Do you think Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader atoned for the evil he did during his life?

I personally think he did. I mean, he was the only one who had a chance at killing Palpatine and giving the galaxy a chance at freedom. Besides helping to wipe out the Jedi, was there anything else he did that was really really bad? I really think Vader was just a really messed up hero (AotC will show him start to go screwy) who in the end came through when he was needed. Another question, what were some good things Anakin did when he was still Vader? I can remember that he said in SotE he couldn't destroy the part of him that was Anakin no matter how hard he tried. He also wanted to get rid of Palpatine and be a much better ruler than he was. I really consider him a hero in the Star Wars saga... a really really messed up hero who chokes people and cuts them in half and is later redeemed. So what do think about Vader?

 

I think we'll have to wait until after Episode III to get the full weight of how evil Darth Vader was, but in my mind I've always believed he did some real atrocious things. Whether the New Republic historians remember him as a tragic figure, or an evil-doer who betrayed his master at the last second is a different question. I think, at the very least, he was just trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his son Luke (and his daughter too). That he was able to save his son and that Luke forgave him in the end, is probably all the redemption he could ask for...and probably deserves.

 

I have pretty much the same opinion as you. Ultimately, he is a hero, but whether or not that makes up for all the evil he did as Vader is another story. I'd say probably not.

 

I'm thinking that after the twins are born, Padme is killed by Palpatine and it's blamed at least partly on the Jedi. That's the only logical explanation, you don't freak out and become a Sith with a wife and two kids unless something really REALLY bad happens to you. That would really push him over the edge. I mean, here's a guy who was a slave his whole life, he starts losing everything (starting with AotC) and is manipulated by a powerful Sith to give into his anger which will give him the power needed to control his life.

 

Not exactly the right forum ....

But it was never about atonement. How can you be forgiven for killing millions, maybe even billions, of innocent people? You can't.

And, from a certain POV, he doesn't really have to atone for anything. He was just doing what he was Chosen to do, bring balance to the Force. This meant he had to destroy both the Jedi and the Sith, which he did. He was just fulfilling the Prophecy.

In the end, his "soul" was saved, however, by his son who brought him back from the dark side, which helped him fulfill the Prophecy.

wk

 

Kyp Durron was forgiven. He caused more direct loss of life in an instant than Vader did in twenty years of service to the darkside.

 

No. Anakin/Vader, from what we know, has helped commit genocide. Even if he survived Endor, no amount of good acts can make up for the genocide of the Jedi. His offspring's forgiveness, and a more forgiving history, is the best he can hope to receive.

 

Kyp was forgiven by Luke, not by everyone else.

Corran, Mara, the NR senate, Wedge never really forgave him, and I don't imagine if there were survivors of Carida that he'd hope for forgiveness from them either.

One of the more intriguing things to me about Kyp is that he's going on even after what he's done as Exar Kun's puppet, and in the face of stubborn refusal from others to forgive those sins.

One of the reasons I loved Rebirth so much was becuz it had Wedge showing how he never forgave Kyp for what he did to Carida and Qwi Xux. I thought that was very canny writing on Keyes's part.

 

Kyp was forgiven by the Jedi. The general public didn't in most cases.

EDIT : Forgiven by SOME Jedi.

 

My answer: No.

He attempted atonement but all too briefly, a case of too little, too late.

As for a hero due to doing what he was chosen to do?! Come on! What's to stop every other egomaniac using that as an excuse? 'Oops, sorry I killed millions of peasants but it was my destiny'-Joe Stalin.

Jedi Ben+

 

Uh, first of all, Star Wars is fake ...

Second, he never claimed to be the Chosen One, that's just what other people called him.

wk

 

Anakin was consumed by the dark side and became Vader. I doubt if Vader remembers much about his former self until he learns of Luke's existence and then gradually Anakin fights back against the weight of the dark side. I don't see Vader as Anakin gone evil. I see Vader as Anakin as a puppet of the dark side. Therefore, whatever evil Vader did Anakin was not responsible for it. I see the redemption of Anakin as him breaking the spell that has dominated him for over 2 decades.

 

True...

 

It is like a split personality, but the difference being that Anakin/Vader never lost any memories. Vader in ANH remembered things that happened to him as a child in TPM, and Anakin at the end of ROTJ remembered everything he did as Vader. Otherwise, the whole thing would make no sense. Vader had to remember what happened to him in his life, otherwise he wouldn't care one way or the other what happened to anybody from his past.

Plus, he clearly remembered Obi-Wan in ANH.

wk

 

I don't think succoming/being seduced by the Dark Side is exactly like schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder; that is to say, I don't think had Vader survived the Battle of Endor that he could have pleaded insanity (or Dark Side influence) when the New Republic charged him with War Crimes.

