Re: Star Wars: Episode VII (2015) Discussion Thread
The PT's explaination of WHY Anakin turns evil was perfect to me. He did not agree with the way the system worked and saw too many people suffering and slipping through the cracks. He grew up in the Outer Rim and wanted to change the world. The Republic couldn't do it with the Senate. He wanted to do it himself. However, with Palpatine pulling the strings and orchestrating the Clone Wars, obviously he lost sight of those goals and aligned himself with the Empire. The Empire is regaining all those planets that were lost and controlling them to be good. He doesn't see it as being evil. He sees the "Dark Side" as a tool to be embraced for good.
But the way it was written was not great. Kamandi said it best above that it wasn't fully developed.
Made perfect sense to me as well... TPM and AOTC were very clear about how Anakin feared losing his loved ones, how idealistic he was and how proud of his own powers he was.
Let's review it for a moment.
- He grows up a slave in a distant and corrupt corner of the galaxy.
- Despite that, from early on he's pretty full of himself (being the only human to be able to participate in pod-races).
- He is overly emotional and has an overriding sense of helping others in need (how he is selfless about helping Qui Gonn, and again in ROTS, he would rather endanger the mission to save clones than to let them die).
- He suffers greatly at the thought of losing the ones he loves (letting go of his mother and then not knowing whether he will see Padme again).
- He begins training too old and never gets to master his feelings.
- He becomes impetuous and his belief in his own abilities grows more and more.
- His worst fears become real and he goes back just to find his mother on the brink of death and cannot save her.
- The Jedi order is at odds with his emotional nature.
- The one person who gives him solace is forbidden to him (Padme), yet he cannot go against his emotions and gives in to a relationship that is forbidden, which puts him even more at odds with the Order.
- Despite his lack of training he rises quickly through the Jedi ranks and is burdened with ever more difficult missions that tax his already frayed emotional state.
- He is brain-washed and manipulated by Palpatine, who plays to his weaknesses, his ego and arrogance.
- He remains fiercely loyal to his friends and loved ones, but finally his emotions betray him and he gives in to Palpatine, who promises power to save his loved one and to bring order to a suffering galaxy torn by war.
It has its weaknesses in writing, directing and acting, for sure, but as an arc and as a story it makes sense to me.
I think the problem is that there are too many things happening at once, so that Lucas didn't focus enough on Anakin.
