As much as the prequels are given crap, I think this poster (minus the text I added) is one of the best things that has come out of the prequels (memes aside). If you are watching the movies in chronological order, then it doesn't give away the big reveal (that Anakin is Darth Vader), especially because you don 't even know who Darth Vader is at this point in the series. For people who have seen the original trilogy, it's a clever callback to the surprise, and I thought it was a nice play on foreshadowing, as it's literally a shadow. As I mentioned earlier, it is going to be a tough trick to have someone turn to the dark side, and still have the audience sympathise with the character. They also needed to have a good reason for him to turn back to the light side in Return of the Jedi.
Here's what we learned about Anakin's turn to the dark side from the original trilogy:
In A New Hope:
LUKE
How did my father die?
BEN
A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who
was a pupil of mine until he turned
to evil, helped the Empire hunt down
and destroy the Jedi Knights. He
betrayed and murdered your father.
Now the Jedi are all but extinct.
Vader was seduced by the dark side
of the Force.
And Empire Strikes Back:
On Dagobah:
CREATURE
(irritated)
I cannot teach him. The boy has
no patience.
Luke's head spins in the direction the creature faces. But there is no
one there. The boy is bewildered, but it gradually dawns on him that
the little creature is Yoda, the Jedi Master, and that he is speaking
with Ben.
BEN'S VOICE
He will learn patience.
YODA
Hmmm. Much anger in him, like his father.
And later, in Cloud City with Vader:
LUKE
I'll never join you!
VADER
If you only knew the power of the
dark side. Obi-Wan never told
you what happened to your father.
LUKE
He told me enough! It was you
who killed him.
VADER
No. I am your father.
Finally, in Return of the Jedi:
LUKE Obi-Wan! Why didn't you tell me? The ghost of Ben Kenobi approaches him through the swamp. LUKE You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father. BEN You father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the goodman who was your father was destroyed. So what I have told youwas true... from a certain point of view. LUKE (turning away, derisive) A certain point of view! BEN Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Luke is unresponsive. Ben studies him in silence for a moment. BEN Anakin was a good friend. When I first knew him, your father wasalready a great pilot. But I was amazed how strongly the Force waswith him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thoughtthat I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong.Luke is entranced. LUKE There's still good in him. BEN He is more machine now than man. Twisted and evil.
I love Obi-Wan's "from a certain point of view" line. I use it all the time, but nobody seems to get the joke. :(
Not part of the original source material, but whenever I think of Luke's line to Vader saying Obi-Wan told him he killed his father, I always hear it as the line from the Star Wars Gangsta Rap (the Vader / Luke battle starts here: https://youtu.be/tEeAjy-05OI?t=2m19s).
Vader: Impressive, now release your anger.Such a great song.
You must have sensed that your friends are in danger.
Luke: Owww! Why'd you slice of my hand?
Vader: It's imperative that you understand
Obi-Wan would never bother,
Telling you about your father
Luke: He told me enough! He told me you killed him!
Vader: Well, there's something I must reveal then.
I'm your father.
I'm your father.
What we've learned is that Anakin was a great pilot, he turned to the dark side, hunted down Jedi, and he's more machine than man. How does this play out in the prequels?
Qui-Gon stumbles upon Anakin in Watto's shop, while he's looking for parts to repair their spaceship. They land on Tatooine, which is far too remote to respect the rules of the Republic, and their money isn't any good there. Anakin, being the good-hearted kid that he is, offers to race in the upcoming podrace, with the prize money being more than enough to cover the cost of the parts. Qui-Gon notes that he's unusually strong with the force.
QUI-GON : You should be proud of your son. He gives without any thought of reward. SHMI : He knows nothing of greed. He has... QUI-GON : He has special powers. SHMI : Yes... QUI-GON : He can see things before they happen. That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It is a Jedi trait. SHMI : He deserves better than a slave's life. QUI-GON : Why, certainly. Had he been born in the Republic, we would haveidentified him early. The Force is unusually strong with him, that much is clear.Who was his father? SHMI : There was no father. I carried him, I gave him birth...I can't explain what happened. Can you help him? QUI-GON : I don't know. I didn't actually come here to free slaves.
His fast-reflexes are noted in the fact that he is able to participate in pod-racing, an futuristic form of formula-1 racing, which requires incredible reflexes to avoid smashing into the side of a cliff. Signifying that he'll make a great pilot.
And he has a really high midi-chlorian count!
QUI-GON : Obi-Wan? OBI-WAN : Yes, Master? QUI-GON : I need an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you. OBI-WAN : Wait a minute... QUI-GON : I need a midi-chlorian count. OBI-WAN : The reading is off the chart...over twenty thousand. EvenMaster Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high! QUI-GON : No Jedi has. OBI-WAN : What does that mean? QUI-GON : I'm not sure.
