This stunning Star Wars art perfectly represents Anakin Skywalker’s tragic fall in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Anakin is one of Star Wars’ best characters, and his fall to the dark side of the Force and transformation into Darth Vader is one of the most important events in all Star Wars movies and TV shows. This singular event has in fact come to define most of the Star Wars timeline thus far. Despite how evil Darth Vader became, Anakin’s story truly is a tragedy, and this art perfectly captures the pain and nuance of his devastating arc.

The Star Wars art, posted by ashtrieblog on Tumblr, depicts Anakin Skywalker from Revenge of the Sith in between Padmé, whose hand is on Anakin’s chest, and Palpatine, who is lurking in the background with his skeleton-like hand on Anakin’s shoulder. This image perfectly captures how trapped and torn Anakin was, and how, in the end, Palpatine corrupted Anakin and took everything from him.

Perhaps the most crushing element of this Star Wars art is the way Padmé is clearly trying to get Anakin to turn toward her, but his focus is on Palpatine—a visual representation of her inability to get through to Anakin when she went to him on Mustafar the last time they saw one another.

Why Anakin’s Fall Is So Important To Star Wars

Anakin Skywalker’s importance in Star Wars really can’t be overstated. After being introduced as the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the original trilogy, Anakin was revealed to be the Chosen One in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, a prophecy he ultimately fulfilled by bringing balance to the Force in Return of the Jedi. Prior to his fall, Anakin also proved to be one of Star Wars’ most powerful Jedi. In-universe, Anakin is therefore paramount, but his significance in the franchise is equally important.

Within the franchise, Anakin symbolizes the underlying message of Star Wars. As George Lucas himself has indicated, Anakin is proof that even the most innocent can turn to evil if they are subjected to the right circumstances. Likewise, Star Wars asserts that anyone, even the most evil, can be redeemed, which Anakin also epitomizes.

Our Take On The Fall Of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

It’s easy to blame Anakin Skywalker for all that went wrong in Star Wars, particularly in Revenge of the Sith and the original trilogy, but I believe the issue is much more complicated than that. Yes, Anakin did terrible things, some of which are unforgivable even in light of his redemption (such as his massacre of the younglings during Order 66), but neither his fall nor his egregious acts happened in a vacuum. Anakin had a truly traumatic upbringing, and his experience with the Jedi was not exactly warm or welcoming.

When Anakin was brought before the Council as a young boy, the Jedi treated him like a threat. Even after they accepted him into the Jedi Order, they never stopped holding him at arm’s length. While this alone doesn’t explain all that Anakin did, these initial experiences were compounded by the brutal death of his mother, his fears about losing Padmé, and Palpatine’s downright masterful manipulations. This isn’t to say Anakin should be absolved of all sins or seen purely as a victim, but this Star Wars art is a brilliant reminder of how complex Anakin Skywalker’s fall really was.

Source: ashtrieblog