CT Hand on heart; would you have wanted Anakin to die at the end of ROTJ?

Even for me, who grew up with the Prequels, it does feel weird to see Vader talking like he’s Anakin again.

But yeah, for the general thread as a whole: considering how well the New Republic took the news that Leia was the daughter of the second most evil man in the Empire… Them finding out Luke, their legendary hero, actually squirreled him away to Tatooine (or another remote planet that doesn’t have sand) to live out his days? Hooooo boy, they’d probably personally execute Order 66 themselves right then and there.

To use the WWII analogy (and it’s pretty clear just what the Empire is supposed to be based on), it’d be like finding out Eisenhower or Montgomery smuggled Himmler or Goebbles to a secluded island in the Arctic circle. I imagine Luke’s popularity would plummet. Hard.

 

The power of the Darkside was keeping him alive, fueled by his hate and anger. I don't think he could have lived once redeemed, due to losing his connection to the Darkside, his injuries were too great. I feel he could have survived, if he was still fueled by the darkside, he survived Palpatine's force lightening in the past.

 

Yes all these are good points in how we would all like to see how a surviving Anakin could work.
Anakin would be faced with using some type of support system suit. Preferably not a black Vaderesque style.
I think a neat story would be Vader not believing in the Emperors death, maybe having nightmares again, and Luke and Leia must travel with him to find Exegol or the secrets Palpatine had in place to start the First Order.

 

It was quite a logical outcome, I think

 

But what if he had survived. I would've loved to have seen what would have happened to the sequel trilogy if he had survived

 

That's a good question! On the one hand, his sacrifice and death after defeating Sidious and taking off his mask a good way to end his story, it's rather traditional. On the other hand, if he did live, he would have to deal with what he had done, his legacy, what he owed Luke and Leia, those who knew him when he was Anakin, etc. It would make for a compelling story as @Tay Neir said.

 

probably better than the sequels we had at least.

 

Yes. His death is powerful, it makes those last scenes with Luke memorable. I also like his suit of armor is burned and he becomes a Force Ghost.

 

It works especially well for Anakin with the story told in 4, 5, and 6. The first time we actually meet Anakin in person is him saving Luke and then his brief conversation before dying.

Darth Vader is such an iconic villain. It’s very unexpected that his story ends saving his son’s life by sacrificing his own life.

The most unlikely event in Star Wars is probably that when Darth Vader dies it’s not this triumphant moment but one that is very sad and tragic. He dies a hero. The audience’s opinion of him has changed completely from his introduction to the end doesn’t want him to die.

So yes. We want Anakin to die because it is so not what is expected and works in such satisfying way. And we want Luke to live.

That’s the best setup the prequels could have. More than seeing younger Yoda and Obi-Wan to learn the story of how this terrible villain was good once. And by his noble end, we get a glimpse of how good he once was and what a huge fall he had to become a villain.

Also Vader’s story being told out of order and his death at the middle is the only way I think the story in the prequels makes it to a movie screen.

There are conventions in movies about heroes and what is right and wrong. I don’t think it’s possible to make Anakin as evil as he becomes in Revenge of the Sith if the movies were made in chronological order. Episode 3 with the same plot but as a surprise can’t be made because an audience would never except it. It would be too dark and too terrible. And if it was made that way there isn’t another movie made after it.

It’d be a similar reaction if Luke killed everyone at the end of Return of the Jedi. It won’t work.

But we know Anakin’s fate so that informs his entire story in the prequels. He can have problems to foreshadow what we know. He can start as a kid. He can be a terrible villain before he’s in a robot costume.

 

I’d even argue we never needed to see how Anakin fell in The Prequels, it worked to see the glimpse of goodness after the shadow od Vader had past.

 

I agree the prequels weren’t necessary. Definitely not necessary for the story told in the Original Trilogy. In a lot of ways the prequels are an appendix to the OT.

As I said in more words above - the Original Trilogy is needed to tell the Prequels. No way the story in the prequels is told the way it is if the ending isn’t decided and established.

 

Anakin's journey would not be complete without his passing. He actually continued to develop his character post-mortem. Plus, this is poignant. It's always sympathetic to imagine young Anakin with his mom.