Qui-Gon manages to get Watto to wager Anakin's freedom on the outcome of the race, but not his mother's, so when Anakin wins, he has the opportunity to leave and be trained as a Jedi, but at the expense of choosing to leave his mother behind.
ANAKIN : Will I ever see you again? SHMI : What does your heart tell you? ANAKIN : I hope so...yes...I guess. SHMI : Then we will see each other again. ANAKIN : I will come back and free you, Mom...I promise. SHMI : Now be brave, and don't look back... don't look back.
Despite the criticisms for this movie, there are some beautiful shots, and I think this is another one. Anakin is torn between his future as a Jedi, represented by Qui-Gon, and his past as a slave, represented by his mother. I think the fact that he chooses to turn around and say goodbye to his mother once more is something that foreshadows his eventual fate, as it's a sign that he isn't able to truly let go of his attachment to his mother - something that will be disastrous later on.
Anakin ends up saving the Naboo by piloting a ship, and like his son will do in a few movies' time, destroys the droid control ship by hitting the main reactor. Another sign that he'll make a great pilot.
Yoda continues to express doubt in the choice to train Anakin.
As I mentioned in a previous post, as of Attack of the Clones, the young boy on Tatooine is long gone, and has been replaced by a reckless Jedi who is confident in his skills, and tends to jump in head-first, especially when the people he loves are concerned.
We also see that he's still in love with Padmé.CAPTAIN TYPHO I am very grateful you are here, Master Kenobi. The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit. PADMÉ I don't need more security, I need answers. I want to know who is trying to kill me. OBI-WAN (frowning) We're here to protect you Senator, not to start an investigation. ANAKIN We will find out who is trying to kill you Padmé, I promise you. OBI-WAN We are not going to exceed our mandate, my young Padawan learner. ANAKIN I meant in the interest of protecting her, Master, of course. OBI-WAN We are not going through this exercise again, Anakin. You will pay attention to my lead. ANAKIN Why? OBI-WAN What??!! ANAKIN Why else do you think we were assigned to her, if not to find the killer? Protection is a job for local security... not Jedi. It's overkill, Master. Investigation is implied in our mandate. OBI-WAN We will do as the Council has instructed, and you will learn your place, young one.
And he has been dreaming about his mother a lot, but not enough to actually go and visit her, it seems.
OBI-WAN
You look tired.
ANAKIN
I don't sleep well, anymore.
OBI-WAN
Because of your mother?
ANAKIN
I don't know why I keep dreaming
about her.
It's hard to tell whether he isn't allowed to visit her because of his Jedi training, or because he doesn't want to visit her. But the weird thing is that he doesn't seem to even keep in contact with her. You would think with all the technology they have, he'd be able to contact her electronically in some way. Or maybe she's too poor to have an iPhone96S. Well, maybe his reluctance to return is explained by this scene that has become a meme.
ANAKIN I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything’s soft... and smooth...
Anakin is also pretty smooth, going in for a kiss.
His dreams about his mother lead him to finally search for her, and he discovers that she was sold to Cliegg Lars, who ended up freeing her and marrying her. Unfortunately, she was captured by some Tusken Raiders. Against the protests of Cliegg and Padmé, Anakin speeds off to investigate. Which kinda mirrors a scene in which Luke speeds off to check for Owen and Beru against Obi-Wan's protests. Poor Obi-Wan, nobody in the Skywalker family seems to like listening to him.
Like Luke, he arrives too late, though he is able to speak to his mother before she passes.
This leads to the first big display of anger dictating his actions, as he goes on to slaughter the Tusken Raiders that were holding his mother captive.
ANAKIN Life seems so much simpler when you'refixing things. I'm good at fixing things.Always was. But I couldn't... Why'd shehave to die? Why couldn't I save her?I know I could have!PADMÉ Sometimes there are things no one can fix.You're not all-powerful, Ani.ANAKIN Well, I should be! Someday I will be.I will be the most powerful Jedi ever.I promise you. I will even learn to stoppeople from dying.PADMÉ Anakin. ANAKIN It's all Obi-Wan's fault! He's jealous!He's holding me back!PADMÉ What's wrong, Ani? ANAKIN I-I killed them. I killed them all. They'redead. Every single one of them. And not justthe men, but the women, and the children, too.They're like animals, and I slaughtered themlike animals! I hate them!
Now the only thing that stops him from giving himself entirely to the Jedi is his love for Padmé. We learn earlier that Jedi aren't supposed to love, presumably because it stops them from being able to control their emotions.
PADMÉ
It must be difficult having sworn
your life to the Jedi... not being
able to visit the places you
like... or do the things you
like...
