Throughout the Star Warsprequel trilogy, there were countless indications that Anakin Skywalkerwas falling to the dark side, or at least was on that path, but nothing makes it more obvious than these 10 Anakin quotes that are major red flags. Anakin was, of course, destined to become Darth Vader in the prequels, based on the original trilogy.
Yet, there was so much we still didn’t know about Anakin’s Star Wars timeline and his fall to the dark side when the prequels began. Ultimately, those movies revealed that there were numerous defining moments in Anakin’s fall, all of which culminated in his acceptance of the dark side in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
While that would be shocking based on the innocent boy Anakin was in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, both Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and the first half of Revenge of the Sith reveal just how dark he had become before he officially turned. Of those reveals, these 10 Anakin Skywalker quotes are the most shockingly obvious red flags.
“This Is Outrageous. It’s Unfair.”
It’s become a long-running joke in the fanbase to reference Anakin’s (essentially) tantrum over not being granted the rank of Master when he was welcomed onto the Jedi Council, and even Hayden Christensen himself has made jokes about this frustration Anakin experienced. However, Anakin’s reaction to not being made a Jedi Master was actually a massive red flag.
In particular, when he learns of this news, he has an outburst in front of the Jedi Council, saying, “This is outrageous. It’s unfair.” While that line has been a major part of the joke, it is so indicative of just how far Anakin was from the Jedi he should have been. For one, Jedi shouldn’t expect ‘fairness.’ They should have mastered acceptance.
It’s also simply jarring that Anakin was willing to act this way in front of the entire Council. Had he been speaking to Obi-Wan, that would have been one thing, but his willingness to make this declaration before the Order’s greatest Jedi shows how far gone he already was.
“Well, If It Works.”
Padmé is one of Star Wars’ best characters, and she is known for being wise and honorable. That only makes it all the more confusing that many of Anakin’s most egregious lines were said in front of or directly to Padmé, who more often than not woefully underreacted. This is true of Anakin’s ‘joke’ about dictatorship.
In Attack of the Clones, when Anakin and Padmé are sitting together in the gorgeous meadows of Naboo, they discuss Anakin’s frustrations with the senators’ lack of action. He tells Padmé that people should be made to listen, and when she points out that he’s describing a dictatorship, he responds, “Well, if it works.”
This is said with a cheeky smile on Anakin’s face, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Anakin ultimately rules over the galaxy with Emperor Palpatine, and, clearly, he wasn’t entirely kidding when he said this.
“He’s Holding Me Back!”
Yet another concerning Anakin quote in Attack of the Clones, also spoken to Padmé, is the outburst about Obi-Wan Kenobi holding Anakin back as his Jedi Master. This is first concerning because Anakin outright screams it, which demonstrates his lack of control over his emotions, particularly his anger.
However, the content of what Anakin is saying is also rather concerning. As a Jedi, Anakin shouldn’t be craving power, and he therefore shouldn’t see Obi-Wan as limiting him in any way. In fact, Anakin should be grateful to Obi-Wan as his mentor.
Even more alarming is the fact that, not long after this, Anakin becomes a Jedi Knight. Clearly, even in his later years as a Padawan, Anakin still wasn’t exhibiting the most essential traits of a Jedi.
“I Haven’t Seen Her In Ten Years, Master.”
Padmé wasn’t the only character who heard Anakin say concerning things and largely ignored it—far from it. Obi-Wan himself heard troubling things from Anakin, and he often failed to act. One example comes in the first few scenes of Attack of the Clones, in which Anakin is telling Obi-Wan that he hasn’t seen Padmé in ten years.
This comment came on the heels of Obi-Wan telling Anakin that he could sense his nervousness (another sign that Anakin had no control over his emotions) as they were on an elevator to see Padmé. In addition to the red flag with Anakin’s lack of control, this was a clear expression of attraction to Padmé, which directly went against the Jedi rule against attachments.
Instead of pointing that out or addressing it in any way, though, Obi-Wan just laughs. This was unfortunately a harbinger of things to come, as Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and Padmé later on and did nothing about it, which ended up being a key factor in Anakin’s fall to the dark side.
“I Don’t Need Mind Tricks To Get You To Talk”
The prequel trilogy contained many essential Anakin moments, but Star Wars: The Clone Wars, set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, also revealed some major Anakin plot lines that shed even more light upon how and why Anakin turned to the dark side. Among those was a plot in which Anakin Force choked and interrogated Poggle the Lesser.
Force choke has long been associated with Anakin/Darth Vader, although it is typically one of the Force powers in Star Warsthat is associated with the dark side. Despite that, Anakin used it multiple times in The Clone Wars while he was still a Jedi. This confrontation with Poggle is one such time.
