PT Relatable Characters in the PT

I'm sick and tired of people saying that the PT characters arn't relatable, so I though I might as well start a disscussion on how they are relateable.

For instance, how can you not relate to Anakin, he's just a kid who wants to do good, but does bad. He gets angry, like all people do as time. He shows the frustration of people, and their failure to contain it.

And then thee's Padme, she's the figure of good, Quite the oppisite as Anakin. She means good, and she does good. But not ever thing is in he control. When her planet is under atttack, she can't get the senate to help them, she must help them herself.

 

I don't find any of the OT characters relatable, except for Luke in ANH (before he gets his father's sword). Unless "relatable" is just a synonym for "likable" but they're not the same. As for specific situations or dilemmas the characters go through, there's plenty to think about in all six movies, not just the OT.

 

For me, one of the reasons I am sympathetic to Anakin is that I empathize very deeply with his fear of loss. There's nothing I fear more than losing the ones I love and if they died I don't know what I would do to motive myself to go on (I don't even know that I could). It's the fear of being alone as well -- and you'd do almost anything to avoid that pain. That's why, regardless of how horrible Anakin's actions were at the Tusken camp, I just can't find it in myself to condemn him as evil for it. Because for me, there's literally nothing worse I can envision than what happened to him. There's nothing worse than having a loved one tortured to death and being absolutely powerless to prevent it while knowing that, had you acted sooner, you could have spared them such pain and saved them. It's why I can understand why he does what he does in ROTS -- because psychologically, he's not able to handle the thought of that pain again. And doing nothing, after what happened with his mother, is simply inconceivable to him.

And being an immigrant (in a community that wasn't always exactly welcoming all the time), I know what it's like to feel as though you're an outsider and to feel as though people only tolerate your presence, but they'll never trust you and they'll never truly accept you. It makes you cling to the few people who love you all the more strongly.

Probably one of the reasons I love Star Wars so much is that I can see a lot of my life, my family dynamics, and some of my family members' lives play out the same way.

Padmé, for example, I find relatable because I've seen what it's like to struggle with someone who is emotionally unstable but beyond your ability to help. And regardless of the fact that you probably should find a professional to intervene, you still want to be there to support them, even as things fall apart. The same is true for Obi-Wan.

One of the reasons I prefer the PT characters to the OT (overall) is that I feel they react more realistically to events and trauma. The OT characters are more righteous -- they are ideals. But the PT characters react in a much more flawed (but real) manner. They reflect us more as we are rather than what we wish we could be.

 

It's such a subjective matter that each person will have a different opinion on it. Some might feel that none of the characters in the PT were 'relatable' but all they mean is that they personally don't relate to them. From my own point of view, I couldn't relate much to Anakin, as I've never been anything like that, but I can relate to Obi-Wan. We're all different, after all.

 

Ah well, it takes all sorts! That's why it's important for any film (or show) to have a variety of different characters and the PT certainly has many types.

 

This is something I've thought about a few times before. When I was younger and the world awaited me, I found Luke from ANH extremely relatable. You have big dreams and you think the world is your oyster.

As I've gotten older and made mistakes in my life and had regrets I find Anakin quite relatable (okay so I've never killed a group of children, but I have said things in anger I regret). To me flawed heroes (or even developing villains) are very relatable.

 

Anakin is very realistic as far as teenage angst goes. That has to be one of the major reasons why the fanboys hate them: it hits too close to home.

 

I've got to say, as I become older I actually understand and even like Anakin more and more. All of us have made choices we end up regretting or compromises that have eaten away at our souls. Good guys who prevail against evil are a dime a dozen these days, however, it's very hard to find a story of a downfall - not just death, but of a heroic protagonist who becomes a villain.

 

I can't relate to any of the characters in any trilogy, why?

i can't wave things around with my hands

i don't have a lightsaber to whizz around,

I've never gone into a galactic war

I've never had had my mother brutally attacked and killed by a gang of psychos

I've never been off this planet,


so no I cannot relate because these people (for the most part) live a very different life to my own,

I can empathize yes, relate no.

 

You can get some really good ones online!

 

nice comeback

 

I read some people became pilots because of Star Wars (Luke Skywalker). I think Ewan McGregor's older brother is one of them.

 

Of course, Ewan's uncle was also a pilot (in Star Wars anyway).

And it was definitely Star Wars that made me become a Jedi (well, in my dreams).

Oops, I might be a bit off-topic here

 

Relatable describes something that can be associated or compared to something else, or a person with whom you feel as if you have something in common.

Anakin is a slave who gains his freedom and is whisked away for a dream life who then shows his appreciation to those who gave it to him by being a whiny diva who won't follow the rules and ultimately betrays and kills many of them. In universe I blame Obi-Wan for not cracking the whip on the little brat. In real life if I encountered a person like this I would simply find him disgusting and would not be able to relate to the little self centered ingrate at all. I have nothing in common with this kind of person. I can't relate to him because I wouldn't, and I don't know anyone that would act like he acts given the opportunities he is given.

