"It takes only one bad day at the beach to turn the sanest man into a lunatic" - The Joker

“Being out of control FEELS like being under control to a boy who was raised as a slave.” That one hit me.

I've heard some people say that Anakin didn't deserve to be redeemed for his crimes, and that he instead should have been punished, but his servitude as Darth Vader was arguably his punishment. Anakin/Vader is a paradox - he is both a victim and an oppressor. The Chosen One and Dark Lord. Destroyer of the Jedi and of the Sith. A man who loses his father and a man who saves his son. Edit: There's generally a difference between redemption and atonement. Redemption is a moment, atonement is a process.

It's worth noting that the last time Anakin was forced to choose one person to save and condemn the other (Ahsoka or Obi-wan on Mortis), he was able to use his own power to reject the choice entirely and save them both. In his mind, power is a valid third option when faced with difficult decisions.

"he couldnt breath without padme, but now he has a machine to do it for him" that shit can hit deep if you think about it

Anakin: “Master Yoda, is it permissible for a Jedi to send emails?” Yoda: “Yes Anakin, of course permissible it is for a Jedi to send emails. As long as no attachments there are.”

A incredible analysis. I never saw Anakins point of view, but after this video, I understand him. It wasn’t just Palpatine who turned him into the dark side. The Jedi Council made big mistakes, which lead to Anakins and there own downfall…

I JUST now realized that when Aiken said “the thought of being without you, I can’t breathe” it was a breadcrumb of things to come, as Darth Vader literally can’t breathe

His whole life really was a tragedy. I completely understand why he made all the decisions that he did. It’s no wonder he was finally at peace and ready to die after Luke saved him. I only wish he could’ve reunited with Padme in the afterlife.

In my opinion, it is the moment when Mace Windu visually/vocally implies that breaking the Jedi principles is morally acceptable is when Anakin "dooms" himself to the Dark Side. Before this happens, Anakin wants to be on the light side (a jedi), even if he is breaking lifestyle rules while doing so. When Mace Windu shows that Jedi morals can be flexible, Anakin "learns" that there is little difference between Jedi and Sith. Earlier, Anakin was taught these people (Sith) are bad guys and so Anakin doesn't want to be a bad guy however when Anakin sees the good guys being bad (as in performing bad actions), this wall dividing the two (jedi and sith) is broken and Anakin no longer thinks that that Jedi are automatically good and that Sith are automatically bad. Before Mace's attempt to kill Palpatine, Anakin is repulsed by Sith and so doesn't want to be one, after Mace's attempt Vader doesn't see much of a difference between Jedi and Sith... and so turns.

For all the crap the fans gave George over the years for the prequel trilogy, it’s aged very well. The execution may not have been perfect, but the arc was always more important. And for someone having to make a prequal to arguably the greatest trilogy of all time, being a near impossible task, I think George did a good job.

Now I really want to see an observation on how Darth Vader became Anakin Skywalker again.

Anakin's character arc in the prequels is a beautiful gem.

When Vader finds out that he has a son in the OT, his first move is to turn him to evil to overthrow his master so that they can rule the galaxy together and actually be masters of their own fate - a similar proposition he made to Padme. But like Padme, Luke rejects the man who is meant to be his family as he only sees a monster before him. You can tell how Vader is shocked and conflicted that he has been rejected by his own flesh and blood for a second time. Then, Vader arguably reaches his peak evil when he discovers the existence of Leia, and threatens to turn her to the dark side too. He is now willing to turn both of his children to evil for his own selfish gain. But then it is Lukes ability to restrain his own possessive attachment to his sister and see the monster he will become that leads him to spare his father in an act of compassion. This compassionate mercy is what helps to stir the good in Vader, who returns the favour and breaks his shackles by killing Palpatine. In that moment, he realises that his selfish desire to be master of his own destiny and the universe is worth nothing if he loses his last remaining family, the one family member still alive and willing to believe in him where so many others didn't.

