Did Obi Wan Stop Himself From Killing Anakin?

Can someone explain why the code prevents him from killing Anakin? It seemed in the movie that killing Vader was precisely Obi Wan's mission. If Vader survived he would have failed his mission, and if he eventually died he would first suffer tremendously. Killing him would be merciful, and it would also assure the success of his mission.

And if he was aware that Sidious was approaching his actions are worse. The arrival of Sidious would make Vader's survival more likely. It also meant Yoda had failed, so wouldn't the code call for him to take Sidious on?

To me it seems that not finishing Anakin was an omission of weakness. He couldn't bring himself to do what duty called for him to do - despite his declaration: "I will do what I must."

Where did you get the notion the code forbade him to kill Anakin?

All I get is that he couldn't bare to kill 'his brother'. Although letting him burn and suffer seems even harsher... But hey, one of the many silly things of the PT.

Originally posted by queeq
Yes, novelisations of the films are canon.

Hehehe.

Originally posted by queeq
Where did you get the notion the code forbade him to kill Anakin?

All I get is that he couldn't bare to kill 'his brother'. Although letting him burn and suffer seems even harsher... But hey, one of the many silly things of the PT.

Originally posted by queeq
Where did you get the notion the code forbade him to kill Anakin?

All I get is that he couldn't bare to kill 'his brother'. Although letting him burn and suffer seems even harsher... But hey, one of the many silly things of the PT.

I got the notion from the previous posts in this thread. Several people mentioned the code and it is implied by the novel exerpt Bubbapilot quoted.

Below his feet, Darth Vader burst into flame.
"I hate you," he screamed.
Obi-Wan looked down. It would be a mercy to kill him.
He was not feeling merciful.
He was feeling calm, and clear, and he knew that to climb down to that black beach might cost him more time than he had.
Another Sith Lord approached.
In the end, there was only one choice. It was a choice he had made many years before, when he had passed his trials of Jedi Knighthood, and sworn himself to the Jedi forever. In the end, he was still Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he was still a Jedi, and he would not murder a helpless man.
He would leave it to the will of the Force.
He turned and walked away.

Sounds like a blend of code, personality, personal ethics etc etc. A personal choice. He couldn't bare to murder a helpless man. But he could leave him there to suffer a slow and horrible death. 😉

It's hard to believe that ANY code of ethics would condone wounding a person until they are completely disabled and then leaving them to die of slow immolation.

Hehehe...

Originally posted by Ace Hambone
It's hard to believe that ANY code of ethics would condone wounding a person until they are completely disabled and then leaving them to die of slow immolation.

The Will of the Force begs to disagree ahah

Does it now... How exactly?

Isn't it possible that he thought he should let him live because he was the chosen one? I mean the Prophesy was there for a reason. Maybe he felt the force should handle his death.

Interesting! Assuming that it was the Will of the Force that Vader survive, and the Jedi Order fall and be redeemed (because they had become too rigid and arrogant), then here are two interpretations.

1. What Kenobi did on Mustafar violated the code, but it was the Will of the Force that Kenobi NOT follow the Jedi Code. The Jedi, after all, no longer were in tune with the Force.m Throughout the PT, the Jedi had (in their minds at least) been following their code in all of their reactions to The Sith, but they were becoming more and more estranged from the Force and from their principles. That was at least in part due to the genius of the Sith strategy. There was no way for the Jedi to win except through blowing it up and starting over.

2. The Code required Kenobi to do what he did, which is evidence of how f'ed up the Jedi had become and why the Force was blowing them up and starting over!

Lots of interpretation there…

Maybe he left him there as a plot device so Vader could appear in Ep IV and they could have a rematch.

😂

It was obvious to me that Obi-Wan thought Anakin was finished. He probably regretted it later when he had learned he survived.

I think so.

Originally posted by Star428
It was obvious to me that Obi-Wan thought Anakin was finished.

I agree... it is a very strange scene. I think it would have been better if it had seemed to OB1 that Anakin had died.

Yoda and Obi Wan might have avoided the whole situation if they had tackled Sidious together and then Vader. I know they wanted the one-on-one match-ups for dramatic reasons, but they could have achieved that without Yoda making such a bonehead plan. I would have liked to see it start as a two-on-two showdown, where the pairs would get separated during the fight and end up in separate single combats.