Wrapped Around Your Finger: How Palpatine Lured Anakin to the Dark Side

by lazypadawan

One of the most important relationships in the saga is that of between Palpatine, otherwise known as Darth Sidious, and Darth Vader. Revenge of the Sith shows how and why Anakin Skywalker betrays the Jedi to join with Sidious. As we have seen throughout the prequel trilogy, Palpatine bided his time with Anakin, patiently grooming the young man for his eventual destiny as a Sith Lord.

Palpatine has established himself over the course of three films as someone Anakin could trust. Anakin says in Revenge of the Sith that Palpatine has looked out for him since coming to Coruscant. That must have been reassuring to a boy who probably felt out of his element among strangers on a different planet. Anakin was probably impressed such an important man would have patted a young slave boy on the shoulder and express to him gratitude for his deeds. Anakin meets privately with Palpatine within the Supreme Chancellor's inner sanctum in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and again the former slave boy must have been impressed the most politically-powerful man in the galaxy continued to take a personal interest in him. Palpatine also gives Anakin a sympathetic, non-judgmental ear. It's most likely why Anakin shares the Tusken Raider incident with Palpatine. He knew Palpatine wouldn't condemn him and he knew Palpatine would never share this secret with the Jedi Council. Anakin's trust of course only goes so far. He doesn't reveal his marriage to Padmé until Palpatine brings it up first. But Anakin comes to trust Palpatine more than he trusts the Council, and for Palpatine that's good enough.

Palpatine establishes himself as a mentor to Anakin. In Attack of the Clones, Anakin credits Palpatine's guidance and in Revenge of the Sith, he describes Palpatine as a mentor as well as a friend. The Revenge of the Sith novelization infers that Palpatine informally taught Anakin the nature of politics. From the scenes in Palpatine's office and the scene in the opera house from Revenge of the Sith, it's quite clear Anakin looks up to Palpatine and respects his opinion. In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine uses his position as a mentor and the trust he's developed to test Anakin on whether he'll follow orders--first by ordering Anakin to kill Dooku and then by trying to get Anakin to leave Obi-Wan behind. Anakin's response in the latter scenario makes Palpatine realize that breaking the bond between Anakin and Obi-Wan is crucial to turning him to the Dark Side.

Palpatine seeks to fulfill Anakin's need for a father figure. Born without a biological father, Anakin has always sought a substitute older male to fill that role. As a boy, his only substitute father was Watto. Then he found a more suitable father figure in Qui-Gon Jinn, but the Jedi Master dies soon after their meeting. In Attack of the Clones, Anakin looked to Obi-Wan as that father figure but as Anakin reaches full knighthood and he becomes a peer with Obi-Wan during the Clone Wars, they become more like brothers than father and son. It bears noting that Anakin and Obi-Wan can't be more than 15 years apart. This leaves it wide open for Palpatine to exclusively claim the father figure role. He gives a paternal pat on Anakin's shoulder and calls him "son." Most importantly, he offers Anakin support and advice but is never stern, as Obi-Wan was with Anakin in Attack of the Clones. He embodies what Anakin has always sought in a father: wisdom, guidance, gentleness, and a friendly ear without a word of criticism.

Palpatine also offers Anakin something the Jedi do not: permission to give in to his emotions. Anakin has long been driven by his passions, whether it's his love for Padmé, loyalty to his friends, or hatred for his enemies. Killing the Tusken Raiders would have resulted in Anakin being expelled from the Order. He knew his actions were wrong, as was executing a literally disarmed Count Dooku. But when Anakin expresses remorse for killing Dooku, Palpatine reassures him that his actions were not only natural, they were justified, using the Sand People incident as a reminder.

One of the most brilliant things Palpatine does is to increase the friction between Anakin and the Jedi Council. One can easily surmise from Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith that Anakin must have vented his frustrations with the Council to Palpatine on a number of occasions. On the one hand, Anakin is impatient and responds to Palpatine's ego-stroking, i.e. "I foresee you will become the most powerful Jedi, even more powerful than Master Yoda" or "they need you more than you know." On the other hand, Palpatine is aware of the Council's mistrust of the Chosen One, the fear of what the prophecy portends, and the Council's dislike of outside interference. So, he appoints Anakin to the Council himself, knowing full well what it would do to Anakin's sense of entitlement, knowing exactly how the Council would react, and knowing how it would subsequently wound Anakin's pride as well as damage Anakin's loyalty to the Order. Anakin's ego is bruised once more when the Council sends Obi-Wan to Utapau instead of Anakin.