Interesting how , in an almost Freudian way, Anakins attraction to Padme stemmed from him seeing her as his new source of maternal and emotional comfort after leaving his own mother as a child

The fact that this child raised to believe people should spread good and help others grew up to be a man who believes he should only help himself and control others brings a whole new meaning to the sentence "You've become the very thing you swore to destroy"

It didn't help that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wans philosophies on the Force ran counter to each other: "Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts"- Qui-Gon in episode 1 "Use the Force, think!" - Obi-Wan in episode 2 By the end of the prequels, Kenobi realizes his approach was flawed and so he and Yoda adopt Qui-Gons teachings going into the OT.

I love the "watching a man change" videos, please do more!

This is a perfect video to show someone when they say Anakin was a poorly written character or that Hayden played him poorly when it really the exact opposite

A brilliantly put together video. Personally I think anakin skywalkers fall to the dark side and his redemption is one of the most beautiful and tragic stories in cinema

Such a conflicted and misunderstood Character. Innocent boy full of love yet the world showed him how cruel it can be. What an arc!

You knocked it out of the park with this analysis. People underestimate how crucial child Anakin in TPM is to his characterisation. We need to see what was good in him to feel the loss when he turns, and then feel there were redeeming aspects by the time a chronological viewer gets to ROTJ. It goes hand in hand with the idea of genetic destiny in the OT. Luke has the genetic capability to be either the worst parts of his father or the best parts. He ultimately chooses the best parts, which inspires his father to do so too.

the tragedy of Anakin didn’t crystallize until I rewatched Episode I recently. Qui-Gon says to Anakin, “your focus determines your reality” At the end of that movie, you have Yoda saying that there is much fear in Anakin. I think the council always saw that fear in Anakin and never chose to focus on his goodness, which is - in part - what led to Anakin becoming disillusioned with the council.

Actually, Anakin's first instinct isn't to cheat, he suggests that they leave to be together, and Padme says no and that's why he suggests living a lie. In Revenge of the Sith Padme suggests running away together but it's too late Anakin sought power and fell in love with it.

"and although he said he couldn't breath without Padme he now has a machine to do the breathing for him." amazing words mate you deserve way more views

"Did Anakin choose the dark side? Or did the dark side choose him?" The potential for the dark side to choose individuals is a nightmare scenario in the highest degree.

“They’ll smile at you, they’ll pat you on the head -- but they’re never, ever gonna let you in.” - Anakin to Ahsoka about the Jedi order

It is also a story about a boy that his educator have failed him. You can't tell such a young kid "that he is afraid of losing his mother". He lost her definitely. And he lost short after his father figure who really cared for him. Nobody helped to heal these traumas or even aknowledge his feelings. Yoda made him feel ashamed that he missed his mum. He was just a kid and nobody tried to comfort him. They were just discussing over his head wether they will train him or not. Maybe the Jedis don't turn to the dark side of the force but they don't have any mercy for a lost kid. No wonder he turned against them.

Anakin didn't change into Vader, Vader is as always was a part of Anakin. It's fundamentally part of who he is. Unchecked rage and anger. His priority was getting what he wanted with Padme and he was willing to sacrifice anything and everyone to win. In the immortal words of the Oracle, "He'd already made his choice, he just needed to understand why!?" He thought he was good and could never see past the choices he doesn't understand. When he slaughtered the women and children of the Sand People, he knew he sealed his fate. The dark side chooses everyone but the strength of character and willingness to sacrifice to the greater good is what it means to do the right not always the right results. That's what Anakin didn't understand. Just you have power doesn't mean you have or get to control outcomes. As Antiope told her niece, "battles will never be fair the world will never be fair. It's the willingness to continue knowing life isn't fair is what makes a person strong"

“You must choose!” “Don’t listen to him Anakin…” This video made me relook at that scene and Anakin’s decision, tho regrettable, makes sense. It literally came down Windu’s directives vs. Palpatine’s objective command. They both we’re essentially telling him what to do, but Palpatine’s maintained a sliver of it still being up to him to decide. Great Video Essay

Man from 17:55 onwards that was some of the best editing and thoughtful analysis I’ve ever seen. Wonderful video.

