Why Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith's 'Goodbye, Old Friend' Scene Is More Important Than You Realized
In the chronicle of Darth Vader's rise and fall from good to evil (and then good again), "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" is one of the most important entries in the franchise. As the final film in the prequel trilogy, it depicts Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) final days leading up to his transformation into the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. Among other things, it also depicts the death of his wife, the fall of the Jedi Order, and the falling out between himself and his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).
The latter of these three events proves to be most impactful, as it is Obi-Wan who then finds and protects Anakin's son, Luke (Mark Hamill), allowing the latter to redeem his father in "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi." Leading up to this eventual conclusion in "Revenge of the Sith," however, is one scene that may be more important than you realized. It is best known as the "goodbye, old friend" scene, and it is notable for being the last truly good moment Anakin and Obi-Wan have before things go sour.
Obi-Wan says his final goodbye to the good Anakin
The scene in question occurs just as Obi-Wan is departing on his new mission to the Utapau system, where he is supposed to track down and kill General Grievous in the hopes that it will end the Clone War. He approaches the ship with Anakin, discussing their various circumstances. Obi-Wan, ignorant of what is actually happening in Anakin's troubled life, assures his apprentice that he will be a great Jedi before saying the titular line and boarding his ship. The next time they meet, it will be for their duel on Mustafar after Anakin has sworn his loyalty to the Dark Side of the Force.
In these subtle moments, however, we can see the pair of friends' dark end foreshadowed in the film's visuals. As WatchMojo has observed, while Obi-Wan ventures out into the sunlit shipyard, Anakin stays behind in the darker hallways of the building. And, as he says the line, "goodbye, old friend, and may the Force be with you," experienced "Star Wars" viewers get the sense that Obi-Wan is unintentionally saying goodbye to the real Anakin for the very last time.