Had the Jedi made one different decision in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, they could have changed the fate of the galaxy in Star Wars. The number of major events that occur in Revenge of the Sith is staggering, making it easily among the most critical points in the Star Wars timeline. In this movie, the Clone Wars end, the Jedi are nearly eradicated, the Republic falls and gives way to the Empire, and Anakin Skywalker goes from one of Star Wars’ most powerful Jedi to one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith.

By nature of the scale of these events, it’s easy to feel as though all that transpires in Revenge of the Sith was inevitable. While that’s true in some ways—such as the fact that there was never going to be a positive outcome to the Clone Wars because it was orchestrated by Palpatine—certain choices by the Jedi could have gotten in the way of Palpatine’s plans. One different choice in particular could have mᴀssively impacted Palpatine’s influence on Anakin, thereby changing the fate of the galaxy.

The Jedi Sent Obi-Wan Kenobi To Utapau

This Was Obi-Wan’s Final Mission During The Clone Wars

In Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi was sent to Utapau to stop General Grievous, which the Jedi believed would mark the end of the war. Of course, this was never truly going to mean a victory for the Republic and the Jedi, as Palpatine’s entire plan was meant to bring an end to both. This decision made sense in the context, though, as it seemed like bringing down Grievous would mean the Separatists were without a leader following the death of Count Dooku.

It also made sense for Obi-Wan to be the Jedi chosen to go. Master Yoda was on Kashyyyk, and Obi-Wan was among the most skilled and powerful Jedi in the Order at the time. The problem was, Obi-Wan’s departure happened at a critical point in the Clone Wars (and, therefore, in Palpatine’s plan), and it was ultimately a fruitless mission. This became particularly problematic because this was the worst possible timing for Anakin.

Palpatine Knew It Was Time To Strike With Obi-Wan Gone

This Perfectly Opened Up The Opportunity For Palpatine To Reveal His True Nature To Anakin

It was no accident that Palpatine revealed that he was a Sith Lord to Anakin when Obi-Wan was on Utapau. However complex Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship may have been over the years, Palpatine knew that Anakin trusted and cared about Obi-Wan. It would have been much more difficult to win Anakin over to his side, even while dangling the thought of Padmé dying in front of him, had Obi-Wan been there.

It’s unlikely Palpatine would have revealed his true nature to Anakin at this point at all, simply because of the risk Obi-Wan’s presence posed. In fact, Palpatine had seen first hand how big an obstacle Obi-Wan would be to his plans for Anakin. Early on in Revenge of the Sith, when Obi-Wan and Anakin were on a rescue mission to ‘save’ Palpatine from Grievous and Dooku, Palpatine tried to convince Anakin to leave Obi-Wan.

Even though Palpatine was able to convince Anakin to kill Count Dooku, completely against the Jedi way, he was unsuccessful in getting Anakin to leave Obi-Wan. Instead, Anakin told Palpatine, “His fate will be the same as ours.” That alone proved to Palpatine that Obi-Wan had to be out of the picture, making Obi-Wan’s departure to Utapau the perfect time to strike. Unfortunately for the Jedi, Palpatine was entirely correct.

This Decision Doomed The Jedi

Ultimately, Obi-Wan Was The One Person Who Could Have Prevented These Events From Transpiring

Obi-Wan was the one person who could have successfully intervened after Anakin learned that Palpatine was a Sith. The Revenge of the Sith novelization, written by Matthew Stover, reveals that Anakin was specifically looking for Obi-Wan after learning this information:

“Master …” The voice was a hoarse half whisper. “Master Windu …?”

“Skywalker?” Mace was at his side in an instant. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Anakin took Mace’s arm in a grip of desperate strength, and used it like a crutch to haul himself upright.

“Obi-Wan …,” he said faintly. “I need to talk to Obi-Wan—!”

“Obi-Wan is operational on Utapau; he has destroyed General Grievous. We are leaving now to tell the Chancellor, and to see to it that he steps down as he has promised—”

“Steps—steps down—” Anakin’s voice had a sharply bitter edge. “You have no idea …”

This scene from the novel alone suggests how different things might have been had it been Obi-Wan, not Mace Windu, who had found Anakin at that moment.

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When he was seeking Obi-Wan, Anakin was not yet too far gone. He wanted to speak to Obi-Wan because he needed guidance on what to do next. Clearly, at that point, he was clearly still on the side of the Jedi. Obi-Wan absolutely could have gotten through to Anakin then, even with Anakin’s fears about Padmé. In fact, as Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and Padmé, this would have been the ideal time for Anakin to lay everything out on the table and get Obi-Wan’s help.

Obi-Wan, unlike Mace Windu, also very likely could have actually gotten Anakin to stay put as they went to deal with Palpatine. As following Mace Windu to Palpatine’s office ended up being the turning point for Anakin, this alone would have made a mᴀssive difference. It would have been interesting to see how Obi-Wan addressed the issue of whether to kill Palpatine, but Anakin very likely would not have been there—and that would have been key.

Mace Windu Was The WORST Jedi In This Situation…But He Had To Stay At The Temple

Mace Windu Simply Couldn’t Have Gone To Utapau

I fully believe Obi-Wan could have saved Anakin and the Jedi from their terrible fates had he been on Coruscant rather than on Utapau when Anakin learned the truth about Palpatine, but I also believe Mace Windu was the worst possible Jedi for Anakin to run into at that moment. There’s no denying Mace Windu was a powerful and wise Jedi and a very skilled duelist, but he was also the most antagonistic to Anakin. This was true from the moment Anakin arrived at the Jedi Temple as a child in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.

When Anakin came forward, Mace Windu told him that “if” what Anakin was telling him turned out to be true, then Anakin would have gained his trust. This was painful for Anakin for two reasons. For one, Mace was expressing doubt that Anakin was correct, which was no doubt hurtful to Anakin, given it was a bit of a shock that he was able/willing to turn on his mentor and report him to the Jedi—Mace Windu, of all people.

This statement from Mace also reinforced that he still, more than a decade later, didn’t trust Anakin. Given how much Anakin had given to the Jedi and how hard he had worked to prove himself over the years, this had to sting. After all, Anakin had been one of the most heroic fighters throughout the Clone Wars. Still, for Mace Windu, that wasn’t enough. This is worlds apart from the pride and graтιтude Obi-Wan would likely have shown for Anakin coming forward about this.

Ultimately, the Jedi’s hands were a bit tied on this matter. As Mace Windu was the Master of the Order, he couldn’t leave on that mission to Utapau, especially not at such a crucial point in the Clone Wars—he had to stay with the Order. Nevertheless, Mace Windu was undoubtedly the worst possible Jedi for Anakin to encounter just then, and Obi-Wan would have been the best. Had the Jedi Council not sent Obi-Wan to Utapau in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, I truly believe Obi-Wan could have intervened, perhaps saving the Jedi in Star Wars.