There are numerous reasons as to why Anakin fell into the dark side and none of them was solely his fault. Palpatine, Obi Wan, the Jedi Council, Dooku, visions, Yoda, Mace, Qui Gon’s death, etc. Anakin’s story was a tragedy and he was redeemed by saving Luke and destroying Palpatine along with saving the rebellion. You can’t really blame him for anything besides maybe the killing of younglings.

This video perfectly sums up how it was truly the Jedi that caused Anakin to become Darth Vader. Palpatine played a part, but you could have removed him completely and the result likely would have been the same.

Also… an interesting note to consider: Anakin was the bridge to balance the force as it’s always in flux. He brought down the apathetically self aggrandizing Jedi order driven from their values as peacekeepers to soldiers and then had the son who would fix his overcorrection made by going to the dark side if that makes sense?

I'm so glad you did one of these ON Anakin, he's always been one of my favorite characters in cinema.

I love Anakin as a character and I’m not even a huge Star Wars fan. He’s really fascinating. Great video!

This video’s great, but it’s missing Stage 6: Redemption, which is arguably the most important part of Anakin’s arc

You know, it wasn't until this video that I actually considered the dichotomy of slave/master in Anakin's mind and how much that shaped him. So when he is denied the rank of "master" by the council, he takes it personally not only because he is being refused a position that by all rights he has earned for his contributions during the clone wars, but also because in his mind they council are denying him the concept of being "master" of his own life.

I've never fully understood Anakin's mentality but this video cleared everything up. Thank you for this amazing work of art.

The fact that there are people out there who cant seem to understand how truly tragic Anakin’s life, fall to the darkside and general story is actually baffles me

14:25 "So he believes they're just as self-interested as he is, making excuses for their decisions, just like he does" Well, he's definitely not _wrong._

"We like to think were good, but maybe we just haven't found a good enough reason to be bad." Damn.

I grew up with the original trilogy movies (4-6) as the only Star Wars in the world, so only seeing Darth Vader in his final form my whole life. I can’t tell you the feeling I got in my young adult life at the end of the 3rd movie when the transition from Anakin to Darth Vader and hearing him breathe for the “first” time was complete. It was in the theatre and I was with a friend. I cried 😂. She had to think I was nuts. But that was one of the most amazing movie moments in my whole life.

One thing that I liked was how Anakin is a slave through the entire stiry. In the first movie, a slave to Watto, and then a slave to the Jedi Council, then Sidious, he never really had free will. He was always controlled by the weight of his actions. He was a slave to the prophecy. It's only when Luke reaches out at the end when he truly becomes *free*.

This video is absolutely brilliant! Anakin went from being a slave for Watto to being a slave for Palpatine. Thank you for this!

Wow I just caught the “I can’t breathe without you” tying into the respirator after she dies. That’s really good

Anakin's story arc always made me so sad. The problem I have with the Jedi order in this part of the movies is the fact that they had a severe lapse in judgment. The fact Yoda told him that he saw darkness in him were the Jedi’s first mistake when they could've just nurtured his light side more. if they simply would’ve encouraged his love for Padme instead of implying he couldn't be a Jedi unless he lost her, he wouldn't have found a father figure in the Emperor. I think Obi One could’ve believed in his visions and tried to help save his mother he wouldn't have lost faith in his master. The Jedi order should've shown Anakin that his rebellious side could've been a force for good but instead they lost his trust. I also wanna add I have no problem with his story arc, I just think that the Jedi order trying to control him made him turn evil.

Notice him saying ‘I cant breathe’ when he thinks about losing padme, becomes his reality. Darth Vader can’t breathe properly, and padme is dead

For stage three your wrong, his father figure becomes Palpatine He told Palpatine about his mother, everything, and Palpatine knew that Anakin was with Padme through Naboo spies. He also knows and keeps it a secret where Anakin got the power to defeat Dooku and when Sidious reveals himself in the book Revenge of the Sith he literally list things off his hand that he’s kept secret with Anakin who’s like a son to him When he becomes stage Vader you should have put Sidious as Palpatine was an act, and Sidious is his true nature. Vaders father figure is Sidious while when he was Anakin he saw that role filled with Palpatine the person he’d tell secrets that Padme doesn’t know. That’s how much Anakin thought Palpatine was like a father, closer as father than Obi ever was.

