Warning: Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3!
Obi-Wan Kenobi's titular character gets a rematch with Darth Vader in episode 3 of the Disney+ show, but the duel doesn't break Star Wars canon. The first time Obi-Wan faced off against his failed apprentice was in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith after Anakin Skywalker fully fell to the dark side. Obi-Wan followed Anakin, now Darth Vader, to Mustafar, where the two fought along the lava flows. After proclaiming that he failed Anakin and that the two were like brothers, Obi-Wan won the duel by cutting off his opponent's legs and left arm. A defeated Vader was left on the lava banks as the fire crept higher through his body.
That was the last time Obi-Wan saw the Sith Lord known as Darth Vader until the events of the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. In the decade that had passed, Obi-Wan didn't know Anakin was alive. Reva, aka the "Third Sister," unveiled the truth to the Jedi in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 2 that Darth Vader was alive and hunting him. That hunt takes the Inquisitors and Vader to the planet Mapuzo, where Obi-Wan is hiding with Leia Organa in episode 3. Obi-Wan encounters Darth Vader in a quarry during the cat-and-mouse chase, resulting in a fierce duel. This time, Vader overpowers his former Master, wounding him and throwing him into flames before Tala intervenes.
The Obi-Wan versus Darth Vader rematch was teased well before the release of the Disney+ series. There was worry that another duel by the pair would break Star Wars canon, but that's not the case. The Obi-Wan Kenobi rematch takes place in 9 BBY, a time that allows for gaps to be filled within known canon events. Before the Obi-Wan-centric series came into fruition, not much was revealed about the character's actions between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope other than the fact that he was living in exile on Tatooine as "Ben Kenobi." In Star Wars Rebels, Obi-Wan had a rematch with the infamous Darth Maul, which was 5 BBY, but the event didn't involve Vader. Though the significance of Obi-Wan and Darth Vader's original on-screen duel in A New Hope has now changed, the Disney+ rematch doesn't break anything.
Though Ewan McGregor's character may duel Darth Vader again before Obi-Wan Kenobi ends, their next confirmed encounter is nine years later on the Death Star. After coming out of exile and vowing to help the Rebels with a promise to train Luke Skywalker, the group ended up aboard the Empire's superweapon. As Obi-Wan ventured to disable the tractor beam, he came face-to-face with Darth Vader, who stated: "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner, but now, I am the master." The quote from Vader still fits into canon because, since the rematch in Obi-Wan Kenobi, nearly a decade had passed, and a lot could've changed by then. At the time, one could argue that Anakin was still learning to embody a powerful Sith Lord, and by the time he dueled Obi-Wan in A New Hope, his skills were that of a "master."
Another reason the Obi-Wan and Darth Vader rematch on Mapuzo doesn't break Star Wars canon is that evidence suggests the Empire thought Obi-Wan was longer a threat around the time of A New Hope. Darth Vader sensed Obi-Wan's presence on the Death Star through a "tremor in the Force," claiming the last time he felt it was when the two were together. Grand Moff Tarkin then argued that Obi-Wan "must be dead by now," hinting that this fate was widely believed due to Obi-Wan's exile. Obi-Wan Kenobi has the opportunity to still pin the Jedi against his former apprentice while allowing ample time to go by before the big duel on the Death Star. The Disney+ show can add to Star Wars canon, but it's still being careful not to break the timeline.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi release Wednesdays on Disney+.
