Why did Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader?

[WilliamPamer446]

It's understandable that he wanted to save Padme Amidala, but that is no excuse to kill all those innocent jedi and innocent jedi children. Why would he do that so fast? And why didn't he turn on Palpatine once he found out padme died and he's stuck in a cybernetic suit with his arms and legs cut off? Anakin Skywalker is such a great legendary jedi warrior and hero. He fought in the clone wars for 3 years. He had such a good hearted and kind noble soul. He saved a lot of people and he got angry at the jedi sometimes, but he still had a good heart and a moral code.

I want an indepth analysis and explanation here.

[NamerOfStars]

Okay. Anakin was raised as a slave, and tended to develop powerful attachments to those he was close to, which drove him to go to great lengths to protect them. He hero-worshiped the Jedi, and when he finally met some, and was *freed* by them, that would've been reinforced- doubly so when they took him off-world and gave him a chance to become a Jedi himself. Yes, he was only nine at the time, but leaving his mother like that, knowing that he was condemning her to slavery, was probably the hardest thing he'd ever done- Watto didn't seem like a cruel master, but slavery is still slavery. He probably figured that as soon as he got a chance, he'd go back and free her. (Incidentally, that Padme never had anyone go buy and free Shmi is one of the STUPIDEST parts of that saga; they can't reward Anakin (who's entering the Order) with money, and they know he's older than usual, and has formed strong attachments to her already; even if she couldn't be part of his life any more, knowing she was free and safe would DEFINITELY help him adjust). But the Order rejects him, saying he's too old. He'd given up what little he had to become a Jedi, and they told him no. Qui-Gon says FIDIM, but if he hadn't...

So he ends up accepted anyway, and things go okay- for a while. Then, for some reason, he's assigned to protect Padme (why there wasn't an alert out for this SPECIFIC SITUATION is beyond me), and the troubles begin. One of the last pieces of his past that he still has a connection to comes back into his life, and things between them get intense, and fast. Now he's no longer the helpless slave who can only stare at her in awe; he's a Jedi, and the Chosen One on top of that: he's strong and fast and extremely skilled. It's obvious he's still smitten, and now she is, too, even going so far as to MARRY him after his attempt to save her costs him a hand.

But he's still not getting the respect he feels he deserves from the Order, which still sees him as dangerous- and he probably shouldn't be, all things considered. He's proud and strongly attached to those who matter to him. More importantly, he's run into one of the key problems of the prequels: the Jedi Order is badly flawed. The prequels were, fundamentally, a Greek tragedy (or an attempt at one), and the Order's insistence on severing a part of their own humanity left them blind to the hubris that took them down. And who do we find pushing the pieces into place to do it? Palpatine. Who's slowly exposing Anakin the Order's weaknesses, and poisoning his mind against them, so he sees their treatment of him as an attack, rather than just a result of their limitations.

Then comes the OTHER stupidest part of the trilogy, when Mace Windu and three other Jedi go to arrest Palpatine without making plans to give ANY warning to ANYONE else- sure, you don't want to spread the word among all the clones; Palpatine no doubt has spies among them. But SOMETHING needs to be done, on the off-chance you fail to stop him. Unlikely? Sure. But he demonstrates that spinning IS, in fact, a good trick, and kills them, until Anakin finds Windu about to kill him. That was the defining moment, when he decides to kill Mace, rather than subduing him or just telling him that Jedi don't kill helpless, beaten people. THAT was when all the manipulations and isolation boiled over and he chose his side.

[NamerOfStars]

Would he have been forgiven, or at least taken back in, if he'd repented? Maybe- but he wouldn't've believed you if you'd told him. That's the heart of why he fell; he was kept at arm's length by the Order from the very start, and Palpatine did all he could to move him up the ranks, while keeping him from getting close to the others. Consequently, he was, in many subtle ways, biased against them. Then, he was forced into a "think fast!" scenario where he had to choose between letting his closest friend die, and killing a Jedi master, and act which he thought would permanently separate him from them. He was given no time to reflect, and chose the immediate option, leaving him with no one in the world on his side but Palpatine and Padme- and the latter only with suspicions.

