Even though Anakin Skywalker almost left the Jedi Order when he was just a Padawan, he would have still fallen to the dark side just the same, meaning the Star Wars saga would have remained a tragedy. Born on the desert-world of Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker was destined to bring balance to the Force. It’s unclear how much of that destiny is fixed; the prophecy of the Chosen One is millennia old, but its wording is unspecific and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. It’s quite possible that, at certain key moments in his life, Anakin could have chosen a different path.
One such moment is told in Charles Soule and Marco Checchetto’s Obi-Wan & Anakin miniseries, set a few years after the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. In this comic Anakin has already constructed his own lightsaber, but in his heart of hearts he doesn’t feel like he fits in with the Jedi. A conversation with Chancellor Palpatine reinforces this sense, and he declares his intention to quit the Jedi Order – even handing over his lightsaber to Obi-Wan in a deeply symbolic act. Anakin reconsiders after one last mission, which means he never learns the truth: that Obi-Wan has decided to follow Anakin if he leaves the Jedi. As far as Obi-Wan is concerned, his vow to Qui-Gon Jinn to train Anakin, come what may, supersedes even his oaths as a Jedi.
All this naturally raises the question of just what would have happened if Anakin and Obi-Wan had indeed left the Order. The galaxy would certainly have been different, for the pair were destined to become two of the greatest heroes of the Clone Wars, even if their story did have a tragic end. But, surprisingly, by this point it’s likely Anakin’s ultimate fate – his fall to the dark side – was sealed.
Obi-Wan Could Never Fill The Void In Anakin’s Heart
The core problem is that Obi-Wan Kenobi could never fill the void in Anakin Skywalker’s heart. Anakin grew up with a desperate desire for a father-figure, which is why Qui-Gon Jinn is able to have such a profound influence on Anakin’s life even though they only spend a few days together; Qui-Gon promises to be the father-figure Anakin never had. Obi-Wan is a pale substitute, particularly because at first his heart isn’t in it; he mentors Anakin out of a sense of duty to his fallen Master, not because he believes in Anakin himself. What’s more, at certain dark moments Obi-Wan would surely remember that the Jedi Council didn’t want to train Anakin, and wonder if they’d made the right call rather than Qui-Gon. All this means Anakin and Obi-Wan’s first few years as Master and Apprentice are troubled ones, with the two struggling to bond. This is precisely why Palpatine is able to get so close to Anakin; he promises to be the father-figure the boy has longed for.
The relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan wouldn’t be any better in a timeline where the two leave the Jedi Order. However much Obi-Wan might try to hide it, there would always be a part of his heart that resents the boy who essentially forced him out of the Jedi Order. What’s more, he would struggle to train Anakin to be anything other than a Jedi, simply because that is the only way Obi-Wan knows; although Qui-Gon made him aware of other Force traditions, even ancient Jedi prophecies and beliefs the Jedi abandoned, Obi-Wan never really commits to those ways. The Jedi Code provides structure to Obi-Wan’s life, and he wouldn’t know how to teach Anakin apart from it.
It’s interesting to note the Obi-Wan & Anakin comic suggests there would be one major difference between the Anakin and Obi-Wan of this timeline and the main one; they wouldn’t have lightsabers. The lightsaber is more than just a weapon; a Jedi bonds with the kyber crystal contained within the blade, and it serves as a powerful tool for meditation. Losing his lightsaber would leave Obi-Wan bereft, and he may even struggle to connect to the Force without it. This would potentially have added another edge to Obi-Wan’s resentment.
Count Dooku Could Play Palpatine’s Role
One interesting question is whether or not Obi-Wan would eventually look for help training Anakin. Count Dooku of Serenno would be the most obvious candidate; another former Jedi, Dooku was actually Qui-Gon Jinn’s old Master, and it’s likely that connection would eventually bring Obi-Wan and Anakin to Dooku’s doorstep. Claudia Gray’s novel Master & Apprentice reveals Dooku began researching the dark side almost as soon as he left the Jedi, and even hints that he had found his way to the Sith before the death of Darth Maul. Any decision to reach out to Dooku would place Anakin in grave danger indeed. It’s likely that in this timeline, Count Dooku would be the one who tries to become a father-figure to Anakin. He would do so under the direction of Palpatine, subtly working to push the Chosen One towards the dark side, and Obi-Wan – bereft of the structure and support of the Jedi Order – wouldn’t know what to do about it. Indeed, he may even be unaware of it.
Anakin & Padmé Would Still Be An Item
Meanwhile, one major change is that Anakin and Padmé would probably get together a lot sooner. Padmé Amidala always kept track of the strange Jedi who saved her people from the Trade Federation, and she’d undoubtedly learn he had left the Jedi Order. It’s impossible to imagine any scenario where the Force doesn’t bring Anakin and Padmé together, and in this timeline their relationship would be very different. In the real timeline, Anakin becomes torn between two attachments: his attachment to the Jedi on the one hand, and to Padmé on the other. But in this timeline, he wouldn’t need to choose between those two attachments, for he wouldn’t stay with the Jedi long enough to become attached to them. The relationship between Anakin and Padmé would be swift, passionate – and, importantly, conducted out in the open.
Padmé may not be the only loved one Anakin gains in this timeline, though. When Anakin begins experiencing visions of his mother’s fate on Tatooine, he wouldn’t be held back by the strictures of the Jedi Code; he’d head straight there, whether Obi-Wan approves or not. And so, in this timeline, Anakin would likely wind up living happily with his mother and his wife. It’s reasonable to assume he and Obi-Wan would party ways by this point, with Obi-Wan realizing he is no longer part of Anakin’s world.
Anakin Would Still Fall To The Dark Side
At first glance, it’s tempting to view this timeline as a better one than the main Star Wars saga – at least for Anakin. But that would be an oversimplification, because the Clone Wars – the ultimate Jedi trap – would still break out. Obi-Wan would probably return to the Jedi to help, but Anakin’s loyalties would be divided because of his connection to Dooku. It’s impossible to say exactly how Palpatine would engineer Anakin’s fall to the dark side in this timeline, but he’d certainly have a lot to work with; Anakin’s attachments would leave him vulnerable, and the Dark Lord of the Sith could simply engineer circumstances in which his loved ones are threatened. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where Anakin falls even more quickly than he does in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, leading Palpatine to accelerate his plans.
As the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker is a man of destiny. In truth, that destiny is shaped as much by the galaxy he lives in as by the weight of his own choices. He thinks he is shaping his future when he decides whether or not to remain with the Jedi, but he’d still be sought after by the Sith, and he has the misfortune of living in a time of war and turmoil. Anakin Skywalker would still fall to the dark side, even if he’d left the Jedi Order, and the Star Wars saga would have a note of tragedy all the same.