ANAKIN
Or be with the people I love.
PADMÉ
Are you allowed to love? I
thought that was forbidden for a
Jedi.
ANAKIN
Attachment is forbidden.
Possession is forbidden.
Compassion, which I would define
as unconditional love, is central
to a Jedi's life, so you might say
we're encouraged to love.
Anakin does seem to like to bend the rules when he thinks they are too rigid - seems like he's Chaotic Good.
He marries Padmé in secret, and in Revenge of the Sith, we learn that he has a jealous streak, and that Padmé is pregnant. (Notice Padmé rockin' the cinnamon bun hair?)
PADME: Wait. Not here.
ANAKIN: Yes, here! I'm tired of all this deception. I don't care if they know we're married.
PADME: Anakin, don't say things like that.
ANAKIN: Are you all right? You're trembling. What's going on?
PADME: Something wonderful has happened.
They look at each other for a long moment.
PADME: (continuing) Ani, I'm pregnant.
ANAKIN: That's . . . that's wonderful.
PADME: What are we going to do?
ANAKIN: We're not going to worry about anything right now, all right? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life.
Except he begins to dream about Padmé dying.
ANAKIN: It was a dream.
PADME: Bad?
ANAKIN: Like the ones I used to have about my mother just before she died.
PADME: And?
ANAKIN: It was about you.
PADME: Tell me.
ANAKIN: It was only a dream.
PADME gives him a long, worried look. ANAKIN takes a deep breath.
ANAKIN: (continuing) You die in childbirth . . .
PADME: And the baby?
ANAKIN: I don't know.
PADME: It was only a dream.
ANAKIN takes PADME in his arms.
ANAKIN: . . . I won't let this one become real.
Another meme incoming:
ANAKIN: I have to admit, my trust in the Jedi has been shaken.
PALPATINE: Why? They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest. They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?
ANAKIN: I...uh... I don't know what to say.
PALPATINE: Remember back to your early teachings. All who gain power are afraid to lose it. Even the Jedi.
ANAKIN: The Jedi use their power for good.
PALPATINE: Good is a point of view, Anakin. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power.
ANAKIN: The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inward, only about themselves.
PALPATINE: And the Jedi don't?
ANAKIN: The Jedi are selfless . . . they only care about others.
PALPATINE smiles.
PALPATINE: Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis "the wise"?
ANAKIN: No.
PALPATINE: I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life ... He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.
ANAKIN: He could actually save people from death?
PALPATINE: The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.
ANAKIN: What happened to him?
PALPATINE: He became so powerful . . . the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. (smiles) It's ironic he could save others from death, but not himself.
ANAKIN: Is it possible to learn this power?
PALPATINE: Not from a Jedi.
Considering he's now concerned about Padmé's impending death, this piques his interest. Palpatine continues to manipulate Anakin against the Jedi. He convinces them that the Jedi Council are trying to take over. When Mace Windu comes to arrest him, he tells Anakin that he has the power to save Padmé.
ANAKIN: You can't kill him, Master. He must stand trial.
MACE WlNDU: He has too much control of the Senate and the Courts. He is too dangerous to be kept alive.
PALPATINE: I'm too weak. Don't kill me. Please.
ANAKIN: It is not the Jedi way . . .
MACE raises his sword to kill the CHANCELLOR.
ANAKIN: (continuing) He must live . . .
PALPATINE: Please don't, please don't . . .
ANAKIN: I need him . . .
PALPATINE: Please don't . . .
ANAKIN: NO!!!
Just as MACE is about to slash PALPATINE, ANAKIN steps in and cuts off the Jedi's hand holding the lightsaber.
ANAKIN: What have I done?
ANAKIN sits.
PALPATINE: You are fulfilling your destin, Anakin. Become my apprentice. Learn to use the dark side of the Force.
ANAKIN: I will do whatever you ask.
PALPATINE: Good.
ANAKIN: Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her. I won't let her die.
PALPATINE: To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret.
ANAKIN kneels before PALPATINE.
ANAKIN: I pledge myself to your teachings.
PALPATINE: Good. Good. The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth . . . Vader.
ANAKIN: Thank you. my Master.
PALPATINE: Rise.
I actually think this is a really weak scene. Sure, I understand him turning on Mace Windu and slicing his arm off (a recurring theme in the series), as Palpatine should stand trial. But Anakin seems to agree to become Palpatine's apprentice too readily. "Oh, I just killed Jedi Master Windu, OK, I'll be a sith lord now." It does make sense if you think that from Anakin's point of view, Palpatine is one of his only friends, and Palpatine seems to be a huge supporter of Padmé, so Anakin is probably incredibly grateful for that. But still, it should come as a bit of a shock to find out someone you greatly respected is a Sith lord, especially if you've been trained for such a long time to think the Sith are bad guys.
