Maybe he was too aggressive, too consumed by his duty, and too rigid to see past the Jedi philosophy that teaches that 'once you start down the dark path, there is no turning back.' But he was hurt and confused himself, and quite frankly, I find it difficult to criticise him. After seeing what Anakin had done, after listening to the power mad Sith screed he was spouting, Kenobi had little choice.
As for speaking up... Come on! Anakin was ranting like a lunatic, hours after slaughtering children. What use would explanations have been on Obi-Wan's part. Anakin wasn't listening. Reason and rationality wasn't in play with this kid anymore.
Obi-Wan's the real hero of the Republic trilogy for me. There is no one at the front end of the saga that doesn't make mistakes, who isn't flawed. Obi-Wan though, remains loyal, courageous, and honourable to the end. He is the one who is betrayed. No amount of understanding, or compassion we have for his betrayer is going to change that. Despite his mistakes, he never did anything to justify Anakin's behaviour, and if he was a friend of yours lamenting his failures in some bar somewhere, that's exactly what you'd tell him. And you'd be right.
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Maybe he was too aggressive, too consumed by his duty, and too rigid to see past the Jedi philosophy that teaches that 'once you start down the dark path, there is no turning back.' But he was hurt and confused himself, and quite frankly, I find it difficult to criticise him. After seeing what Anakin had done, after listening to the power mad Sith screed he was spouting, Kenobi had little choice.
And he hardly used Padmé as bait. He knew that she knew where Anakin was. He knew she was going after him. Obi-Wan stowed away onboard a ship he knew was bound for Anakin. That he gave Padmé time to talk to her husband is to his credit, in my opinion. He wasn't using her, he was allowing her the opportunity to reason with Anakin. It wasn't working, so Obi-Wan stepped in...
As for speaking up... Come on! Anakin was ranting like a lunatic, hours after slaughtering children. What use would explanations have been on Obi-Wan's part. Anakin wasn't listening. Reason and rationality wasn't in play with this kid anymore.
Obi-Wan's the real hero of the Republic trilogy for me. There is no one at the front end of the saga that doesn't make mistakes, who isn't flawed. Obi-Wan though, remains loyal, courageous, and honourable to the end. He is the one who is betrayed. No amount of understanding, or compassion we have for his betrayer is going to change that. Despite his mistakes, he never did anything to justify Anakin's behaviour, and if he was a friend of yours lamenting his failures in some bar somewhere, that's exactly what you'd tell him. And you'd be right.
The Mighty Mouse bit was funny though...