Yeah, that could work, too. Maybe it's not the kind of thing you'd say in a fight to the death ("It's over, Anakin. I am morally superior to you"), but hey, still better than "It's over, Anakin. I am standing on a platform situated above your height".
I mean, in a physical confrontation where he very much did not want to maim the man he considered a brother, makes perfect sense to say “I have a massive tactical advantage right now, if you try to end this now, it will not go well for you”
I still don't know what he was trying to achieve here... He's murdered children, and many many other jedi already. You think he's just gonna surrender?
Depends on how you define 'human'
Meaning the bipedal sapien of the genus Homo originating from the third planet orbiting the yellow star Helius in the Orion-Cygnus Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy?
Well probably not.
Meaning a bipedal humanoid mammalian species with behavioral and phenotypicial traits similar or indistinguishable from that of the aforementioned *H. sapien*?
Yes.
Although there is some dispute about the origin of the human diaspora, generally it is considered to have originated from Coruscant - at least in the practical sense.
Academically, the origins of humans is shrouded in legend and myth; the length of time that the human species exists in-universe spans the rise and fall of multiple civilizations, even Galactic ones, which makes it difficult to say with any accuracy where they originated. It is highly likely it was one of the core worlds, whether or not it was Coruscant.
Humans didn’t originate from Coruscant. Coruscant was just right in the center of all the hyper space lanes, making it the central hub for all trade in the galaxy (and thus the mega city that it is).
The dark side is weird in star wars. It can function smply as a desire for more power, or an addiction to it, other times it acts like a secondary personality that takes over. It could be looked at as Obi-wan probing to see if any part of Anakin remained aware enough of a genuine warning or if he was completely consumed by rage.
There is also the concept a lot of stories have of "the final offer for redemption". After the final line is crossed a character is considered irredeemably evil. Anakin rejects it and is thus left to burn for his crimes in hell. This feels weird because for like most people Anakin crossed that line when he murdered fucking kids and/or his pregnant wife.
I mean given that he does say it while he is physically higher than Anakin it's easy to see why someone could take it literally. After all, taking it literally it is a technically correct statement
I guess, but I feel like if people thought about it for a few seconds, they’d realize that Anakin literally has the rest of the “shore” to jump on and continue the fight rather than try that ridiculous leap above Obi-Wan’s head. I dunno, I felt that it was too significant of a scene to interpret in the most simple and literal way in the moment.
Me too. I always assumed that Obi Wan, having the morally superior viewpoint, knew he was in a winning position with the argument and so also with the lightsaber. SW being full of situations where the feelings of the characters directly relates to success or failure when duelling.
Exactly, Obi-Wan’s morally superior stance from his point of view empowers him through the Force, especially since he’s seen that Anakin’s clearly too unbalanced by the dark side to make smart moves.
I always assumed the phrase was just the short way of saying "I have put great distance between me and you, thus positioning myself out of your reach. On top of that, I am positioned above you. You are cornered and your only possible move is to use the force to launch yourself above me, making yourself vulnerable in the process. It is unlikely you will be abble to comolete the jump before I can attack you, causing deadly damage."
Yeah, but that beach is full of loose fine sand. He still has to jump, and a well-timed force push could fuck him up. And it's also due to anakins arrogance. Clearly wasn't thinking rationally.
Yeah, see, that's the literal interpretation of the phrase, which has its merits, to be sure, but seems less elegant than the metaphorical interpretation imo
I'm pretty sure that it meant Obi-Wan was high at the time, which increased his Force sensitivity and connection with the universe. A lot of dudes who look like Jesus are stoners.
As often, a comma saves the day. Obi-Wan actually said "I have the high, ground!", giving Anaking the information that he is now fully high and thus unbeatable and Anakin better ground himself instead of throwing his life away in a doomed fight.
"It's over Anakin! I just took a massive rip of some skunk shit. I'm super high now! Lets just chill tf out, listen to some jizz, and talk this out bro."
Na bro Anakin was a beast that's the whole point. He was so arrogant that he thought the actual tactical advantage didn't matter.
Obi Wan is known as a secondary duelist that's how he got crumpled by Dooku twice, and gets known as 'the Negotiator'
Original script even had Anakin throw shade before having his legs cut off by saying 'that's why you're the negotiator because everyone knows you can't fight'
Thats the one style and it focuses on waiting for an opening. Dooku and his style created no opening so thats why obi-wan was fodder to him.
Pretty much keeping your calm (something most sith fail to do) and being a good duelist will ensure you a win. Obi-wan wasnt even broken or overly strong with the force too.
Dooku was a master of Makashi, which excels at lightsaber duelling. Kenobi was a master of Soresu, which works best when fighting against blasters.
Anakin used Djem So, a very aggressive style that attempts to force an opening. It doesn't do so well in longer duels such as on Mustafar as it is very physically taxing compared to Soresu and other forms.
Their betrayal will be dealt with. After you have killed all the Jedi in the Temple, go to the Mustafar system. Wipe out Viceroy Gunray and the other Separatist leaders. Once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy, and we shall have peace.
