Exactly. I could buy the whole he didn't know Anakin was still alive if they had depicted Tatoine as a total backwater with the inquisitors turning up being basically their first knowledge/experience of the empire and the Jedi purge.
Tatoine wasn't a republic system so wouldn't have become an empire system, especially since it is still Hutt controlled all through the OT. Then it may have made sense that Kenobi thought Anakin had died at Mustafar.
They really shouldn't have had Vader all suited up interacting with Kenobi at all, have him in it for marketing/fan service? Fine. If they wanted the Hayden, Ewan scenes then do a lot more of Kenobi essentially hallucinating Anakin.
This was a kid he raised from the age of 9 who turned to the dark side that he ultimately had to kill (as far as he knew). The guilt from that explored through hallucinations/flashbacks/whatever would have been a million times more interesting than a throw away line from a 2nd rate diversity actress and a badly shot lightsaber fight.
Vader and Kenobi should never meet.
This series idea was a stupid dumpster fire that would never work. But if you were trying to do the concept in the least dumb way:
- There should be some major Rebellion plot going on. Vader is on his way to crush it, pulled away from his Jedi hunting duties and forced by the emperor to delegate the hunt to the inquisitors. (plus another paycheck for Ian). Vader attempting to crush the nascent rebel alliance is the B plot.
- Nigquisitor reports to Vader via hologram while hunting who turns out to be Obi Wan.
- Kenobi has been isolated, but now being drawn out starts seeing everyone talking about "Lord Vader" - Obi knows Anakin = Vader, but given its just a suit of black armor doesn't know for sure its Anakin under there. So Nigquisitor can confirm its Anakin for Kenobi.
- As you said, Kenobi has major mental problems - his friends are dead, the republic is no more, the sith are taking over, and the only hope of turning this around is some retarded 6 year old boy he needs to keep from killing himself on the daily.
- Vader and Kenobi never meet. We get lots of cut aways scenes of Vader being vader and just slicing his way through rebel, choking bitches out, being the Vader who has the rep he has in ANH. This furthers the B plot, and Vader's complete curb stomping of rebels makes the importance of the A plot stand out: If Kenobi doesn't keep Vader away from the important maguffin, the Rebel Alliance is finished before it can begin.
- Rescuing Leia or w/e means that ESB like Vader crushes a Rebel outpost and does some damage but the leaders manage to get away.
