‘Star Wars’ historians promptly shut down a terrible take about Obi-Wan’s dark side tendencies

Some Star Wars fans seem to be of the opinion that Obi-Wan Kenobi, the unyielding champion of the Light side, gave over to his inner darkness when confronting Darth Maul after the villain killed Qui-Gon Jinn. But a closer examination of the scene in question from Episode I – The Phantom Menace will dissuade you of that sensible, if erroneous, train of thought.

When the two Jedi are separated from one another because of those weird laser barriers, Maul aggressively fought Qui-Gon to a corner and managed to deal him a mortal wound with his red lightsaber. This enraged Obi-Wan unlike anything we’ve seen, and the Jedi rushed towards his opponent with no semblance of calm in either his steps or his strikes.

Now, one fan seems to suggest Obi-Wan only managed to beat Maul because he was angry, and thus channeled the dark side of the Force, but the OP and all the people who upvoted the post have forgotten a crucial detail.

If you rewatch the fight sequence, you’ll realize that Obi-Wan’s rage, even if momentary, throws him completely off balance, allowing Maul to almost kill him when he dangles from a handhold in the reactor shaft. It is only then that Obi-Wan regains his composure and thinks clearly again, allowing him to beat the sinister Sith apprentice at his own game.

Apparently, even the novelization for Episode I confirms as much.

I think from then on, we’ve never actually seen Obi-Wan angry. Not when Maul killed Satine, not when Anakin went to the dark side, not even when he had to face his demons and fight his old brother again in Obi-Wan Kenobi. As the man himself once said, “You can kill me, but you will never destroy me. It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it.”