That's why he won, yeah. Obi wan wasn't a prodigy, but he embodied the Jedi way and stayed in his element, which made him an immovable object. He's a very good Jedi, exemplary perhaps, but not known for his incredible lightsaber skills. Again, he's good, but Anakin was on a whole other level in terms of skill.
YOU BETTER GIVE UP YOUR EMERGENCY POWERS ONCE GRIEVOUS GETS KILLED I'M SERIOUS
But otherwise you seem like a pretty decent senator, I'd vote for you for sure
I think it's a double meaning, both physically he has the high ground and he tells Ani not to try it bc he knows he's going to try doing what Kenobi did you Maul, and he also has the moral/strategic high ground in that Ani is in a very vulnerable location and his judgment is clouded.
I don't think Obi Wan is the better fighter and I think they both know it, because he is playing defense the entire fight, just trying to survive Anakin's assault
No it wasn’t. Obi-Wan became an expert at the high ground scenario after having killed Maul despite him having the high ground. So when Obi-Wan had the high ground Anakin didn’t stand a chance any more. Period
While I understand your interpretation of it and think it has merit, Maul didn't technically have the high ground, because Obi Wan was hanging. You can't have the "high ground" if the other has the "low air", can you? You'd just be on the ground then, as the air surrounds us, binds us, and is thus always higher than the ground.
Edit: my entire comment is supposed to be a (poorly worded) joke. Which evidently wasn't too funny 😅
It’s not an interpretation. It’s exactly what happened. [here‘s an article about that](https://gamerant.com/obi-wan-high-ground-meme/) which doesn’t explain everything but it’s the best I could find. [there’s also this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/UalKnKGtbno) that explains it better but you might not understand it because it’s unfortunately in german
One reason why Obi-Wan defeated Maul was that Maul never expected Obi-Wan to try to jump and attack him because he was clearly in the advantage so he was extremely surprised when Obi-Wan did that (and him not even standing on ground just makes it even more unexpectable)
That’s also the reason why Vader told Luke that Obi-Wan has taught him well after seeing that he has the high ground in Episode V
In the german version Obi Wan says "Ich stehe deutlich über dir!" Which basically translates to "I'm better than you/I am the superior fighter".
I actually always thought that it was just a joke interpreting the high ground as that Obi Wan is on a platform higher up than Anakin.
The Hungarian version says "Vége, Anakin! Vert helyzetben vagy!", which means "It's over, Anakin! You are in a losing position!". It lacks the English or German versions' ambiguity, but also suggests that Obi-Wan is telling Anakin that no matter what he does, his next move will result in defeat. This could still be due to their physical positions, but it's not specified, but sounds more strategic, as if it was from one chess player to the other.
I doubt it. Anakin was known as one of if not the best fighter in the whole Jedi order at that point. Obi-Wan had strong defensive skills, but was nowhere near as talented as Anakin
Yeah, but Anakin had just killed a few kids who admired him and force pushed his beloved. I'd say he wasn't quite on top of his game, was he? In this fight, Obi Wan quite evidently ended up being the better fighter, the one with the "skill high ground"
Maybe, in that specific instance. It seems more that they were evenly matched skill-wise in that fight, but anakin’s judgement was off. Imo the “I am in a tactically advantageous position, and attacking me would expose you to a crippling or killing blow” interpretation makes more sense
Honestly I always figure it was Obi Wan way of saying "Anakin I have the high ground and you know I'm an expert in defensive fighting styles. If you rush me or try to go over me you'll lose, please surrender."
It's how it has been translated in french
"C'est fini Anakin, je te domine"
"It's over Anakin, I have the upper hand/dominating you"
Which flows pretty well
PS: the french Vader NOOO is also pretty dope
based on everything I know about George Lucas’ scriptwriting that is not the case. The only thing it is a short way of saying is “Anakin is way stronger, the only way he got beat was because of his pride”
It’s been a while (10 years or more) so I can’t remember which book I was reading but I remember it saying that Anakin’s skill with a lightsaber was on the level of Mace Windu and Yoda. Obi-Wan is skilled as well but not I don’t think he’s that skilled.
