Tragic Dark Side Tale – Anakin Skywalker is by far one of the most unfortunate figures in the entirety of Star Wars lore. Raised as a slave alongside his mother, Shmi, the boy would rise from child servant to peacekeeper in thirteen years. However, during this time, dark forces would seek to corrupt him. The mysterious conspirator would get their wish.
During the third year of the Clone Wars, Skywalker would lose everything. His heart. Soul. His dignity. His true purpose in the galaxy. What never truly hammered home until it was too late was the influence of one Sheev Palpatine.
The Supreme Chancellor of the Galatic Republic who had risen to the position from being a lowly senator on his homeworld of Naboo was a secret Sith Lord. Despite the Sith having been thought to be eradicated centuries earlier, no one saw Palpatine’s true nature for what it is was.
Anakin refused to heed the warnings given to him about the dangers the chancellor posed.
However, Palpatine’s influence wasn’t the only factor in Skywalker’s fall to the Dark Side. From the torture and death of his mother, the demise of his wife, and the uncertain future of their unborn child, Anakin’s fall was inevitable. After the horrendous treatment of his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, he saw that there was going on want he thought with the Jedi, especially the Jedi Council.
Part of him believed the words of Barriss Offee, who had framed Ahsoka for terrorism. Though, it would not be as visible as Anakin kept this emotion to himself, at least in part. During a conversation with Padmé in Revenge of the Sith, he questions what’s happening to the Jedi Order. Though, we need to fully understand what is going on before we jump to any further conclusions.
Shmi’s Death
The death of his mother, Shmi, gave Anakin his first taste of murder. In the grief he felt over losing the woman who had birthed him, he slaughtered the entire encampment of Tusken Raiders in which she had been imprisoned.
Upon returning to the Lars Homestead with his mother’s body, Anakin broke down in front of Padmé, confessing his crime. As far as we know, it was a secret that remained between them. It’s unclear whether Obi-Wan knew about it. Though, Anakin would’ve told Palpatine as he references it during Revenge of the Sith. Also, Kenobi refers to Anakin’s past when Ahsoka questions her master’s reaction to slavery during the episode of The Clone Wars, entitled “Kidnapped.”
Shmi’s death remained with Anakin for the rest of his life. He blamed himself for not being able to save her. When Rotta, Jabba the Hutt’s son, is kidnapped and needs to be returned to Tatooine, Skywalker alludes to his mother’s demise when he says, “I never thought I’d have to lay eyes on this dust ball again.” When Ahsoka presses him on why he immediately shuts her down.
Obi-Wan, sometime later, mentions Shmi’s death to Ahsoka. This allows the teenager to understand Anakin’s attitude towards slavery, without going into specifics. Ahsoka understood that discussion of her master’s past was off-limits unless he chose to talk about it. Or, someone else bought it up when Anakin wasn’t around.
Dark Side Involving Slavery
Anakin tried not to allow his past to define who he was. Though, the dark side of what had happened always sat in the corners of his mind, almost ready to strike. During his time in the Jedi Order, he would encounter slavery once more.
While it was a sore spot, he had Obi-Wan and Ahsoka’s support in fighting it. The trio would find themselves caught up in slavery during a mission during the Clone Wars. Anakin’s constant reminders of the torments Watto and the Hutts put him and his mother through weren’t far from his mind. This is why he detested both the species known to run crime syndicates and slavery.
Skywalker’s blood would boil at the concept. Let alone a mention of the practice. Who could blame him, really? The Hutts were a despicable lot much of the time. However, Rotta, Jabba’s son, was probably the only Hutt he didn’t come to hate.
Palpatine’s Influence
To say Palpatine had immense influence over Anakin would be an understatement. He became almost like a father figure to him when he arrived on Coruscant as a child. The Chancellor was always invested in Skywalker’s progress, but for the reason, you’d expect.
Palpatine had plans upon plans, and when the time was right, he would strike. He knew that Anakin would immediately jump to his defence if someone questioned him. Obi-Wan did exactly that and almost had his head bitten off in the process.
The secret Sith lord knew which buttons to push when it came to Anakin’s past. Skywalker had told him a lot about his past. This includes the part he played in the slaughter of the Tusken Raiders.
When it came to Anakin’s personal life, Palpatine was well aware of his marriage to Padmé, though Skywalker hadn’t told him. The Chancellor used this information to push the young Jedi Knight to the brink. Also, he had no love for Ahsoka and often told her to wait outside his office while he spoke to her master alone.
Upon issuing his empty promise to Anakin about helping him find a way to save Padmé from death, he knew he had Skywalker cornered. After the killing of Mace Windu, Anakin gave in to his inner dark side and became Darth Vader, hence destroying the human being he was.
However, Palpatine would be Anakin’s undoing. Upon his defeat on Mustafar, and Padmé’s death, Skywalker had nothing left. The newly minted Emperor was the only thing he had, and it filled him with bitterness and rage.
The Unknown
Learning of Padmé’s pregnancy instilled such joy within Anakin. However, upon having the premonitions of his wife’s death, it filled him with dread. He’d already lost his mother to death at the hands of the Tusken Raiders. By this time, Ahsoka had left the Jedi Order.
Anakin’s life was fluctuating and on the verge of cracking. His relationship with the Jedi Council had started to show signs of fractures. They distrusted him with the feeling being mutual. After what happened with his padawan, Anakin had woken up to the flaws the Jedi had.
Privately, his feelings were making his head spin with the constant visions of his wife’s pending death and the unknown fate of their child. His desire to save them would push him into Palpatine’s web even further as he – from a distance – played with the young Jedi’s fears.
Anakin’s craving for power to save his wife and their unborn baby eventually became his undoing. After surrendering to the dark side, there was no way back for him. Palpatine made him believe that what he was doing was the right thing for his family when it was only pushing Padmé to fear him and for Obi-Wan to go on the defence to protect her and the baby.
The Dark Side Struggle
In the early years of his time as Darth Vader, Anakin would be pushed like never before. The Emperor would never fully trust him, though the feeling went both ways. The pull to the light side was still there, especially when the former Jedi found one of Ahsoka’s lightsabers where she had dropped it in an attempt to fake her death.
For many years, Anakin did believe Ahsoka and all his former allies were dead. However, he would soon face Obi-Wan again in what is described as the rematch of the century after that fateful duel on Mustafar. During the rebellion, he would once again face Ahsoka. However, she was no longer the snippy teenager he had trained. She was a young woman looking to avenge the man she had loved as a big brother.
What Truly Drove Anakin To The Dark Side?
We’ll do a deeper dive on this when the Obi-Wan Kenobi starts diving into Vader, but it seems Anakin’s fall to the dark side was triggered by the constant losses he suffered. His mother. Ahsoka. Padmé. His unborn child, who later turned out to be twins. His sanity and free will. Obi-Wan.
While we can argue several things pushed Anakin over the edge, we can conclude that losing those he loved most was the catalyst.
