Does the Prequel Trilogy do justice to Anakin Skywalker?

Considering the thread regarding Yoda seems to be stirring up quite a debate, I felt a similar discussion was neccessary... this time involving a character a bit more crucial to the story, Anakin Skywalker.

Firs off, the order in which the saga is viewed will ultimately affect the viewer's conception of the character. The character we all grew to know in the Original Trilogy has been given an entirely new dimension as a result of the Prequel Trilogy, may it be for a better or worse.

- Before 1999: We knew him as Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker.

- After 2005: We know him as Anakin Skywalker, who becomes Darth Vader.


With the prequels, the persona has been lifted from Vader and onto Anakin. We no longer view him as a villain with a dark past, but rather a hero we've grown to love who deserves our sympathy. As much as I enjoy the prequels (and I do), I'm alsmost inclined to believe that perhaps (and it's a big PERHAPS), the story of Vader's past was best left untold.

I understand why Lucas did what he did. He wanted to show the audience how and why Darth Vader came to be, and on paper it probably sounded like a phenominal and ambitious project. I don't think the fault lied in the execution (although one could certainly argue that), but rather in the idea itself. While the character of Anakin is expanded on, perhaps the mystery and intrigue that surrounded Darth Vader was lost in the process.

Did the prequels do justice to Anakin Skywalker? Or more importantly, did the prequels do justice to Darth Vader?

 

Yes, I think so. In 1983 we never knew anything about Anakin except he had a wife (Luke's mother), was a good pilot, had been a good person and then became evil at some point and became Darth Vader. Now we have so much more information about him and his tragedy is what makes the PT so great. I think it is better than the OT and a large reason for that is the tragedy of Anakin/Padmé. The complexity of the PT and especially Anakin's character is what makes it so brilliant. It's not the lightsaber duels or space battle (although they are unique) but the tragic circumstances which lead to Anakin becoming Darth Vader. And I think the PT does Anaikin Skywalker justice. You can always debate about Darth Vader but I think it is yes there although many OT fans may disagree with me. But to me the tragedy of Anakin make Vader so much stronger and powerful villain.

 

I think The Prequel Trilogy showed how good he is!

 

I think that the Prequels have unquestionably changed peoples view of Vader and I have no doubt that most viewers who see it 1 - 6 on their first viewing will view Anakin as the more important of the personas. I however still view Vader as who Anakin is in the meat of the story. I think that they did justice to Anakin Skywalker as the father of Luke Skywalker and I do like the depth that Vader has received thanks to the Prequels and the main worry I had was that Vader's villainy wouldn't be preserved in pop culture. However it appears to have been.

The Prequels have also made me hate Vader far more than I did based on the abstract notion that he was once a Jedi who fell to evil.

 

From Lucas' perspective, the Prequels most important job was to change fans and general audiences perception of who Darth Vader is and was as Anakin Skywalker.

When Luke removes Vader's mask at the end of Episode VI, we got our first glimpse inside the dark iron lung. Immediately, the wonder of how a person could become the scorge of the galaxy became intriguing.

Even on the bonus disc to the Episode III DVD, Lucas firmly admits that the icon of Darth Vader become more than what he intended. So, clearly, his mind set was to change everyone's perception of who Darth Vader was.

Taken that into consideration, I think Lucas succeeded with flying colors. Technically, he really won by the time Episode I ended. By films ends, he forces you to ask this question; "how the hell does that little kid become Darth Vader?" He gives you absolutely no surface hint as to how and why he becomes Vader. We see a selfless, innocent, and good young boy in Episode I. This is the success of Episode I. After that, if Lucas has done his job correctly, you want to see how the innocent boy grows up to become the man in black. That's the entire hook of the Prequels. How does Jake Lloyd's characterization of Anakin Skywalker, father of Luke and Leia, become Darth Vader?

Considering that the Prequels give us only three chapters in Anakin's life before Darth Vader, plus numerous hints about his other adventures and how he's grown from film to film, the Prequels do the job they were set out to do...change the way we thought of the greatest screen villian of all time.

 

Heck no. The PT made Anakin look like a big whiney brat, NOT a "hero" who had a tragic fall and became such a great villian in the OT. All I kept thinking as I saw him on-screen is there is NO way this brat becomes Darth Vader. Also, I don't agree at all that it made him into "a hero we've grown to love who deserves our sympathy." While that may have been GL's intention, I think he failed. I think there are just as many people who don't care for Anakin as there are who do.

