*info for this profile is gathered from the films only
When I first got the idea for featuring honorary members each month for the Knights In Battered Armor, one of the first ones I came up with was Anakin Skywalker. He may not be an ideal model, but for some reason I’ve looked forward to writing his profile. I’ve talked some with other people about this profile, and already gotten differing views on his ‘qualifications.’ Chances are that some of you have your own ideas about him, and won’t change them after reading this, and that’s fine. I’m offering a different viewpoint on a character that’s been around for more than 30 years.
Anakin’s early life is hardly what any of us would call spectacular, or even normal. Born into slavery and raised by a single parent, Anakin made the best of his situation. He was able to make friends and have some semblance of a decent childhood. It wasn’t until he was nine years old that his life changed forever.
In the course of only a few days, Anakin met Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, won a podrace, and was freed from slavery. He accompanied the Jedi Master to Coruscant and later Naboo. He went before the Jedi Council to determine if he would be trained as a Jedi. He participated in the space battle above the planet and struck the blow that crippled the Trade Federation’s battle droid army. He later became apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
I can’t imagine the sort of things that went through Anakin’s mind up to this point. Living one’s entire life knowing nothing but sand and slavery, then going through a whirlwind of experiences that could only be imagined in dreams. Two low points I believe figure prominently are that Anakin had to leave his mother behind on Tatooine, as her freedom was not obtained, and that the Jedi Council initially denied Qui-Gon’s request that Anakin be trained as a Jedi, despite Qui-Gon’s belief that Anakin was the Chosen One that would bring balance to the Force.
We don’t see Anakin again for ten years. Taller than his master, Anakin still bears the standard Jedi Padawan braid. He and Obi-Wan are assigned as extra security for the Naboo senator, Padme Amidala. After foiling an assassination attempt, Anakin escorts Padme as she goes into hiding, while Obi-Wan conducts an investigation into who was behind the assassination.
This sparks a lot of inner turmoil with Anakin. On the one hand, he’s got his Jedi duties and responsibilities to follow. On the other hand, he has harbored a secret love for Padme ever since they met on Tatooine, and having to be in such close proximity to the senator takes its toll on him. During this time, Anakin has a vision of his mother suffering and goes to Tatooine with Padme. He learns that she was kidnapped by Tusken Raiders and successfully infiltrates the camp where she is held, but the injuries she’s sustained are too serious, and she dies shortly after Anakin arrives. Anakin, completely overcome by grief and anger, slaughters every Tusken Raider in the camp.
Have you ever been so angry you feel like you might just lose it and go berserk? Well, Anakin did. He suffered a terrible loss, and in his anger, he killed an entire camp of men, women and children. Anakin would carry feelings of loss, grief and anger with him for a long, long time, and those feelings are influential in his eventual fall to the dark side. This also caused him to lose confidence in himself, and when he learned of Obi-Wan’s capture on the planet Geonosis, he chose to respect Jedi Master Mace Windu’s order for him to remain on Tatooine with Padme, even though he knew Obi-Wan needed him.
Despite the restrictions placed on them by their respective duties, Anakin and Padme begin a secret relationship. They do their best to keep it hidden from the people around them, but there are times when things come dangerously close to revealing the truth.
One such time is during the battle on Geonosis, when Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padme are in pursuit of Count Dooku. Their ship is attacked from behind and Padme falls to the ground below. Anakin is adamant about going back to help her, but reluctantly backs down after an impassioned plea (as well as threat of expulsion from the Jedi Order) from Obi-Wan.
I can only imagine how Anakin must have felt at this point in time – being torn between his duty and commitment to the Jedi, and wanting to go save the person who means most to him. And then later, when he and Obi-Wan catch up to Count Dooku, Anakin is overcome by anger and charges in, heedless of Obi-Wan’s warning. As a result, he is incapacitated by Dooku’s force lightning attack.
I will admit that Anakin is still very much headstrong here. Despite getting up and saving Obi-Wan’s life, he is outmatched against Count Dooku by himself, and ends up losing his right arm above the elbow after a short duel. Yoda arrives and is able to hold off Dooku, who distracts the small Jedi Master by causing a large metal column to fall towards Obi-Wan and Anakin and then escapes.
It’s a given that Anakin is in a tremendous amount of pain. He gets fitted with a mechanical arm, and later on Naboo, he marries Padme even though it means breaking the Jedi Code. However, the two would struggle to keep their illicit relationship a secret.
Fast-forward three years. The Clone Wars rage on, Anakin has become a full Jedi Knight, and his marriage to Padme still remains a secret.
Anakin steps closer to the dark side when he executes Count Dooku. He knows that he shouldn’t kill an unarmed opponent, but at the urging of Chancellor Palpatine, he does it anyway. He shows remorse at what he did, but for one moment, he slipped up and allowed his anger to come through. On the flip side of things, when Palpatine tells Anakin to leave Obi-Wan, Anakin shows loyalty to his former master and refuses to leave him to die.
