Warning: Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 5
Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 5’s Reva twist doesn’t actually explain how she knows Darth Vader’s true identity. It was through Moses Ingrams’ Star Wars character that Obi-Wan discovered the startling truth about Anakin’s survival. Knowing her words would shock him, Reva told Obi-Wan that Anakin survived his defeat on Mustafar and is now hunting him as Darth Vader.
Her knowledge of the fact that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are one and the same naturally raised some big questions about her character, especially since his identity was supposed to be a secret. In Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 5, what she knew about Anakin turned into a major plot point. After making an issue of it, Obi-Wan put two and two together and figured out that Reva was a Youngling who survived the massacre at the Jedi Temple perpetrated by Anakin during Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Reva then confirmed Obi-Wan’s assertions and admitted to her plans to betray Darth Vader. So while Reva is still a Star Wars villain, it’s not known that she was never really on the Empire’s side. She was simply pursuing Obi-Wan to serve her own interests.
After the big twist, there was a sense that the mystery of how she knew Darth Vader’s secret was solved. However, this explanation doesn’t fully answer the question. Even if she witnessed his killing spree and his potential for evil in Revenge of the Sith, that alone shouldn’t have confirmed that he’s Darth Vader. This would have been a reasonable assumption for her to reach from his slaughter of the Younglings only if the Empire hadn’t tricked the world into believing Anakin was dead. Since she must have heard that Anakin died on Mustafar, it makes sense that she would believe that Darth Vader is someone else. After all, he wouldn’t be the first Force-sensitive person to embrace the dark side.
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s shocking Reva reveal went a long way in shedding light on her Star Wars backstory, but at least one piece of the puzzle hasn’t been filled in yet. Unless this is a plot hole, something must have happened for Reva to connect Anakin to Darth Vader. It is possible for her to have learned the truth, but what Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed in episode 5 isn’t enough to properly clear up the mystery.
There are different ways she could have found out, such as hearing a clone refer to him as “Darth Vader” at the Jedi Temple. Alternatively, Reva may have stumbled upon the Empire’s efforts to hide Anakin’s survival and then put it all together from there. Since Reva managed to survive a lightsaber stab wound at the end of the episode, the Obi-Wan Kenobi season finale will get an opportunity to explore this aspect of her backstory and how she rose from a Jedi Youngling to an Inquisitor in the Star Wars universe.
Obi-Wan Kenobi releases new episodes on Disney+ on Wednesdays.