 

General FYI, this forum is a place to be positive about the PT. Healthy debate with dissenting opinions is always allowed, and there are aspects of the prequels, and the originals, that people may not like. But please refrain from overwhelmingly negative, unconstructive posts. If you must do so, please go to the Basher's Sanctuary in SWC.

 

This "whiney brat", as you call him, while undoubtedly insular and troubled, had many flecks of greatness - his loyalty to Obi Wan (saving him from Dooku's savage blade in AotC; rescuing him against Palpatine's urging in RotS), his mature instruction to Padme to not be afraid (before going into the Geonosian arena; before Padme had expressed her love to him, in fact), realising that Padme would "do her duty" in his position and so leaving her to whatever fate may pass (with human reluctance - but firm resolve nonetheless), heroicially and competently piloting the remainder of a broken ship to safety, not to mention serving others humbly and faithfully "with no thought of reward" for the first nine years of his life on Tatooine. We can well imagine he performed many brave and daring feats in the Clone Wars - saving Obi Wan's life on countless occasions for one thing - in the intervening years when Anakin quietly went from padawan to Jedi Knight. He was self-absorbed very often, and committed a terrible attrocity on Tatooine, and was not the graceful hero necessarily implied in the OT, but Anakin was sure enough his own person - capable of immense good and immense evil. I think Lucas constructed a more complex - if not superficially likeable - character than most dared to imagine or even now willingly give him credit for.

So what's the answer here?

I think the prequel trilogy does ample justice to Anakin - if people are willing to "let go of their conscious selves", jettisoning their assumptions and prejudices, and appreciating the character on his own terms. Well... what assumptions and prejudices am I talking about? The assumptions are all those things people had in their minds after watching the OT. Much was implied there - but only in very vague terms. It gave Lucas sufficient latitude to construct many different Anakin Skywalkers; well, he came up with one and stuck with it. As for the prejudices... the prejudices are all the condemnations of Anakin's youthfulness and impetuousness. I'm sorry, but if you're going to dimiss Anakin as a moody teenager, then you're dimissing the fragile person with much to offer the world who's looking for guidance whilst poised on the threshold between boy and man; you are, in fact, much like the people who accuse Lucas of racial stereotyping, actually airing your own prejudices about young people and cruelly implying that such people are somehow "lesser" people with concerns more trivial than your own. That's very Animal Park-esque to me. You know what I'm talking about, hopefully? "All age ranges are equal. But some are more equal than others." That's a bunch of bullcrap to me. I think Lucas is saying that we have a responsibility to young people. They literally are our future. They can be ignored and cast off, yes - but ignored and cast off at our peril. We're failing in our responsbilities as human beings if we don't nurture and guide society's future adults dilligently and compassionately.

 

"You learn that Darth Vader isn?t this monster. He?s a pathetic individual who made a pact with the Devil and lost. And he?s trapped. He?s a sad, pathetic character, not a big evil monster. I mean, he?s a monster in that he?s turned to the Dark Side and he?s serving a bad master and he?s into power and he?s lost a lot of his humanity. In that way, he?s a monster, but beneath that, as Luke says in Return of the Jedi, early on, ?I know there?s still good in you, I can sense it.? Only through the love of his children and the compassion of his children, who believe in him, even though he?s a monster, does he redeem himself."

--George Lucas, quoted in J. Windolf, ?Star Wars: The Last Battle,? Vanity Fair, 2005

"...if you start with Star Wars, then Vader?s just the villain, and that?s it. But you don?t realize that he?s a human being, that he?s got problems you don?t realize that he could have been saved, that he was tricked and can be resurrected."

--George Lucas.

"What drove me to make these movies is that this is a really interesting story about how people go bad. In this particular case, the premise is: Nobody thinks they're bad. They simply have different points of view. This is about a kid that's really wonderful. He has some flaws - and those flaws ultimately do him in."

--George Lucas, The Making Of ROTS; Page 53.