When he offered to Padme the idea of killing Palpatine and ruling together, leaving the inefficiencies of the Republic and the corruption of the Order behind, she reacts in horror, and he becomes convinced that she's been turned against him- seemingly confirmed when Obi-Wan comes out. The ensuing battle leaves him a twisted, broken wreck of a man- and not just physically. Obi-Wan took him on at the height of his power, and won- taking with him everything that Anakin had given up: his status, his social position, his wife... There was nothing left for Anakin, and so he surrendered to the dark side and truly became Darth Vader. The very traits that made him who he was cost him everything he had. Sure, he knew that Palpatine had betrayed him, but he was the closest thing he had left to a friend.

[NamerOfStars]

Suppose he HAD turned on him, and even managed to kill him- what then? What would he have left? A rational person might have figured it would be better to free the galaxy, and even give him a chance to redeem himself, but Vader was FAR from rational. He descended into a hell of self-loathing and hatred, only emerging when his son showed him that it was possible to confront darkness and NOT be corrupted by it. And then only interfering when it looked like the Emperor was going to kill Luke. Note what he does immediately after throwing Palpatine down the shaft- he STARTS CLIMBING INTO IT HIMSELF. Whether he knew that the damage to his suit was going to kill him or not, he fully intended to die- but then Luke called him back. Obi-Wan said he was "more machine than man", but that doesn't mean only in a medical sense; what was left of Anakin Skywalker as a *person* wouldn't qualify as a whole one.

[genericname85]

just bad character development. the story needed a villain. i find that quite often to be the case in movies. the "bad guy" is often just bad for no reason. not relatable. no motive. not logical. it is what it is. most writers just can't write for a good villain.

[Shamalien]

Tl; dr, you don’t know the power of the dark side. Sidious is a master manipulator. Annikan was ripe for manipulation. Was it not Sidious who assigned Annikan to protect Padme? He knew what he was doing every step of the way…

and he could have beaten Windu, he just had to act weak to get Anni to step in. Once Annikan had killed Windu for Sidious, it was over. His allegience had been placed. There was no going back

[RuthlessAggression]

corruption and lies. he wanted to believe what he was being told. even if it was untrue

[WilliamPamer446]

But Anakin Skywalker was a Good Guy.

[RuthlessAggression]

right, and he turned his back on the good guys, by corruption

[WilliamPamer446]

this is sa...

[TheMajesticKing777]

Because he was thirsty for power

[WilliamPamer446]

But he was a good man. All he wanted was Padmes Life.

[WilliamPamer446]

He did want power to do "the right thing" but he wouldn't do evil stuff because he originally had sort of fascist views in star wars episode i attack of the clones because he wanted politicians to do the right thing but not evil thing

[WilliamPamer446]

So I kinda see where your going with this but id like more explanation

[TheMajesticKing777]

If you see the confrontation between padme and anakin on the lava planet, he changed because he started seeking for power, notice he was also the only one wearing dark clothing? The signs were there and he always had some evil in him

[WilliamPamer446]

"You and I can rule the Galaxy, make things the way we want them to be"

"I have brough peace, justice, and security to my new Empire"

You can see Anakin Skywalker is still in there, and he still has desir t make the galaxy right

[TheMajesticKing777]

Make them the way they want it to be, sounds like dictatorship lol

[WilliamPamer446]

luminara unduli wore dark clothing to but she remained a good girl

[TheMajesticKing777]

I don't know who that is lol

[WilliamPamer446]

i can see him being a fascist but why be evil and kill youngling

[TheMajesticKing777]

Cause like any other sith lord, they must obey orders

[WilliamPamer446]

You dont go from being a Good Guy to a neutral being who wants to save your wife to being a child killing bastard in 5 minutes

[TheMajesticKing777]

In the movie it was longer than 5 minutes tho