Another Should-Have-Been Story

Copperfox

Copperfox

Well-known member
Anakin Skywalker, guilty of mass murder, aggravated spousal abuse, and choosing to be a childish idiot, lay defeated and legless at the edge of the lava lake. The victorious Obi-Wan Kenobi _almost_ walked away.... but then he remembered how ridiculously fast people could travel through space in his era. Someone might show up and keep the traitor alive.

So Obi-Wan did the sensible thing: he cut off Anakin's head, then tossed it into the lava to make sure.

As a result, Emperor Palpatine was unable to revive Anakin as Darth Vader. Without Vader as a mighty enforcer, Palpatine did not make nearly as much headway against the anti-imperial movement.

So, because the corrupted Anakin _wasn't_ allowed to diddle-dee-dawdle about eventually repenting while _billions_ of people died who were more deserving of life than he was, the Death Star was never completed; the good guys in Rogue One _didn't_ have to die; Alderaan was never blown up; and Obi-Wan didn't have to sacrifice himself to save Luke Skywalker.

Palpatine was overthrown and executed before Luke and Leia were twelve years old; Obi-Wan and Yoda were able to return to Coruscant and re-establish the Jedi order without having to worry about Luke growing a spine; Luke and Leia got to know each other without any emotional ambiguity from not knowing they were siblings; Rey still was born, but wasn't separated from her family; Kylo still was born, but never turned evil; Finn still was born, but was never drafted as a stormtrooper; Poe Dameron enjoyed a long and successful career; Master Snokes was killed by the Jedi corps before he could create the First Order; Han and Leia stayed together, and lived to a ripe old age; and the universe was a happier place.
 
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Anakin was on the lava, but Obi-Wan knew that Anakin's childish rage would cause him to attack at a vulnerable angle. Anakin, in the end, had more raw power, but Obi-Wan was smarter.
 
Copperfox said:
Anakin was on the lava, but Obi-Wan knew that Anakin's childish rage would cause him to attack at a vulnerable angle. Anakin, in the end, had more raw power, but Obi-Wan was smarter.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. The reason (given by the novelization) that Obi-Wan didn't kill Vader then and there was that in his anger, he would have fallen to the Dark Side had he done so.

I dunno. Seems like a silly reason.
 
Interesting alternative timeline. However, I would question whether Palpatine would have been seen off so easily. True, without Darth Vader, his plans for domination would have taken much longer, but I question whether he would have been executed. If he saw events going against him, he'd have probably disappeared until such time as he could establish himself safely, and he may well have had clones ready, for such an eventuality. He may have been totally evil, but he wasn't stupid! And, sooner or later, someone may well have come on the scene whom he could manipulate.
 
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