To me, I'm content with the story. I had no major expections. I was curious to see what things were like before the OT. And seeing things in a new light makes me appreciate the characters more. I can now feel for Vader in ROTJ. I can feel for Yoda and Obi-wan throughout the OT. I see the depths of Palpatine's evil. Anytime you do a prequel or reveal the full backstory in a flashback, you're going to "ruin the mystique" of the characters and story. I like that because it changes my perceptions. I now see things in a new light and that makes me appreciate the story more. After seeing TPM, I could see Jake Lloyd when Vader's helmet came off in ROTJ. After seeing AOTC, I can see Padme and Anakin when Luke and Leia speak about their past in ROTJ. After seeing ROTS, I could see Anakin choking Padme while Vader talks about it being too late to Luke, in ROTJ. When Anakin and Dooku fight for the last time, I see Luke and Vader's final fight. When Leia looks at Vader in TESB, I see Padme wearing the white outfit from AOTC. When Obi-wan pulls off his hood for the first time, I see his younger self. When we see the duel in ANH, I am reminded of their past relationship, which gives the ANH duel more depth. When I see Anakin flying in this Jedi Interceptor, I see Vader in the TIE Advanced. I see Obi-wan and Anakin communicate with Artoo, I see Luke and Han doing something similar in ANH.


These things I like seeing.

 

That whiney brat was not much different than our hero Luke Skywalker was for most of the OT. His whiney bratness was meant to mirror his son's actions. Luke was very similar to Anakin. We have a tendency to view ANH Luke and the Luke that denied the Dark side in RoTJ as different people somewhat in the same light as Anakin Vs. Vader.

Carnage

 

If you'd had never seen the OT and you saw Anakin I think most would have felt he was unredeemable after ROTS.

If that's the case than yes they did do him justice.

 

His whininess was his impatience! And his need for self glorification!

 

In terms of telling his story? Yes. Lucas showed us everything we wanted to know about Anakin's fall to the darkside.

In terms of portraying him as the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy? Not so much. The first 30 minutes of RotS is really the only time Anakin gets to shine. He saves Obi Wan in space, kills Dooku impressively, rescues Palpatine while rescuing an unconcious Obi Wan again, and then saves himself, Obi Wan, Palpatine, and R2 by landing what was left of the Invisible Hand.

In AotC, They portray Anakin as brash young padawan who has his head in the right place most of the time but always seems to mess things up. For example, he chased Zam Wessel and lost his lightsaber and her/it. Cleaned up by Obi Wan. Then he was supposed to protect Padme, but instead she has to go with him to Tatooine where he leaves her with people he has never met before so he can go attempt to rescue his mother at which he fails. And then ends up killing the sand people. So after his failure on Tatooine, Padme and our hero go to attempt to rescue Obi Wan from Geonosis....Can you guess what happens kids??? Thats right he fails again! Losing Padme, his lightsaber(AGAIN!), and getting captured himself. With the help of other Jedi and Clone troopers, they survive the arena and Anakin and Obi Wan head for Dooku. Anakin proceeds to "Take Him Now!" and fails yet again by taking his first blast of Force lightining. With Anakin immobilized, Dooku proceeds to own Obi Wan easily and is about to deliver the death blow when Anakin does what seems to be one of the only things he doesn't fail at. Saving Obi Wans life. He does so, but is easily disarmed and shruged away like a nameless Jedi. Clean up by Master Yoda.

In TPM, hes a bubbly little boy who loves everything and ends up saving the day on accident thanks to R2 and Luck. The only thing he does in TPM to show his skills is the Pod Race which was impressive. I guess I'm just one of those people who wish that AotC would've been episode 1. Although there are aspects of TPM that I like(Darth Maul, Qui Gon Jinn, the Pod Race).

I just wish they showed more of Anakin as a Jedi. I wanted to see why he was the most decorated and respected Jedi during the Clone Wars. I just feel like the opening of RotS wasn't enough to do him justice as far as his Jedi prowess is concerned. I think the PT did the most justice to Obi Wan and I think many will agree with me on that. I contribute that to the fact that Obi Wan was a Jedi in every movie we see him in. That gives him much more screen time to show his skills. Even as a Padawan Obi Wan appeared more talented than Padawan Anakin. Obi Wan killed Darth Maul. Anakin killed sand people. Not much justice given to the Chosen One in my opinion.

 

You all make interesting points, but I do wonder whether or not the prequels have turned Darth Vader from a character into a mere persona. That was one of my main worries when I made this thread. When you watch the originals, do you really see Darth Vader anymore? Or do you see Anakin Skywalker wearing a protective suit? It all comes down to whether or not you feel the PT should serve as a flashback or an introduction. One will introduce you to Darth Vader, the other to Anakin Skywalker. Believe it or not, the persona you're introduced to first will have a great impact on how you percieve the character.

The more I think about it, the more I feel the saga should be viewed IV, V, I, II, III, VI.

 

I think it very much does justice to the Anakin Skywalker character. It paints a light of a talent, kind and yet still very flawed person who makes the wrong choices in his life and pays the price for them. He starts his life as a slave and gains his freedom only to become enslaved again by duty, by love, by fear and finally by a man more powerful by himself. His life is cyclical and it isn't until the end that he realizes he keeps making the says mistakes over and over again. It's a beautiful but very sad story in a way.