Later, down on Coruscant, Anakin meets with his wife Padme and learns that she is pregnant. Anakin is overjoyed, but Padme worries that their secret will eventually be found out. Soon after this, Anakin begins having dreams of Padme dying in childbirth, and vows to not let that happen.
It’s at this point Anakin begins to struggle within himself on multiple fronts: (1) his vow to keep Padme from dying in childbirth; (2) being asked to be Palpatine’s personal representative on the Jedi Council after being told about the Chancellor’s fear and distrust of the Jedi Masters; (3) conversely, Anakin is essentially asked to spy on the Chancellor, reporting on his dealings, etc.
I can only imagine what Anakin is feeling or thinking at this point. He has to be torn between what he should do; what the right thing to do is. But there’s also his wife and unborn child to think of, as well as his dream of Padme dying. A turning point in this struggle comes when Anakin meets with Palpatine at an opera performance. Palpatine tells Anakin a story about a Sith Lord named Darth Plageuis The Wise, who was so powerful that he could use the Force to create life, as well as keep others from dying. That last part is what gets Anakin’s attention and when he asks if it’s possible to learn that power, Palpatine remarks “Not from a Jedi.”
When Obi-Wan is later ordered to the Utapau system to confront General Grievous, Anakin accompanies him to his transport. At the boarding ramp, Anakin apologizes for his attitude and behavior, and for his frustration with the Council. The two exchange farewells, not knowing this is the final time they will meet as friends. And for now, things seem to have calmed down for Anakin.
But that’s just the calm before the storm. Anakin later goes to Chancellor Palpatine, and their conversation quickly turns to Palpatine’s knowledge of the Force. Here is where Palpatine reveals himself to be Darth Sidious, prompting Anakin to ignite his lightsaber and threaten to kill Palpatine. However, Anakin decides to expose Palpatine’s identity to the Jedi Council, as he is still concerned with saving his wife and believes that Palpatine’s knowledge (learned from Darth Plageuis) will ensure that he is successful.
Anakin’s inner turmoil only worsens, when, after delivering his information to Mace Windu, he is ordered to remain at the Jedi Temple while Masters Windu, Fisto, Kolar, and Tiin board a gunship at go to arrest the Chancellor/Sith Lord. Anakin initially obeys the order to stay, and sits in the Council Chamber, but he eventually succumbs to the fear that if Palpatine is killed, he will lose any hope of saving Padme from death.
When Anakin arrives at the Chancellor’s office, his worst fears seem to be realized: Mace Windu is standing over a defenseless Palpatine, with his lightsaber pointed at the Chancellor. Windu argues that Palpatine is too dangerous to be left alive, but Anakin argues that Palpatine must stand trial. Windu considers it, but decides to kill Palpatine, and raises his lightsaber to deliver the killing blow. Finally forced to choose between the Jedi and Padme, Anakin snaps, and in a rush of emotion, he draws his own lightsaber and cuts off Mace Windu’s sword-hand. Palpatine quickly unleashes a barrage of Force lightning that throws Windu out the window to his death.
You’ve probably heard someone talk about how they’ll just go berserk is just one more thing goes wrong, or if such-and-such happens, they’ll snap. Well, Anakin did. He is horrified at what he has just done, but knows there is no turning back. He pledges allegiance to Palpatine/Sidious in exchange for the power to save Padme from dying.
Every one of us at some point has done something we regret. Sometimes we feel like we can never be forgiven for whatever it was we did. Anakin is desperate to save Padme, and I understand that. That doesn’t excuse the atrocities he later commits. I’m speaking primarily of Anakin leading a legion of clone troopers to the Jedi Temple and slaughtering everyone inside. Probably the most heartbreaking of this instance is Anakin finding a group of children hiding in the Council Chamber and killing each one. Another incident is murdering the Separatist Leaders on the planet Mustafar.
Padme meets Anakin on Mustafar, saying that Obi-Wan had told her that Anakin was responsible for leading the slaughter but didn’t want to believe it. She pleads with Anakin to come away with her, but when Anakin says he’s brought peace to the Republic, and can overthrow Palpatine so that the two of them can rule the galaxy, she realizes how much he’s changed and begs for him to stop and turn back.
When Anakin sees Obi-Wan emerge from Padme’s ship, he assumes Padme was lying and only brought Obi-Wan here to kill him. In his anger, he Force chokes Padme, letting go only when she has fallen unconscious.
