Star Wars: What If...Anakin Never Turned To The Dark Side?
To paraphrase a line from another major franchise, the ink on the page is dry. We knew how the Star Wars prequels would end as soon as George Lucas wrote them. However, we did not know the exact details. Still, we knew that they would tell the story of how the heroic Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker would fall to the dark side and become the dreaded Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. We knew the prequels would tell how the Galactic Empire came into existence, and we knew that the final events of the prequel trilogy, as chronicled in Revenge of the Sith, would be tragic. Additionally, during Anakin's inevitable fall to the dark side, he would be forced to confront his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Many fans speculated that he would be severely wounded in the process, forcing him to depend on a cybernetic suit for his continued survival, becoming “more machine than man”.
But what if Anakin didn't fall to the dark side? How would that have changed the trajectory of the Star Wars galaxy? What exactly would it have changed? This article attempts to explore how things might have turned out differently in a few critical areas if Anakin had not succumbed to Palpatine's temptations and fallen to the dark side of the Force. Starting in Attack of the Clones, Anakin took many steps down the path to the dark side. However, the final turn came in Revenge of the Sith, when he rushed to Palpatine's Senate chambers as the Jedi, led by Mace Windu, attempted to arrest him. Instead, he arrived to witness Mace trying to strike down a frightened and beaten-looking Chancellor Palpatine. After much internal deliberation and fear of losing Padme, Anakin blocked Windu's strike at Palpatine, cutting off Mace's lightsaber hand in the process, allowing Palpatine to attack Mace with Force Lightning, hurling him out of the window. Starting from this point, what might have happened next if Anakin had chosen to let Mace kill Palpatine instead?
RELATED: Why Making Anakin A Force Ghost Was A Bad Idea
1. Order 66 & Palpatine's Plans for the Galaxy
Once Palpatine defeats Mace, with Anakin's assistance, one of Palpatine's first courses of action was to initiate Order 66, leading to the final destruction of the Jedi Order, beginning the Jedi Purge. Dead or imprisoned, Palpatine would not have been able to initiate Order 66. The ensuing investigation of his death or capture by the Jedi by the Senate would have revealed irrefutable proof of Order 66’s existence (RIP Fives), along with all of Palpatine's schemes and machinations for decades, including the plans for the Death Star and his involvement in instigating the Clone Wars.
2. The Clone Wars
By the time Palpatine was either dead or imprisoned, the prominent Separatist leaders, Count Dooku and General Grievous were dead, leaving only the Separatist Council at their redoubt on Mustafar. The Jedi Council would have quickly discovered their location and proceeded to Mustafar to capture them, forcing them to deactivate their droid armies, ending the Clone Wars.
3. Grand Army of the Republic
The Bad Batch shows the Empire swiftly decommissioned the clone army and replaced them with stormtroopers shortly after the end of the Clone Wars. It is difficult to know what the Jedi and the Senate would do with the Grand Army of the Republic once the Clone Wars ended. The Jedi already knew that the clones were compromised, even if they didn't know the full extent, and would likely learn the whole truth once they investigated everything. They would probably become equally suspicious of the Kaminoans, who programmed the clones in the first place. My best guess is that they would have to either find a way to eliminate the clones' Order 66 programming or any other "questionable" orders. They would probably put the army on a stand-down, at least temporarily. Also, since there were no standing armies before the Clone Wars, the Republic could have decided not to maintain a standing army afterward, a point suggested by the demilitarization of the New Republic following the Galactic Civil War.
4. The Jedi Order
Palpatine being dead or captured would ensure the continued survival of the Jedi Order, as Palpatine's ultimate control over the clones through Order 66 was the only way that he could have effectively brought down the Jedi. Although their numbers were heavily depleted during the Clone Wars, the Jedi Council would have survived to start rebuilding the Order's numbers.
5. Padme's Fate
This is one thing that I do not know much about and would depend heavily on what she died of, but it seems likely that she probably would not have died, despite Anakin's fears. Anakin would not have strangled her with the Force on Mustafar. She would not have had a reason to die "of a broken heart," and if you subscribe to the theory that Palpatine (or Vader) drained her life through the Force, that obviously would not happen either. So, the odds are pretty good that she survives delivering Luke & Leia. How that affects Anakin's status as a Jedi Knight is difficult to see, but, as a hero of the Jedi Order and the Clone Wars, the Jedi Council might look the other way.
How do you think things would have been different if Anakin had not fallen to the dark side? The folks at the YouTube channel, How It Should Have Ended, posted their hilarious thoughts on how Revenge of the Sith should have ended, and it is definitely worth watching for a more humorous take on the subject. Enjoy!