On the other hand, I can relate to Padme' I married a person I thought was normal, but turned out to be psycho... so yeah, I agree with the premise of this thread. There is at least one relatable character in the PT... but it is not, nor will it ever be, Anakin Skywalker.

 

Relatable describes something that can be associated or compared to something else, or a person with whom you feel as if you have something in common.

---

if this was meant for me,

it backfired due to the last four words


if not, move along

move along

 

In the PT I can relate to Qui-Gon the best I think. He is kind and willing to help others. Kind of a fatherly type character even though I am not a Dad yet

 

By risking his life to help complete strangers. Also losing his mother, the only person who loved him. I guess I can't relate to that because it didn't happen to me, but I know I'd me a mess.

A very demanding, loveless life for a boy who, yes, was a slave, but at least he was with someone who was not afraid to show her emotions. Not to mention, the Order didn't treat him fairly. This is not an excuse for his betrayal, but the Jedi have not exactly been saints and it wasn't all roses for Anakin.

He's not given any opportunities, he earns them. Moreover, the Order doesn't even want to train him initially, and this is after him risking his life to help one of their members.
Now, I don't think Lucas wants anyone to cheer for Anakin when he betrays other Jedi, but you seem to be skipping over a lot of events, such as Anakin actually trying to help people around him, fighting alongside other Jedi on the Arena and in the battles of the Clone Wars. Just in the opening of ROTS, he saves Obi-Wan's neck twice, even though he doesn't have to.

And even when he's being whiny, it sounds like a typical teenage rebellion against parental or teachers' authority. I'm surprised you've never encountered that in your life... I've always had a very good relationship with my parents, I still had enough fights with them over what I felt was some "unfair" rule or restriction of my "rights". It all seems very dumb now, but at the time I was convinced that I was right because I knew everything about life when I was 18.

And then there's fear to lose someone you love. Show me a person who's never felt it. This doesn't mean you have to agree with his decisions but at least I can understand his feelings.

I think you're confusing "relatable" and "role model". Luke might fit the later while Anakin is a cautionary tale of letting fear and greed overcome you to the point of not seeing distinction between right and wrong.

 

Because I'm stupid and don't understand the difference between "relatable" and "role model". Natalie, are you able to use some other argument other than to call me stupid? It happens over and over again, that's why I'm curious. I don't find Anakin relatable for the reasons I stated and the movie did not depict him earning anything. He was trained and given the life of a Jedi by a council that was sympathetic to Qui-Gon's death and wishes, not due to anything Anakin did.

 

Not to belabor the point, but how is Anakin less worthy of being a Jedi than anyone else? None of the other Jedi "earned" their status either -- they were all trained essentially from birth. The same is true of Luke who became a Jedi because his father was one and because he was the only option left, not because of any great deed. Rather, it was out of necessity. That's not a slam on any of them, but I hardly see how Anakin failed to "earn" anything in comparison to them.

If anything, Anakin worked harder to become a Jedi, since him winning the podrace was instrumental to his aid of Qui-Gon and being offered a chance to join the Order.

 

When did I call you "stupid"? You said it, not me. We just seem to have different definitions of "relatable". I'll never call anyone stupid for reading a character or theme differently. You think Anakin is just an ungrateful traitor, I think there's a lot more to him than that.

He wouldn't be freed if he didn't offer to help Qui-Gon and then proceed to actually win the race. I also think destroying the Trade Federation spaceship had also something to do with the Council's decision, not just Qui-Gon's wishes.

 

I didn't say Anakin is less worthy. What I said, (to paraphrase,) is that Anakin is the only one depicted who squandered the opportunity the life of a Jedi offered in a way that I thought seemed unrealistic considering how unique that opportunity was. I can't relate because I can't imagine being such an ungrateful little brat, (clear into my 20's, btw,) when given such an opportunity. Would you act like that?

 

To be truthful...yes. I strive every day to be more like Luke, but I know I'm more like Anakin in many respects.

I know what it's like to feel like an outsider in a community -- to feel distrusted and tolerated (at best) by the other members. For me at least, it led me to isolate myself and cling to my family very tightly as a source of emotional support. So I can understand why Anakin behaves the way he does.

The life of a Jedi is, above all, an opportunity to serve people. Within the films, I think it's pretty clear Anakin relishes this part of his job. I think, though, that he never did learn to adapt to the Jedi lifestyle. So when an opportunity to help the galaxy in another way presented itself (or, at least, the semblance of helping the galaxy), I'm not surprised that he grasped it (especially considering all the other factors involved in making that decision).