One of the key factors behind Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is his twisted conviction that the Jedi are planning to attack the Senate, but how did he come to this belief? While most of the Jedi’s attention is fixed on fighting the Separatists and Count Dooku in the Clone Wars, Anakin has his head turned by the Supreme Chancellor, who promises that the dark side can help him save Padme’s life with Anakin suffering nightmares about his wife dying in childbirth. After initially ratting Palpatine out to Mace Windu as the Sith lord behind the war, he turns on his former Jedi master, convinced Palpatine is the only one who can help him save Padme. Palpatine introduces the notorious Order 66, commanding clone troopers to murder their Jedi generals on the basis they have betrayed the Senate. Anakin, newly anointed Darth Vader by his now master, leads the attack on the Jedi temple and murders many young Padawans.
When Anakin betrays the Jedi, it would not be as dramatically satisfying if his U-turn was based purely on his being vaguely corrupted by the dark side. For it to work as a compelling story, he has to have a sincere and tragic motivation behind how evil he becomes, which is provided by his warped but profound love for Padme and his desperation to save her life. After Windu’s death, Palpatine claims that the Jedi’s next move would be to not attack him, but the Senate. Anakin, in his traumatized and furious state of mind, agrees. That the Jedi might assault the Senate means they potentially endanger the life of Padme and their unborn child (this was before the revelation that they were having the twins Luke and Leia). This tips Anakin over the edge, as he becomes convinced the Jedi intend to do Padme harm through their attack on the Senate, with this belief justifying his worrying actions.
Did Palpatine Influence Anakin’s Thoughts?
Even as Anakin’s pull towards the dark side worsens during Revenge of the Sith, one crucial outlet for compassion and selflessness remains to him through his love for Padme. Yet this is not Anakin’s redemption, but rather his downfall. His mother Shmi had already died in Anakin’s arms after being kidnaped by Tusken Raiders in Attack of the Clones. Palpatine exploits both Anakin’s love for his wife and his trauma-induced fear that he will once again lose a loved one.
Not only does Palpatine suggest that the dark side is the only way Anakin can save Padme, but he complements the point by playing on Anakin’s increasing disillusionment with the Jedi’s high ideals. This way Palpatine is not only inflaming Anakin’s fear for Padme’s life but aligning it with Anakin’s growing suspicion that the Jedi are out to betray him. The two dreads, in Anakin’s eyes, are the same; the Jedi intend to launch a coup on the Senate and potentially kill Padme in the process. It’s also possible Palpatine goes so far as to use the Force on Anakin to help him come to this conclusion; after all, Anakin’s voice is surprisingly flat when he says, “I agree.”
Would The Jedi Have Moved Against The Senate?
However Anakin comes to his belief the Jedi will attack the Senate, it seems unlikely they actually would have, or at least not with the brutality Anakin imagines. While some Jedi would have wanted to if they learned Palpatine was a Sith, it’s unlikely they would have killed everyone. What’s more, fierce and independent Padme would most certainly have remained safe. To devolve from one of the Jedi’s most trusted generals during the Clone Wars into the monster capable of turning on and slaughtering his own people takes quite the volte-face. But it works as character development because of how shrewdly Anakin is steered into his vengeful rage by Palpatine.