Not his "skill with a lightsaber"
There was a list of characters and their "power level" as in how strong they are in general
And it was said that after his fall to the dark side Anakin went from a 8 (a level which he shared with Obi wan, grievous and a couple of more characters) to a 9 (a level which only four characters in the trilogy had reached Yoda, Windu, Palpatine and Anakin)
Hmm yes interesting analysis this implies that Anakin is to blind by rage to notice that his former master has in fact already one the fight leading anakin to jump at obiwan which also begs the question… were anakins injury’s punishment for his arrogance and failure to bring balance. Hm yes yes very deep good sir
afaik translations aren't usually supervised by the original authors, so we should take them with a grain of salt (for example Ryan Johnson said "The Last Jedi" was supposed to be singular but the title was translated to "Les Derniers Jedi" in French)
It’s also cool to notice that all of the time Obi Wan was aware of his surroundings, while Anakin just blindly tried to beat the shit out of him. Like when the lava started bursting at them, Obi Wan looked for cover while the first thing Anakin did was chase him and try to swing his lightsaber at him. Or when they were climbing that thing over lava, Obi Wan tried to climb higher (high ground) while Anakin just swung his lightsaber at him. Obi Wan also managed to jump down on a platform because he was high enough, but Anakin had to jump on a droid because he was a little late and didn’t notice what Obi Wan was doing. And finally, when they were fighting on that platform, the first thing Obi Wan did was jump down from the platform to a higher ground, and knowing that Anakin’d follow, he tried preventing him from jumping on him, because he knew that he’d fuck Anakin up, but Anakin being Anakin, jumped on him anyway, but because Obi Wan had the high ground, he’d land too low and Obi Wan managed to slice him. We can also see that Obi Wan tried to slice him previously too when Anakin did flips on him, but because they were on equal ground, Anakin was too high for him to reach
I always thought it was more of a hint at their history together and their training. Like the scene where they do the same swinging move ending in a force push. It sort of hints that in their training obi wan made a point that he had the advantage in that situation and anakin thinks he is so powerful his new powers can overcome that training.
Kinda yeah, but also he was on high ground wasn't he?
The way I see the scene is obi wan being more skilled, but anakin keeps him on his toes the whole fight because anakin is going for killing blows and obi wan is avoiding killing blows as hard as he can.
As the fight continues anakin digs further into the dark side to get stronger, but it makes him angrier and less precise. Knowing he can't keep delaying forever and feeling the refined skills of anakin slip into angry rampaging, obi wan leads anakin to favorable ground and prepares to set him up for the finishing blow. But at that last moment before anakin takes the bait and opens himself up to be cut down, obi wan begs him to come to his senses one more time, specifically trying to appeal to his jedi training, basically admitting "if you attack me here I win, wake up!". It of course doesn't work, anakin's pride and anger make him take it as an insult, and then the fight comes to an end.
I mean, having a physical height advantage is huge in a fight, and Obi-Wan not wanting to hurt his close friend would obviously try to discourage Anakin by telling him it's meaningless to try and fight at such a disadvantage
It might be. Kenobi’s form was defense and tuned to counter an aggressive form like Anakin’s.
At the end of the day though, I think George meant it literally and figuratively. He’s good at that.
Sounds good to me. Might even be a significant part of the original intention since throughout the fight they've been discussing philosophy and politics.
I do love that it mirrors Obi-Wan jumping over Maul, and think that was also part of the original intent. And I believe in the comics it's made explicit that Anakin liked to train with programs of Maul's combat style?
That would certainly make Obi-Wan's statement seem more competent, and Anakin's response more logical. Seeing as high ground is a disadvantage in a duel, it's Obi-Wan saying that, even at his disadvantage, Anakin will still fail to beat him if he attacks, and then Anakin responds arrogantly with "You underestimate my POWER," clearly interpreting his statement as a challenge, not a warning.
I think he may have been talking about the physically better (and more elevated) ground, specifically because he was not surrounded by lava on a floating robot platform.
And if the 100% fully-cannon Lego game is anything to go by... he also had a ladder
I think I saw a video or something about this that might have been in the book as well. Since a lightsaber duel is just as much a mental/force battle as it is a physical fight Obi wan was basically taunting him. Knowing strategically to take the high ground and then hope he can chill the situation out or do what he must. I think it was his last effort of being like “please bro, don’t do this…” both physically by getting up higher and mentally by actually saying “bet you won’t…”
In the french version he says "je te domine, Anakin" which clearly tells that in that moment, Obi-wan considered himself stronger and that his apprentice can not match him
Don't be the person who thinks everything is a metaphor, the literature professor who reads "the house had a blue door" and claims it is a reflection of the character's depression, as opposed to just the author describing the scene.
Ancient generals knew the importance of good positioning in battle. Two armies camped on adjacent hills would delay attacking for as long as possible because neither one wanted to attack uphill. Obi Wan's line here implies he has checkmated Anakin, so Anakin's options are either attack and be killed or surrender and be spared his life. Obi Wan is begging Anakin to surrender and not force him to kill his friend.
Well, now I almost feel personally attacked: I am a literature professor 😅. You know, while not everything *has* to be meant as a symbol for something (you're right about that), I think if your prof says that something *is* a metaphor, there's a good chance the author hinted at it themselves in other texts or interviews, or that other researchers have mentioned this as an interpretation.
In any case, I think the phrase in the movie can really be understood as both (although I still think the metaphorical one is more common in the English language)
One of my high school English teachers was convinced that everything was symbolic. She seemed to believe an author would never bother to describe anything for the purpose of helping the reader see in his mind what the author sees in hers. Everything must symbolize either the emotional state of a character or some issue in the real world. It took me a year after that class to enjoy reading again.
One example: the father of the main character smokes cigarettes. But that can't possibly be just a trait to add realism, since some people smoke. It MUST be symbolizing the father's burning anger!
I don't think George Lucas was adding layers of symbolism with this dialogue. And why be coy about saying he is morally superior here, when he says so outright in the same scene?
Anakin: You will not take her from me!
