Why Did Anakin Join The Dark Side In The First Place? Exploring The Definitive Star Wars Tragedy
The dirty open secret about "Star Wars" is that it's always been assembled on the fly. George Lucas made dramatic changes to his script for what would become "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" over the course of writing it, scrapping character names and overhauling the plot. He would continue this practice as he developed the original trilogy, even as Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side and evolution into Darth Vader became the focal point around which both the trilogy and, in time, the entire Skywalker Saga would come to revolve.
Perhaps that's why fans continue to have a hard time grasping Anakin's downfall and what caused it to this day. Lucas is on the record as believing that Anakin was the individual fated to bring balance to the Force in a prophecy that proved to be far more convoluted than originally interpreted. (Aren't they always?) "When you watch the actual movies in order, the story will become very clear that Anakin is the Chosen One," he explained in an interview released around the time of the prequel trilogy. Yet the prequels themselves paint a somewhat muddled picture of Anakin's role in the grand scheme of things, and even those who know him best (like Obi-Wan Kenobi) struggle to understand what led him down such a terrible path. Was his legacy always destined to be complicated or was he merely never the Chosen One in the first place?
The truth of the matter is there's no single factor that wholly explains Anakin's decision to become Sidious/Palpatine's disciple and embrace the teachings of the Sith. Just as knowing what "Rosebud" is doesn't magically unlock all of Charles Foster Kane's secrets, you have to consider the various puzzle pieces to thoroughly understand the tragedy of Anakin.
You can't stop change
Even more so than other "Star Wars" characters, Anakin had very little control over his life as a child. Enslaved at a very young age, a nine-year-old Anakin was granted his freedom by Qui-Gon Jinn ... but at the cost of having to leave his mother Shmi behind. Shmi does her best to console her son upon his departure, reminding him, "You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting." Still, the trauma from his years of enslavement and being separated from his only parent understandably left their mark on the boy and seemingly pushed him to perceive any change outside of his control as something to be avoided.
Qui-Gon's subsequent death and Obi-Wan's approach to training Anakin only inflamed a bad situation. Much like Qui-Gon prevented his own mentor, Count Dooku, from leaving the Jedi Order long after he'd come to regard the Jedi as being complicit in the corruption of the Old Republic, it stands to reason Qui-Gon would've been the more lenient and forward-thinking teacher Anakin needed growing up. Instead, Obi-Wan aspired to keep his Padawan on a tight leash and his conservative outlook toward the Jedi Code only further pushed Anakin to lash out in response (particularly when it came to pursuing a secret, forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala).
It was Shmi's passing that finally inspired Anakin to seize control of his life in the most terrifying of ways, spurring him to murder the Tusken Raiders who had kidnapped and brutalized her to the brink of death in the first place. Much as he later came to regret them, his actions subtly planted the idea in Anakin's mind that he could wield the dark side without being corrupted by it — an extremely dangerous and inaccurate notion that would ultimately prove to be his undoing.
Well, if it works
This is where that dagnabbit prophecy comes in. It doesn't matter if you buy George Lucas's argument that Anakin was the Chosen One or not; what's important is that Anakin himself believed he was the Chosen One on some level. And once you're convinced that your actions are somehow destined to change the universe for the better, it becomes much easier to ignore that nagging feeling that what you're doing might not be right. It also makes it easier to believe there's anyone out there all-knowing and wise enough to make decisions that will impact countless lives of their own accord.
You can see why Anakin might not find the notion of a dictatorship so unappetizing. ("Well, if it works," as he infamously tells Padmé in "Attack of the Clones.") It's the same reason he was drawn to Palpatine long before uncovering the truth about the calculating Sith lord. Here's a guy who appears to have all the answers ... and by having all the answers, I mean he tells Anakin exactly what he wants to hear. To a young man who was enslaved as a child and then admitted to an order of space monks (one whose hypocrisy contributed to the Old Republic becoming the type of corrupt and ineffectual governing body that would allow slavery to flourish in the first place), this is a surefire way to win his favor.
Likewise, when Anakin is plagued by visions of Padmé dying during childbirth and all the Jedi can do is offer him platitudes about death being a natural part of life (right lesson but wrong time, Yoda), it only take a relatively small push from Palpatine for Anakin to forgo years of training and embrace the dark side to try and save her. Well, if it works, right?
A legend
Between Anakin's inability to accept the change he cannot control and a powerful mentor in his life telling him that he can (and should) bend others to his will, his decision to switch sides and join Team Sith starts to make more sense, once you drill down to the essence of his arc in the prequel trilogy. But there's another vital piece to the puzzle which is Anakin's downfall and that's where the animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" comes in. It's here that we're shown just how Anakin's legacy as a war hero came to be and the ways he was mythologized throughout the galaxy, inflating his sense of ego and self-importance.
He wouldn't be the last Skywalker to fall for his own hype, of course. Decades later, Anakin's son Luke would make a similar mistake, in his hubris believing he could "pass on [his] strengths" to his nephew Ben and curb his own internal conflict. "Because I was Luke Skywalker. Jedi Master. A legend," he bitterly tells his pupil Rey in "The Last Jedi." He even recognizes the very same darkness in Rey that he saw in Ben — and Anakin before him — when Rey is drawn to a spot on Ahch-To where a powerful dark presence resides.
"It offered something you needed. And you didn't even try to stop yourself," Luke points out to Rey. Those same words could almost apply to Anakin, as often as we see him visibly struggle against that desire during the quieter and more intimate moments from the "Star Wars" films and TV shows. But in the end, Luke's words cut right to the heart of the matter: Anakin joined the dark side because he needed it, convinced only he could wield it properly.
Because he was Anakin Skywalker. Jedi Master Knight. A legend.