Star Wars Fixes Anakin Skywalker’s Flaw 40 Years Later

When was the last instance we empathized with Anakin Skywalker? Prior to the prequel films, Anakin’s sacrifice and redemption were mostly symbolic. Forty years ago, with ‘Return of the Jedi,’ Anakin wasn’t a fully developed character, more of an abstract concept. It wasn’t until 1999, with ‘The Phantom Menace,’ that we began to explore Anakin as a person. Since then, it has been a challenge to truly understand and relate to him.

However, in Episode 5 of ‘Ahsoka’ titled ‘Shadow Warrior,’ Star Wars finally seems to have found a way to humanize Anakin and accomplish something the prequels struggled with.

While ‘Shadow Warrior’ deliberately leaves many questions unanswered, it succeeds in merging the animated portrayals of Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano from ‘The Clone Wars’ with their live-action counterparts. Matt Lanter voiced Anakin in ‘The Clone Wars,’ and his interpretation occasionally felt like a distinct version of the character. In the animated series, Anakin was often portrayed as more cheerful and likable than in ‘Attack of the Clones’ and ‘Revenge of the Sith.’ The films depicted Anakin at his worst, while ‘The Clone Wars’ presented him at his best, or at least not at his most tragic.

Despite the episode’s overall ambiguity, the fact that we get to see Hayden Christensen reprising his role as Anakin is a revelation. This Anakin is not complaining about sand or hiding his wife’s pregnancy. Instead, in the flashback scene, he appears charming, humble, and more relatable than Christensen’s portrayal in the prequels.

The flashback features a young Ahsoka and Anakin during the Battle of Ryloth from ‘The Clone Wars’ Season 1. Anakin dons battle armor similar to his animated version and genuinely strives to be a good mentor. Depicting Ahsoka as a child in these live-action scenes adds depth to both characters, making Anakin seem more multi-dimensional and emphasizing the significance of Ahsoka’s journey.

While fans may argue about the merits of animated vs. live-action Star Wars content, live-action holds more cultural weight, especially for a pivotal character like Anakin Skywalker. Seeing Hayden Christensen play Anakin in this manner enhances our understanding of his character before his fall to the Dark Side. Ahsoka’s reaction to Anakin’s humor in the episode is a poignant detail, highlighting how she looked up to him, a perspective not often explored in the prequels.

George Lucas took a significant risk with the prequels by portraying Anakin’s fall from grace. These films explain why Anakin became Darth Vader but rarely showcase his grace. In ‘Ahsoka,’ we briefly witness Anakin through Ahsoka’s eyes, and he finally resembles the Chosen One many of us wanted to see in the prequels: a hero.

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