Related
The first two trilogy in the mainlineStar Warssaga — the ones thatcame from the mind of serial creator George Lucas — each revolved around a key figure in the Skywalker bloodline . The original trilogy told the story of Luke Skywalker ’s quest to overcome Darth Vader , only to discover along the agency that Vader is his deprave beginner , Anakin . Then , the prequels told the story of how wayward Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker was corrupted by the Sith and became Darth Vader .
Luke was a cockeyed optimist , while Anakin was a authoritarian ’s puppet . Here are five way that Anakin was an challenging protagonist , and five reasons Luke is still a better character .
Anakin Was Interesting: His Fate Was Inevitable
The nature of prequels means that we know where all the characters are going to end up . Better Call Saulis a terrific example of a prequelusing the inevitably of fate as a dramatic tool . fail into theStar Warsprequel trilogy , we knew that , no matter what materialise , Anakin was pop off to rick over to the obscure side and dominate the galaxy with an smoothing iron fist .
A lot ofStar Warsfans were ferocious with George Lucas ’ determination to cast Jake Lloyd to act Darth Vader as an lovely nine - year - old kid inThe Phantom Menace . But you know that that adorable nine - year - old tike is going to raise up to become Darth Vader . This idea alone is grip .
Luke Is Still Better: He Saw The Good In Darth Vader
After being defeated in a affaire d’honneur by Darth Vader inThe Empire Strikes Backand learning that Vader is his founding father , a pervert Jedi , Luke initially refused to fight back his Sith curse in the Emperor ’s potty way inReturn of the Jedi . He throw down his lightsaber , because he could still see the goodness in his father .
They did end up fighting because the good in Vader took a while to rise to the Earth’s surface , but Luke did n’t judge his Fatherhood by his big error ; his sexual love brought Anakin back to the lightheaded side .
Anakin Was Interesting: He’s Emotionally Complex
As a freed slave who devolve in love with his future wife when he was nine and is plagued by murderous opinion , Anakin Skywalker is very emotionally complex . Hayden Christensen received a lot of repercussion for the perceive woodenness of his performance as Anakin ( one of the many matter the prequel trilogy was criticized for ) , but prequel apologists will argue that Christensen did a great line of playing Anakin ; it ’s just that Anakin is awkward and introverted .
So the supposed “ woodenness ” of Christensen ’s operation lends itself to that aspect of his personation . He ’s not a traditional , confident hero who gets the girl . He ’s a troubling antihero who the girl should probably avoid , like Travis Bickle .
Luke Is Still Better: He’s Not Afraid To Admit Failure
A coarse criticism levied at the sequel trilogy ’s Heron , Rey , is thatshe ’s inexplicably majuscule at everything . She can fell , she can use a lightsaber , she ’s control the Force — and the movies never excuse how she fare to be so amazing at all this stuff , so she never really has to deal with bankruptcy .
Luke , on the other hand , fail to plagiarize his X - wing out of the piss , instead necessitating Yoda to do it . Luke faced Darth Vader early on in his training and found himself hopelessly outmatched . Luke is n’t afraid to admit his shortcomings , or accept his limitations . He constantly doubt himself , but he carry on to get back up , and there ’s a affecting relatability in that .
Anakin Was Interesting: His Relationship With Obi-Wan Gave The Original Trilogy New Context
When we first encounter an aging Obi - Wan in the original 1977Star Warsmovie , he told Luke about how hefought alongside his Fatherhood in the Clone Wars . Then , he was killed by Darth Vader , and inThe Empire Strikes Back , Luke find out out that Vader was his father , who once fought alongside Obi - Wan .
One of the prequel trilogy ’s greatest effort was build a real relationship between Anakin and Obi - Wan , with Anakin look patronize by his master ( leading him into Palpatine ’s arms ) , and Obi - Wan genuinely loving Anakin like a jr. brother . Hayden Christensen ’s friendly back - and - Forth River with Ewan McGregor went a long mode toward trade this dynamic .
Luke Is Still Better: He’s A Universal Symbol Of Heroism
Luke Skywalker is an archetypal hero in the best way of life . He ’s not just blindly characterized as a good bozo ; he expire on a Joseph Campbell - mode “ grinder ’s journey , ” like Bilbo Baggins or Harry Potter , and proves himself to be a hero along the way of life .
Like Spider - Man , Luke proves that with great power come up great province , and he takes that responsibility seriously . Luke is the first word in discussions of fictional torpedo .
Anakin Was Interesting: He Had A Shakespearean Arc
It might vocalise silly to compare theStar Warsprequel trilogy to Shakespeare , but Anakin ’s spark is like to that of a Shakespearian anatomy . It ’s reminiscent of Sam Wanamaker ’s insistence inOnce Upon a prison term in Hollywoodthat Rick Dalton ’s character Caleb is a western - geological era Hamlet .
Anakin is saved from thralldom , rises through the ranks of a bureaucratic spiritual organization , come in into a forbidden marriage with a senator , and gets cook by a witching potentate into help him destroy democracy and build an malefic empire .
Luke Is Still Better: He Resurrected The Jedi Order
Although Anakin Skywalker was enclose as the Jedi ’s last promise , he turn out to be its worst nightmare . Colluding with Palpatine , Anakin brought the Jedi Order to its knees , slaughtering them to the verge of quenching .
Anakin ’s son Luke was the Jedi ’s true last Bob Hope . He brought the Jedi Order back from the dead , question its teachings , and restored repose to the galaxy .
Anakin Was Interesting: He’s A Tragic Hero
Anakin was suppose to be the prophesized “ prefer One , ” who would bestow serenity to the galaxy by pass over out the Sith . However , he ended up empowering the Sith , emerging as the reliable prentice of Darth Sidious and eradicating the Jedi Order .
When we meet Anakin inThe Phantom Menace , he was just an innocent little tyke who dreamed of podracing professionally . By the end of the trilogy , he ’s a child manslayer who violently paved the means for liberty to drop dead to the sound of thunderous applause . He ’s a classical tragic hero .
Luke Is Still Better: He’s A Mythical Figure
There ’s a lot of word aboutStar Warsbeing a modern myth . Rian Johnson ’s deconstruction of this idea is what head to a lot of the cruel review article launched at the movie by spiteful fan on Twitter . The deconstruction of the myth take a muckle of the fun out ofThe Last Jediand made it a short too heady for aStar Warsmovie .
But in the original trilogy , the storyisthe myth . Luke Skywalker is a mythic figure , taking on evil , striving to do the right-hand matter and sputter to equilibrise emotion and reason . He ’s a fighter we can all relate to , and a hero we can all front up to .
NEXT : Star Wars : Luke Skywalker ’s 10 Most Heroic Moments , Ranked
