Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie revisited the Clone Wars conflict, most of which was skipped during the prequels, followed by a TV show of the same name that would go for seven seasons. With dozens of episodes focused on Anakin and a total runtime far longer than any Star Wars movie, Clone Wars had all the necessary tools to improve not just Anakin but the Star Wars prequels as a whole.
When exactly George Lucas decided that Darth Vader would be Luke Skywalker’s father will forever remain a mystery, but the fact is that the Star Wars creator would go on to craft an entire saga based on Anakin Skywalker. The Star Wars original trilogy had told the stories of Anakin’s children; the Star Wars prequels revealed Anakin Skywalker’s background, and the idea was for the Star Wars sequels to tell the story of Anakin’s grandchildren. More than an iconic villain or the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker was Star Wars’ main character in the eyes of George Lucas.
That said, the Star Wars prequels struggled with making Anakin Skywalker a compelling character before he became Darth Vader. Some of the most criticized elements about Anakin in Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker was, but the result was a character that little resembled how Obi-Wan described Anakin in A New Hope. According to Obi-Wan, Anakin was “the best star pilot in the galaxy”, “a cunning warrior”, and “a good friend”. However, once the Star Wars prequels were released, any and all of those Anakin traits were truly highlighted. Anakin does not have many piloting sequences in the prequels, he does not have a particularly memorable fight until the very end of Revenge of the Sith, and his relationship with Obi-Wan was broken throughout most of Episodes II and III. Fortunately, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was able to focus on those three sides of Anakin – pilot, warrior, and friend –, thus justifying what Obi-Wan meant in A New Hope.
Clone Wars Shows Why Anakin Is The Best Star Pilot In The Galaxy
The very first Star Wars' Clone Wars, but that is more of a testimony of how he was willing to face any situation, regardless of the odds.
Clone Wars Features The Cunning Warrior Side Of Anakin
Outside of his two fights against Count Dooku and the “Battle of the Heroes” against Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker did not get to fight a lot in the Star Wars prequels. In Clone Wars, on the other hand, Anakin’s lightsaber skills were put to use in basically every episode he was in. In addition to the countless battle droids the Jedi faced throughout the Clone Wars, Anakin got to fight Asajj Ventres, Savage Opress, and Count Dooku several times – not to mention pirates, alien creatures like the Zillo beast, deadly bounty hunters like Cad Bane, Mandalorians, and even god-like creatures like the Gods of Mortis.
During the Clone Wars, Anakin became known as one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy – one that could be compared to Yoda and Mace Windu. Revenge of the Sith wants the audience to assume how powerful Anakin has become, but it is Clone Wars that does the hard work of showing Anakin’s growth as a fighter. Compared to Revenge of the Sith Anakin, the Clone Wars Anakin had a much more significant track of lightsaber battles and even hand-to-hand fights.
Clone Wars Anakin Is The “Good Friend” Obi-Wan Recalls
Revenge of the Sith also wants the audience to assume that Obi-Wan and Anakin are best friends, brothers even, but once again it was up to Clone Wars to actually show how that bond was created. Anakin had trained under Obi-Wan for 10 years by the time the Clone Wars started, but the Clone Wars show manage to display what that brotherhood between the two characters felt like on the battlefield. Anakin and Obi-Wan went through many adventures together in Clone Wars, from fighting magically-enhanced Sith apprentices to challenging Force gods. Anakin and Obi-Wan always had each other back during this time, and while the duo was not always on the same page, their relationship was mostly friendly throughout the entire show. In Clone Wars, Anakin was not resentful of Obi-Wan as he was in the movies, nor blamed his master for his problems. In other words, in Clone Wars, Anakin was the true “good friend” Obi-Wan recalls in A New Hope.
Why Clone Wars Anakin Is The Definite Anakin
The fact elements of the eventual Star Wars villain's story are more reflected in Clone Wars Anakin compared to the movie version of Anakin establishes him as the better version of the character, especially in of character development. Attack of the Clones Anakin was supposed to be more immature and petulant, but Revenge of the Sith wasted a great opportunity to show what Anakin Skywalker Obi-Wan describes in A New Hope. The problem with the Star Wars prequels’ Anakin story is that it jumped from the immature Attack of the Clones Anakin to the “almost Darth Vader” Anakin in Revenge of the Sith, with no middle ground to better establish who Anakin Skywalker really was.
That is why Clone Wars managed to improve Anakin so much. The animated series was set precisely between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith and thus followed Anakin Skywalker at the high of his power and balance. Obviously, Star Wars: The Clone Wars did not exist when A New Hope was written, but the show now adds a lot more background to how Obi-Wan Kenobi re Anakin Skywalker.
