20 years after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith debuted, I remain convinced that this highly controversial Star Wars prequel trilogy decision was a brilliant one. Revenge of the Sith is one of the most pivotal of all Star Wars movies and TV shows, in large part because this is a major turning point in Anakin Skywalker’s Star Wars timeline. In Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, it was clear Anakin was already on a dark path, but Revenge of the Sith sees him pushed over that edge.

The trickiest aspect of Anakin’s fall was arguably that he had to be shown fully turning to the dark side and committing acts of evil while also eventually being redeemable, given Return of the Jedi. This was a difficult line to walk and, despite the many complaints about the prequel trilogy, the movies were careful and thoughtful in this regard. In fact, I believe the single most controversial decision made in the prequels was actually the perfect solution to this quandary—and it made Star Wars work.

The Phantom Menace Was Heavily Criticized For Introducing Anakin As A Little Kid

This Remains One Of The Biggest Complaints About The Prequel Trilogy

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced Anakin Skywalker not as a troubled teen or even as a young adult already exhibiting signs of becoming Darth Vader but rather as a young, innocent boy. In fact, beyond just being innocent, Anakin was shown to be kind, gentle, and selfless, all while coping with the brutal reality of his life as a slave on Tatooine with his mother. Evidently, this was not what audiences had hoped to see, as this became (and remains) one of the biggest complaints about the prequels.

For some, this grievance simply comes down to wanting to see the same terrifying villain from the original Star Wars trilogy, perhaps just a bit younger. Others felt that Anakin starting off so young made the movie less geared toward an adult audience (although George Lucas himself has long said Star Wars is for kids anyway). There are some much more compelling arguments as well.

Among those are the fact that having Anakin be older in The Phantom Menace would have made his relationship with Padmé in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith less awkward and would have better mirrored Luke Skywalker’s story in A New Hope. These are fair points, but they don’t outweigh the benefits of having Anakin start as a child. By showing Anakin as an innocent child in The Phantom Menace, the prequels made his fall so much more tragic, believable, and (ultimately) redeemable.

Seeing Anakin As An Innocent Child Made His Fall So Much More Emotional

Seeing Anakin’s Origins Made All The Difference

For many reasons, seeing Anakin as a child in The Phantom Menace made Anakin’s story in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith much more emotional. For one, Anakin’s separation from his mother was a devastating moment, even if he was excited to become a Jedi. Had Anakin been a teenager, it would have made less sense for him to be so affected by leaving his mother. Because he was just 9 years old, though, Anakin came across as a scared little boy—much more sympathetic.

This also proved that Anakin wasn’t always so egotistical or petulant. He had once been full of hope and love, not unlike Luke. Had Anakin not been shown as a young boy, audiences may have wondered or simply suspected that Anakin had always been the way he was in Attack of the Clones, which would have made him less relatable and sympathetic. This choice also supported George Lucas’ message that anyone, even the most innocent, can become evil when subjected to the right circumstances.

Seeing Anakin as a young boy also makes his arc more compelling, because it tells a completely different story than one would expect and sheds a new light on Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, rather than making him one-dimensional. As this hilarious video, posted by surface.dweller on TikTok makes clear, this decision “makes it more dramatic when he turns.”

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As funny as this video is, it’s entirely right. Seeing Anakin’s childhood and realizing how sweet he once was makes it so much more dramatic—and gutting—to see how he ends up.

Revenge Of The Sith Needed This Origin Story

Anakin Needed To Be Redeemable, Even After Order 66

In addition to making Anakin’s story so much more affecting, Revenge of the Sith needed this origin so that Anakin’s fall to the dark side would work without damaging the original Star Wars trilogy. Anakin carried out some truly heinous acts in Revenge of the Sith, especially during Order 66. The scene in which Anakin murders younglings would have been unforgivable had Anakin’s story not begun with this sympathetic arc, as would him choking his pregnant wife.

As it was, these events were very difficult to see past, even with Return of the Jedi showing Anakin turning back to the light in the end. Had the prequels not given Anakin this humanizing backstory, it would have made Anakin’s ultimate redemption so much less believable and, frankly, less accepted. Anakin carrying out these horrible acts remains horrific in spite of this origin, but audiences were at least able to recall that he hadn’t always been like that.

The young boy who asks Anakin what they are going to do during Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith is directly meant to remind audiences of that fact, which is why he looks somewhat similar to Anakin in The Phantom Menace. Clearly, the prequels had been very intentional in this choice to begin with Anakin as a small boy. Although the Star Wars prequel trilogy continues to receive criticism for this decision, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith needed Anakin to be shown as an innocent child first.

Source: surface.dweller