 

Kyp killed enemies at an enemy training centre. That is justified.

 

Vader was in all respects the chosen one, just to clear that up.

 

I don't think he did, but we really don't know what he did.

Obi-wan was bitter towards Anakin the most, because Anakin betrayed and humiliated him. Also he saw the most damage Anakin did in terms of Padme and her family, how much pain she suffered at Anakin's hands. So, we can't really say. But he didn't have such a great life himself, either.... It's hard to be forgiving when you've been hurt. Most people draw on love and it's their strength, but if you feel no love, and never did, it's hard to do.
Anakin might have dearly loved Padme, but he never had a role model, ever. Obi-wan was his teacher, and not a father, not a husband. I think for the most part, Anakin doesn't know what he's doing in terms of inflicting hurt (I don't mean violence, which is inexcusable). He isn't even aware of it. His response is off, because no one taught he was doing wrong. He may have left Padme to spare her, and not realized he crushed her. I don't know if I'm getting my point across.
In a war, there is violence. I don't think when all is said and done, we are judged too harshly in wartime situations, but are judged more severely over how we treated our families, whose happiness rested in our hands. That's responsibility.
So, no, in that regard I don't think he did, even though unawares. He was a terrible husband, a rotten father, and a nightmare of a son-in-law, and brother-in-law. He never even thought of these people, and how he might hurt them. He only thought of himself, and his own pain. He learned to be selfless in the last half hour of his life.

 

"Also he saw the most damage Anakin did in terms of Padme and her family, how much pain she suffered at Anakin's hands."

PPOR, there is no evidence of any of this, or that it even happened.

 

PPOR?

He left her pregnant with twins, and alone. She had to lose her place in the world, her kids, and her husband. She dies under 30. Define what pain is if that isn't. Any woman would suffer with that kind of treatment. Do you think Padme will throw a party after being abandoned by a Sith?

What if Padme were your daughter? You wouldn't suffer to see her so used and hurt? If her family is normal, they will suffer along with Padme. It's common sense.

"She was very beautiful. Gentle and kind, but SAD." What makes her sad? Well, Anakin, and the fact that she can't keep her children because of him. Of course that's what happened. She lost her kids, she loses everything and dies. Anakin is the root cause of it.

 

i think he atoned as much as possible for him
he killed palpy and then when he finally was good again and could see his son for the first time as father and son, he died
now it can be argued that having him sent to prison for the rest of his life would have been a better punishment
but i dont think so
this one hurts more
and for all the evil vader must have done, nothing really can be atoned for
luke was more happy that his father was able to be redeemed
he didnt fully atone for his crimes
like if bin laden were to give himself up tomorrow
if he were killed or sent to prison for the rest of his life, it wouldnt really atone for his crimes

 

I was always under the impression that Vader killed Palpatine in order to save Luke. Plain and simple. I know he hated Palpatine and wanted to destroy him, (with Luke's help, in fact), but it doesn't alter the fact the Vader killed the Emperor with the only hope of saving his son.

In that case, he redeemed himself for Luke and possibly Leia, (since Luke's her brother and all), but not the rest of the galaxy.

Personally speaking, I believe something truly horrible happened to Anakin, (aside from the Vader suit), that caused him to fall to the dark-side. He thought Padme was dead, or was accidently betrayed by the Jedi Council. SOMETHING, where the audience could go, "Well, I don't agree with what he did, but I can understand his anger."

However, we don't really know how many people Vader killed. We don't know how many were actually put into slavery in the Empire, (almost as bad as death). We don't know how many people he tormented and interrogated.

We know of Leia, Han, Luke and all those Imperial officers. And, it's just...what...seven hours worth of film? I'm sure there are things he did that we'll never know.

Use your imagination, people.

 

"Kyp killed enemies at an enemy training centre. That is justified."

You forgot all the civilian Caridans on the planet. And all the non-sentient beings. And maybe there was life forms on other planets of the system.

 

Anakin was enslaved by the dark side. He desperately wanted to escape, but couldn't - the dark side wouldn't let him. When Luke offered Vader the chance to flee with him Vader said, "Obi-wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the dark side - I MUST obey my master, it is too late for me, my son." If Vader could have said "To hell with this dark side crap, I'm not going to do anything bad anymore" he would have done. The difference between Bin-laden and Vader is that Bin Laden WANTS to do what he does, but Vader is carrying out the will of the Emperor who personifies the dark side.

 

Ah yes, the good old Kyp debate.

I still say he has nothing to atone for because he wasn't in control of himself, he was Kun's puppet.

Anakin, however, was noone's puppet. Sure, he was manipulated by Palpy, but he did everything of his own free will.

And like someone said, he redeemed himself for his family, which was the most important thing to him, but not the galaxy in general.

wk