PT Who or what event affected Anakin's turn to the dark side more?

I suppose I will say Padme between those two, but I think the whole situation with Anakin's turn was so absurd that there wasn't a reasonable catalyst.

 

Padme.

The reason I voted for Padme was because of the vision he had seen of Padme dying while giving birth. He felt as though he had to learn the Dark Side of the Force in order to save Padme, when in my opinion, it was inevitable. Not much else to say other than that. Though had it been Shmi, it would only be that she had died by being treated horrifically by the Tuskens. Which in all honesty sounds like an even denser reason to become one with the Dark Side. Even though they both have some bad reasoning.

 

They both contributed but it was his choice. Had he never fell in love with Padme his fear of losing Obi-wan or even another woman might have made him make the same mistakes. It was too late for him not to be attached because he was already attached to his mother. You can't unlearn that natural emotion at 9. He was already on the path to the Dark side with his thirst for power and selfishness and his unwillingness to accept change. He killed those Tusken Raiders in cold blood. People speak of attachments as being bad. Love in itself is not bad. Love is what ultimately redeemed him. Love is what separates Jedi from the Sith. But it was his selfish love for Himself that turned him. He thought of his own pain first.

 

Love =/= attachment. Attachment = selfish love.

In short, loving his mother, loving Padme was not wrong. Destroying things to save himself the pain of losing those he claims to love is attachment in action.

 

I disagree with your first statement but agree with the second. Attachment is not selfish by itself nor is love. It is motive and action that is selfish.

 

I say shimi because that was the first major loss. Anakin believed Obi wan held him back from saving her and also brought him closer to Padme. I think when he thought he would lose padme he remembered not getting help from the Jedi and took matters in his own hands.

 

Just like the poll shows, it's almost 50/50. Losing his mother was a feeling of guilt of leaving her in the first place to become "the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy," however, not powerful enough to save her. Even in TPM it's revealed that Anakin's desire to become a Jedi is even somewhat selfish, as he wants to free all the slaves but starting with his mother. The fact he couldn't save her reflected on the progress he had made in his head, it hit him back to reality for a split second. That can cause a great deal of rage in a person, and with Anakin's powers...rage shouldn't be thrown into that mix. He wasn't mature or thoroughly trained, and he already started to feel the seeds of resentment against the council for holding him back.

He was on the edge as is, and the vision of Padme falling to the same fate is what pushed him over ultimately. He was determined not to let her slip through his fingers like his mother did (as well as the dramatic sand shot) There was no way he was going to lose Padme and feel that helpless again.

 

It was clearly the way Anakin reacted to losing his mother twice (being taken away by Qui-Gon and then her murder) and his belief that he would lose Padme. So Anakin all the way.