Summary
Even without Palpatine’s self-serving manipulation, I’m convincedAnakin Skywalkerstill would have fallen to the dark side eventually.The tragedy of Anakin Skywalker is the heart of the Skywalker saga. Almost everything in theStar Warsmovieshappens because ofAnakin’s fall to the dark sideand his allegiance to Emperor Palpatine. The destruction of the Jedi, Padmé Amidala’s death, and Luke and Leia’s separation are all tied up in Anakin’s sinister transformation. At the same time, the legacy of the Jedi was able to live on in Luke Skywalker after he redeemed his father inReturn of the Jedi.
Though it was clear from the moment he set his eyes on Anakin inStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menacethat Palpatine wanted to use Anakin for his own personal gain, Palpatine isn’t the only reason Anakin fell to the dark side. Not by a long shot.Palpatine only really amplified the uncertainty that was already there, the darkness that was brewing beneath the surface. Even without his interference, I truly believe Anakin would have fallen to the dark side anyway – it may just have taken him a little while longer to get there.
Anakin Skywalker’s 10 Fatal Flaws
While Anakin Skywalker’s issues with anger and hate are well-known, he struggled with a number of flaws that ultimately led him to the dark side.
Palpatine Encouraged Anakin’s Darkness, But Didn’t Create It
Palpatine didn’t create Anakin’s darkness; he didn’t need to. It was a part of Anakin’s very being, so intrinsic to his character that Palpatine truly only needed to coax it out rather than force it into existence.Having grown up as a slave, Anakin experienced greed, jealousy, violence, and anger from a very young age. Though his mother loved him dearly, and Anakin truly loved her in return, there was only so much Shmi Skywalker could do to protect her young, impressionable son from his environment.
As a result of his unconventional and disturbing childhood, Anakin became fiercely loyal to those who showed him kindness. That loyalty, however, easily became obsessive, morphing into a twisted version of love. All he’d ever known was greediness and anger. Is it any wonder that those dark emotions became a distinctive part of who he was as a person and Jedi? Anakin may have been able to stamp those feelings down for a while when he began training with the Jedi Order, but it was never truly going to be enough.He couldn’t hide that part of himself from Palpatine.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
The senator for Naboo, Palpatine rose to power and influence during the dying days of the Republic. In reality, his public persona was just a mask; he was really Darth Sidious, greatest of the Sith Lords, and he used his political skills and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi. Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades, until he was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Vader. Even this wasn’t enough to stop the Emperor, however, as he was resurrected by his followers - only to be defeated once again.
Yoda Was Right To Sense Fear In Anakin Right From The Start
When Qui-Gon first introduces Anakin Skywalker to theJedi Council inThe Phantom Menace, Yoda immediately senses Anakin’s fear. He’s not necessarily fearful of the Jedi, however – he’s fearful of his mother’s future on Tatooine and that he’ll never see her again. Fear, as we know, is a tool used by those who wield the dark side. It can change us irrevocably.Though the Jedi are taught to overcome their fear, Anakin’s advanced age made that so much harder for him.
The Jedi may have recognized Anakin’s fear, but they never gave him the proper tools to process it.
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering,”Yoda says after Anakin’s Jedi test. But that’s the exact problem – Anakin is already well acquainted with all of those emotions. When he joins the Jedi Order, he is forced to suppress those feelings, while the other Jedi are simply taught to be mindful of them. The Jedi may have recognized his fear, but I don’t believe they ever gave him the proper tools to process it.
Star Wars: 10 Characters Who Contributed The Most To Anakin’s Downfall
Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the Dark Side was a long time in the making, but which characters contributed the most to his ultimate turn to villainy?
Anakin’s Desire For Padmé Meant The Jedi Code Would Never Be Enough
Anakin’s fear for his mother was wrapped up in his desperate need for love and affection. After he was separated from Shmi, who was going to give that to him? Certainly not the Jedi, who are taught not to form attachments. They can be friendly, sure, encouraging, kind, and compassionate, but that was never really going to be enough for Anakin.He craved love and was fearful of a life without it, and when Padmé stepped back into his world inStar Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,he couldn’t stop himself from falling for her.
Here was someone who had been kind to him before he’d become one of the Jedi. She enjoyed spending time with him, laughed at his silly jokes, and could offer him the love and affection that he so desperately craved. Once he had her, he couldn’t let go, and it became clear that the Jedi Code and Anakin’s place as an honorable protector of the galaxy would never be enough to placate him.
Anakin’s need for love is painfully understandable – it’s human nature, after all, to seek out connection with others. The Jedi seek that same connection with the Force, and for many, that’s enough. It’s clear to me, however, that neither Obi-Wan Kenobi nor the other Jedi who taught Anakin ever truly showed him how one could eventually replace the other. Anakin’s connection to the Force is instinctual and powerful – he does not seek answers from the Force, he doesn’t meditate all that often. He knows what he wants, and he goes for it, and what he wanted was Padmé.
Anakin’s Competing Attachments Would Always Tear Him Apart
In direct defiance of the Jedi Code, Anakin created and nurtured his attachments.He was attached to his mother, he was attached to Padmé, and he was attached to Obi-Wan Kenobi, too, who was like a brother to him. Each of those attachments tugged at a different side of him, however. His affection for his mother, who had protected him as best as she could, ate away at him until he could take it no longer. When he discovered that she’d died, and more importantly, how she’d died, he snapped and committed his first truly violent, dark act.
His attachment to Padmé was passionate and obsessive. He was hers, and she was his, and nothing could and would ever come between them. InStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Anakin’s jealousy often got the best of him – he attacked anyone who expressed an interest in his wife and even sometimes mistreated Padmé in the process.
Anakin wanted love and a family, and he wanted the respect and camaraderie of the Jedi Order. Those two attachments were always going to be in direct competition with one another.
Anakin’s relationship with Obi-Wan was more complex, but no less triggering and deep. Obi-Wan essentially raised Anakin once he joined the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan was kind, compassionate, and understanding – sometimes too understanding, as Obi-Wan’s attachment to Anakin also played a role in the downfall of the Jedi Order – and Anakin wanted to please him and be friends with him.Anakin’s loyalty to Obi-Wan arguably surpassed his loyalty to the Jedi Order as a whole.
Anakin wanted love and a family, and he wanted the respect and camaraderie of the Jedi Order. Those two attachments were always going to be in direct competition with one another. They could never co-exist, and Obi-Wan, who knew about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship, shouldn’t have let them. As sad as it is to say, I believe that Obi-Wan is just as complicit in Anakin’s fall to the dark side as Palpatine was.
It was revealed in Mike Chen’sStar WarsnovelBrotherhood, as well as inStar Wars: The Clone Warsseason 7, that Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and Padmé all along.
If Obi-Wan had just talked to Anakin and told him that he knew of his relationship and that Anakin would need to make a choice, as Obi-Wan himself once did, so much heartbreak could have been avoided. Instead, Palpatine swooped in and saw Anakin’s struggles. He didn’t create them. He didn’t force Anakin to marry Padmé, and he didn’t force Anakin to remain in the Jedi Order. Palpatine just used his knowledge of Anakin’s life to his advantage, dug his claws into his insecurities, and pushedAnakin Skywalkerto the breaking point.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
