Obi-Wan was always a paragon of virtue, but now he’s changed. He’s willing to manipulate and use Reva simply to stop Vader, knowing that she may die.
The following article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi Part V, streaming on Disney+.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series has shown a very different version of the legendary Star Wars hero. He was once virtuous and fearless. Now he is guilt-ridden and seems to be without hope. How he works with people is also changing. In Part V of Obi-Wan Kenobi he shows that he isn’t above manipulation, something he has been accused of doing in the original trilogy. He points Reva at Darth Vader and lets her loose, fully aware that she was no match for the Sith Lord. This is a dark moment for Obi-Wan, yet fits with his characterization.
Obi-Wan was once a great Jedi Master. He sat on the Jedi Council and was one of the best generals during the Clone Wars. He strived to always uphold the Jedi Code, putting life and light above all else. While those ideals sometimes got muddied during the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan was the standard that many Jedi should’ve strived for. Despite having some of his old spark back, the way he used Reva in this episode was underhanded. She has done some terrible things, but he willingly sacrificed her by manipulating her pain and trauma. This shows an evolution for Obi-Wan and puts him one step closer to his original trilogy counterpart.
Obi-Wan was desperate to buy time for the refugees to escape. He knew that Vader would kill them all just to get to him, so he “surrendered.” He gave himself up to Reva only so that he could manipulate her. He had figured out that Reva saw Anakin kill the Jedi at the Temple and that she must have been a Youngling. From that point on he knew that the Third Sister was biding her time until she could take her vengeance. Obi-Wan used her own anger and fear to make her turn on Vader at a moment when it would be most convenient to him.
This is a dark path for Obi-Wan to take, and it certainly isn’t the Jedi way. Reva is, subjectively, a bad person. While she is hunting Vader for vengeance, she has killed so many innocent people along her path to Vader. Obi-Wan has a new outlook on life, his old way of thinking died alongside the Jedi Order. He may be more willing to do what must be done in order to ensure his survival and the survival of those that he is trying to protect.
The galaxy is a much darker place and Obi-Wan has had to adapt. The manipulation of Reva works for his character because throughout the original trilogy he also manipulates Luke. He tells him lies about his family and his purpose under the guise that it’s “a certain point of view.” While Obi-Wan’s intentions are pure with Luke, they were not with Reva. Manipulating her like that shows that Obi-Wan has left behind some of his virtue and nobility and accepted and adapted to his new circumstances. With Reva still alive, his manipulations may still come back to haunt him.
Obi-Wan is changing; the person he was can’t work within Empire-controlled galaxy. He is starting to regain his hope and his spirit, but he will never be the same Jedi. His manipulation and sacrifice of Reva proves that. He knew that Darth Vader would destroy her, yet he didn’t hesitate to push her into attacking him. While he may have believed Reva could surprise him, he undoubtedly knew that Vader was already aware of her. This character moment helps to make sense of his state of mind and the Jedi that he becomes in the original trilogy.
The Season 1 finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres June 22, on Disney+