Anakin Skywalker’s 10 Fatal Flaws

Summary

• Anakin’s tragic flaws went beyond just anger and hate.
• Anakin’s intense jealousy was one key factor in his downfall.
• Anakin’s fear of loss combined with his immaturity contributed to his transformation into Darth Vader.

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Most Star Wars audiences are familiar with the issues Anakin Skywalker had with anger, but these 10 fatal flaws reflect myriad other problems Anakin had that contributed to his turn to the dark side of the Force. Anakin Skywalker was one of Star Wars’ most powerful Jedi, but even when he was on the light side of the Force, the flaws he suffered from were clear. In truth, this went far beyond just the hatred and thirst for power seen by so many Sith in Star Wars movies and TV shows.

On the contrary, Anakin is an incredibly complex character, and his fall consisted of many different flaws stemming from his unique background, experiences, and traumas. Indeed, although Anakin became one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith as Darth Vader, he was also one of the most tragic Star Wars characters. Because of that complexity, Anakin’s fall to the dark side comprised numerous factors; these 10 flaws in particular were the most influential.

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10 Anakin’s Intense Jealousy Drove Him To The Dark

Anakin Was Jealous In Multiple Ways

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Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

Created By George Lucas Cast Bob Anderson , Hayden Christensen , James Earl Jones , Matt Lanter , Matt Lucas , Jake Lloyd , David Prowse , Sebastian Shaw First Appearance Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Alliance Jedi, Sith

Anakin suffered from jealousy throughout Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, not all of that jealousy was romantic jealousy over Padmé. Rather, Anakin was jealous of others’ status, particularly as it pertained to the Jedi Order’s ranks. Anakin desperately wanted the rank of master, and he was extremely frustrated when he wasn’t given that rank; in that sense, he coveted the role that others had and was no doubt constantly comparing his own powers to those of the Council’s members.

With that being said, of course, Anakin was also jealous over Padmé. This was perhaps most obvious in The Clone Wars when Anakin discovered that an ex-fling of Padmé’s, Rush Clovis, was attempting to rekindle their romantic relationship. Ultimately, Anakin ended up attacking and nearly killing Clovis. While other factors (such as Clovis’ traitorous behavior) contributed to this moment, in truth, Anakin’s intense jealous rage was mostly to blame.

9 Anakin’s Ego Frequently Got Him Into Trouble

Anakin’s Conceited Quips Were Charming But Revealed A Larger Problem

Anakin Skywalker’s ego is legendary, but while it made for great lines and funny moments, it certainly caused issues. Anakin was already quite conceited in Attack of the Clones, which contributed to events like him losing his hand to Count Dooku and he and Padmé being captured on Geonosis. However, his ego had reached new heights by Revenge of the Sith.

This was noticeable from the very beginning of the movie, from Anakin trying to clear buzz droids off of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s ship by flying into them to his sarcastic quip about General Grievous’ height. In part, this ego stemmed from Anakin’s status as the Chosen One. Constantly hearing that he was a special, chosen person from the time he was nine years old must have had an impact on his sense of self. In addition to that prophecy fueling Anakin’s ego, though, he seemed naturally inclined to a sense of superiority that made this flaw all the worse.

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In part, this ego stemmed from Anakin’s status as the Chosen One.

8 From The Beginning, Anakin Was Reckless

Even As A Young Boy, Anakin’s Recklessness Was Apparent

While Anakin was adorable in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and seemed surprisingly sweet and innocent given his future as Darth Vader was already determined, in truth, many issues were already lurking beneath the surface. One such flaw was Anakin’s recklessness. This was clear enough just with Anakin’s willingness to enter a podrace, especially after he revealed that he wasn’t sure his podracer would operate and he’d never won a race.

However, Anakin’s recklessness was on even clearer display during the Battle of Naboo when he entered the fight. Although his actions ultimately ended in success—as was often the case for Anakin—this event nevertheless revealed how extensive his recklessness really was. This then became worse in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, with Anakin always being willing to take a risk and believing he’d come out on top no matter what.

7 Yoda Accurately Predicted Anakin’s Anger And Hatred

Yoda Was Sadly Correct About Anakin’s Trajectory

Yoda

Created By George Lucas Cast Frank Oz , Tom Kane First Appearance Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back Alliance Jedi

As soon as Anakin stood before the Jedi Council for the first time, Master Yoda and Mace Windu expressed concern. In addition to being worried about his age, Yoda noted that he missed his mother, and he explained that such an attachment could lead to anger, hate, and suffering. Sadly, that was precisely the path Anakin followed.

This really came to a head when his mother, Shmi Skywalker, was abducted, tortured, and ultimately killed by the Tusken Raiders in Attack of the Clones. After finding her and watching her die in his arms, Anakin murdered every single man, woman, and child who was at the Tusken Raider village, fully leaning into his anger and hatred. This anger and hate then stayed with him, making it easier to embrace those feelings once again and carry out Order 66, carrying countless Jedi, including younglings.

6 Anakin Suffered From A Terrible Fear Of Loss

Especially After The Death Of His Mother, Anakin Feared Losing His Loved Ones

In the wake of his mother’s death, Anakin also began grappling with an intense fear of loss that propelled him toward the dark side. Just as Anakin had with his mother, he began having nightmares that Padmé was going to die. Unfortunately, the visions he was having became all the more terrifying to him because his dreams about his mother had come true. In the end, he was so afraid of losing Padmé that he was willing to compromise all his morals and abandon the life he’d known to join the dark side in an effort to save her.

