PT Who should have trained Anakin?

Obi-Wan is a great Jedi, as wise as Yoda and as powerful as Windu.

Nevertheless, if Yoda sensed grave danger in Anakin's training, should the Council have appointed a more experienced master to oversee Anakin's training?

The value of experience should not be underestimated.

(Ignore the out-universe explanation that this movie was created after the OT; just focus on the in-universe implications)

 

I don't think he should've been trained at all teacher wouldn't matter.

 

From what Obi-Wan says in the OT, I think it should have been either Yoda or Qui-Gon. Sure, Obi-Wan was an excellent Jedi. But he was also young and had only just attained his knighthood when he took on Anakin. (Not that it would have ultimately made a difference... though that's debatable.)

 

A Jedi that is not part of the Jedi Order, who allows contact with family and marriage and is wise and compassionate and firm. The Jedi Order wasn't suited for Anakin. If Dooku didn't join Sideous perhaps he would have fit the description.
Going by just the movies I don't see anyone completely suited for the job.

 

Kit Fisto

 

Well said, SN!

Just because Anakin said he dreamed of being a Jedi doesn't mean his make up and needs meshed with *being* one. Plus, the Jedi were way too stuck in their detachment dogma which is shown with their utter mishandling of Anakin. They basically just kept saying 'Pull yourself together, move on' instead of realising *they* needed to change themselves for the sake of everybody by having compassion on the boy, listening, and helping him *cope*.

Of all Sensitives shown in film I agree Dooku would be the best to attempt mentoring Anakin.

 

Ideally, Qui-Gon. He showed the most understanding of and compassion for Ani's situation. While he would've taught orthodox Jedi teachings, he'd have been flexible in their application. Plus, he'd have provided a fatherly influence that, unfortunately, was ultimately provided by Palpatine.

 

Kenneth Morgan: thank you for not wrapping your Qui-Gon in the "he's the only one who would be nice to and understand" rhetoric. I like your way of expressing it, and I like as well that you don't throw in "only Qui-Gon could have kept Anakin in the light."

While, of course, Qui-Gon "showed the most understanding and compassion," in part this was because he was actually there on Tatooine, not relating to Anakin as his Jedi master. I would expect other Jedi - riding out the sandstorm in the family setting - would also develop an interest, though most likely not to the same degree.

I think Qui-Gon's greatest contribution would have been the "fatherly influence" (though I still suspect that may have diminished once an official master-padawan relationship had been established - he was pretty strict in that role), followed by the "flexibility" in interpretation.

 

To be honest - not just Anakin BUT EVERY JEDI should honestly be trained by ALL THE JEDI of the time available; I might sound eccentric or as a complete 100% nut BUT in reality - you know how the saying its good to be an all-rounder AND the fact that how if one goes to school at times you have different teachers and differing POV's and perceptions and ideas and same w' universities w' your professors and lecturers and tutors surely its good to study as much aspects as possible eh? Plus how Palpatine even remarked 'one must study all the aspects of the Force ... not just the narrow dogmatic view of the Jedi!' and likewise perhaps ALL the JEDI MASTERS and Knights could have had their hands to teach him BUT also the same for them ... I mean the saying 'in life you will get a variety of bosses - you may get good bosses, bad bosses, arrogant bosses, eccentric bosses, selfish bosses, bosses you hate and so on ...'

 

Any master more experience than Obi-Wan could have trained Anakin correctly. He might still reach knighthood somewhat early because of the Clone Wars though too.

If you avoid his romantic connections to Padme, Palpatine cannot tempt him, and Anakin would not become Darth Vader. Although the Emperor would have risen to power without him anyway.

 

Yoda - patience and wisdom.
Windu - to demonstrate how to be gun ho about things and still be in control. How to control the rage.
Obi Wan - the rapport and history were there, but he is more a friend than a teacher.

 

I think that other Jedi, like Yoda & Obi-Wan, would be compassionate and understanding towards Ani's situation, but they'd only see it in an abstract way. Ani told Kenobi about his dreams and fears about his mother, but Kenobi had never met her, so he didn't get understand that personal connection and dismissed the matter. Ani told Yoda about his fears for Padme (though not mentioning her by name), but he didn't understand how deeply Ani's feelings went, so he resorted to empty-sounding platitudes and vague warnings.

If they had better understood Ani and what he left, as Qui-Gon did, they might've been better able to adjust their training to him and better supported him. But they didn't, and saw no reason to look further. So, they stuck to the more orthodox ways and expected Ani to follow them. I agree that Qui-Gon would've been more understanding and flexible, and Yoda & Obi-Wan could've been that way, too. Unfortunately, they didn't see the need to try. They stuck to the old, "Your old life and family are no longer important; focus on the Order and your responsibilities above all else," model, which wasn't enough.

