Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker looking unhappy in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith
By
Lewis Glazebrook
Published 23 minutes ago
Lewis is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant and has written for the site since 2022. This has allowed Lewis to explore a vast array of films, TV shows, books, comic books, and games from across the mainstream world of pop culture, reflecting his lifelong love of all media and typifying his experience in the world of fiction storytelling. To top this off, Lewis graduated from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Film & TV Studies, truly exemplifying his experience in the medium.
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Across the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy, the real Anakin Skywalker only appeared once. Anakin is one of the most powerful Jedi in Star Wars, if not the most powerful, with the prequels serving as his backstory before becoming Darth Vader. As Star Wars' evil Sith Lord, Vader ruled the galaxy alongside Palpatine.
However, rather than remaining simply an evil tool of the Empire, the prequels took Star Wars chronologically back in time to flesh out the man beneath the mask. Over time, the prequels have been revised as good additions to the franchise, with Revenge of the Sith even being counted among the best Star Wars movies.
The exploration of Anakin Skywalker's backstory is one such reason for this. That being said, the real version of Anakin Skywalker, first teased in 1977's A New Hope, was only shown once throughout all three Star Wars prequels.
Revenge Of The Sith's Opening Sequence Showed The Real Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker as a pilot during the Battle of Coruscant in Revenge of the Sith
Going off of Obi-Wan Kenobi's initial description of Anakin in Star Wars, only Revenge of the Sith's opening sequence showed the real version of the character. When Obi-Wan first talks about Anakin in the original Star Wars movie, he is described as "the best starpilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior... And he was a good friend."
Despite receiving three movies' worth of history in the prequels, this description is only fit once. The opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith shows Anakin and Obi-Wan racing to rescue the kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine from General Grievous and Count Dooku. Here, Anakin's starpilot abilities are shown to their fullest.
Anakin fits the bill as the best starpilot in the galaxy, after his abilities were only teased in The Phantom Menace. This sequence also shows Anakin at his strongest with a lightsaber, besting General Grievous and later Count Dooku in duels after Obi-Wan is sidelined. Finally, from a friendship perspective, Obi-Wan and Anakin's banter is never better than in this sequence.
Anakin and Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith
Beyond this, the other two movies, nor the remainder of Revenge of the Sith, never quite match Obi-Wan's original description of Anakin. In The Phantom Menace, he is only a kid, meaning his relationship flourishes more with the fatherly Qui-Gon than with Obi-Wan.
In Attack of the Clones, Anakin and Obi-Wan are apart for most of the movie, with the former being resentful towards his master. Moreover, Anakin never flies a ship in Episode II, and loses every duel he fights, not reflecting Obi-Wan's initial description of him being a cunning warrior.
Finally, in the remainder of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin's story is overtaken by his struggle with the dark side and his eventual fall. With all of this in mind, only the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith showcases the true Anakin Skywalker as a great pilot, a fierce warrior, and a friend to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The Star Wars Prequels Skipped Over The Most Interesting Versions Of Anakin
Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith looking angry
Sadly, this raises the harsh reality that the Star Wars prequels skipped over the more interesting versions of Anakin. From a more visceral, exciting perspective, seeing Anakin as a true hero as he is shown in the opening of Revenge of the Sith across the entire prequel trilogy would have been endlessly cool, reflecting what was known of him from the original trilogy.
Even beyond that, though, the prequels skipped over some key parts of Anakin's life. His time training with Obi-Wan between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones could have explored the thematic elements of his character, such as his struggles to adhere to the Jedi Order's dogmatic rules and his burgeoning feelings for Padmé.
Related
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Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader's influence on Star Wars cannot be overstated, and this complete timeline represents all the key events in his story.
Posts By Liz Declan Oct 18, 2024This could have made Anakin much more sympathetic and relatable, as opposed to the somewhat whiny character he was in Attack of the Clones. If done correctly, this also would have made Anakin's eventual fall to the dark side even more rewarding by exploring in-depth how he got to that point, an interesting part of the character that the prequels ignored.
Of course, Revenge of the Sith's exploration of his fall to the dark side was an interesting version of Anakin, but there is no denying that his teenage years and more accomplished feats as a Jedi would have been better than what was presented in the first two prequels.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Used Anakin Better Than The Movies
All of this confirms that Star Wars: The Clone Wars actually used Anakin Skywalker better than the Star Wars prequel movies. The timeline of Star Wars: The Clone Wars meant that the show focused on Anakin at his peak in the years before Revenge of the Sith's opening. For seven seasons, Anakin was shown as everything Obi-Wan described him as.
Anakin was a true Star Wars hero, always winning duels, helping the Jedi, serving the galaxy, and showing off his piloting skills. Not only that, but the show did much more legwork in detailing exactly why Anakin became disillusioned with the Jedi Order, highlighting the interesting versions of the character that the movies skipped over.
After watching The Clone Wars, Anakin becomes a much better, well-rounded character. For one, his fall to the dark side is made much easier to understand. Secondly, the real Anakin Skywalker described by Obi-Wan in Star Wars and shown once, briefly, in the opening of Revenge of the Sith, is used to full effect.
Star Wars
Created by
George Lucas
First Film
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast
Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s)
The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
Movie(s)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Character(s)
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
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Star Wars
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