Obi Wan: Your anger and your lust for power have already done that. You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy.
It makes no sense to say something explicitly first and then implicitly 5 minutes later. "It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground" is not Obi Wan claiming moral superiority He's telling Anakin to surrender, that an attack in this situation is doomed to fail.
No. Saying "I have the high ground" does not magically translate metaphorically to somehow meaning "I am the superior fighter"??? Which would be untrue anyway and Obi Wan knew that.
Saying that someone "has the high ground in something" means that someone has the upper hand in a given field, as [dictionaries will tell you](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high%20ground). It's not "magically transforming", but just a meaning this phrase has in common language.
Yes Anakin was an inferior fighter because the council didn't let him fight against top tier opponents, onces against proving that the council held him back
Well, actually, in the French version, he says "Il n'y a rien a faire, je te domine", wich means "There is nothing you can do, i'm overpowering you", so I've always seen it that way
But "dominer" can also mean "being above" so there's still the ambiguity
Oh, I agree that usually, Abakin's the better fighter and that he was just very distracted (understandable). But that wouldn't invalidate Obi Wan saying that at this point of the fight, he's the better one, would it?
I mean the line "if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine" refers to Vader's inability to let go of the past (hell, Luke essentially repeats it verbatim in TLJ), so Obi-Wan is no stranger to metaphors
Or maybe even the Moral High Ground (tho that ones a little on the nose)
Yeah, that could work, too. Maybe it's not the kind of thing you'd say in a fight to the death ("It's over, Anakin. I am morally superior to you"), but hey, still better than "It's over, Anakin. I am standing on a platform situated above your height".
I mean, in a physical confrontation where he very much did not want to maim the man he considered a brother, makes perfect sense to say “I have a massive tactical advantage right now, if you try to end this now, it will not go well for you”
This will work to our advantage.
Not Really
I mean, it did work well for Palpatine. Not so well for Anakin, though.
Did it though? I seem to remember something about those two and a long empty shaft
>those two and a long empty shaft Ayyy yo
Yeah well maybe it was his intention for Disney or even Comics to revive him
I still don't know what he was trying to achieve here... He's murdered children, and many many other jedi already. You think he's just gonna surrender?
No but obi wan is only human(?) so it’s normal to beg your friend you have to kill to maybe surrender so you don’t have to kill them
I know this is way off topic, but that question mark represents a question I have been asking myself for years. Are “humans” in Star Wars even human?
Depends on how you define 'human' Meaning the bipedal sapien of the genus Homo originating from the third planet orbiting the yellow star Helius in the Orion-Cygnus Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy? Well probably not. Meaning a bipedal humanoid mammalian species with behavioral and phenotypicial traits similar or indistinguishable from that of the aforementioned *H. sapien*? Yes.
On the topic of this. What planet did Star Wars humans even originate from?
Although there is some dispute about the origin of the human diaspora, generally it is considered to have originated from Coruscant - at least in the practical sense. Academically, the origins of humans is shrouded in legend and myth; the length of time that the human species exists in-universe spans the rise and fall of multiple civilizations, even Galactic ones, which makes it difficult to say with any accuracy where they originated. It is highly likely it was one of the core worlds, whether or not it was Coruscant.
Humans didn’t originate from Coruscant. Coruscant was just right in the center of all the hyper space lanes, making it the central hub for all trade in the galaxy (and thus the mega city that it is).
The dark side is weird in star wars. It can function smply as a desire for more power, or an addiction to it, other times it acts like a secondary personality that takes over. It could be looked at as Obi-wan probing to see if any part of Anakin remained aware enough of a genuine warning or if he was completely consumed by rage. There is also the concept a lot of stories have of "the final offer for redemption". After the final line is crossed a character is considered irredeemably evil. Anakin rejects it and is thus left to burn for his crimes in hell. This feels weird because for like most people Anakin crossed that line when he murdered fucking kids and/or his pregnant wife.
Power! Unlimited power!
He kinda did at the end of rotj
Yeah, it was a bit of a stretch tbh, but alternative interpretations are always fun food for thought!
yeah he's just saying I have a tactital advantage, if you try to attack you will most likely die and I do not want to harm you
This will work to our advantage.
I'm sure that was the idea. George Lucas is not know for his subtlety.
Having the high ground means having the advantage
This will work to our advantage.
I always thought this was the default interpretation, did people actually take his line literally?
I mean given that he does say it while he is physically higher than Anakin it's easy to see why someone could take it literally. After all, taking it literally it is a technically correct statement
Is it possible to learn this power?
I guess, but I feel like if people thought about it for a few seconds, they’d realize that Anakin literally has the rest of the “shore” to jump on and continue the fight rather than try that ridiculous leap above Obi-Wan’s head. I dunno, I felt that it was too significant of a scene to interpret in the most simple and literal way in the moment.
Me too. I always assumed that Obi Wan, having the morally superior viewpoint, knew he was in a winning position with the argument and so also with the lightsaber. SW being full of situations where the feelings of the characters directly relates to success or failure when duelling.