However, Anakin’s fear of loss extended far beyond that. The Clone Wars was perhaps the best proof of that, as there was more than one example of Anakin’s fears about Ahsoka Tano’s and Obi-Wan’s safety consuming him. In fact, at one point, Anakin even told Ahsoka that he couldn’t let her die. This was entirely contrary to the way of the Jedi, but it also revealed how deep-seated Anakin’s fear of loss was.

5 Anakin Experienced Intense Guilt

Anakin’s Attachments Caused Him To Feel Considerable Guilt

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Although Anakin was less vocal about his feelings of guilt than he was about his anger, he nevertheless suffered from immense guilt as well. This was perhaps best seen in The Clone Wars following Ahsoka’s departure from the Jedi Order. Although Anakin had never lost faith in Ahsoka and was even the reason her innocence was proven and she was released, Anakin carried the guilt of what had happened to her.

He also felt terrible guilt for not acting sooner when it came to saving his mother’s life; after all, he’d had nightmares about her death as well, and, at least in his own mind, he could have prevented what happened. In fact, it’s likely he felt guilty about leaving her on Tatooine in the first place. These feelings undoubtedly ate at Anakin over time, making him all the more susceptible to more dangerous feelings of resentment and fear.

4 The Jedi Contributed To Anakin’s Sense Of Shame

The Jedi Never Truly Welcomed Anakin

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Sadly, Anakin never really had a chance when it came to feeling secure and accepted as a Jedi. Despite Anakin arriving on Coruscant as a young child, the Council treated Anakin with suspicion at best and hostility at worst, forcing him to prove himself worthy even as he was coping with being pulled away from the only family and home he’d ever known. Moreover, the Jedi immediately made him feel as though he was doing something wrong by having normal responses to those events.

The Council treated Anakin with suspicion at best and hostility at worst.

Anakin’s sense of shame that developed in front of the Council never truly went away. Anakin remained aware that he was seen as a threat, and, sadly, he became a self-fulfilling prophecy. He always had a sense that he wasn’t good enough (or at least that the Jedi never found him to be good enough), which surely made him more willing to turn away from them when the time came. In fact, Anakin wouldn’t have had anything to be ashamed of as a Sith; all the faults the Jedi found in him were strengths to the Sith.

3 Although Funny At Times, Anakin’s Stubbornness Was A Problem

A Jedi Should Be Focused On Unity

Like Anakin’s ego, his stubborn nature became a beloved part of his character, although it was really a flaw. Anakin was exceptionally stubborn as a Padawan, even more so than other characters who proved to be difficult Padawan learners (his own included). This was especially clear in Attack of the Clones, when he defied Obi-Wan at every opportunity. In fact, one of Anakin’s most iconic scenes in the movie, in which he jumped out of a speeder and soared through Coruscant traffic, was a major display of his stubbornness.

Unfortunately, Anakin was stubborn because he believed he was always right, and therein lied the problem. Anakin frequently refused to listen to others’ perspectives and believed he knew better in all situations. This made it quite easy for Anakin to turn on the Jedi, as he came to believe the Jedi had abandoned their own principles, which he alone upheld. Even when Obi-Wan was pleading with him, Anakin had already made up his mind; nothing could have changed it.

2 Anakin’s Suspicion Made Him More Susceptible To The Dark Side

Anakin Never Truly Trusted The Jedi

Hand-in-hand with many of these feelings and flaws Anakin had throughout the prequel trilogy era was an issue with suspicion, although most obviously directed at the Jedi. In part, this was because Palpatine was constantly in Anakin’s ear, telling him that the Jedi didn’t trust him or didn’t want to give him access to all the information. However, Anakin wasn’t alone in his suspicion of the Jedi.

Rather, the prequel trilogy’s Jedi Order was increasingly scrutinized and criticized. In fact, The Clone Wars made this quite clear, with Jedi such as Barriss Offee becoming violently disillusioned with the Jedi. In the end, these suspicions are how Palpatine turned the general public against the Jedi and explained away the brutality of Order 66. However, for Anakin, this growing suspicion caused him to completely compromise his morals, turning as far away from the Jedi as possible.

1 Immaturity Was Always An Obstacle For Anakin

Perhaps Because Of His Upbringing, Anakin Never Completely Matured

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Ultimately, immaturity was one of Anakin’s biggest flaws. Even in Revenge of the Sith, when he had become a powerful Sith apprentice, it was evident how immature he was. Arguably, this is the very reason for his speech on Mustafar feeling a bit over-written; it was a reflection of how emotional and even juvenile Anakin still was. This led Anakin to spiral completely out of control, harming everyone, including his beloved wife, in the process.

While anger and hate still remain high on the list of reasons Anakin turned to the dark side, these other issues cannot be ignored when looking at the bigger picture of his fall. Moreover, each of these flaws can be traced back to earlier events in Anakin’s life, most of them pertaining to his mother, the way the Jedi treated him, and the losses he experienced. In truth, all 10 of these flaws contributed to Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark side, revealing how complex the demise of one of Star Wars’ most significant characters was.

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