matril

Alas, the images from the last post are no longer showing up. This is vexing.

I'll keep looking for solutions. Meanwhile, let's explore the pivotal moment of Anakin's fall. It takes place with the backdrop of a spectacular duel between a Jedi Master and a Sith, but in truth, it's really a show that Palpatine is putting on to manipulate Anakin. Is he actually on the verge of defeat when Anakin shows up? I doubt it. He just wants to create the image of being helplessly persecuted by the heartless Jedi Council.

Like so.

So rather than focus on the constructed images Palpatine is creating, we'll look at how Anakin reacts. He says very little during this time, but his face speaks volumes. Even during his desperate flight toward the Senate building, his shadowed face tells us of his tormented inner conflict.

Light and darkness.

He sees a vengeful Mace prepare to execute an unarmed man, and it's just like that moment with Dooku, except a Jedi Master is supposed to do better, to follow the Code. Anakin is extremely troubled.

A moment of unthinking outrage, and suddenly Anakin has become an accomplice in the murder of a Jedi Master.

The horror begins to sink in.

What have I done?. He sees a point of no return. How could the Council possibly forgive him after this? There is no redemption, no absolution.

Now the tables have turned. The Sith towers over the fallen Jedi.

Shot after shot of Anakin's anguished face. There is no triumph here, no exulting in evil. That will come later, when the Dark Side has deepened its awful influence. Now, he only mourns and looks at Palpatine like a dying man pleading for a lifeline. Or perhaps an addict needing a fix.

One of Lucas's motives in making the prequels was to dispel the notion that Vader was "cool" in his villainy. He wanted to emphasize how very pathetic he truly is, a man who lost everything and lives in lonely misery. This scene brutally establishes the bleak, pointless tragedy of his fall.

Next time, the tragedy spreads across the galaxy...