Anakin/Darth Vader accuses Obi-Wan of turning Padme against him, stating that he’s brought “peace, justice, and freedom to my new Empire.” He offers Obi-Wan a chance to step aside, but Obi-Wan refuses, and the two engage in a fierce duel that takes them through the Separatist stronghold, up and down a river of lava, and comes to its conclusion on a riverbank. Obi-Wan gains the advantage, but Anakin/Darth Vader at this point is extremely enraged and bloodthirsty, and foolishly attempts to leap over his old master. Obi-Wan performs a lightning fast maneuver, severing Anakin’s left arm and both legs.
Anakin is later rescued by Palpatine and a squad of clone troopers. He gets taken to a special medical facility, where he is fitted with that iconic black armor we all are familiar with. After this, things calm down somewhat, or get less conflicting…call it whatever you want.
We don’t run into Anakin/Darth Vader for almost 20 years (film timeline-wise). I don’t think many significant events occur that directly involve him until the end of the trilogy. In “A New Hope,” there’s torturing Leia, and also the duel between him and Obi-Wan on the Death Star. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” the torture of Han, Leia and Chewbacca, as well as freezing Han in carbonite. In “Return of the Jedi,” nothing happens until close to the end, when Darth Vader brings Luke to the Emperor on board the incomplete Death Star II.
After bringing Luke before the Emperor, Darth Vader watches as Palpatine attempts to lure Luke to the dark side by tormenting him with thoughts of the death of his friends and the defeat and destruction of the Rebel Alliance. Luke snaps and attempts to kill the Emperor, but Darth Vader intervenes and the two begin to duel. During this though, Darth Vader seems to be reluctant to kill his son, as evidenced by his continued efforts to turn Luke to the dark side. When Darth Vader discovers that Luke has a twin sister and threatens to turn her to the dark side, Luke attacks his father with anger and hatred. Darth Vader is pushed back, and when he falls against a railing, Luke strikes and cuts off his father’s hand.
Anakin/Darth Vader lays helpless, but Luke resists the Emperor’s goading to strike the killing blow. Enraged, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning, while Darth Vader struggles to his feet and stands by his master. As Luke cries out in pain for his father’s help, something inside Darth Vader changes; love for his son and the desire to protect him breaks through, and he turns on the Emperor. It is in this moment that Anakin Skywalker is reborn and Darth Vader is no more.
In a final act of self-sacrifice, Anakin lifts the Emperor over his head, carries him to the Death Star’s reactor shaft, and throws him to his death. As he did so, the Emperor’s Force lightning attack focused in on Vader, destroying his suit’s life support system and mortally wounding him.
Luke drags Anakin to a shuttle bay in an attempt to save his life, but Anakin stops him, knowing he is going to die whether or not Luke gets him on a ship. As he nears death, Anakin asks Luke to remove his mask so that he can see his son with his own eyes. As father and son gazed at each other, Anakin told Luke that he was right when he said there was still good in him; and to tell his sister the same. And with those last words, Anakin Skywalker died and became one with the Force.
Luke escaped the Death Star with his father’s armor and artificial remains, which he later cremated on Endor in a traditional Jedi funeral. Later, at the Rebel’s victory celebration, Anakin’s Force ghost appear to Luke, alongside the Force ghosts of Obi-Wan and Yoda.
* * * * *
When I first thought about making Anakin Skywalker an Honorary Member, I figured I would get a lot of flak and opposition. Surprisingly, I’ve gotten almost none at all.
To me, when others think of Anakin Skywalker, they immediately think of someone who became Darth Vader and committed terrible crimes. But he’s so much more than that. Yes, he did terrible things as Darth Vader, but when I sit down and think about it, I come to the conclusion that Anakin Skywalker is a victim, in a way. From the beginning of the Star Wars saga in The Phantom Menace to his fall in Revenge of the Sith, Anakin is carefully manipulated and lied to by Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. Events in Anakin’s life are caused (directly and indirectly) by the Sith Lord; even some assignments of Anakin’s before and during the Clone Wars are influenced as well.
So when someone talks about Anakin’s fall to the dark side like it was all his fault, I respectfully disagree. Anakin’s fall was a carefully orchestrated web of lies and deception perpetrated by a man who is evil to his very core.
Then there’s my second point in my case for including Anakin Skywalker in the Honorary Member ranks of KIBA: granted, he fell to the dark side and committed terrible crimes and deeds. But at the end of it all, when Luke was being tortured by Emperor Palpatine, Anakin was able to throw off the yoke of evil he had embraced, and return to the light, even though it cost him his life to do so.
Think about it in terms of someone coming to Christ. If someone who has spent 40 years or so not following Christ and living life however they want (like a ‘do what feels right’ mentality), repents of their ways and gives their life to God, would you not be happy for them? Why then should we not celebrate Anakin’s return to the light?
Anakin’s armor (both hypothetical and physical) is most definitely battered, beaten and scarred. He fell, as all of us have or will do at some point. He was able to rise up and stand against what he had become, even though it cost him his life.
Welcome to KIBA, Anakin.