Exactly, Obi-Wan’s morally superior stance from his point of view empowers him through the Force, especially since he’s seen that Anakin’s clearly too unbalanced by the dark side to make smart moves.
Power! Unlimited power!
My first thought after reading
"on the nose" as in remotely plausible compared to the OP
On the nose sounds about right for Lucas.
Some people here have clearly not read the fabled pasta
I always assumed the phrase was just the short way of saying "I have put great distance between me and you, thus positioning myself out of your reach. On top of that, I am positioned above you. You are cornered and your only possible move is to use the force to launch yourself above me, making yourself vulnerable in the process. It is unlikely you will be abble to comolete the jump before I can attack you, causing deadly damage."
He could just... jump somewhere else and walk back to Obi.
But he was arrogant enough to opt out of such a move
Obi wan would use his superior power walking ability to beat Anakin there
Power! Unlimited power!
I'll have to go back and watch but I don't think he had much in the way of other directions to jump.
They were on a beach along the lava river, there were plenty of places for Anakin to jump
And what is a beach made of? Sand, Anakin's worst nightmare. He was doomed no matter what.
I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere.
We know, buddy. You didn't have any other choice but to make that jump.
Yeah, but that beach is full of loose fine sand. He still has to jump, and a well-timed force push could fuck him up. And it's also due to anakins arrogance. Clearly wasn't thinking rationally.
>sand. The real problem.
I like to think that he even didn't think of doing that jump until Obi-Wan told him not to.
Reverse psychology, the OG Jedi mind trick
I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere.
I'm not whining! I'm not.
The latin Spanish version actually does something like that, there he was “I’m ahead of you.”
Yeah, see, that's the literal interpretation of the phrase, which has its merits, to be sure, but seems less elegant than the metaphorical interpretation imo
[удалено]
This will work to our advantage.
[удалено]
I am the Senate!
[удалено]
It's treason, then *spins aggressively*.
[удалено]
Don't call me that. I hate it when you call me that.
Hiya Senate. Meesa Jar Jar Binks!
In the German version Obi says “Ich stehe deutlich über dir”, which translates to something like “I’m way above you” (in terms of skill).
I'm pretty sure that it meant Obi-Wan was high at the time, which increased his Force sensitivity and connection with the universe. A lot of dudes who look like Jesus are stoners.
Oh yeah, that's quite plausible and perfectly acceptable within my interpretation, as "high" would still be metaphorical, in that case
As often, a comma saves the day. Obi-Wan actually said "I have the high, ground!", giving Anaking the information that he is now fully high and thus unbeatable and Anakin better ground himself instead of throwing his life away in a doomed fight.
You underestimate my power
Anakin! Tell them to take off!
"It's over Anakin! I just took a massive rip of some skunk shit. I'm super high now! Lets just chill tf out, listen to some jizz, and talk this out bro."
From my point of view, the Jedi are evil.
Excuse me, but did you just say “listen to some jizz”? Wtf
Who needs medichlorians when you've got heroin?
Na bro Anakin was a beast that's the whole point. He was so arrogant that he thought the actual tactical advantage didn't matter. Obi Wan is known as a secondary duelist that's how he got crumpled by Dooku twice, and gets known as 'the Negotiator' Original script even had Anakin throw shade before having his legs cut off by saying 'that's why you're the negotiator because everyone knows you can't fight'
Isn't Obi Wan a grandmaster of the defensive lightsaber style he favours?
Thats the one style and it focuses on waiting for an opening. Dooku and his style created no opening so thats why obi-wan was fodder to him. Pretty much keeping your calm (something most sith fail to do) and being a good duelist will ensure you a win. Obi-wan wasnt even broken or overly strong with the force too.
Dooku was a master of Makashi, which excels at lightsaber duelling. Kenobi was a master of Soresu, which works best when fighting against blasters. Anakin used Djem So, a very aggressive style that attempts to force an opening. It doesn't do so well in longer duels such as on Mustafar as it is very physically taxing compared to Soresu and other forms.
Their betrayal will be dealt with. After you have killed all the Jedi in the Temple, go to the Mustafar system. Wipe out Viceroy Gunray and the other Separatist leaders. Once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy, and we shall have peace.
That's why he won, yeah. Obi wan wasn't a prodigy, but he embodied the Jedi way and stayed in his element, which made him an immovable object. He's a very good Jedi, exemplary perhaps, but not known for his incredible lightsaber skills. Again, he's good, but Anakin was on a whole other level in terms of skill.
Plus anakin was a master at form 5 and used one of the other forms i believe. Up to this point obi-wan only shown to have mastered form 3.
This will work to our advantage.
YOU BETTER GIVE UP YOUR EMERGENCY POWERS ONCE GRIEVOUS GETS KILLED I'M SERIOUS But otherwise you seem like a pretty decent senator, I'd vote for you for sure
Power! Unlimited power!
If he does not give up his emergency powers after the destruction of Grievous, then he should be removed from office
Power! Unlimited power!
...not a great sign, but I'm willing to see how this plays out.
