This is the last thing that does bug me a bit. Here’s my suggestion… Save the end of Obi-Wan & Anakin’s fight from “AotC” for the end of the final fight between Obi-Wan & Vader in Episode 6. Instead of Obi-Wan saying “Then my friend is truly dead,” (this is the line that confuses me, because if that statement were true, then why would you not kill him here to protect Luke and Leia?) and instead have Obi-Wan complete his reflection on their duel as student & master. This way it comes across as trying to teach Vader the lesson he tried to teach Anakin long ago instead of a strange contradiction of his words and actions, and it brings a conclusion to the flashbacks we saw in the Episode 5 content. To compliment this change, also change the end of the Episode 3 duel by having Vader say his “The years have made you weak” line as Obi-Wan is rescued by the robot, further showing that Vader didn’t want to fight a weakling Obi-Wan.
Now, at the end of the series with these changes, Vader & Obi-Wan’s relationship has developed into something more complicated & co-dependent. Vader won’t kill Ben because he wants to fight him at his best, & Ben won’t kill Vader because he still considers Anakin his friend, he wants him to grow & gain the wisdom that Ben knows he’s capable of learning.
Hmm, now where have I seen that before…
Delete Ben saying “then my friend is truly dead,” & replace it with the end of Ben & Anakin’s duel from “AotC” where Obi-Wan is trying to impart a lesson. While Ben still disappointingly says “Good bye, Darth” to distance himself, deep down he still thinks Anakin is in there. This plays very well with the way the edit is currently is, with Vader refusing to kill Ben in Part III because “the years have made you weak,” & that’s unsatisfying for Vader.
So now, at the end of the edit, Vader & Ben’s relationship has developed into something more complicated & co-dependent. Vader won’t kill Ben because he wants to fight him at his best, & Ben won’t kill Vader because, whether or not he knows it, he still considers Vader his friend, & wants him to grow & gain the wisdom that Ben knows he’s capable of learning.
Still, thanks for agreeing & expanding on my original assessment, Acbagel!