The duel on Mustafar is one of the most devastating lightsaber battles in Star Wars. It doesn’t end in triumph, but in total loss. Anakin Skywalker is defeated by his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, left dismembered and burning on the edge of the lava flow.
Hatred for Obi-Wan is already consuming him, but that isn’t the only thing happening in that moment. As Anakin lies broken on the ground, he still reaches out toward his fallen lightsaber.
That detail is easy to overlook, but it raises a simple question. At that point, Anakin is completely destroyed. He can’t stand, can’t fight, and can barely stay conscious. So why does he still try to reach for the lightsaber? Why not conserve what little strength he has left to stay alive?
The Last Thing Anakin Tried to Hold On To
One of the reasons Anakin tried to reach for his lightsaber was simple: in his mind, the fight was not supposed to be over yet. Anakin had always pushed forward through pain, injury, and exhaustion. As long as he could keep fighting, he believed he still had control.
However, after losing his limbs, Anakin was no longer capable of using his power the way he once did. The damage was too severe. His body was broken, and his concentration was shattered.
In The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader, this moment is described clearly. Anakin sees the lightsaber within reach, but he is physically and mentally unable to act on it:
“Anakin sighted his fallen lightsaber lying a short distance away. Too stunned and dazed to focus his powers, he watched with rage as Obi-Wan bent down to pick up the lightsaber, then took it with him as he began walking up the slope.”
Anakin does not feel fear or despair, he feels rage. To him, the lightsaber represents his ability to keep fighting, to keep imposing his will. Watching Obi-Wan Kenobi take it away confirms what Anakin refuses to accept: the fight is over, and he has lost.
For Anakin, the hatred toward Obi-Wan is intensified in that moment, not just because of defeat, but because Obi-Wan takes the last thing Anakin believes connects him to power.
Obi-Wan’s Decision to Take the Lightsaber
We’ve looked at the moment from Anakin Skywalker’s perspective, but what about Obi-Wan Kenobi? What was going through Obi-Wan’s mind when he picked up Anakin’s lightsaber?
In the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover, Obi-Wan has a brief but telling realization as he takes the weapon. Holding Anakin’s lightsaber, he notices how familiar it feels in his hand. The hilt is similar to his own, a reminder that Anakin was trained the same way, guided by the same teachings.
But that familiarity only makes the moment heavier.
“Obi-Wan picked up Anakin’s lightsaber. He lifted his own as well, weighing them in his hands. Anakin had based his design upon Obi-Wan’s. So similar they were.
So differently they had been used.”
The lightsaber Obi-Wan is holding is no longer a Jedi’s weapon in purpose, even if it still looks like one. It has become a tool of the dark side, shaped by Anakin’s choices and fueled by his anger. Where Obi-Wan’s lightsaber represents restraint and defense, Anakin’s has been turned toward domination and destruction.
That contrast is why Obi-Wan does not hesitate to take it with him. Leaving the lightsaber behind would allow Anakin to cling to the illusion that he could still fight, still control the outcome. Taking it away is Obi-Wan’s quiet acknowledgment that the Jedi he trained is gone, and that the weapon can no longer serve the light.