The Jedi Council did not believe Anakin was doomed to be evil. Yoda even says, "Clouded this boy's future is." The reason they rejected him is because Anakin refused to admit he's afraid. You can't overcome an issue if you refuse to acknowledge it. If someone drags you to therapy but every time the therapist identifies a problem you keep on saying it doesn't exist then nothing's gonna get done. The Council didn't allow Anakin in because he proved he wouldn't overcome his fears. They didn't reject him because he was afraid, they rejected him because he was afraid and he won't admit it. Yoda even admits later in the movie that he, himself, is afraid for Anakin's training. So obviously the Jedi are allowed to be afraid, they just need to overcome and confront it. They reject him because Anakin represses his feelings, which is dangerous. He refuses to get help for his issues. It's eventually part of what makes him turn. He refuses to face his fear of Padme dying and instead just trusts the first guy who will tell him he can save her instead of accepting that there's nothing he can do. This is proven by the fact that overcoming fear is a big part of the Jedi teachings, as shown in multiple media. George Lucas also agrees with Yoda, as you see in quotes by him when talking about the movie. Lucas echoes Yoda's exact statements about fear leading to the dark side, so Yoda isn't supposed to be wrong in his reasoning. Throughout the 6 movies, Yoda is oftentimes a vessel through which George Lucas conveys his own philosophy and ideas. You listen to his commentary in any scene with Yoda and he always agrees with him.

This is probably one of the best SW videos ever made. He truly broke down the very complicated character that is Anakin, In a way anyone could understand. Anakin/Vader is by far the most complex and interesting character in all of fictional media.

"Kind young boy who never had a father figure in his life." Yeah, his fall was destined from the start lol.

You know in many different ways anakin is probably the most relatable 1. Fear of the future 2. Vengeance 3. Betrayal 4. Loss 5. Pain

This was great! There's plenty of hate out there for the prequel movies (though I personally enjoy them). Then there's analysis like this that lets you see those movies actually have a lot of merit. Thanks for this!

I loved the Yoda's fear point! And that so much was gleamed from these often criticised movies. Best one yet!

My favorite character in all of fiction

Man George Lucas really knocked out of the park with Anakin, such a great character.

I really like this channel, this dude either has talent in writing or just really good at analysis, there's lots of channels like this that just mostly talk about obvious stuff but its not easy bringing up points that sometimes even a big fan can miss and actually deep analysis.

In my philosophy class, we're discussing free will and determinism right now. Looks like this video was dropped at just the right time😊

Terrific analysis! Definitely one of the best on this site. Also, I feel like people don't put enough emphasis on how traumatic it was for Anakin to spend the first 9 years of his life in slavery. I think you carried it through very well here, though. But like, of course spending the most formative years of your life in those conditions is likely to fuck you up psychologically/cause your thought processes to not be the most logical. Childhood trauma makes people do crazy shit sometimes fr.

This video was extremely well narrated and put together. Very comprehensive, thank you 🙏

His fear didn't lead to anger... The Jedi Council's betrayal did that... Then his anger boiled over into hatred...

Wow… the symbolism at all levels you found here is BEAUTIFUL! Great work and some fantastically layered and original critical thought. BRAVO!!!! 👏🏽🔥

He was always "owned" by someone. He was never his own man until he died.

This was an amazing layout! I love how you advanced certain characteristics through each stage. Smartly done! Encores!!!

