In the Anakin Skywalker's Star Wars timeline has gotten more fleshed out, it's become clear that his fall was no straightforward matter, nor was it entirely Anakin's fault. He bears responsibility for his actions—especially his violent ones—certainly, but Anakin didn't fall to the dark side in a vacuum.
Rather, there were several defining moments in Anakin's fall to the dark side, many of them having to do with the poor decisions of those around him. This arguably began as early as Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace with Qui-Gon Jinn insisting that the Jedi Order take him on despite their significant concerns. Well after that, though, the Jedi Council made a single and terrible decision that may very well have sealed Anakin Skywalker's fate.
Sending Anakin To Naboo With Pé Was An Absolutely Terrible Decision
Anakin's Feelings For Pé Were Already Apparent, As Were His Flaws
Despite Anakin and Pé not seeing one another between The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, by the beginning of Attack of the Clones, Anakin was still enamored with the very idea of her. Confusingly, given the Jedi code, Anakin didn't hold back from revealing to Obi-Wan how much he had longed for Pé throughout that decade, and, rather than chastise him or remind him of the Jedi's stance on attachments, Obi-Wan laughed it off.
That would have been bad enough, but the Jedi Council made matters so much worse by asg Anakin to be the Jedi who accompanied Pé to Naboo when her life was in danger. This not only gave Anakin considerably more time with Pé than he typically ever would have had but also gave them alone time together in what was essentially a romantic getaway. While neither may have seen it that way, at least at first, the stunning backdrop of Naboo clearly ended up having that effect.
The Jedi sending a Padawan on this mission would have been odd in the best circumstances, but Anakin's flawed nature and his feelings for Pé made this a truly disastrous scenario. Anakin had already exhibited signs of recklessness, ego, and a disregard for the rules, which calls into question why he would be seen as the best Jedi for the job. It only makes it all the worse that Obi-Wan knew how Anakin felt about Pé, and even he didn't intervene to tell the Council this was a terrible idea.
Anakin's flawed nature and his feelings for Pé made this a truly disastrous scenario.
Could The Jedi Have Had An Ulterior Motive?
The Jedi Must Have Had A Good Reason For This Choice
Assuming the Jedi aren't just foolish or incompetent (which is my belief, despite the Jedi Council's myriad missteps), there could be a reasonable explanation for this bizarre decision. The Jedi may have been aware of Anakin's feelings for Pé and his questionable loyalty to the Jedi way and meant for Naboo to be a sort of test. Were that the case, they likely assumed that Anakin would have to choose between being with Pé and stepping away from the Jedi Order or fully committing to the Jedi.
The Jedi may have been aware of Anakin's feelings for Pé and his questionable loyalty to the Jedi way and meant for Naboo to be a sort of test.
Theoretically, that's not a terrible idea. Had Anakin been another Jedi, this conundrum very well may have pushed him to pick one or the other. However, Anakin wasn't just any Jedi, and he was not often one to deny himself the things he wanted—even if those things were wrong.
The other issue with this plan, if that is indeed why the Jedi Council assigned Anakin to this mission, is that they failed to confirm that Anakin did choose. Yes, the Clone Wars began at the end of Attack of the Clones, sending the Jedi and the Republic into chaos, but this feels rather important to follow up on, especially given Anakin's status as the Chosen One. Yet, at least in of what was shown on screen, there was little inquiry from the Jedi following Anakin's time on Naboo.
When Did Anakin Skywalker's Fall To The Dark Side Really Begin?
Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side and transformation into Darth Vader has defined Star Wars for decades—but what really caused his fall?
Without This Mission, Anakin's Feelings For Pé Would Have Gone Nowhere
Unfortunately, The Jedi Got This All Wrong
What makes this a truly unfortunate error is that without this time on Naboo, Anakin's story would likely have looked very different. Yes, Anakin already had feelings for Pé in Attack of the Clones, but he didn't really have any hope of those feelings going anywhere. It was because Anakin and Pé shared this time on Naboo that Pé developed feelings of her own.
Prior to that, she had still seen Anakin as a little boy, which she even told him at the beginning of Attack of the Clones. It was also only because the two were together when Obi-Wan was in danger that Pé confessed her feelings, as she believed they were about to die on Geonosis. Therefore, if the Jedi Council did send Anakin to Naboo as a way to push him into a decision, that plan entirely backfired.
The sad truth is, without Anakin going to Naboo with Pé, he might not have fallen to the dark side. This mission kicked off his romance with Pé, which became the root of his obsession with keeping her alive in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. As that obsession was the tipping point for Anakin, it's not much of a stretch to say that this one decision by the Jedi Council in the Star Wars prequel trilogy sealed Anakin Skywalker's fate.
