Yesterday I read on a completely unrelated website an article categorizing 10 different reasons why people do evil. Naturally, I began to think of how this would apply to your friend and mine, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker.

1. "The devil"--An external evil being exerting its influence on a mortal soul. Granted this depends a great deal on one's own religious perspective but literature abounds with non-supernatural devils who influence someone in a negative way. These include such up-to-no-goodniks as Lady Macbeth, Iago from "Othello," Mephistopheles (okay, so he might actually be the devil), aaaand Palpatine.

2. Genes--The column observes genes are a modern substitute for the devil, an explanation for inexplicable evil behavior. In SW, evil does not seem to be genetically-encoded. It's clear that Shmi Skywalker is a good person as are Luke and Leia (I'm leaving current EU developments out of this.) The closest it comes to broaching the genes argument is the implication that Anakin's creation by the midichlorians might have been orchestrated by a Sith Lord. But this is left open for one to decide whether or not Palpatine was telling Anakin the truth in the opera scene.

3. Parents--Poor, dysfunctional parenting can result in bad kids. I've noticed this at my job. But are parents to blame in SW? Anakin's only biological parent is Shmi and the only thing about their relationship that influences Anakin negatively is being prematurely separated from her. Anakin has a series of substitute fathers, the worst of which is Palpatine. Even Obi-Wan, as much as he means well, is an imperfect father figure.

4. Religion--Religion as we understand it doesn't seem to be much of a concern with the main characters in SW; it's much more of an issue with Ewoks and Gungans. Hmm. The Jedi Order's philosophy did not drive Anakin to commit evil. It's only when Anakin embraces the evil quasi-religion of the Dark Side and the Sith that he himself becomes evil.

5. Money--Of all of these reasons, this is the least relevant to Anakin. He doesn't care about money or personal wealth of any kind. Next.

6. Power--Ahh, there we go. Anakin is obsessed with power, mostly with trying to expand his abilities with the Force in order to "make things the way (he wants) them to be." Right on target with this one.

7. Pursuit of the good--Ding, ding, ding! As the original column said, far more evil has been perpetrated by idealistic people than by cynical criminals. Anakin never once believes he is doing anything for the wrong reasons. He believes everything he does is in service to his loved ones, his allies, and to the Republic/Empire. Therefore all of his actions are justified.

8. Sadism--I do not believe Anakin enjoys inflicting pain on others. Darth Vader in ANH/TESB though appears to do so from time to time, particularly when he is doling it out on those he believes deserves it.

9. Boredom--I agree with the original column's point that lack of purpose and meaning can lead people to embrace the wrong ideals or find purpose in the thrills of being "bad." This is an important reason why IMO many kids join gangs and commit crimes. Anakin does not fall into this category. He has purpose and meaning in his life and devotes himself to what he considers important wholeheartedly. But that sense of purpose is often driven by his passions and passion is open to manipulation.

10. Victimhood--Those who feel like they've been given the short end of the stick in life often feel justified in doing bad things. Does Anakin have a sense of victimhood? Yes. He spent his formative years as a slave and chafes at the structure and politics of the Jedi Order. How many times has he groused about the Jedi or Obi-Wan being unfair? And why did he lash out and kill all of the Tuskens, knowing full well it was wrong for him to do so? The Tuskens killed his mother and as a victim, he felt it was his right to take out his anger on them. After all, only a victim would ever seek revenge.

Oh, by the way, the September edition of http://www.sagajournal.com is up!