Obi-Wan played a much bigger part in Anakin's turn. He was resentful that Qui-Gon was going to drop him as his apprentice to train Anakin, so when Anakin became his apprentice he took it out on him. Obi-Wan was constantly belittling him in Episode 2 to the point when he finally acknowledged him as an equal in Episode 3, Anakin only saw that as Obi-Wan being two-faced and praising him because it was convenient. In Episode 3 Obi-Wan criticizes him for his political relations and disapproves of him when the council humiliates him, which reinforces that view of him in Anakin's mind. Their last interaction is Obi-Wan praising Anakin, but as he walks off you can see the doubt and mistrust creeping onto Anakin's face, which is why the next time they meet Anakin draws the conclusion that Obi-Wan is trying to frame Anakin in a bad light. He doesn't lie to Padme, I have no doubt he planned on confessing murdering the younglings to her at some point, like he confessed about slaughtering the Tuskens, believing she would still accept him the way she did then. He smiles at the irony of realizing his suspicions about Obi-Wan were true, furious that Obi-Wan beat him to the punch, convinced it was an intentional attempt to get Padme to side with the Jedi as a political figure. As far as Anakin was concerned, it was true: Obi-Wan's next words after, "you are strong and wise, and a much better Jedi than I could ever hope to be", were, "you have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now you've become the very thing you swore to destroy." And Anakin sees this as the great lie of the shared Jedi mindset, that the Jedi will say whatever makes them look good while doing whatever it takes to stay in power, even at the cost of what Anakin thinks is justice. And that made the Jedi dangerous to public in his eyes, and him the hero for daring to stand against them. Anakin never thought Obi-Wan or Padme would betray him, he suspected Obi-Wan, but I don't think he believed it, even while they were fighting, until Obi-Wan left him to die. I don't think Anakin truly became Darth Vader until he was left there charred and mutilated, alone. He even had hope that Padme survived when he woke up in the suit, his last shred of hope that she might learn to accept him if he could only reason with her like he did when they first got together. But you can see in his body language the exact moment when he fully gives up on compassion. He looks to Palpatine, on the bridge of a Star Destroyer in their final shot together in Episode 3, almost pleading for compassion for what he went through. But Palpatine's cold steely shrouded gaze at the construction of the Death Star defeated the last shred of good in Anakin, until his son would later reject him in all his evil ways. In that moment, Anakin surrendered to hatred, his only hope for a life of significance being absolute control over the galaxy he believed he gave everything up to save, defeating the Jedi threat and establishing a benevolent Empire, because it was all he had left. His destiny. We even see it in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, he mercilessly annihilates any potential Force wielders, utterly convinced they are only destined to seek power and challenge the Sith and their reign of absolute power.

Thank you for the poetic beauty in your analysis! It’s been there in the prequels the whole time. Your eloquence will help others see it.

Great analysis, Pete. Anakin's story is a very tragic one.

"He says he can't breathe, so a machine does his breathing for him"🥶🥶🥶

Great video. I would argue that Anakin did fulfill the prophecy, as simply put "the one who brings balance to the force"; which is exactly what he does by the time he dies. He destroys the Jedi order as well as brings an end to the rule of two by killing palp and dying, ending the Sith lineage. (were just gonna forget about the sequels). Matter of fact, he dies around 44-45 years old and he turns to the dark side when he was 22. Which would mean that he spent half his life in the light and the other in the dark. The saddest aspect in my opinion is that both sides utilized him for their own benefit and mistakenly misinterpreted the prophecy,; which ironically, is believed why the forced manifested him in the first place. Both sides were taking advantage of the natural balance of things. He was simply put to balance everything out. Lastly, I would disagree that Vader is too blind to see that he is a slave to Palp. Vader is far more adept than we give him credit for and very early on in the empire's reign he puts the pieces together and realized that he was used. At some point he states; the one thing he hates the most is himself. It's just for years he was trying to amass enough power and timing to overthrow palp to reign in the way he saw fit. Ironically however, he under estimated just how smart his master was and for every step Vader took, Palp was two ahead.

Simply the best analysis of Anakin Skywalker I’ve heard! Videos like this strengthens my belief that the Prequels had such excellent ideas but just needed to be executed better to have been celebrated by fans and critics back when they released.

Great thorough and in-depth analysis. Well done

Wow, I have never heard his character arc explained in such a way, and so satisfyingly thorough, it was great and felt like a fresh look at an old story. Even the comment section for this video is incredibly insightful with a lot of people bringing up a lot of good points in their own views, some of which are just as compelling as the version you did here, outstanding job man, you have my like and my subscription, well done.

Dude sick video! One of the best on KZfaq.

Obi-wan: “Slippin’ Ani with a Jedi master degree is like a chimp with machine gun.”

