Why Anakin Tried to Reach His Lightsaber While Burning (Not Why You Think) - Star Wars Explained

He was determined to continue the fight. Obi-Wan was determined to keep Anakin's blade safe from Vader.

I'll tell you why Anikin was so outraged. While burning, he was able to see through the force, to a time so many years later, when his son while working for Disney, just tossed his lightsaber over his shoulder....

I loved this moment in the theater. We knew Obi-wan had to leave with the lightsaber because we saw it in 4. As soon as the camera pans to it, we all knew he was gonna reach. But then the groan from Anakin shatters the moment. I got chills. It was a phenomenal cinematic moment. Thank you George!

Anakin's thoughts as Obi-wan took his lightsaber: "Are you fucking robbing me!?"

Obi-Wan to Luke: “I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this.” Luke: “What is it?” Obi-Wan: “Your father’s lightsaber. He murdered many younglings with this… enjoy! Hope you’re not too susceptible to Force flashbacks!”

I heard tales that after the first battle of Genosis Anakin redesigned his Lightsaber for more practicality against other lightsaber duelists while Kenobi stayed more true to the original idea of peacekeepers. As for Anakin's point of view, Obi Wan was snatching away his creation and companion which had been with him through all his highs and lows.

Anakin: Why are you talking my lightsaber? ObiWan: For continuity.

Just an FYI for those who don't know, 2:21 shows the precise moment that the flames reached his balls

I like to think back to what he told anakin back in Attack of the Clones about losing his lightsaber , “this weapon is your life “ in a spiritual sense he took that saber from Vader as anakin “died”. Kindve poetic if you think of it that way. Edit: made this comment before getting through the video . Glad you see it that way too!

Even the force users, such as Sidious, who were the most disdainful toward lighsaber combat, always made sure they had it around. Bane discribed the sensation of being saberless is like being naked, defenseless. In my mind, it's like the wand in Harry Potter, the wizards feel powerless without (even if it is such a catalyser) it's like an old companion, even some soldiers and fighters get attached to their weapon. His saber, represent all these years of fighting, all his duels, all his challenges, all his sufferings, all his joys, it "followed" him everywhere during these years since the aftermath of the battle of Geonosis, and thanks to the tv show... we know it was a lot, a long long journey... I would have been heart broken to lost such a token of my very life.

Anakin, yelling at Obi-Wan, “it’s only a flesh wound. We will call it a draw.”

My thoughts on this moment remain the same- that Obi Wan leaving Anakin laying there to burn to death is the most dark sided thing he has ever done, and is a far more cruel choice than just finishing him off.

I never realised he was reaching for his lightsaber. I thought he was reaching out for Obi Wan to help him. There is a section of dialogue that was deleted where Anakin begs for Obi Wan's help, when Obi Wan refuses he says "I hate you". I thought him reaching was a remnant of this and he is actually begging for Obi Wan's help. Never knew it had anything to do with his lightsaber.

This video cuts deep to your core (no pun intended). The part about Anakin not being able to use the force when a few moments before he was cut down, he was likely at his strongest, really makes you feel how far he had fallen and the cost/consequence of that choice.

Love to see this channel still delivering amazing lore, as on it as Star Wars Theory is, his community doesn’t seem as interested in Star Wars but interested in the drama between channels

As designer one eloquently said ",don't touch that's my shit, don't touch that's my shit!".. I think it fits well here with anakins very likely feelings. The saber that vader builds to replace the old one was just a bigger fusion of his 1st saber (the emitter) and the last (hilt).. I think it's interesting that for a gut teing to kill and bury anakin, would rebuild his weapon as a fusion of two of anakins preferred sabers..he took the same emmiter type as his green saber, and the hilt of his final jedi saber and made his sith weapon...its only difference is the size and dimensions of a few parts and color...why would a man who is trying to forger his past rebuild his weapon in the image of both his jedi weapons after he was knighted??? Wouldn't u want to completely change the entire blueprint of the sith weapon to seperate yourself as far as possible from "anakin"?? Yet he opts for not one but a amalgamation of both his jedi lightsabers!?!

I've always wondered why the Jedi tunic was so flammable lol. You'd think they'd wear something that didn't ignite so easily.

In the novel Obi-Wan won the fight by shorting out the circuitry in Anakin's prosthetic hand causing him to drop the light saber as he came at Obi-Wan The "I have the high ground" statement was to stop Anakin from wondering why Obi-Wan still had hope of winning. That's why the light saber was on the ground even though Anakin still has the prosthetic hand that held it. Between the amputations and shorted out circuitry Anakin has no functioning limbs when Obi-Wan picked up the light saber. Anakin could only flail helplessly. As Obi-Wan held Anakin's light saber he decided against trying to save Anakin or even putting him out of his misery out of pure anger, he was perfectly OK with letting him suffer until he succumbed to his injuries or the lava caught up with him. Obi-Wan eventually came to not only regret that decision , but to be ashamed of it. He should have tried to save Anakin, when he walked away and left him to die horribly , it confirmed everything Anakin had come to believe about the Jedi.

To Obi-Wan, Anakin’s lightsaber was what he believed the only thing that was left of him. Even though Padme in her dying moments asked Obi-Wan not to give up on him and she believed there was still good in him. Though Obi-Wan wasn’t so sure. That’s why he kept both his and Anakin’s in a concealed box 🗃️. He only wanted to remember Anakin as a great Jedi and a good friend. And when Luke was of age, he could pass it to him in his journey into becoming a Jedi. He needed it to help him not think about what happened to Anakin or the fact that he tried to kill him. Now that he was Vader, he didn’t deserve Anakin’s lightsaber. It was only for a Jedi.

My headcanon was that even though he was literally on fire and melting, Anakin reached for it because "its his lifeforce" as his Master reminded him all the time, was less about continuing the fight but was more like how they mirrored each other in combat, his Master's lessons were still there.