Last weekend, Star Wars fans were able to rediscover Revenge of the Sith in theaters, where the film broke an impressive record. In this darker-than-the-other installment, George Lucas explores Anakin Skywalker's shift to the dark side of the Force, as he becomes Darth Sidious' disciple and betrays the Jedi. A turning point in the character's narrative arc that could have been even more tragic...
George Lucas's initial plan for Anakin Skywalker
Revenge of the Sith is a grandiose, epic, dark, tortured, and uncompromising space opera, where the anthology sequences follow one another at a frenetic pace. Those of you who were lucky enough to see the film again last weekend in theaters will have noticed how well it has aged. The 2005 special effects are still as effective as ever, the story is timeless, and the acting is convincing. Yet, as with every other installment in the saga, George Lucas initially had other ideas for his story. While here, Anakin Skywalker is manipulated by a cunning, venomous Emperor Palpatine, who exploits his fear and anger to lead him to betray the Jedi, the director initially considered the possibility that he would have a much more active role in this conversion to the dark side of the Force. As reported by our colleagues at Comicbook.com, the creator of Star Wars had painted a much worse portrait of "the Chosen One" to the director of Return of the Jedi in 1981. At that time, George Lucas had imagined a sinister scenario about Anakin Skywalker's transition into Darth Vader...
Anakin Skywalker VS the Jedi Order
Revenge Of The Sith (2005) pic.twitter.com/Pbk1cG1QIM
— Darth Thunder (@XDarthThunderX) April 17, 2025
This version of Anakin Skywalker saw him, under the guise of a noble Jedi Knight, betraying his "friends" and "allies" by stealthily killing them one by one, exploiting their trust in him. In Revenge of the Sith, he commits atrocities, including the Temple Massacre (which could have been worse), and it is his fear of losing his wife Padmé, his sense of injustice stemming from his relationship with the hierarchy, and his remorse for his mother that pushes him to the dark side. He is more of a victim than an operational agent of Evil, even in chapters 4, 5, and 6, where he obeys Palpatine rather than overthrowing him and ruling the galaxy himself.
Revenge of the Sith (2005) pic.twitter.com/zoIT6MCbjz
— Vader's Order (@VadersOrder) April 25, 2025
Now, in this In George Lucas's version, Anakin Skywalker's anger at what he imagines to be rejection and contempt from the Jedi, even betrayal, becomes the driving force behind a bloody vendetta:
On his missions across the galaxy, Anakin goes off to do his Jedi business and many Jedi are killed -and that's because they turned their backs on him and he shot them.
An "Alternate Version" of Order 66
Revenge of the Sith (2005) pic.twitter.com/QmymXPKZb5
— Vader's Order (@VadersOrder) April 18, 2025
From what the creator of Star Wars describes, what he had imagined several years ago concerning the origins of his character was therefore a long, discreet campaign of destruction of the Jedi Order from within. In the end, it is the infamous Order 66, given by Palpatine to his clone army, which sounds the end of the Jedi. And fortunately, one would be tempted to say, because this version of Anakin working consciously, coldly, for the destruction of his peers, and not in a moment of blind rage, has nothing to do with the morally ambiguous one that we know. But it is precisely because the young man hesitates, constantly torn between his loyalty to the Jedi and to Obi-Wan Kenobi, influenced by his tortured past and his fears for the future, that he is so interesting and so endearing.
And you, what do you think of this first version?
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