Wow. This is the best analysis I’ve seen about Anakin or Star Wars in general. You can appreciate the films way more after watching this video, there is so much more depth into the story.

What an incredible analysis!! Congratulations this is maybe the best star wars essay I've seen !!!

He went from “NOW THIS IS POD RACING” to “NOW THIS IS GENOCIDE”

Phenomenal analysis thanks so much helped me understand a lot of things I missed in his transformation.

This is really well done sir! A well thought out analysis and thought-provoking perspectives. Thank you!

fantastic video! Loved how at the end you called attention to the things working against him as well!

Incredible video as always!

That video was way depper than i thought. Thank you for making it I really needed to hear these words.

Awesome video. Wonderful last 3 mins as well. Some great thoughts shared I appreciate you

This is the best psychoanalysis/synopsis of Anakin's arc I have ever seen! Respect.

I dislike the deterministic approach, as it takes all control and agency from the individual and his surroundings. I believe all of Anakin’s parental figures failed him, all besides Shmi, and Qui-Gon. These were the only people to truly see the good in him, wanting to channel it to help the galaxy and to benefit himself too. Shmi truly loved her son deeply, and Qui-Gon saw someone with the potential to greatness, even through the visible flaws. If only he was surrounded by people who truly loved him and gave him guidance without being horrified by some obscure concept of darkness before he even got the chance to prove himself, maybe things would have turned out differently. Great video JAO!!

This is an amazing video! Thanks for respecting all 3 prequels and not just ROTS as proper films. "When something doesn't align with his desires, he immaturely cannot accept it. It feels like an injustice to him". This is precisely why the people who hate the prequels hate Anakin, he reminds them of their own flaws and they can't accept that George Lucas doesn't wanna validate their childish behaviour. He instead shows where this behaviour leads people and it's a lonely and pathetic world. Also if anyone wants to see more on the prequels, I have my own stuff too! Currently have an in depth analysis of TPM and I'm almost done with my analysis of AOTC. After that, I can do ROTS then move onto the originals.

Man what a soothing voice and great storytelling ability. Glad I stumbled upon your channel

This was amazing. Thank you

For a video that was just an observation, it sure as hell was a good one 👍🏿

This is such a good analysis

This video and your points are very well done. Superb video, thank you for this upload.

“That’s how it starts - the fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness. It turns good men cruel.”

One thing I noticed is the kid that walks to analog and asks him what are they going to do looks VERY similar to young anakin. This could be some symbolism to show anakin killing off his good pure hearted self

Skywalker/Vader i think is the peak of tragedy in fiction. With the years the story added more and more to give context of him. Vader is a cold blooded cruel conqueror, destroying everything and everyone in his path. When the people first saw Vader back in The 70's and 80's he was the Main villian if a epic Space opera, at first movie/glance he was just an evildoer that would strangle his own generals at a bare minimum of insubordination but with the time the tale was build, he was really responsible for it? Was he just a pawn in a bigger game? Did he have another choice besides being Vader? His Destiny was to serve the hosen one to bring balance to the force or his choices made him be that one at took himself that responsability of having to become stronger than anyone else in order to save his loved ones? The cool thing is that there's no right answer the complexity of the character, themes, and story can lead You to multiple answers that could be a valid or at least solid interpretation of it.

Really great video mate. Made me pause and reflect not only on the quality of the overarching theme of this whole story, but it's parallels to our society today Great work 👍

Beautifully done.

Who else likes the prequels more than the original 3

Darth Vader is by far the most complex movie villain of all time

Honestly, up until his days as Darth Vader it just looks like he barely had a chance from the external circumstances around him and that his literal death was all he could get from an escape from this world. From slavery, repression, confusion and each one of his fears coming true, with the calming promise of prophecy to fill his mind with aspirations for a better future for himself than the one he’s known, that he never lived to see. He never had a single person or group in his corner that could truly help him. This made him perfect for Palpatine’s manipulation to make it all even worse. He was a naturally flawed individual in very unforgiving circumstances and I can’t imagine most would fare well in his shoes, ending up as a Sith or not.