Who is at fault for Anakin's fall to the Dark Side?

**JediTricks** · 08-29-2005

A recent thread in the Episode I forum by DarkArtist suggested that Qui-Gon Jinn instead of Obi-Wan was at fault for Anakin's fall to the Dark Side when the Jedi Master insisted that 9-year-old Anakin be trained despite the word of the Jedi Council. This created quite the discussion, with many opposing viewpoints about which entity is most responsible for Anakin's turn to evil, as well as the nature of that responsibility and the avenues in getting there. So what do you guys think about the issue of who is truly to blame for little Anakin becoming the evil Darth Vader? We know Palpatine is the architect of his downfall, but he merely exploited weaknesses that were already within Anakin -- who put those weaknesses there?

**Captain Spoon** · 08-29-2005

It's Anakin's fault. Even though he was pimp with a lightsaber, inside he was a short-tempered whinny little b**ch

**JediTricks** · 08-29-2005

Ah, but did he make himself that way, or was that brought on by other circumstances?

**Captain Spoon** · 08-29-2005

probobly a little of both

1/3 his fault: he was not sopose to go to tatooine, so he never would have know his mom to be dead. Also he broke another rule with the whole wedding thing.

1/3 Circumstances. He did have a pretty rough life over all (Jedi rule breaking excluded)

1/3 Bad Acting

nuff' said

**CaptainSolo1138** · 08-29-2005

QGJ got the whole ball of wax rollin', so I pin it to him.

**waboritas** · 08-29-2005

I voted Jedi Coucil, Yoda included. I assume Yoda had to get their permission to grant Obi Wan permission to train Anakin. Had they stuck to their guns who knows what would become of him. He was the Luke of TPM, unknown blows up the big ship and saves the day and would be known to all from then on. In all likelihood Palpatine would have discovered him and trained him as a Sith as he was known for his acts during the Battle of Naboo, but it would be impossible for the Council not to know this and there can only be a master and an apprentice in the Sith, so that might or might not happen.

Anyone that says Qui Gon is not off base as if he left the kid on Tatooine, he could have saved the Galaxy from a Galactic Empire and many years of civil war thereafter.

I don't think there was any way the Council would have stopped the Clone Wars from happening as Palpatine was going through with that plan before anyone knew who Anakin was. He probably could have carried the whole thinkg out with Dooku as he was very powerful, and I'm sure they could have found someone else to seduce to the dark side.

As far as blaming Obi Wan, that is not out of the question either. What if Obi Wan had listened to Dooku in AOTC and sided with him. Likely, his plan was to kill Palps and Obi Wan would become his apprentice. In this scenario, Palpatine still ends up with Anakin as his apprentice as he protects Palpatine, likely kills his master and Palpatines apprentice opening up a spot for himself as Palpatine's apprentice. He then takes out the Jedi Council one by one and the battle ends with Mace vs. Anakin with Mace taking him down or Anakin taking out Mace.

You could blame Palpatine because he orchestrated the whole trade blockade which led to the discovery of Anakin. Jedi land on ship, almost get killed, land in Naboo, endo up with queen, escpae Naboo with queen, queen's ship gets damage and lands on Tatooine, Jedi discovers Anakin.

Too many what ifs. I quit.

**vader68** · 08-29-2005

You have to be accountable for your own actions, therefore I voted for Anakin.

Yes he had horrible things happen to him, but he should know the difference between right and wrong.We have all had bad things happen to us through our lives, some of us more than others. But that is not going to make us turn on our friends and murder all of them when we get older. He was brought up a Jedi and knows what is right and wrong, no matter what anybody tells him,or tries to twist things to make him think otherwise. Bottom line, he has to blame himself.

**Battle Droid** · 08-29-2005

Anakin's, he's old enough to know the difference between right and wrong.

**JediTricks** · 08-29-2005

In my opinion, Qui-Gon was too caught up in the prophecy to listen to what the council said about Anakin, if Qui-Gon had heeded their words, Anakin could have gone home free and stayed with his mom and enjoyed a relatively normal life. Ultimately it is Qui-Gon's arrogance that starts the ball rolling.

That's what I said in the original thread about this, and I stick by it. Qui-Gon ripped Anakin away from his mother before the boy was ready to be removed from the only family he had ever known with promises of power and lightsabers and candy. Qui-Gon didn't exactly work very hard to free Shmi either, pretty convenient since that would have hampered his attempts to turn the boy into the Jedi mentioned in the prophecy. Anakin is a little 9 year old boy who is naturally afraid of losing his mommy, so Qui-Gon puts stars in his eyes and whisks him away on the basis of a prophecy which the rogue Jedi Master seems overly-intent on seeing fulfilled. Would Anakin have been full of fear and hate if he had been left with his mother on Tatooine? Especially once freed from his slave bonds, he could have worked to free her and become a better person instead of being trained - despite the Jedi Council's decision - to become the most powerful yet irresponsible and irrational Jedi ever. It is ultimately Qui-Gon's hubris and devotion to the prophecy of the one which puts Anakin onto the path towards the Dark Side.

**Slicker** · 08-29-2005

It's QGJ's fault. He believed so firmly in the prophecy that he was blind to the fact that Anakin was troubled. It's unfortunate that a little boy from a desert planet can cause the entire universe to turn upside down.