The PT doesn't do justice to who people thought Anakin Skywalker "should" be. I've spent years on the internet and seeing people say that Anakin Skywalker "should" be this or "should" be that and that because GL didn't match their idea of who Anakin "should" be he failed.

Personally I think their ideas are terrible because it essentially reduces Anakin to a one dimension badass devoid of any of the complexity that Lucas imbued him with. They're angry because young Anakin wasn't Damien from The Omen. They're mad because Anakin as a teenager is whiny like Luke and not Bruce Lee. They're mad because Anakin chose to turn to the dark side for selfish reasons rather than something that they view as noble like saving the galaxy or something like that. It's amazing because Lucas took so many chances with Anakin and did something different rather than what so many people thought Anakin "should" have been. By focusing on what he "should" have been they fail to appreciate what he was.

I for one think he portrayal in the PT was perfect.

 

Yes.



*waits for 'do the prequels do justice to Jar Jar to open' to pop up*

 

The prequels do justice to Anakin in that we see why he could turn. He didn't have the same calmness and serenity as many other Jedi. He was easily disturbed and angered.

The films also shows how powerful he was, and that he couldn't quite control it. At times it seemed that he was close to controlling it, but then he would mess up. We certainly saw him evolving in ROTS. The only thing that bugs me is that he seems wiser in ROTS, and therefore it is strange that he would turn. In AOTC he doesn't know what to do or how to think... to put i bluntly

 

well we all know that the prequal is all about Anakin turning into Vader,and the birth of the twins and the destruction of the rebellion kinda and death of the Jedi! But I think he did great for what little time he had for 1-3!!!

 

Yes I think so. We hear from OBW that Anakin was a great Jedi, and so he was. And we also understand why he turned. He was an unstable Jedi. As a Jed he also was a very good person, with the intention of doing good, which eventually brought havoc... Also, we see why OBW would say that Anakin was a good friend. They seemed that way, and Anakin saved his butt a couple of times. It all makes sense with the OT I think!!

 

I wonder...what *exact* part do you think Anakin was whining?

 

Well, the thing with Anakin's power and prowess is that Lucas wanted to put him in a different position than what we thought of him. He wanted us to see that Anakin could've been the greatest Jedi ever, but he failed himself in a lot of ways. In TPM, we see his humble and untrained ways. Things look accidential, but in reality they are the will of the Force. The Force guides him in his actions, but because he has no training and no understanding of what he is, he reacts as someone would in this situation. The Battle of Naboo, he makes random guesses about what would be a good idea. But he has no idea that he is being influenced by the Force, which is speaking to him. He thinks it's just instinct, but it's the Force guiding his instincts. In AOTC, Obi-wan makes it clear that Anakin's abilities are making him arrogant. He's not taking the time out that he should with his training. This is why he keeps making mistakes and why he loses his duel to Dooku. By ROTS, he has gotten it together. He has redoubled his efforts to be the best. He stopped slacking off. He's now a Knight instead of a Padawan. But he wants more. He wants more power. The Dark Side offers him power and he can take it, but he cannot control himself. He gets too greedy. Too arrogant. To angry. Thus he has trouble defeating Obi-wan and eventually loses. By the OT, we see that he's the shadow of his former self. Forced to be Palpatine's slave. Waiting for a chance to come back. And his son will give him the means to become the greatest.

Anakin's whole arc in the PT is that he will become the greatest. But his pride, greed, arrogance and emotional instability will prevent him from reaching his true potential. He has only a taste of what he could do, before it's taken from him. He had everything he needed to be the best, but he messed around. He let Palpatine get into his head. And he fell from grace.

 

Well said!

 

Good post.
The good thing about it is that this was the intention of Lucas, and it is quite clearly shown on screen as well. Anakin IS all those things you said. Too bad that arrogance and his hunger for power were perhaps the most prominent features of Anakin...

 

That's true. Most people do miss one of the reasons Anakin couldn't let go of his emotions. His loyalty. Of course there were other circumstances (his past) but this was another factor. He's loyal to the Force, to his wife, but when he's shown the opportunity to have both his wife and power, he takes it.

 

Lord Acton: "Absolute power tend to corrupt absolutely."

Ben Parker: "With great power comes great responsibility."

These two quotes sum up Anakin Skywalker perfectly. With any Jedi.