Who is the *MAIN* Character from the Complete Saga?

Mostly everyone else will say Anakin because they never make up their own interpretation. They just follow what Lucas says. Anakin wasn't even in the OT.

But for the OT, Luke Skywalker is the main character.

And for the PT, well... I don't really care who the main character is, considering it's all a mess, IMO.

 

How can it not be Anakin. The saga is about his rise to a Jedi Knight to his fall as a Sith Lord back to redemming himself as being chosen one. So Anakin/Darth Vader is the Main character of the Saga.




Emporer Gerner Dark Lord of the Sith

 

The Force

 

I'm kind of new here, so this may already be on another post or board...but no one seems to take the time to see the tragedy of Palpatine. He can be tied to every main plot turn and major event in the entire saga. He was the one who brought a dying breed (let's leave good and evil out of it...they are merely points of view) in the Sith back...redeemed them against their mortal enemies, took the highest power in the galaxy, was able to control the most powerful force users into doing his bidding (both the Sith and secretly, the Jedi), and was responsible for the fulfilment of the Prophecy.

In many ways, he's a MacBeth or Ceasar like character. He plotted to seek power, successfully outwitted and outfought some of the most powerful people to get it, reigned with a heavy head (he controlled the empire despite having a rebellion constantly looming over him), and lost at least three of his heirs. No matter how mighty his army, no matter how strong he was physically, a mere boy and the deception of his closest ally brought him to his tragic end.

I argue that his rise and fall is as much a tragedy as the rise and fall of Vader...

Let the debate begin...

 

I haven't posted on here in a long time... I personally think that the story is about Anakin. I agree with the idea that the story is mainly told from the point of view of those around him, though not totally. The OT centers around Luke but I believe this is symbolic. Anakin and Luke are one-and-the-same I think. Anakin starts out good, turns to evil and then is able to redeem himself through encouragement from his "better" self, his better self is then able to carry on and live the life that he should have lived.

As far as Palpatine is concerned, I never have been able to sympathize with him as he doesn't really seem human to me. I've actually been a little frustrated with that at times because I wasn't able to do anything with his part of the story. He seems to embody evil in an iconic way and I haven't been able to make much more of it than that.

 

I can't say that the entire trilogy is about Anakin, because he is too minor a character in the old trilogy. Luke is the main player of the old movies and those are his story, with Vader's redemtion as a side note. Anakin is the main character of the new one movies

So perhaps I'm takeing a cop-out (not sure how to spell that) but I think that the main player is The Skywalker Family, and not really any individual character. The Star Wars Saga has become the story of a father and his children, even though it wasn't orginially meant as that back in 77.

 

I agree with you, especially in what has been renamed episode 4 it is completely, 100% obvious and undeniably NOT about Anakin at all.

The main reason it's not about Anakin is because at the time that star wars was filmed and released Anakin was NOT Darth Vader.

It grew into Anakin's story i suppose as a saga but only in the sense that 3 episodes focus on him, and then his son following in his footsteps while he becomes first a minor then later a major antagonist.

It finishes with him saving his son, i can see why people would argue that it's "Anakin's story", but i dissagree.

If we use the word "Main", in my mind that equates to focus, Anakin is not the focus of the OT so he is not the (sole)focus of the saga.

 

it is indisputably the tragic story of anakin skywalker-the idea of telling it through the eyes of two secondary characters,ie r2 and 3p0 stems from akiro kurosawa,a huge influence on gl at film college.whether gl always wanted to make it about the father or the son is anyones guess,its anakins story now

 

Luke Skywalker is and always will be the main charecter of star wars. The PT is just a visual set up for the real story to take place.

 

except episode 4, where for no good reason we take a break from telling anakin's story for an episode, LOL.

I would give you this compromise, the saga is about anakin and his legacy.

I would not agree it's about anakin, he's a minor part of the OT for 1/3 of the time, if it was his story, he would not be a bit player in episode 4.

 

Im not sure if this is the correct thread to post this in, but I thought it was a very interesting thing that J.J Abrams said about Star Wars in his interview at the offical site.

"What's fascinating to me is that I grew up in a time when my friends related to Luke and now, my kids relate to Anakin. There is an interesting social comment there -- that when I grew up the hero was an optimistic young neophyte who becomes this hero and the new generation's hero is a strong-willed, ambitious and ultimately vilified protagonist who is misled and, for reasons of ego and heartbreak, literally becomes the very villain that my generation fought against." -J.J. Abrams

 

great comment by jj abrams!thanks 4 bringing it to my attention!its a pretty cool observation on the changing face of pop culture that today its the tragic villain kids relate to,not the fresh faced hero.although personally,i always was more intrigued by vader,boba fett,palpatine etc,maybe i need counselling!

 

I don't think that there is just one character. I think it all circulates around the skywalker family in a whole

 

If you're looking at all six films, Anakin is the main character insofar as he changes the most (from good to evil and back again)
and is a main character for the majority of the saga (beginning of TPM and parts of ANH excluded).

Luke is obviously the focal character in the original trilogy, with Anakin starting off as a secondary character and slowly
building back into a main character.

 

I think that is Anakin.

I think this only because the Saga really is "The Tragedy of Darth Vader" more than anything else.

