The most decisive decision in the star wars saga?

The most impacting decision was when the imperial officers chose NOT to destroy the escape pod in Episode 4 that carried Artoo and threepio. If they had destroyed it; then none of the events in the original trilogy would have occured.

 

So true, I've often thought about that as well. We see characters trying to fight destiny and simply making it dramatically worse. Anakin being the poster child of this. Thats really the tragic part of the story for me.

 

I think it's absolutely correct. Anakin's destiny was to kill Palpatine. He tried to turn away from doing that and in the process killed his wife, ended up mained and in the Vader suit, destroyed the Jedi Order, killed the Republic, and still ended up killing Palpatine. If he had just killed Palps back in the office when he found out the truth, or allowed Windu to kill Palps, none of that ever would have happened. But he tried to avoid his destiny and suffered as a result.

 

I thought Luke deciding to end the Emperor's rule and go to strike him down, and Vader stopping him, was decisive on a few levels. One, sure there was the risk Luke would have fallen to the Dark Side but he was willing to take that risk for the greater good. Palpatine was trying to egg him on to that purpose, and Vader might have been protecting the Emperor, on the other hand he might have been protecting his son as well, so that he wouldn't fall.

 

When Solo comes back and smokes Vader. Luke was a deader, and thus the War would have been over.

 

"Agree with you the Council does. Your apprentice young Skywalker shall be."

In reversing its earlier judgement that Anakin was not to be trained, whether because of Qui-Gon's dying wishes, to prevent Obi-Wan from teaching Anakin in defiance of the Council, or out of recognition of Anakin's talents as displyed in the Battle of Naboo, this decicision paves the way for Anakin's rise and fall, and frames all that will follow.

It is compounded by trusting his instruction to a newly-recognized Jedi Knight, rather than a more experienced one. The lack of rapport between Anakin and Obi-Wan seen in The Phantom Menace, where Obi-Wan disagrees with his own mentor over the child's potential and prospects, sets the stage for their future confrontations, in Revenge of the Sith, and in A New Hope.

 

Jar Jar proposing emergency powers for Palps

 

"We're out of rockets sir"

 

When Padme calls for a vote of no confidence in Valorum. That is what gets Palpatine in power. It causes all of the events of the rest of the saga.

 

How about the birth of the twins?

 

On thinking about it more, I say it was two factors 1) the decision of the Jedi to train Anakin and allow a young Obi-Wan to do it primarily alone. They should have allowed him to do it (since he was set on keeping his promise) but had Yoda as the principal master throughout Anakin's young life. Yoda recognized the fear in Anakin and that was what needed to be dealt with and should have been - it would have changed the way things played out. And 2) they should have kept him insulated based on his possible importance to the future and never allowed him to form a relationship with the chancellor (a non-Jedi and a politician - that was a bad decision even not knowing he was a Sith. The man could not be trusted to understand the importance lack of attachment and overcoming fear and the Jedi needed to ensure all of Anakin's mentors did understand that and instruct him in it whole-heartedly).

 

"You've failed your highness. I am a Jedi like my father before me."


Finally a Jedi allows the Force to truly determine the fate of the galaxy.

 

Han deciding to take Luke, Ben and the droids to alderann. They would probably have been stuck on tatooine otherwise as non of the other pilots were as desperate as han was for some cash.

 

Oh and: "how about that blue one" - Luke selected R2D2, that got the OT rolling.

 

I believe it is Luke's decision to defy Yoda & Obi-Wan and go and face Vader in ESB even without have completing his training. At that moment you know everything was going to come full circle, even watching for the first time as a kid I knew some heavy stuff was going to be revealed

 

I have my opinion of the best but this is the most influential and ill explain why in a sec

 

the most decivise can not be anything that was foretold, or prophesied. Or anything that couldve happened but just differently.

For example, padme calling for a vote of no confidence isnt huge. Palpatine couldve had the trade federation attack the planet of another one of his gullible allies.
The council's decision to allow Anakin to be trained wouldve happened either way, as said by master kenobi. Jar Jar proposing emergency powers couldve happened with any of his gullible allies. Luke rushing off to fight Vader had to happen in some sense, and wasnt a major decision because it didnt affect anything, Han wouldve been frozen either way, Lando wouldve rescued leia and chewwy either way. Vader deciding to turn on the emperor was foretold so it wouldve happened no matter what it was said so thousands of years before he did it.

The only thing that truly truly can not have been done any different for the story to have been the same, is the decision not to destroy the escape pod of r2d2 and c3po. Had that happened the entire story wouldve been nothing. They had the plans for the death star, the reason for luke being brought into the story, and they told obiwan that they needed his help. AND they helped rescue the princess escape.

without that exact thing happening the rebels wouldve lost and all the major characters wouldve either died (leia) or never been brought into fruition (luke) or something else.

 

I think the most important decision in the Saga happened in Phantom Menance, but its payoff was in Revenge of the Sith.

In E1, when Master Jinn requested training for Ani, the counsel said no, with Mace Windu (apperantly) leading the charge. In E2 and E3, it shows that Master Windu doesn't trust Anakin. Windu even, blanetly, told young Skywalker that he wasn't trusted (if what you have told me is true, then you will have earned my trust).

When Skywalker brages in on Windu and Palps' duel, both Palps and Windu tell the boy to trust him. Which does he choose? The one who, his entire professional life, showed that he cared for the youth and trusted him.

Had Mace Windu treated Anakin with more respect and trust, the fate of the galaxy would have been very, very differant.

 

No, it was Nute Gunray, by not killing Qu-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi when ordered to on board the Droid Control Ship. Because of him, The Jedi were able to escape to Naboo, find JarJar, get to Otoh Gunga, and so on...

 

that is what is called a contribution. you see at the end of the day palpatine held the secret to padme's life. (he was lying) so to anakin he NEEDED palpatine. had he trusted mace windu or not, he was still going against the jedi code, he was still about to kill the ONLY person that could save his wife. And if you recall anakin would do ANYTHING to save her. So Mace Windu trying to kill palpatine is bigger deal than him treating anakin bad.


And Nute Gunray did try to kill the jedi on board his ship. When they ran from the droideka, they hid on a planetary troop transport, but Gunray did a check of the entire ship before he came up with that discovery.

 

As the EU has explored, it is possible to heal by using the power of the dark side, and the Sith seek corporeal immortality through the dark side; with Palpatine as the key to dark side knowledge, from this perspective he was not lying.

 

Some good points in this thread.

I'm going to have to say that Anakin's concern for strangers he first met as a slave working in Watto's part store. He decides to offer these strangers shelter from a dangerous sandstorm. This was the beginning of everything and sets a great precedent for him as a character. This is the first time that Qui-Gonn really recognizes Anakin as special or unique.

Without this selfless gesture, nothing else would've happened.