Darth Vader goes on a rampage in ObiWanKenobi episode 3, but according to head writer Joby Harold, it was nearly even more extreme than what ended up onscreen. 😲
Darth Vader's village scene in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 3 was originally going to be even more extreme. The latest Star Wars series, starring Ewan McGregor back in his iconic role as the titular Jedi and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, debuted just over a week ago and has already completed half of its 6-episode run.
One of the biggest shocks so far in Obi-Wan Kenobi is the ruthlessness of Vader in the Mapuzo village during episode 3. The apprentice knows his old Master well, which leads to the violent acts that he knows will draw Obi-Wan out of hiding. From Force-choking a father and breaking his son's neck to dragging a woman down the street behind him, Darth Vader proves that his own interests — in this case, finding Obi-Wan — matter more than anything or anyone else in the galaxy.
From a Vader point of view, we're all living with the memory of the end of Rogue One, and how effective that was. It was very gratifying to see Vader finally be unleashed in a sequence like that, so we wanted to try to trump it if we could. It was a lot more extreme, at one point. [...] I got pulled back a little bit on that. It was so important to define Vader's anger and rage.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi scene truly captures this emotion in Vader as he tears through the village in search of Obi-Wan. To him at this point, everything is still very personal: The physical turmoil he suffered and continues to suffer everyday at the hands of his old Master, the resistance of the Jedi to his Dark Side path, the loss of Padmé and his children, and more. Vader is at the peak of his rage and power in Obi-Wan Kenobi, with the Galactic Empire standing as strong and present as ever.
The stakes have now risen greatly, as Obi-Wan is currently stuck far away from Tatooine thanks to the Inquisitors' and Vader's ruthless hunt, as well as grave injuries from Vader's cruel and fiery revenge. With Leia presumably in Reva's clutches, Obi-Wan will have to spend even more time away from Luke and the Lars homestead to focus on Anakin's and Padmé's other child and get her home safely.