Before using Force choke, Anakin makes his darker nature evident by slapping Poggle and telling him, “I don’t need mind tricks to get you to talk.” Obviously, Jedi shouldn’t be threatening people, but they especially shouldn’t be making good on that threat by physically assaulting someone to get what they want.
“Something Inside Me Snapped”
Yet another Clone Wars example involves a previously unknown romantic interest for Padmé, named Rush Clovis. Although Padmé had eyes only for Anakin in Attack of the Clones and onward, The Clone Wars revealed that Padmé had once been romantically involved with Clovis, a politician entangled with the Banking Clan.
Clovis also very obviously still had feelings for Padmé, and although that was not reciprocated, Anakin became violently jealous (literally). At one point, Clovis told Anakin to fight him without his ‘Jedi tricks,’ and Anakin beat him nearly to death with his fists. Padmé was, rightfully, horrified, and Anakin told her, “Something inside me snapped.”
This would be an alarming thing for anyone to say, let alone one of Star Wars’ most powerful Jedi, who is meant to be in control and act with compassion. This time around, Padmé does actually call for a pause on their relationship, although she still doesn’t report these disturbing actions to anyone else.
“I Wasn’t Strong Enough, But I Promise, I Won’t Fail Again.”
One of the most significant moments in Anakin’s life, including in terms of his fall to the dark side, is the death of his mother, Shmi Skywalker, in Attack of the Clones. Anakin finds his mother nearly dead at a Tusken Raider camp, tied up and clearly suffering from wounds inflicted through torture. Sadly, Shmi ultimately dies from these injuries.
It’s understandable that Anakin would be devastated by the death of his mother, especially given how brutally she died, but Anakin immediately makes this about him needing more power, saying at Shmi’s grave, “I wasn’t strong enough, but I promise, I won’t fail again.” The fact that Anakin turned this loss into a desire for more power is a massive red flag.
Worse still, Anakin is clearly vowing to grow his power and go to any lengths to prevent something similar from happening to his remaining loved ones, which is eventually precisely what causes his fall to the dark side, as his desperation to prevent Padmé’s death leads him to sacrifice everything he believes in and commit acts of true evil.
“You’re Asking Me To Be Rational; That Is Something I Know I Cannot Do.”
Anakin was more or less a walking red flag in Attack of the Clones, and there are clearly a plethora of examples. However, one of the most notable is Anakin’s confession to Padmé that he knew he was unable to be rational, specifically when it came to how he felt about her.
Ultimately, this was Anakin telling on himself in a way, or, at the very least, inadvertently predicting the future. Realistically, there was a host of reasons why Anakin fell to the dark side, ranging from Palpatine’s manipulation to the darkness that he had long—and independently—had within him.
Yet, there’s little denying that the fear of losing Padmé was what truly pushed him over the edge, and this line in Attack of the Clones is therefore not only a red flag but also a warning. In the end, Anakin truly was unable to be rational, and his irrational obsession with preventing Padmé’s death cost him everything.
“I Will Be The Most Powerful Jedi Ever.”
Also following on the heels of his mother’s death was Anakin’s declaration (yet again to Padmé) that he would become “the most powerful Jedi ever.” This is, on the one hand, further proof that the death of his mother immediately caused Anakin to desire more power, which is in and of itself a red flag.
This statement may also reflect just how much damage the Chosen One prophecy had done to Anakin. When we meet young Anakin in The Phantom Menace, he is a sweet, innocent boy who doesn’t even know that he’s Force-sensitive. In the very next movie, however, he is unrecognizable.
Arguably, being constantly told that he was special and destined to save the Jedi contributed to Anakin’s inflated ego, desire for power, and even this very red flag. After all, the Jedi may not be taught to desire power, but Anakin wasn’t being brought up as a typical Jedi; he was raised to be more.
“I Killed Them. I Killed Them All.”
The single most obvious red flag Anakin Skywalker quote is also said in Attack of the Clones, after Anakin slaughters the Tusken Raiders for killing his mother. While confessing to what he’s done, Anakin says:
“I killed them. I killed them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too. They’re like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals. I hate them.”
It’s difficult to imagine a more obvious sign that someone is on the path to the dark side, if not already firmly on the dark side, but for whatever reason—something that still hasn’t been adequately explained in any one of Star Wars’ movies and TV shows—Padmé more or less tells Anakin that what he’s feeling, and by extension what he’s done, is understandable.
Ultimately, Anakin’sfall to the dark side isn’t really anyone else’s fault or responsibility but his. However, it’s still shocking to realize just how many red flag lines Anakin Skywalker said in front of other Star Wars characters (Padmé in particular), all of whom failed to adequately react.
