NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
In Star Wars, was Darth Vader really the villain everyone made him out to be? Let’s think about that for a moment. No matter what version of Star Wars you may have watched, Darth Vader was labeled as the villain. But was he? While he did some awful things, he was put in a position where he had to do what he had to do.
The Anakin we knew from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace to Star Wars: Return of The Jedi were two different people. In the second installment, he was still just a kid learning his way. During the first trilogy, he comes off as menacing and ready to kill whoever. He does show all the classic traits of a villain. However, in the second installment, we learn a bit more about Anakin and how he came to be Darth Vader. At the end of the trilogy, you come away thinking that the Jedi had no right to take this kid in and tell him he had to live a certain way.
Imagine leaving your mother to go train at a young age. Then imagine being told that you can’t see her again. She was all Anakin knew. She was his driving force. Of course, he wanted to become a Jedi, he was just a kid. If a kid is diabetic and you offer him candy, is he not going to take it? He’s a kid.
Being away from his mom was a tough pill to swallow. The Jedi Council knew this and yet, they still continued on. There was no regard for Anakin’s feelings at all. These adults ignored what was best for him.
Now, things became even more complicated once hormones came into the picture. Anakin always had a crush on Padme but once again, being told you can’t have any type of relationship was unfair. Anakin and Padme decide to go down that rabbit hole which results in a secret wedding and her pregnancy.
Was Anakin wrong to disobey orders from the Jedi Council? Depends on how you view things. He wanted to be a Jedi but he also wanted to be normal. They say you can’t have both, but why not? Where was the proof that it didn’t work?
Was Darth Vader A Good Or Bad Guy
All the while, Anakin began to do what young men his age do. He began to question authority. Again, this was normal behavior. Had nothing to do with the dark side of the force. Had everything to do with emotions.
Now, imagine not only losing your mother but having her die in front of you and cursing yourself because you weren’t there to protect her because of some rules. Couple that with falling in love and being forced to hide that as well because of those same rules. And when the frustration kicks in, you vent to someone who then tells you that Council are lairs and holding you back. Then, imagine the person you trusted the most, you’re telling yourself that she betrayed you.
That would drive any sane person insane. Anakin becoming Darth Vader was not done because he was evil, he became Darth Vader because he felt as if he was robbed of a normal life and betrayed by the Jedi and then his wife. Palpatine played a mind game on Anakin. His mind was not ready for anything like that. No mother, no wife, and no child, and all that had to do with the Jedi and their rules.
So yes, he came over to the dark side but he was not given a choice. He was told that he could bring back the dead. He could bring Padme back with those types of powers. Why would he turn that down? The same way he left his mother to become a Jedi. Anakin wanted it all but in a good way.
Look at how things were between him and his son Luke. His intentions were not to kill Luke. He wanted his son right beside him. It was Yoda and Obi-Wan telling Luke to kill Vader. See the pattern here? Vader is no longer your father they kept telling him, but in the end, they were wrong. Vader saved his son while giving up his life. That was the normal thing to do. Another reference that often goes unnoticed. How many wore black? Just Darth Vader and Luke.
Even now, in the show Obi-Wan, Vader had his chance to kill him. He wanted to torment him first. Just like a kid who can’t beat his big brother, he wanted nothing more than to get that win. Anakin is still a kid trapped in a man/machine body. Over the years he has honed his skills and accepted the role of villain that The Jedi Council put him in.
