to let Vader suffer a painful death.

Would any of you let the person who killed all your loved ones die a painless death or a very long drawn out one?

But if that person was someone who was your closest friend, who you've known for over fifteen years and trusted your life to on many occasions? it becomes a little less clearcut.

Admiral Drason wrote:Would any of you let the person who killed all your loved ones die a painless death or a very long drawn out one?

Recall that Anakin is one of Obi-Wan's loved ones.

I asumed that Obi-Wan was just so sick of the whole thing that he just left. Everything had gone horribly wrong, ANY move on his part would have equally fucked-up results, so he left to do the only good thing remaining: care for Padme and the baby.