Content Warning: This article contains references/videos to kidnapping, violence, slavery, and murder. Viewers' discretion is advised.
It's no secret that Anakin Skywalker's turn to the Dark Side, as well as the betrayal of the Jedi Order, is a turning point in the Star Wars franchise. As one of the Republic's greatest heroes became one of the greatest villains that the galaxy had ever seen, an entirely new era began both in the franchise and in Anakin's own life.
When fans take a look at the books, shows, and movies set around the prequel era, it is quite clear that Anakin's fall was in the works for decades before he actually became Darth Vader, with numerous factors informing his eventual betrayal. It wasn't just his terrible decisions that exacerbated his eventual villainous turn - there are actually several characters that also helped push him down this darker path too.
Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon Jinn first met Anakin on the desert planet of Tatooine in The Phantom Menace when the young Skywalker was only 9 years old. Jinn freed Anakin from a life where he was enslaved, promising to train him in the way of the Jedi but died shortly thereafter in a duel with the Sith apprentice Darth Maul on Naboo.
Had he survived his fateful duel with Maul, Qui-Gon may have been able to avert Anakin's dark future. However, because he died before he was able to train the young boy, Qui-Gon instead ed Anakin's training onto his apprentice Obi-Wan, who was unprepared for such a task. Though Obi-Wan would do his best with Anakin, Qui-Gon doubtlessly would have been better prepared to bring up the powerful youngling as his own Padawan.
Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano was the Padawan learner assigned to Anakin Skywalker by the Jedi High Council during the Clone Wars conflict. Despite getting off to a rocky start with her new master, Ahsoka would soon become quite clear to Anakin's heart, training under him until she left the Jedi Order after being falsely accused of bombing the temple.
Although many were able to become close with Anakin during his years as a Jedi, perhaps none endeared themselves to him quite like Ahsoka. Anakin saw his Padawan as a little sister, taking care of her with ferocity and iration over the years. When she departed from the Order, Anakin was left with a hole in his heart that never fully healed, leaving him vulnerable to the pulls of the Dark Side.
Shmi Skywalker
Shmi Skywalker was Anakin's mother and only known family member, who raised him on Tatooine until he was 9. After a decade apart, Anakin returned to Tatooine to find his mother in Attack of the Clones, only to hold her in his arms as she died.
Witnessing Shmi's death pushed Anakin to brutally massacre the Tusken Raider tribe that had kidnapped and tortured his mother, killing every man, woman, and child in the village. This was the first of many massacres perpetrated by Anakin, portending the dark future that awaited the Chosen One if he could not control his heated rage.
Count Dooku
Count Dooku was a former Jedi Knight and the leader of the Separatist movement that sparked the Clone Wars. He and Anakin Skywalker came to blows on several occasions during the galactic way, culminating in their final duel at the beginning of .
After cutting off Anakin's hand several years prior, Dooku established himself as a rival to the young Skywalker, who continuously tried to prove himself against the Sith Lord. During their final encounter, Anakin allowed himself to break the Jedi code after finally defeating his opponent and, in one of his darkest moments in the franchise, he beheads Dooku at Palpatine's behest.
Yoda
Master Yoda was a leading member of the Jedi Council at the time of Order 66, serving as a mentor for Anakin Skywalker during his time among the Jedi Order. Though Yoda did not train Anakin as he did the other Jedi younglings, he did often advise the headstrong warrior on several occasions, developing some semblance of a working relationship with him over the years.
Although Yoda always attempted to help Anakin, his failings as a leader among the Jedi ultimately aided in his downfall. Yoda's ive approach to the rising Dark Side in the years preceding and following the onset of the Clones Wars allowed for bad influences like Sheev Palpatine to seep into Anakin's life, orchestrating his eventual turn.
Mace Windu
Mace Windu was a prominent member of the Jedi High Council when Anakin arrived at the temple. He actively opposed accepting the young Skywalker as a Jedi, and, though he eventually relented on this front, Windu would go on to have a tenuous relationship with Anakin throughout the Clone Wars.
Master Windu's antagonistic approach to Anakin only served to further distance the Jedi from the Council and the Order as a whole. His refusal to promote Anakin to the rank of Jedi would push him even further down his dark path, eventually leading Anakin to kill Windu at the end of Revenge of the Sith, (although many fans insist that Master Windu may still be alive in the Star Wars universe).
Pe Amidala
Pe Amidala was a senator for Naboo and the love of Anakin Skywalker's life. The two were married shortly after the onset of the Clone Wars, leading Pe to later become pregnant with Anakin's twin children. Anakin's love for Pe was matched by none other, making her the most important person in his life.
'Though Pe and Anakin loved each other dearly, such a ion was strictly against the Jedi Code, leading Anakin to have an attachment that Palpatine was able to manipulate. Anakin's fear of losing Pe would not only inform his turn to the Dark Side, but it would also cause her early demise, leaving Anakin broken and alone.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi was Anakin Skywalker's master and one of the most meme-able characters in Star Wars. Though the two disagreed on almost everything, they fostered a strong bond over their many years and countless missions side-by-side, with each considering the other his brother.
Though Obi-Wan did his best to train Anakin, he was not prepared for such a task, having only just become a Jedi Knight himself before taking Anakin as his Padawan. Obi-Wan would always blame himself for Anakin's fall and, though he attempted to stop the rising Sith Lord from realizing his true potential in the ways of the Dark Side, he was unable to keep Anakin from becoming the villainous Darth Vader.
Sheev Palpatine
Sheev Palpatine became the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic just as Anakin Skywalker came to Coruscant to be trained in the Jedi Temple. Palpatine and Anakin would foster a mentor-pupil relationship over the years, especially during the Clone Wars, leading Palpatine to appoint Anakin as his representative in the Jedi Council.
Secretly the Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious, Sheev Palpatine actively worked to orchestrate Anakin's downfall, slyly introducing him to Sith lore during the course of their friendship. He would go on to manipulate Skywalker into killing Mace Windu under the promise of saving Pe from her prophesied death, only to capitalize on this moment by anointing Anakin as his new apprentice.
Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker may have had many people to blame for his tragic fall to the Dark Side. Although others certainly played a role in his eventual downfall, the young Jedi truly has only himself to hold able for his villainous turn.
While a number of extenuating circumstances pushed Anakin further on the road to the Dark Side, it was ultimately his own decision to become Darth Vader. He allowed himself to form attachments that were against the Jedi Code, engaged in wartime tactics and strategies that the Council would not have approved of, and fostered deep-seated feelings of anger and jealousy that were incredibly unhealthy. In the end, it was his choice to embrace the Dark Side, a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