Then Palpatine convinces Anakin there is moral equivalence between the Jedi and the Sith. Anakin confesses his faith in the Council is shaken and with every argument that the Jedi are selfless and compassionate, Palpatine responds that they are no different from the Sith and that the Jedi want power as much as the Sith do. "Evil is a point of view," Palpatine tells Anakin. He cleverly manipulates the political situation so that the idea of a Jedi coup for the sake of seizing power isn't far-fetched. Indeed, one can see why Anakin would honestly believe the Jedi wanted to rule the Republic; even under the Republic's law the Jedi Council takes control of the Senate if the Chancellor is forced from office.

Palpatine gives Anakin a sense of belonging and destiny, which again, the Jedi were never able to offer him. During the opera scene Palpatine implies Darth Plageuis manipulated the midichlorians to create Anakin and when Anakin cries in despair, "What have I done," Palpatine tells him he's fulfilling his destiny.

Nevertheless, this is all intended to ensure Anakin will have no second thoughts about betraying the Jedi. Even with the rift between him and and the Council, Anakin is still quite loyal to Obi-Wan. There is no indication Anakin isn't loyal to his fellow rank-and-file Jedi either. So, Palpatine needed to present a more compelling choice than between Jedi and Sith.

Instead, Anakin is forced to choose between the Jedi and Padmé. Palpatine tempts Anakin with the ability to cheat death with his story about Darth Plageuis. He tells Anakin this ability can only be accessed through the power of the Dark Side and cannot be learned from any Jedi. Because Anakin's visions show Padmé dying in childbirth, Anakin must choose quickly in order to save his pregnant wife, whom he loves above all else. "I can't live without her," he says as he pledges himself to Palpatine. Palpatine brings up Padmé's "certain death" and reminds Anakin before he goes to the Jedi Temple the Dark Side is the "power to save Padmé." Palpatine cleverly ties his own fate to Padmé's; the voice during the ruminations scene tells Anakin that if he should die, the knowledge to save Padmé dies with him.

Even with this choice, Anakin is still torn. Anakin knows the Sith are evil. Anakin wouldn't have considered himself a quisling like Count Dooku. So at first he attempts to have it both ways with his dilemma of choosing between the Jedi and the chance to save Padmé: assuage his conscience and reaffirm his loyalty to the Jedi by turning in Palpatine but ensure Palpatine remains alive, hoping to perhaps cut a deal with the Sith Lord to reveal the Dark Side's secret to immortality. Palpatine makes his biggest gamble when he reveals himself to Anakin. Anakin is angry that Palpatine had deceived him and learned about his marriage to Padmé even though he had chosen not to reveal it to Palpatine. Anakin could have killed him on the spot and his dreams of taking over the galaxy would have been over.

Nevertheless, Anakin needs to know how to save Padmé's life. When circumstances dictate that he cannot have it both ways, he chooses Padmé by choosing the Sith and starts down the path to darkness.

Anakin's attempt to interfere with the Council's arrest of Palpatine leads him to betray Mace Windu and act as an accomplice to his murder. "I need him!" he cries desperately before trying to stop the Jedi Master from killing Palpatine. It is at this moment that the severity of Anakin's actions sink in. Anakin realizes he can't go back now. He is an enemy of the Jedi, an accessory to murder, and all he has left are Padmé and his child. He then agrees to become Palpatine's apprentice.

However, as with all Faustian bargains, the devil wins and the man who sold him his soul loses everything. Anakin loses Padmé, his children, his friendship with Obi-Wan, his identity, his body, and his potential in the Force.

If Vader/Anakin was ever aware of Palpatine's lies and manipulations, he is also aware that Palpatine still gave him position and a measure of power in the Empire. Palpatine came to his rescue on Mustafar, gently touched his forehead, and saved his life. Obi-Wan left him to burn to death after humiliating him through a double castration: first by severing all of his natural limbs, then by taking away his lightsaber.

Palpatine's coup de grace however, is telling Vader he is responsible for the death of his wife. The Sith Lord beams with glee as Vader has a meltdown, knowing that Vader's guilt and self-hatred for causing his own failure to save his wife will keep him by Palpatine's side for years to come.