Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 6 (finale) ending explained: Why did Obi-Wan not kill Darth Vader?

The final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which premiered on June 22, on Disney+, saw Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) clash with his old friend and protege, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen).

However, after defeating Anakin, when Obi-Wan realized that his old friend was long gone, he walked away from there instead of killing him. This gesture turned Obi-Wan's journey into one of acceptance, which ended with him coming to terms with the fact that he could not help his friend anymore.

While the latest episode lacked the intensity of some of the previous ones, it was still replete with thrill and suspense. Here, we take a look at what happened in the episode and analyze the ending.

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What happened in the season finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi?

Obi-Wan Kenobi's lingering guilt had been an overarching theme in the series right from the very beginning. He has time and again blamed himself for letting his friend Anakin turn to the dark side. He also blamed himself for Darth Vader's rise. Vader too, wanted some closure on his part and hence decided to hunt down Obi-Wan.

After a narrow escape in the previous episode, the finale began with the Path spaceship being chased by the Empire. As the chances for survival began to look slim, Obi-Wan decided to play the hero and divert the Empire's attack towards himself. He had correctly predicted that Vader would go after him.

After handing out Princess Leia's (Vivien Lyra Blair) responsibility to Haja (Kumail Nanjiani), he headed out to face Vader. Shortly after, Vader and Obi-Wan stood face-to-face with their lightsabers drawn.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi finale ending explained: Did Obi-Wan get rid of his guilt?

Though the first part of the clash made it seem like Darth Vader is still leagues above Obi-Wan, after a brutal Vader attack, Obi-Wan started dictating the tide of the battle. Excellent use of the force, combined with exceptional lightsaber skills, helped the Jedi master to successfully bring Vader down to his knees.

He even took a portion of Vader's mask off. However, when Obi-Wan addressed him as Anakin, he realized that his friend was long gone.

Vader further admitted that Obi-Wan wasn't the one who killed Anakin - Darth Vader was.

This also linked it to the story Obi-Wan told Luke (Mark Hamill) in Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV).

Realizing that Anakin was completely gone helped Obi-Wan get rid of the guilt he had harbored for so long. He walked away after defeating Vader because he did not have it in him to kill his old friend. In the end, it became a journey of acceptance for Obi-Wan, who realized that he could not help Vader.

This acceptance led him to finally see the force ghost of his master Qui Gon (Liam Neeson), who told him that he had been there all along, Obi-Wan had just been unable to sense it. The final moments of the episode also saw Obi-Wan settling in the final residence in Tattoine, where Luke met him much later.

The final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+.