The Force has always been a powerful and unpredictable entity in the Star Wars universe. Much like the roll of the dice or the spin of a free casino game roulette wheel, the Force influenced the fate of characters in unexpected ways.
The transition of Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader was a process that felt inevitable, yet a nagging question lingers: Was his seduction by the dark side a product of mere chance, or could it have been prevented?
Fans might argue that the decision to turn into Darth Vader was his to make but it didn’t just come out of nothing. Most of his dark moments had to do with the suppression of his emotions and the feeling of getting betrayed by the Jedi Council.
Anakin Skywalker’s transformation from hero to villain is one of the greatest tragedies in the Star Wars saga. Star Wars: The Clone Wars tried showing us the downfall of once heroic Jedi Knight to the menacing villain Darth Vader, and we probably missed some of the teasers.
Here’s a look at 5 instances from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars when Anakin’s turn to the dark side was predicted.
Anakin’s Reaction to the Zygerrian Slavers
In one scene in season 4, Obi-Wan Kenobi sheds some light on Anakin’s past. Anakin is one of the unfortunate people who suffered under the yolk of slavery when he was young. He is very spiteful of slavers as they tend to remind him of his horrible past.
His disdain for slavery can be understood, but it’s also something that makes him lose his emotions, bringing out some Darth Vader vibes. When Anakin, Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan are on their way to negotiate with the slavers, he can be seen uttering “Zygerrian scum” in a way that feels like he may strangle someone if given the chance.
Anakin even destroys the slaver’s holo-recording that invites Obi-Wan to discuss terms of a deal that would free a ton of Togruta that were being enslaved. These actions make his Padawan, Ahsoka, concerned. She has to keep an eye on him and calm down his mounting rage.
The Vision on the Altar of Mortis
The vision revealed by The Son to Anakin at the Altar of Mortis in the third season of The Clone Wars is probably the arc that shows his inevitable future.
The Altar of Mortis is home to three of the most powerful beings, namely The Father (balance between light and dark), The Son (the Dark), and The Daughter (the light).
The episode, however, ends erasing all the memories of the three characters visiting the planet but the damage had already been done. It was just a matter of time before Anakin turned to the dark side to confirm everything that happened in the vision. This would all come to pass in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
Anakin’s Response to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s “Death”
There is an arc in Season 4 where Obi-Wan goes undercover as Rako Hardeen on a mission to investigate an evil plot against Chancellor Palpatine. To do that, Obi-Wan fakes his death and keeps it under wraps. Anakin is devastated by the loss of his father figure, and he sets out on a mission to seek and possibly get revenge on the killer.
In one scene, he finds the “killer” Rako Hardeen and handles him pretty roughly, not knowing it is Obi-Wan himself. In the end, Anakin is no longer devastated but furious when he finds out that Obi-Wan deceived him. He is also angry that the Council has lied to him time and again.
The harsh feeling of being lied to by his former master and the Council slowly propelled Anakin further away from the light and deep into the dark.
The Violence in “Brain Invaders”
Anakin used the force choke as an interrogation method many times throughout The Clone Wars series. In the “Brain Invaders” episode, the signature force choke, which is a Jedi mind trick that forces information out of someone, fails to work on the mind controlling Geonosian worms.
Anakin has no option but to brutally beat the information out of the Geonosian leader in a bid to save Ahsoka. This method of doing whatever it takes to achieve the greater good somehow allows him to channel the dark side as early as the second season of the series.
The way he approaches the Geonosian leader, now turned captive, is quite menacing and terrifying, almost as if he has already donned the Darth Vader suit. You wouldn’t want to be on the other side of that death stare.
Ahsoka Tano’s Departure From the Jedi Order
Anakin’s faith is put under test throughout The Clone Wars, and sometimes it feels like the breaking point has been reached. One of these moments is when Ahsoka is falsely accused of murder and expelled from the Order in the season 5 finale.
This sequence of injustices on Ahsoka, right from her trial to her expulsion makes Anakin feel betrayed by the Council. To be fair, anyone in his position would consider leaving the Order and this is something he confesses to his Padawan later on.
Ahsoka is proven innocent and invited back to the Jedi Order but she decides not to come back. The decision leaves Anakin heartbroken and gutted after losing the only friend he could rely on.