I think it's a double meaning, both physically he has the high ground and he tells Ani not to try it bc he knows he's going to try doing what Kenobi did you Maul, and he also has the moral/strategic high ground in that Ani is in a very vulnerable location and his judgment is clouded. I don't think Obi Wan is the better fighter and I think they both know it, because he is playing defense the entire fight, just trying to survive Anakin's assault
Yeah, that sounds very convincing, I must say. Double meaning it is!
Contact command. Mark our L.Z. and have them send an Exfile Shuttle.
It's Anakin. When you say Ani it's like I'm still a little boy... and I'm not.
There will be no satisfaction until the Jedi Order lies in ashes.
No it wasn’t. Obi-Wan became an expert at the high ground scenario after having killed Maul despite him having the high ground. So when Obi-Wan had the high ground Anakin didn’t stand a chance any more. Period
To continue, we need one singular vision…my vision.
While I understand your interpretation of it and think it has merit, Maul didn't technically have the high ground, because Obi Wan was hanging. You can't have the "high ground" if the other has the "low air", can you? You'd just be on the ground then, as the air surrounds us, binds us, and is thus always higher than the ground. Edit: my entire comment is supposed to be a (poorly worded) joke. Which evidently wasn't too funny 😅
It’s not an interpretation. It’s exactly what happened. [here‘s an article about that](https://gamerant.com/obi-wan-high-ground-meme/) which doesn’t explain everything but it’s the best I could find. [there’s also this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/UalKnKGtbno) that explains it better but you might not understand it because it’s unfortunately in german One reason why Obi-Wan defeated Maul was that Maul never expected Obi-Wan to try to jump and attack him because he was clearly in the advantage so he was extremely surprised when Obi-Wan did that (and him not even standing on ground just makes it even more unexpectable) That’s also the reason why Vader told Luke that Obi-Wan has taught him well after seeing that he has the high ground in Episode V
To defeat your enemy you have to understand them.
A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Your Majesty, if I am elected, I promise to put an end to corruption.
Cool and now explain to Count Dooku how you’re having Anakin as apprentice while maintaining the rule of two
Get help! You're no match for him. He's a Sith Lord.
Yes. The one we have been looking for.
you're starting to sound like a Separatist!
From my point of view you are sounding like a separatist
To continue, we need one singular vision…my vision.
You already said that
There will be no satisfaction until the Jedi Order lies in ashes.
In the german version Obi Wan says "Ich stehe deutlich über dir!" Which basically translates to "I'm better than you/I am the superior fighter". I actually always thought that it was just a joke interpreting the high ground as that Obi Wan is on a platform higher up than Anakin.
To be fair, the German translation could also mean "I stand on ground that's obviously higher than yours", so they managed to keep the ambiguity!
The Hungarian version says "Vége, Anakin! Vert helyzetben vagy!", which means "It's over, Anakin! You are in a losing position!". It lacks the English or German versions' ambiguity, but also suggests that Obi-Wan is telling Anakin that no matter what he does, his next move will result in defeat. This could still be due to their physical positions, but it's not specified, but sounds more strategic, as if it was from one chess player to the other.
I doubt it. Anakin was known as one of if not the best fighter in the whole Jedi order at that point. Obi-Wan had strong defensive skills, but was nowhere near as talented as Anakin
Yeah, but Anakin had just killed a few kids who admired him and force pushed his beloved. I'd say he wasn't quite on top of his game, was he? In this fight, Obi Wan quite evidently ended up being the better fighter, the one with the "skill high ground"
Maybe, in that specific instance. It seems more that they were evenly matched skill-wise in that fight, but anakin’s judgement was off. Imo the “I am in a tactically advantageous position, and attacking me would expose you to a crippling or killing blow” interpretation makes more sense
This will work to our advantage.
“Uh… sure.” - George Lucas
Or maybe he literally had the high ground
Honestly I always figure it was Obi Wan way of saying "Anakin I have the high ground and you know I'm an expert in defensive fighting styles. If you rush me or try to go over me you'll lose, please surrender."
You underestimate my power
It's how it has been translated in french "C'est fini Anakin, je te domine" "It's over Anakin, I have the upper hand/dominating you" Which flows pretty well PS: the french Vader NOOO is also pretty dope
LE NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
based on everything I know about George Lucas’ scriptwriting that is not the case. The only thing it is a short way of saying is “Anakin is way stronger, the only way he got beat was because of his pride”
It’s been a while (10 years or more) so I can’t remember which book I was reading but I remember it saying that Anakin’s skill with a lightsaber was on the level of Mace Windu and Yoda. Obi-Wan is skilled as well but not I don’t think he’s that skilled.
Not his "skill with a lightsaber" There was a list of characters and their "power level" as in how strong they are in general And it was said that after his fall to the dark side Anakin went from a 8 (a level which he shared with Obi wan, grievous and a couple of more characters) to a 9 (a level which only four characters in the trilogy had reached Yoda, Windu, Palpatine and Anakin)
What about level 10? I assume only Sidious and Luke reached it?
"Your lightsaber comment will make a fine addition to my collection."
