The Most Iconic Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader Scenes
“Anakin Skywalker. We’ve been expecting you. I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little.....older”
One of the least controversial things that can be said of the Star Wars franchise is that it has no shortage of memorable scenes, with its main characters all having their great moments. This article will cover some of the most iconic scenes of Anakin Skywalker
The Phantom Menace
Anakin Skywalker, the Skywalker that started it all, had no shortage of memorable scenes throughout the Star Wars franchise, particularly in the prequel trilogy and The Clone Wars animated series. Anakin's exploits started in The Phantom Menace when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Queen Amidala meet this nine-year-old slave on Tatooine after having to land their ship for critical repairs. Anakin agreed to participate in a dangerous podrace on Tatooine. Although he was faced with a fierce and unscrupulous opponent, he won the race. In addition to getting the parts to repair Queen Amidala's ship, he also won his freedom.
While the actual podrace was exciting to watch, it paled in comparison to his emotional farewell to his mother, who had to remain on Tatooine. It also illustrated Anakin's attachments to others, which ultimately became his undoing.
Another great moment was when Anakin helped Queen Amidala and the Gungan Army won the Battle of Naboo by flying a Naboo starfighter, albeit unintentionally, into the hangar of a Trade Federation Droid Control Ship, and blowing it up from within. This "happy accident" shut down their droid army and ended the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo.
Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars
Years later, in Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker, now a Padawan learner under Obi-Wan Kenobi, was tasked by the Jedi Order with protecting Senator Padme Amidala against further assassination attempts. He later tried to return to Tatooine after having many disturbing dreams about his mother. In an iconic moment, when he found his mother in a Tusken Raider camp dying of wounds inflicted by them, Anakin succumbed to his grief and rage, and slaughtered all of the men, women, and children in the camp. This pivotal moment set Anakin on his descent to the Dark Side of the Force.
Another memorable scene came when Anakin, along with Obi-Wan, fought with the Separatist Leader and former Jedi Count Dooku. In this high adrenaline duel, Anakin ended up losing part of his right arm to Dooku's lightsaber.
Later on, in The Clone Wars, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan would travel to the mystical world of Mortis where they encountered a family of beings with a unique connection to the Force. He temporarily succumbed to the Son's Dark Side powers and had a vision of the helmet he will wear in the future. However, his memories of the dark visions were erased.
Revenge of the Sith
In Revenge of the Sith, his second engagement with Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus, and the subsequent murder at Chancellor Palpatine's urging, became another pivotal moment as he took his a step toward the Dark Side. Later on, Anakin's worry about his secret wife's pregnancy, ultimately fell to the Dark Side in a misguided attempt to save her life. He raced across Coruscant and arrived at Palaptine's Senate office in time to save him from Mace Windu's attempt to arrest him after his true identity as Darth Sidious was revealed. Anakin made the pivotal decision to side with Palpatine and ultimately betray the Jedi. The scene in Revenge of the Sith stood out to me also because it mirrored the end of Return of the Jedi, where Anakin was forced to decide between following Sidious or saving Luke.
Of course, we could not have a discussion about Anakin Skywalker's iconic moment without mentioning the duel with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. The lightsaber actions and acrobatics were impressive, but the emotional displays by both Anakin and Obi-Wan would always be in our mind. After all, this was where he would turn into the fearsome cybernetic Darth Vader.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
As a Dark Lord of the Sith, Vader led and directed the Empire's purge of surviving Jedi Knights for many years following its establishment of the new galactic order and served as Emperor Palpatine's top enforcer. Although his first appearance in A New Hope had (rightly) been considered iconic by most people, his appearance in Rogue One, set right before A New Hope outshined it. At the end of Rogue One, Vader made an iconic appearance onboard the Rebel cruiser, cutting through a swath of Rebel soldiers, who were trying to escape with the Death Star plans. While Vader's pursuit of the plans ended unsuccessfully, we saw him kill an entire squad of Rebel soldiers singlehandedly. It looked like something ripped right out of a horror movie. Although we could not see his expressions behind the mask, one could feel his anger and disappointment as he helplessly watched the Tantive IV flew away from the cruiser with the Death Stars plans.
The Empire Strikes Back
Most of Darth Vader's iconic scenes during the original trilogy occurred in The Empire Strikes Back. With the full support of the Imperial Navy, he was tasked with hunting down the Rebels. We also learned that he was on his own personal quest to find his son, Luke Skywalker, who was gradually coming into his own as a young Jedi Knight. It was hard to argue that anything, before or after, could top the scene in the movie where Vader revealed to a disbelieving Luke that he was his father. This twist upended the entire Star Wars story thus far.
Return of the Jedi
Luke, who sensed goodness in his father, would seek out Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. After a protracted duel in front of Emperor Palpatine, Vader sacrificed himself to kill his dark master and save his son's life. This act of redemption would bring him back to the Light Side of the Force.
While Return of the Jedi ended Anakin's story within the Skywalker saga, his legacy would live on with Luke and Leia, and with Leia's son Ben in the sequel trilogy.