As we await further news on the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX, artist Aquila—Audax has got the fanbase talking with their intense illustration of how the climax of Revenge of the Sith could’ve played out if Obi-Wan Kenobi had acted a little differently.
The image was shared on DeviantArt under the title “Help me, Master,” in reference to a deleted line delivered by Anakin Skywalker after getting maimed in his duel with Obi-Wan. In the artwork, we see that instead of leaving his former apprentice to die, Ewan McGregor’s character has chosen to stay with Anakin in his final moments. Since the piece was first posted, “Help me, Master” has made the jump to the Star Wars subreddit where it’s inspired an outpouring of emotion from fans.
As it stands, it’s unclear when we’ll be seeing either of these characters back on our screens. In the wake of Solo: A Star Wars Story bombing last year, the Obi-Wan standalone film was one of multiple projects that were put on ice, but while McGregor didn’t sound too optimistic back in August about the project happening, the fan demand for the flick is demonstrably there. Besides, if one box office flop is enough to kill a movie, perhaps Episode IX can fare well enough to revive Lucasfilm’s confidence in the spinoff.
As for Anakin, though it remains a persistent rumor that Hayden Christensen could show up in Episode IX, we’ve yet to see any credible basis to the hearsay. Still, if Yoda can make a comeback in The Last Jedi, then surely a Force Ghost cameo from the original Skywalker in the final installment of the Skywalker Saga isn’t completely out of the question. We’ll know for sure if the rumor mill has it right when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.