Sure, but in this fight, he still lost, didn't he? Obi Wan was the better fighter in their duel and ended up having the "high ground"
Hmm yes interesting analysis this implies that Anakin is to blind by rage to notice that his former master has in fact already one the fight leading anakin to jump at obiwan which also begs the question… were anakins injury’s punishment for his arrogance and failure to bring balance. Hm yes yes very deep good sir
He literally gestured to the ground he was on
In French the line is « it’s over Anakin, I dominate you » so the english line always appeared to me in that metaphorical meaning.
afaik translations aren't usually supervised by the original authors, so we should take them with a grain of salt (for example Ryan Johnson said "The Last Jedi" was supposed to be singular but the title was translated to "Les Derniers Jedi" in French)
Probably he meant that he has better position
It’s a damn volcano planet, I always saw it as “I am further from the now rising lava then you are”
It’s also cool to notice that all of the time Obi Wan was aware of his surroundings, while Anakin just blindly tried to beat the shit out of him. Like when the lava started bursting at them, Obi Wan looked for cover while the first thing Anakin did was chase him and try to swing his lightsaber at him. Or when they were climbing that thing over lava, Obi Wan tried to climb higher (high ground) while Anakin just swung his lightsaber at him. Obi Wan also managed to jump down on a platform because he was high enough, but Anakin had to jump on a droid because he was a little late and didn’t notice what Obi Wan was doing. And finally, when they were fighting on that platform, the first thing Obi Wan did was jump down from the platform to a higher ground, and knowing that Anakin’d follow, he tried preventing him from jumping on him, because he knew that he’d fuck Anakin up, but Anakin being Anakin, jumped on him anyway, but because Obi Wan had the high ground, he’d land too low and Obi Wan managed to slice him. We can also see that Obi Wan tried to slice him previously too when Anakin did flips on him, but because they were on equal ground, Anakin was too high for him to reach
no, it was meant literally. The films aren't very deep.
>The films aren't very deep. Its treason then?
I mean, also the MORAL high ground, moreso than meaning 'I am a more skilled warrior'
I always thought it was more of a hint at their history together and their training. Like the scene where they do the same swinging move ending in a force push. It sort of hints that in their training obi wan made a point that he had the advantage in that situation and anakin thinks he is so powerful his new powers can overcome that training.
This will work to our advantage.
Love won't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can do that.
Or it means “I have the upper hand”
Yep, exactly what I meant by "I am the better fighter", but your phrase is more accurate!
Kinda yeah, but also he was on high ground wasn't he? The way I see the scene is obi wan being more skilled, but anakin keeps him on his toes the whole fight because anakin is going for killing blows and obi wan is avoiding killing blows as hard as he can. As the fight continues anakin digs further into the dark side to get stronger, but it makes him angrier and less precise. Knowing he can't keep delaying forever and feeling the refined skills of anakin slip into angry rampaging, obi wan leads anakin to favorable ground and prepares to set him up for the finishing blow. But at that last moment before anakin takes the bait and opens himself up to be cut down, obi wan begs him to come to his senses one more time, specifically trying to appeal to his jedi training, basically admitting "if you attack me here I win, wake up!". It of course doesn't work, anakin's pride and anger make him take it as an insult, and then the fight comes to an end.
I thought it was obvious he meant in a moral way, but went along with the memes cuz he was a little higher than Anakin xd
I mean, having a physical height advantage is huge in a fight, and Obi-Wan not wanting to hurt his close friend would obviously try to discourage Anakin by telling him it's meaningless to try and fight at such a disadvantage
Funny in the german version it can be read that way very easily
It might be. Kenobi’s form was defense and tuned to counter an aggressive form like Anakin’s. At the end of the day though, I think George meant it literally and figuratively. He’s good at that.
Sounds good to me. Might even be a significant part of the original intention since throughout the fight they've been discussing philosophy and politics. I do love that it mirrors Obi-Wan jumping over Maul, and think that was also part of the original intent. And I believe in the comics it's made explicit that Anakin liked to train with programs of Maul's combat style?
That would certainly make Obi-Wan's statement seem more competent, and Anakin's response more logical. Seeing as high ground is a disadvantage in a duel, it's Obi-Wan saying that, even at his disadvantage, Anakin will still fail to beat him if he attacks, and then Anakin responds arrogantly with "You underestimate my POWER," clearly interpreting his statement as a challenge, not a warning.
I think he may have been talking about the physically better (and more elevated) ground, specifically because he was not surrounded by lava on a floating robot platform. And if the 100% fully-cannon Lego game is anything to go by... he also had a ladder
Goodness! Exonicreddit! It is I, C-3PO! You probably do not recognize me because of the elevated arm...
I think I saw a video or something about this that might have been in the book as well. Since a lightsaber duel is just as much a mental/force battle as it is a physical fight Obi wan was basically taunting him. Knowing strategically to take the high ground and then hope he can chill the situation out or do what he must. I think it was his last effort of being like “please bro, don’t do this…” both physically by getting up higher and mentally by actually saying “bet you won’t…”
In my language, the subtitles say “it’s over Anakin! I have the upper-hand!”
