What If Anakin Skywalker Never Turned To The Dark Side?

Publish date: 2024-09-25

In the Star Wars universe, Darth Vader is the OG of villains. He's not the oldest or the most powerful, but he's made the biggest impact so far. And while Vader remains ranked in the top three, there's been a longstanding debate over whether he would've chosen the Dark Side given a second chance. So, what if Anakin Skywalker never turned?

It's difficult to say how the story would have turned out in the scenario of Anakin refusing the Dark Side's temptations. Of course, that hasn't stopped fans from conceptualizing it for us.

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Fanart from recent years has shown a visage of the Skywalker family, sans the loss of Padme and Anakin. One, in particular, depicts the happy couple looking on as Obi-Wan does a Force trick to entertain Luke and Leia tickles Ahsoka on the floor. The image itself is very cathartic for anyone who'd hoped the Skywalkers did get their happy ending.

Sadly, that future never came to pass because Anakin became the villainous Darth Vader, Luke, Leia, and Obi-Wan went into hiding, Padme died during childbirth, and Ahsoka disappeared after the Clone Wars.

What If Anakin Stopped Short Of Turning To The Dark Side?

Needless to say, the prospect of Anakin actually being "The Chosen One" has us contemplating what he would've done differently had another path been presented to him. For instance, would the young Jedi Knight have still attempted to harness the Dark Side had he known the end results of his actions?

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In all likelihood, Anakin probably would've played Emperor Palpatine until the confrontation with Mace Windu. At that point, he would've struck down the Sith Lord and moved on with his life. Of course, that leaves the question of who'd become the galaxy's next villain.

As far as who could've filled the void, a resentful Mace Windu seems feasible. Before his death in Revenge Of The Sith, Windu made a point of wanting to defeat the Dark Side at all costs. Were one of his students to take that opportunity from him, he could've easily been swayed to join Palpatine's cause instead.

Another change that would have taken place is Anakin and Obi-Wan's crusade to stop the Dark Side. They were commanded by the Jedi Council before Order 66 went into effect, but by the end of Revenge Of The Sith, they both understood that the council was ineffective.

Could Two Jedi Councils Coexist Simultaneously?

Because of that factor, the Skywalker clan may have started their Jedi-training much earlier than when Luke attempted to erect an academy of his own. The only question is, would Yoda and the others have allowed it to exist simultaneously with their own?

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It's just as debatable, but there's reason to believe the Jedi Council would've jailed Anakin Skywalker following the Palpatine debacle. Had they learned of him potentially betraying them, as well as his susceptibility to the Dark Side's influence, the council may have opted to jail him. Of course, Anakin, being the rebel that he is, would run for it.

The strange thing is that while fans didn't get to see Star Wars end with the Skywalkers living happily ever after, there's likely a copy of the supposed script locked away in George Lucas' archives somewhere. No one knows if the director ever had any mind to step away from Anakin becoming Darth Vader, but if he did, the script is most likely in Lucas' possession.

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