Obi-Wan Kenobi Writer Explains Reva's Shocking Anakin Skywalker Reveal
Warning: this story contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode "Part II." "You didn't know. He's alive, Obi-Wan. Anakin Skywalker is alive," the Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram) revealed to Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in the dramatic final moments of Obi-Wan Kenobi "Part II." Ten years after Anakin's fall to the dark side — and the Darth Vader versus Obi-Wan lightsaber duel in Revenge of the Sith — it's in that moment that the Jedi learned the Sith Lord survived what he believed to be their final encounter on Mustafar. In an interview with TheWrap, head writer Joby Harold explained how the series approached Reva's shocking reveal as a part of Star Wars canon.
Harold consulted with creative executive Pablo Hidalgo, who serves as Lucasfilm's Star Wars story advisor on Obi-Wan Kenobi, to confirm what Obi-Wan knew — and didn't know — about the padawan-turned-Dark Lord a decade after their last meeting.
"That was actually not something I pitched originally," Harold said of Obi-Wan learning Anakin is alive. "That was something I discovered along the way, and sort of had to confirm with Pablo and really think, 'Hold on a second, what does he actually know? Does he know the moniker Vader? What would that mean? Can he associate the two? What was he cognizant of? How isolated is he? Where's Vader at that time? Where's his reputation and how well known is he?' and all those pieces of the puzzle."
After Reva's revelation, a shocked Obi-Wan was visibly disturbed as "Part II" cut away to end on a shot of Vader awakening inside his bacta tank.
"The great piece of storytelling you can use is getting to Ewan play the moment of realization that that which haunts him is still alive," Harold said. "And what does that mean for him? There were many avenues that I could take him down, all of which hopefully are good opportunities to tease out story as we continue. But it all comes down to, is it viable within canon to play that card? Which it was."
Harold continued, "Which is great, because that allows you, at the end of Episode 2 and the beginning of Episode 3, it gets you so much that feels essential to the fundamental story, which is Obi-Wan, Vader, that which haunts you, facing the past, everything that comes to fruition in [episode] 3 and beyond."
Starring Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, Grant Feely as young Luke Skywalker, Vivien Lyra Blair as young Leia Organa, and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, new episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi are streaming Wednesdays on Disney+.