 

What Jedi is not part of the Jedi Order?

 

To several posters above:

I don't think Obi-Wan's inexperience as a master was much of a factor: it may have initially had him a bit more flexible (younger, uncertain) or harsher. This is where I think had we some official knowledge of Anakin's early training would have helped.

As of course, any Jedi except Qui-Gon would have more of a intellectual understanding of Anakin's issue, i.e. not true understanding. So in that sense, yes, Qui-Gon would have been the best master. In the past debates on this subject, which I'm glad we've avoided so far, it's been argued that Qui-Gon would have been the best because he was Qui-Gon the Compassionate whereas as many of us feel it was more due to Qui-Gon's being the one where circumstances would have given him that greater insight.

 

I would say that part of the problem is to keep Palpatine from sinking his roots into Anakin. Without some way to prevent that so is it possible that it dose not matter what master train Anakin.

Canon: non, what we know.

Legend: plenty. Authors and game writers created a lot of splinter-groups who call themselves jedi without providing the same training and discipline as the "real" jedi order

 

Obi-Wan was compassionate and kind. Same with many other Jedi, it's part of who they are. Qui-Gon's only real advantage was being the one who found him and took him in. But I doubt that he would be too benevolent or ignore the Jedi's tenents just because Anakin had "problems". After all, the first thing he warned Anakin about being a Jedi was that it was "going to be a hard life".

 

Qui-Gon Jinn. He's the Jedi that openly spoke on the importance of the Living force. He's the Jedi that understood the Jedi were becoming entrenched in their ways and unwilling to evolve with the times. He's the Jedi that learned what no Jedi before him had, the thing the Jedi believed to be impossible, retaining ones identity after becoming one with the force, essentially immortality. He's the Jedi that the force brought to Anakin and the one that would understand that he was the chosen one when all others might scoff at the idea. Qui-Gon perhaps made a critical mistake of continuing to be a Jedi, his understanding and philosophies were becoming different from the Jedi that perhaps he should have left the Order when he found Anakin, but circumstances prevented otherwise. If Anakin would of been found when the Naboo Crises wasn't happening and Qui-Gon wasn't on a critical mission both for the Jedi and the Republic, he could of quietly left the Order and informed the council of his discovery of the chosen one and essentially tell them that he would ensure the training of the most important being in the galaxy. Perhaps Anakin would of learned patience and wisdom. Perhaps Anakin would of become all powerful. Perhaps Anakin would not of fallen to the dark side. Perhaps Anakin would of destroyed the Sith without any issue. It's all just speculation at this point. Qui-Gon died. Anakin's training fell to the apprentice, not the master.

 

Just wondering, when did he do that?

 

I feel the same. Although I feel it was still possible for Anakin to give in to evil (it could have happened to anyone), despite being trained by Qui-Gon; I still believe that the latter would have been the best mentor. He had a flexibility that many of the other Jedi seemed to lack. And it is strange that Lucas went out of his way to set up Qui-Gon as a possible mentor for Anakin, only to kill him off and have Obi-Wan take over the role. He could have easily avoided creating Qui-Gon in the first place. But I think he created the maverick Jedi for a specific reason.

 

An importance that was never questioned by the other Jedi, IIRC.

Evolve to what? And when do we see such understanding on Qui-Gon's part? Not in the movies, from what I've seen.

 

I agree; I think if Kenobi had been in Mos Espa along with Qui-Gon and met Shmi and saw Ani's circumstances, I think he'd have better understood the situation. He certainly wouldn't have called Ani a "pathetic life form"; he'd have sen him from the start as a unique person, rather than gradually, if incompletely, figuring things out.

 

Go rewatch the beginning of Phantom Menace, the Clone Wars essentially retroactively made it so when he speaks "of the here and now" to Obi-Wan, he means the Living force. At least that's how I see it. Like I said at the end of my post it's all speculation on my part and I may take a few small liberties with the canon.

 

Aha, I see. Since I did not remember him ever mentioning "the living Force" I was wondering what you were taking about.

 

Yes had Qui Gon been alive, he would have been best placed to teach him, being the one who discovered him.

But I do think given the importance of the discovery at the same time as the revelation of the Sith, it would be wise to have one permanent instructor but multiple people passing on their wisdom.

E.g.
Qui Gon if alive as his Master or Obi Wan otherwise.

+ communal classes with others like we saw being done by Yoda.

Yoda also to mentor him on patience and keeping calm, compassionate but detached and not tied to things.
Windu to mentor him on how to be gun ho about things and stay rational and utilize and control your power/rage.
Obi Wan to mentor him on the process of becoming a Knight, acting as a role model and friend, whilst also instilling patience and maintaining friendships outside the order.
Shaak Ti, on healing and thoughtfulness.