Darth Vader is a scary dude. In the original trilogy he’s the embodiment of the Emperor’s will, with nobody able to match him in battle. Every other appearance has depicted him as someone you flee from rather than fight, perhaps best exemplified by him cleaning house in that unforgettable scene during the Rogue One finale. Well, this week’s Obi-Wan Kenobi once again showed Vader at the height of his powers, demonstrating his terrifying mastery of the dark side of the Force.
Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 5 follow
The episode was essentially an extended riff on the Hoth sequence in The Empire Strikes Back, with our heroes trapped in an underground base as the Empire tries to take them out. After Reva had captured Obi-Wan, Vader touched down and began tearing through the base.
In one of the most awesome live-action uses of the Force seen to date, Vader walked into a room to see the escape ship taking off and, with a flick of his wrist, immobilized it in midair. With its engines straining, he calmly dragged it to the ground and tore chunks out of it with the Force.
Fortunately, this proved to be a decoy, and Vader was left fuming that he’d missed his chance to capture Obi-Wan – though he soon got to work out any frustrations. Sensing an opportunity for revenge, Reva attempted to attack him from behind. In retrospect, she may wish she’d been a bit stealthier as Vader proceeded to absolutely demolish her.
In this fight he proved he doesn’t even necessarily need a lightsaber, effortlessly deflecting her attacks with the Force alone. Reva never stood a chance, underlining that Vader cannot be defeated in a duel but – as hinted by Obi-Wan throughout the episode – there are other ways to achieve victory.
Presumably we’ll see what that is in next week’s season finale, but in the meantime, this was a beautiful showcase of why Darth Vader is so feared.