 

I think that if it must be narrowed down to one character, it's Anakin. That said, I think it being about fathers and sons and the contrast between the two generations fits better.

It's definitely an interesting quote and I suppose that there is a bit of social commentary in that.

 

it is basically the story of anakins rise from slavery to becoming a jedi knight,his downfall and ultimately his redemption,r2 and 3p0 are spectators like us,although r2 is more of a hero than almost any one!great thing is,most sw fans have their own favs and thats the beauty of star wars!what other saga can inspire people just by making a cool costume!thats all boba fett was,now hes virtually a household name!as much as a genius gl is,i cant believe he could have imagined just how big fett would be

 

Just to deviate from the whole Anakin/Vader vs Skywalker Family debate. let's go with R2.

TPM: Saves the Royal Cruiser during the Trade Fed. Blockade.

Anakin would have been toast without his assistance in the Naboo Starfighter during the Battle of Naboo.

AotC:

Distracts the poison worms long enough for Anakin and Obi Wan to get over their battle of wills.

Hell even Anakin feels safer with R2 around.

Saves Padme from getting vaporised in the droid foundry.

RotS: In spite of some bumbling he is a key to the success of Palpatine's rescue (not necessarily a good thing).

can't remember anything else in RotS at this time.

ANH:
Manages to get the Death Star plans to the Rebels.

Saves Luke Han Leia and Chewie from the Garbage Masher.

Manages to fix Luke's X-Wing long enough to make the trench run.

ESB

Fixes the Falcon's hyperdrive allowing it to escape the Executor.

RotJ

Is key to rescuing Han from Jabba the Hutt.

Provides the distraction to the Imperials for the Ewok sneak attack.

I mean this all light heartedly, but R2 is a kick ass little droid.

and marc

George didn't invent Fett, A Canadian animation company called Nelvana did when they did an animated short for the Star Wars Holiday Special.

 

Anakin Skywalker. Star Wars is all about him. His rise, his fall and his redemption. But R2-D2 is kind of the hero of the whole thing I mean he always saves the hero's lives and i really think he dosent get the props he deserves for it. I mean R2 indirectly saves the galaxy and what does he get? A chassis shine?

 

Anakin follwed by R2-D2

 

actually now that i think about it Palpantine is the main character of the entire saga.

in episode 1 we see the beinging of his rise to power.

episode 2 the begining of his war to create an empire.

episode 3 the birth of his empire

episode 4 the acts of his minions and the crushing boot heal of his empire, he looms over a film he never appears in and has a bigger role than Vader if only acting through Tarkin. he also disolves the senate leaving him in absolute control of the GFFA.

episode 5 more of his minions and a brief cameo.

episode 6 he's back on the scene for his demise.

Palpantine is the "main character" who remains a constant through all 6 films.

 

You know, I'd never thought of that but, it's definitely a good point.

Now, another alternate interpritation

Episode 1: We meet Obi-Wan as a young Padawan who by the end of the film has proved his worth as a Jedi Knight and is forced to take on a young boy as his Padawan.

Episode 2: We follow Obi-Wan who is trying to decipher the mystery of who is behind the Sepratist movement and the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala, who is being protected by his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker.

Episode 3: We find Obi-Wan and his former Padawan rescuing the Chancellor, and we then find out that Obi-Wan has made it onto the Jedi Council. His apprentice then falls to the Dark Side and we see Obi-Wan fight the good fight against the darkness and defeat Darth Vader. Obi-Wan then goes into hiding after dropping off Anakin's son Luke to the Lars family.

Episode 4: We follow R2-D2 and C-3PO to Luke Skywalker who then leads us to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan then begins to train Luke and passes the torch to him on the Death Star before Obi-Wan allows his evil apprentice Darth Vader to strike him down. Obi-Wan then tells Luke to "Use the Force" which allows him to destroy the Death Star.

Episode 5: We follow Luke on Hoth where he sees Obi-Wan's ghost, and Obi-Wan tells Luke to seek out Yoda. We then see that Obi-Wan has prepared Luke for the training, however Luke makes the same mistake as Anakin by rushing off. The consequences are that it's revealed to Luke that Vader is his father once Vader has cut off his hand.

Episode 6: Obi-Wan tells Luke why he used a "certain point of view" and sets Luke off to go confront his father, Darth Vader. Luke does so and redeems Vader causing the death of the Sith.

This interpritation would have Obi-Wan was the main character with Luke taking the role in the Original Trilogy as well as acting as somewhat of a proxy.

I think the Palpatine interpritation has a good deal more merit than the Kenobi one though.

 

The Saga may be about Anakin... but I may just say R2 and 3P0 are the narrators.

R2 knows the entire story, the entire time. 3P0 is there as the story-teller (like in ROTJ)

 

Don't know if this is an unwanted post, but i think i'm gonna disagree with...what...everyone here?

Firstly, there is no "main character", unless you separate the two series. Secondly, there are good main characters (heroes) and bad ones (villains).

The PT:
Hero: Anakin/Obi-Wan
Villains: Palpatine

The OT:
Heroes: Luke
Villans: Vader

...anyway, this is just my opinion...

 

Definitely Anakin. It could also be seen as sort of a Father-Son thing also, with Luke being the main character in the original trilogy and Anakin in the prequels. But, to me, at least it's the tale of Anakin from Light Side to Dark Side.