Why Ezra Was The Jedi That Anakin Could Not Become
“You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the force... not leave it in darkness!”
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith)
Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t the only one who is nursing a broken heart owing to Anakin’s departure to the dark side. Fans are too! Anakin’s great potential as the chosen one was completely lost when he chose to succumb to the fear and rage in his heart. However, we often forget that there was another Jedi, and I am not referring to Luke or Leia here, whose path was much similar to Anakin’s and who chose to do things differently. Ezra Bridger, the offbeat Jedi from the animated series, Star Wars: Rebels, showed us that turning to the dark side in the face of fear and anger isn’t the only option that there is. It is interesting to compare their journeys that hint at what could have happened differently in Anakin’s life to save him from his descent to the dark side.
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Leaving Their Biological Family
All Jedi have to leave their biological families very early in their lives before they can form an attachment to them. As shown recently in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi, they barely remember who their parents are. However, the case was different for both Anakin Skywalker and Ezra Bridger whose Force sensitivities were discovered when they were comparatively older. Anakin was discovered by Master Qui-Gon Jinn who believed that he could be the chosen one and let him loose from the shackles of slavery. Anakin then left Tatooine with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan left his mother behind, an act that troubled him forever. Her death at the hands of the Tusken raiders enraged Anakin to the point that he destroyed the Tusken colony, women and children included. This marked the beginning of his descent.
Ezra, on the other hand, was a petty thief on the streets of Lothal when he was found by Kanan Jarrus and the rest of the Ghost team, thus becoming one of the Spectres. His parents had been taken away by the Galactic Empire for speaking out against its atrocities. He missed them but had believed them to be dead. Inspired by their work, Ezra, released the pivotal broadcast that encouraged the people of the galaxy to stand up against the Empire, thus, sparking the rebellion. Unbeknownst to him, Ezra’s parents, who were alive and imprisoned at that time, heard his broadcast too and led a team to escape from the hold of the Empire. However, while they helped many escape the prisons, they could not survive and when Ezra learned of their passing, he decided to honour their legacy by continuing his work as a rebel. Ezra chose to channel the hurt and rage into doing good for the community instead of taking the selfish path of revenge.
Unsteady Relationships With Their Masters
Anakin and Ezra regarded their respective masters, Obi-Wan and Kanan Jarrus, as father figures but their non-conforming unruly and impatient temperaments led them to reject authority ever so often. Both Anakin and Ezra had more raw power with the Force when compared to their masters and this frequently made it difficult for the idealistic Obi-Wan and Kanan to instruct the art of patience and humility to their respective apprentices. Anakin continued to believe that he was much better in everything than Obi-Wan and that Obi-Wan was limiting him not letting him express his powers fully. This often led Anakin to seek counsel from Senator Palpatine (we all know he was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious incognito), who conveniently manipulated Anakin to serve his own dark purpose. Ezra too had trouble accepting Kanan’s instructions and often wanted to do things his way. Ezra and Kanan’s relationship was especially strained after Kanan lost his eyesight at the Sith temple of Malachor and Ezra blamed himself for the mishap. However, over time the two communicated their fears and discomforts with each other and found balance. This protected Ezra from the influence of the dark side.
Getting Tempted By The Dark Side
Anakin was gradually and cleverly guided to the dark side by Palpatine. His descent to the dark side was not at the instant when he considered Palpatine’s suggestion that he could save his wife, Padmé Amidala, using the secret ways of the Force. It had been continuing long before that, in every small and subtle manner in which he succumbed to pride and anger following Palpatine’s nudging. This eventually led Anakin to isolate himself from all who truly cared about him: Obi-Wan, Padmé, and other Jedi Masters, and completely lose sight of reason. Ezra too was enticed by Darth Maul to become his apprentice and was lured into obtaining the Sith Holocron from the Malachor Sith temple. Kanan could see Ezra’s inclination to the dark side and actively prevented his descent by hiding the Sith Holocron. Later, in the World Between Worlds, Ezra too was invited by Darth Sidious to join the dark side. However, he was saved by Ahsoka and managed to escape the dark side once again.
Saving The Ones They Loved
The trouble with heroes is that they think they can save every single being they love. Anakin blamed himself for not saving his mother in time and could not bear to hurt his gigantic ego again by not being able to save Padmé. Unfortunately for him, by the time he was plagued by the Force visions of Padmé’s death in childbirth, saving Padmé had become more of a selfish cause to prove his might as a Jedi. Padmé too had realised that Anakin’s desperation wasn’t due to love anymore when she proclaimed that she could no longer follow him if he goes to the dark side of the Force. The Marvel comic run, Darth Vader, shows Vader (erstwhile Anakin) travelling to the afterlife to resurrect Padmé only to find that she doesn’t want to be with him anymore. Ezra too was grieved by the sacrifice made by Kanan, who died protecting Ezra and the other Spectres. He wanted to bring Kanan back when he realised that he can alter timelines in the World Between Worlds. However, good sense prevailed and he heeded Ahsoka’s counsel who urged him to honour Kanan’s wishes.
Ezra, though not as strong or as experienced as Anakin, nonetheless shared a lot of similarities with the prophesied chosen one. They were both strong with the Force and had very similar temperaments in terms of being reckless, determined, and impatient. They were also both unbelievingly brave and would do anything to save the ones they loved and considered family.
Both Anakin and Ezra got their faces scarred while doing Jedi stuff. They faced a lot of similar challenges but the choice each made led to a world of difference in how their destinies as Jedi shaped up. While Anakin let the dark side take over and wreaked havoc in the galaxy as Darth Vader, Ezra gave himself up completely to the cause of saving the galaxy from the Empire. Ezra could rise above his fears and pride to become a better Jedi. The secret, I believe, to Ezra’s success was that he kept his adopted family, the crew of the Ghost, and his friends close and believed in them enough to let them guide and counsel him. Anakin loved but Ezra also trusted those he loved.
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Source(s): Wookieepedia , CBR