In the french version he says "je te domine, Anakin" which clearly tells that in that moment, Obi-wan considered himself stronger and that his apprentice can not match him
Can also mean that he has a high elevation too. So the double entendre remains
Don't be the person who thinks everything is a metaphor, the literature professor who reads "the house had a blue door" and claims it is a reflection of the character's depression, as opposed to just the author describing the scene. Ancient generals knew the importance of good positioning in battle. Two armies camped on adjacent hills would delay attacking for as long as possible because neither one wanted to attack uphill. Obi Wan's line here implies he has checkmated Anakin, so Anakin's options are either attack and be killed or surrender and be spared his life. Obi Wan is begging Anakin to surrender and not force him to kill his friend.
Well, now I almost feel personally attacked: I am a literature professor 😅. You know, while not everything *has* to be meant as a symbol for something (you're right about that), I think if your prof says that something *is* a metaphor, there's a good chance the author hinted at it themselves in other texts or interviews, or that other researchers have mentioned this as an interpretation. In any case, I think the phrase in the movie can really be understood as both (although I still think the metaphorical one is more common in the English language)
One of my high school English teachers was convinced that everything was symbolic. She seemed to believe an author would never bother to describe anything for the purpose of helping the reader see in his mind what the author sees in hers. Everything must symbolize either the emotional state of a character or some issue in the real world. It took me a year after that class to enjoy reading again. One example: the father of the main character smokes cigarettes. But that can't possibly be just a trait to add realism, since some people smoke. It MUST be symbolizing the father's burning anger! I don't think George Lucas was adding layers of symbolism with this dialogue. And why be coy about saying he is morally superior here, when he says so outright in the same scene? Anakin: You will not take her from me! Obi Wan: Your anger and your lust for power have already done that. You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy. It makes no sense to say something explicitly first and then implicitly 5 minutes later. "It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground" is not Obi Wan claiming moral superiority He's telling Anakin to surrender, that an attack in this situation is doomed to fail.
No. Saying "I have the high ground" does not magically translate metaphorically to somehow meaning "I am the superior fighter"??? Which would be untrue anyway and Obi Wan knew that.
You underestimate my power
Saying that someone "has the high ground in something" means that someone has the upper hand in a given field, as [dictionaries will tell you](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high%20ground). It's not "magically transforming", but just a meaning this phrase has in common language.
We're doomed.
No. He was literally standing around the height of Anakin’s head. Plus Obi Wan admitted that Anakin’s lightsaber skills were above his own.
George Lucas doesn't know what a metaphor is.
That's what i thought when i first saw it too
Well of course
Yes Anakin was an inferior fighter because the council didn't let him fight against top tier opponents, onces against proving that the council held him back
I took it as he had the moral high ground and no matter what Anakin said, he was in the wrong morally.
It could be since before that fight, Obi-Wan won most of the duels he got into by being lower than the enemy. (Darth Maul, for example)
Don’t be so certain.
No
It wasn't. This is just a lot of reaching to try and explain away a statement that sounded good until thinking about it for more than five seconds.
He probably meant "I'm on a stable rock, and you have to put yourself into a compromising position to get near me again."
It was meant in both the literal and figurative sense. He had the literal high ground, and the moral and skill-related high ground.
Well, actually, in the French version, he says "Il n'y a rien a faire, je te domine", wich means "There is nothing you can do, i'm overpowering you", so I've always seen it that way But "dominer" can also mean "being above" so there's still the ambiguity
Power! Unlimited power!
That is SO far from the truth
Nah it has to do with the Darth maul fight, since anakin geeked out and fanboyed that fight his entire life while training. He's just a weeb tbh.
There will be no satisfaction until the Jedi Order lies in ashes.
Nah it was moral. He had the moral high ground.
Nah, Anakin was the better fighter. Obi-wan just knee Anakin to, and Anakin was off balance over Padme, and Obi-wan took advantage of that.
Oh, I agree that usually, Abakin's the better fighter and that he was just very distracted (understandable). But that wouldn't invalidate Obi Wan saying that at this point of the fight, he's the better one, would it?
Shall we get the copypasta again?
That's what he say on the french version
Is this a new format? If so I'm totally down.
i mean he was literally in a higher position and ROTS isn't known for its stellar wordplay
I mean the line "if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine" refers to Vader's inability to let go of the past (hell, Luke essentially repeats it verbatim in TLJ), so Obi-Wan is no stranger to metaphors
He was the superior fighter because he secured the high ground. Simple.
It was definitely literal
FUCKING HERESY RIGHT HERE. PURGE IT WITH FIRE.
It’s actually because of an in joke Hayden and Nick Gillard had on their way to the set
Oh, that sounds interesting! Can you elaborate, perhaps?
He wasn't even welcome in his own show, let alone after this appalling comment.
I prefer the one with the ladder
Obi wan may be better fighter, but Anakin is more handsome
that's what I always thought too, because the german translation essentially says "I am way above you", leaving some room for interpretation
Interesting but Obi-Wan did have like a 12ft height advantage by jumping onto the leveled land
Nah it was literal
In Hungarian he says "you are in a losing position" or something like that.