I have to admit that when I first watched Attack of the Clones I couldn’t stand Anakin. He went to being the cute little boy pod racing to a giant creepy baby. It has taken me awhile to finally understand what George Lucas was doing. I was not meant to feel comfortable with Anakin. He was not to become my favorite character for a reason.

Most people’s first glimpse of Anakin is when he plays Darth Vader who is a powerful scary man behind a big black mask. We really have no other feelings for him other than, “Man that guy likes to choke people.” At the end of Return of the Jedi we are finally able to see what he looks like and to be honest it’s even weirder. The Prequels give us a chance to see Anakin before he becomes Darth Vader, and it leaves a weird taste in our mouths.

Let’s be honest prequel fans, Anakin whines A LOT throughout Episode II & III. In fact, it gets so bad that I’m about ready to spank him myself. I keep waiting for Obi Wan to send him to his room. First off, everything is always about him. When he can’t do what he wants to do, or he feels that people are treating him wrongly, he goes off and whines about it. It’s annoying. Why does Anakin whine all the time? I think it’s pretty simple.

He’s got a big head. Yep, that’s right. He knows he’s the chosen one, and I’m sure he knows he was conceived by the Midi-chlorians. He thinks he’s big stuff and feels that he should automatically get bumped up on the Jedi social ladder. Also, I think he knows that the Jedi Council is afraid of him. They don’t know what to do with him and he knows it. Not a great way to grow up. This would turn any young adolescent teen into a whining mess.

Anakin has this creepy relationship with Padme. It’s not the romantic Han & Leia relationship but rather, this is a controlling, motherly, secretive strange mess known as Padme and Anakin. They are both selfish, and they are both young adults who have had to grow up fast. Anakin treats Padme like she is some sort of pet, and his obsession with her foreseen death sends him to the Dark Side.

Anakin just about went over the edge when his Mom died, and he slaughtered an entire tribe of Tuskin Raiders. Remember what he said in “Attack of the Clones”?; “I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too. They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals. I HATE THEM!” Wow, you have to admit that is pretty messed up.
    
I think George Lucas wants us to feel this way about Anakin. Maybe the reason people dislike the Prequels so much is due to the simple idea that Anakin joined the Dark Side. He was a selfish person, and it is not as exciting as if he were to join the dark side in some heroic manner. George Lucas wants us to think outside the box. Anakin was a selfish brat who joined the Dark Side because it had more to offer him. Sure, he originally asked for the Emperor’s help so he could save Padme, but in the end he killed her because she wouldn’t do what he wanted her to do.


We are not meant to like Anakin. I think it makes it even more incredible that he was able to put aside his selfishness to  save his son Luke. Think about that for a moment. A man who killed his fellow Jedis killed children and his wife. In the end, he redeems himself by saving a son he never knew. That is great story telling.