Hayden Christensen on Darth Vader’s Need to “Settle the Score” With Obi-Wan Kenobi

Warning: this story contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” The unheeded teachings of Yoda (Frank Oz) led to much suffering for Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), the newly christened Darth Vader, in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. A decade after a fateful duel with master Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) on Mustafar ended with the badly burned Skywalker encased in a suit of armor, the Sith Lord won his revenge in Obi-Wan Kenobi “Part III”: “Now you will suffer, Obi-Wan,” Vader said, using the Force to burn his former friend and mentor on Mapuzo. 

After pursuing Obi-Wan with the Inquisitors — dark-sided Jedi hunters Reva (Moses Ingram) and the Fifth Brother (Sung Kang) — Vader narrowly missed his prey on Jabiim, Obi-Wan escaping with Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) and their allies from The Path in “Part V.” In an interview with TVLine, Christensen characterized the Sith’s state of mind ahead of the anticipated rematch between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in “Part VI” (premiering June 22 on Disney+). 

“There’s a lot of resentment there. Not only did he lose his best friend and his master, but he also lost all of his limbs, too,” Christensen said. “I think he probably has a bit of a grudge over that. There’s a strong need to find Obi-Wan and settle the score.” 

In Sith, Vader blamed Obi-Wan for turning a pregnant Padme (Natalie Portman) against him. But it was Skywalker’s anger and lust for power — and the manipulations of the Dark Lord, Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) — that turned the Jedi into the very thing he swore to destroy. Ten years after Sith and another nine before their final encounter aboard the Death Star in A New Hope, Obi-Wan and Darth Vader will meet again for their third lightsaber duel in “Part VI.” 

After spending the past decade cut off from the Force on Tatooine as the guardian of a young Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely), Obi-Wan wasn’t in fighting shape for a rematch with the vengeful Vader on Mapuzo in “Part III.” But come “Part VI,” Christensen told THR, “I think Vader wants Obi-Wan to be able to put up more of a fight. I don’t want to say too much [about what’s to come].”

Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 premieres June 22. 

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, Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+.