Nope, Anakin is completely aboard this train now. Maybe it's because he knows there's no way back. Not only is he on-board the train, he goes and kills the Jedi younglings. Children! This was kinda foreshadowed with the the scene where he talks about slaughtering the Tusken Raiders, but it just seems way too fast.
Obi-Wan tries to get Padmé to talk some sense into him.
PADME: I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me terrible things.Yeah... you did that yourself, buddy. Again, his lack of forward-planning causing disaster. As far as Anakin is concerned, there's nothing keeping him on the side of light now. Although, it should be pointed out that the reason he turned to the dark side was to save Padmé. Now that she's dead, what reason does he have to stay a Sith Lord? I guess he has no other options left, as the Jedi are against him, and at least Palpatine seems to like him.
ANAKIN: What things?
PADME: He said you have turned to the dark side . . . that you killed younglings.
ANAKIN: Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me.
PADME: He cares about us.
ANAKIN: Us??!
PADME: He knows . . . He wants to help you. Anakin, all I want is your love.
ANAKIN: Love won't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can do that.
PADME: At what cost? You are a good person. Don't do this.
ANAKIN: I won't lose you the way I lost my mother! I've become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I'm doing it for you. To protect you.
PADME: Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can.
ANAKIN: Don't you see, we don't have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him, and together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be.
PADME: I don't believe what I'm hearing . . . Obi-Wan was right. You've changed.
ANAKIN: I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me.
PADME: I don't know you anymore. Anakin, you're breaking my heart. You're going down a path I can't follow.
ANAKIN: Because of Obi-Wan?
PADME: Because of what you've done . . . what you plan to do. Stop, stop now. Come back! I love you.
ANAKIN: (seeing Obi-Wan) Liar!
PADME turns around and. sees OBI-WAN standing in the doorway of the Naboo Cruiser.
PADME: No!
ANAKIN: You're with him. You've betrayed me! You brought him here to kill me!
PADME: NO! Anakin. I swear ... I ...
ANAKIN reaches out, and PADME grabs her throat as she starts to choke.
OBI-WAN: Let her go, Anakin.
ANAKIN releases his grip on the unconscious PADME and she crumples to the ground.
ANAKIN: You turned her against me.
OBI-WAN: You have done that yourself.
ANAKIN: You will not take her from me.
To summarise the end, he duels Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan defeats him, leaving him a burnt and missing limbs. He does steal his lightsabre as he leaves though - looting the raid boss? This does explain how he is able to give it to Luke though. I find it strange, as Obi-Wan didn't seem to look any other lightsabres over the course of the series. Maybe he wanted a spare in case he broke his, seeing as the Jedi temple had been raided, and he might not have the chance to make another. Though Luke mysteriously learns how to make a lightsabre between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Palpatine rescues him and his medical team puts him in his iconic Darth Vader suit to keep him alive.
As a whole, he had good reasons for turning (he lost his mother and didn't want to lose Padmé in the same way), but I think the way it was executed in the prequels was a bit weak as of Revenge of the Sith. They made him far too wholesome in The Phantom Menace, and even though there was a big gap between Episode 1 and Episode 2, Anakin still retains that naive personality he had in TPM, so to see him change so quickly was a bit jarring. Everything with Palpatine seemed so forced. They did foreshadow some of Anakin's changes, but I felt like he went from zero to three-hundred in the space of a few scenes.
Overall, I'd say the idea behind his turn to the dark side was good, but the execution didn't quite get there.
Edit: It just occurred to me that there's a parallel between the fight between Mace Windu and Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, and the fight between Luke and Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.
In RotS, Palpatine is the one begging for help as Anakin watches.
Anakin ultimately chooses to side with Palpatine, and ends up pushing Mace out the window.
In RotJ, Luke is the one begging for help as Anakin watches.
(Vader gets up and moves behind the Emperor.)
Now this is pure speculation, but I would imagine Anakin has spent a lot of time brooding on where it all went wrong. Sure, he blamed Obi-Wan for a heap of things, but I wonder if at some point, over the last 16 years, he considered the point at which he chose Palpatine over Mace Windu as his big turning point. Would Padmé have died if Palpatine hadn't corrupted him? Maybe he just didn't care by this point, as everything he ever loved was gone.
Only now he finds out that his son exists. And not just that, but a daughter, too. He's conflicted about who is more important to him, but his mind flashes back to that moment on Coruscant where he chose the dark side over the light, and he decides not to make the same mistake.
He flips Palpatine over the balcony into the Death Star core.
So the prequels kinda set up his return to the light side.
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