PT Anakin should not have killed the younglings

Well, first, the rule of one is no longer canon. But when it was, that's a retcon against what Lucas wrote and what was established. That's why Lucas wrote, "Always two there are, a Master and an Apprentice." Palpatine, Dooku and Vader had employed Force users to carry out their will, while they were the only ones who were actually Sith. Dooku used Ventress to not only eliminate various Jedi, but to keep egging Anakin on. Bringing out the worst in him. Sora Bulq was used to distract from Palpatine. Mara Jade was used because Vader stood out like a sore thumb. Vader used Lumiya because he wanted Luke to develop an attachment to her.

 

Right of course, I'm still getting to grips with exactly what the legends series means, in their innocence though the younglings could have been used to show the archives and that sphere which shows the star systems and such, see if they could find more based on any hidden jedi possibly, just outright slaughter seems a bit much when he has just transformed into Vader and yet is struggling with the challenge. Of course the lightsaber had to be used to throw the idea of the Jedi forces leading out the revolution, I just think Sidious would have enjoyed indulging himself in that activity after so long hiding in the shadows, that would have been more terrifying.

 

The emergency beacon was established to bring the Jedi to the Temple and after finding out that it was altered, the Empire went out in search of the stragglers. That is what takes us to "Rebels", where the Inquisitor, a dark side adept, is tasked with killing a Jedi survivor.

 

The point of the scene is that Anakin is finally killing his innocence. Note how the little boy that speaks to him before the slaughter even resembles a young anakin.

 

If you think about it, it actually makes you feel bad for the clones. They were betrayed as well, basically forced to kill their own friends and allies, even if they didn't want to.

Mod Note: Double Post.

 

The Rule of Two is canon, established in season six of the Clone wars.

 

I believe this deleted scene should shed some light on Anakin's state of mind while killing the younglings. I'm gonna warn you guys, though. The CGI is absolutely dreadful!

 

Great points. Anakin definitely should not have turned to the dark side. I see it clearly now!

 

Anikan Skywalker didn't kill the jedi younglings, Darth Vader did.

 

Uh, I know this. The rule of two is different from the rule of one. The former is that there are two Sith Lords, a Master and an Apprentice. The rule of one is that all Sith Lords can co-exist and have a sense of equality. The latter is Legends EU. The former is canon.

 

No, established in TPM.

 

That's Yoda's statement though - maybe not as hard-and-fast as the later material.

 

Yoda's English skills might cross you as pretty ignorant and quite like a paradox with his role as a grand and wise Jedi Master, but I find it not at all pointless. The primary intention was to give the character a mythological touch by making his grammar really posh and ancient. They actually tried to shape him like a sort of oracle from a hero's tale. For example if you read a medieval quest you might stumble upon similar grammar: "And so it was, that the hero had failed", "This gift I present to you, oh mighty king","May you fare well, young worrior", that writing represents a kind of mighty storytelling feeling with a heroic and ancient touch. By exaggerating this on Yoda, they got a funny version of that. Which, I think, is great with his character.

 

I
Exactly it is supposed to be horrific and he isn't Anakin - he is Darth Vader.

Allowing the younglings to escape would not be something Vader would do?

In regards to the writing - it wasn't "weak" it was very brave.

 

You would be amazed. I remember a really long thread while back arguing that the Empire wasn't evil.

 

And you'll still find arguments now and again that the Rebels are as evil as the Empire.

 

From my understanding, Anakin (or Vader, whichever you prefer) slaughtered those kids to drive home the fact that he had undergone a huge transformation from gallant hero to merciless taker of lives. IMO, this is the darkest moment in all of the six movies and establishes exactly what Vader is all about, killing Jedi.

 

"As cool as seeing Vader killing mature Jedi would have been" The fact that people thought it would be cool is good enough reason not to show it. Better to make it tragic and pathetic.

 

I thought it was a great choice to make him do so. Not only it was so horrid for Star Wars that it shocked everyone, but also underlined the fact how deep Anakin went down the dark side path, and that he was willing to do absolutely anything to save Padme. I thought it was a good, dark scene which single handedly reinforced the idea that Anakin has gone too far and theres no going back

 

Yeah, it was actually refreshing to see Hayden do some "evil" stuff since I could have never imagined that the annoying little kid and the sensitive teenager from episode I and II would have the guts to become a sith. And that's about the only scenario in which I actually believe he's breaking bad and he's not just being arrogant and afraid. So thumbs up for that scene.

 

When Anakin killed the younglings, my first thought is that this is an unsympathetic monster who does not even deserve to be redeemed in ROTJ. Who cares if "there's still good in him" after a rampage like that? It was just too far. He becomes a genocidal monster.

That's one of my complaints about the handling of Anakin in the PT. In the OT he was the Emperor's muscle, a thug. In the PT they had to turn him into a religious icon "chosen one" upon whom the fate of the galaxy depends. Anakin went from being a noble Jedi who was seduced by power in the OT, to being a fairly stupid, murderous, unsympathetic monster space messiah in the PT who was tricked by the Emperor.

I really would have preferred Anakin knowing there is more to the force and uncovering it himself... That's seduction, not "the Sith can stop pregnant wives from dying during child birth". Would have also loved to see some actual training, like we did in ESB when Yoda trained Luke.

 

I agree that the scene is great for its purpose, but "guts to become a sith", really? The whole point of Anakin's fall is that he was led by fear.

I think that's the main problem with those who hate Hayden's performance, they misunderstand what Anakin is supposed to be. Gifted as he is, Anakin isn't intended to be a badass in terms of his character/personality. He's a little bit whiney, somewhat arrogant and very clingy and fearful. The flip side of those bad qualities is that he's expressive, affectionate, open-hearted, intensely loyal, etc. Not Sithly at all. I find Obi-Wan more Sithly by nature than Anakin is.

And his fall into the Dark Side, though it undoubtedly has its horrific aspect as this scene conveys so well, is supposed to be weak and pathetic, not "baaad". Hence all the crying in the Council chamber and the Mustafar control room. And the ending of the Duel is pathetic too: rolling limblessly down the slope. His expression throughout that final exchange with Obi-Wan always struck me as more anguished than angry. IIRC, he was originally scripted to beg Obi-Wan to help him as he lay there. Although that thankfully got cut, Hayden does the pleading with his eyes.

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I see PiettsHat has already put the point far more eloquently.

 

He was already a genocidal monster before ROTS came out. But in terms of being redeemed, he cannot make up for his crimes, but he can die as a good man and do one last noble deed. It is up to his children to redeem his name.

Uh, being told that there are abilities in the Force that the Jedi forbid, but that the Sith don't, is seduction. Being told that a Sith Lord learned to create life and cheat death, by becoming so strong with the Force from using the dark side, is seduction.

 

Now, to be fair, that's all Dooku ever was too Sidious as well.