Is Anakin Skywalker a Pathetic Monster?

[Covenant]

Anakin wanted to leave the Order by one point. The only thing keeping him in it was the promise of saving Padme. There was actually something in the novelization about Anakin considering getting Obi-Wan to help him, I think. I don't have it on me, though, so I'm not sure. Regardless, Anakin's conversation with Yoda convinced him that the Jedi would be useless in helping Padme. If he confessed his relationship it was entirely possible they would kick him out on the spot and then not help him anyway.

I hadn't ever read the Novelization, and what you're quoting makes Anakin's reasons for things much more understandable and appropriate. A vast improvement on the movie portrayl. I'll say that the book version seems like an emotionally flawed, extremely reluctant Jedi but less of the power mongering teen whiner of the movie. In the novelization, I'd say his reasons were more tragic, and not pathetic.

[Cos Dashit]

This is black and white; or rather Dark and Light. Padme expunges his Jedi qualities and makes him do irrational, irresponsible, un-Jedi like things. Although he is neither 'weak' nor 'pitiful', he is rather pathetic when it comes to mainting discipline.

Excuse me? In ROTS Anakin tells Mace that Palpatine - who has been his friend, father-figure and mentor for thirteen years -is the Sith-Lord almost the moment he learns about the Chancellor's secret identity.

You didn't see his indecision? When he drew his blade on Palpatine, "I should kill you." Instead he informs Mace, then because of his internal struggle he goes back to convince Mace not to kill him, and ends up helping Palps out. He is pacing while Mace is on the way.

[Solauren]

Look at Anakin's choice when he's confronted with Palpatine being Sidious

He can either

A) - Side with him, and become the 2nd moster powerful man in the Galaxy. (And in his mind, end up with his wife and child safe and healthy by his side)

B) - Turn Palpatine in
If Padme survives, and he gets booted out of the Jedi order. They end up living in exile on Naboo (in other words, he's back where he started in life, except it's green instead of brown). Oh, and if his kids are force sensitives, on the run to hide them, or they get taken away.

If Padme dies, he may still get booted out, and end up in exile as a fallen war hero somewhere else, sans his family.

What choice did he have really?

Palpatine put him in an awkward position. The only seasable choice he had really was side with Palpatine.

[Aquatain]

Yeah he's a psyco alright, he slaughtered a whole settlement of sandpeople even the women and children in a fit of rage, Padme is somewhat unbalanced as well since she dosen't seem to care about Anakin doing this.

And don't give me the gibberish about "people thinking about Sandpeople as nothing more than animals" - even if that was true the normal responce to a person who just ran amok in a kennel of dogs killing everything alive is - "you're fucking nuts boy".

[Sarevok]

As much as I like to believe in Anakin as a legendary Jedi knight the films do a poor job of portraying him as such. When he stormed the Jedi temple the film did not a show a fierce Anakin cutting down his fellow Jedi left and right and cementing his reputation as the destroyer of Jedi knights. Instead he is shown killing children while the Jedi knights; supposedly the deadliest warriors in the galaxy; are gunned down by clonetroopers.

As a Jedi prior to his fall Anakin did not display much greatness either. Obiwan in the original trilogy told Luke that his father was a cunning warrior. Well it has been pretty much established that Anakin is a dimwit who let others manipulate him. He did not even live upto his reputation as the greatest starfighter pilot in the galaxy. All he did was dodge a missile or two and fight stupid buzz droids. So while the EU may have given a better description of Anakin the films unfortunately failed to portray him properly. He is indeed pathetic in the movies.

[Cos Dashit]

As much as I like to believe in Anakin as a legendary Jedi knight the films do a poor job of portraying him as such. When he stormed the Jedi temple the film did not a show a fierce Anakin cutting down his fellow Jedi left and right and cementing his reputation as the destroyer of Jedi knights. Instead he is shown killing children while the Jedi knights; supposedly the deadliest warriors in the galaxy; are gunned down by clonetroopers.

The novel and the EU put forth the parts that the movie didn't; i.e. Anakin killing the Knights as well as the Younglings, and Clones were having a rough time killing all the Knights in the Temple, the film just didn't show it.

[Adrian Laguna]

As a Jedi prior to his fall Anakin did not display much greatness either. Obiwan in the original trilogy told Luke that his father was a cunning warrior. Well it has been pretty much established that Anakin is a dimwit who let others manipulate him. He did not even live upto his reputation as the greatest starfighter pilot in the galaxy. All he did was dodge a missile or two and fight stupid buzz droids. So while the EU may have given a better description of Anakin the films unfortunately failed to portray him properly. He is indeed pathetic in the movies.

Watch Star Wars Clone Wars. Anakin kicks ass, lots of it.

[Sarevok]

I know. I watched the Clone Wars. I just wish we had seen that level of ass kicking in the films. Maybe not some of the over the top stuff but Clonewars was generaly better at depicting the fighting going on then the filns.

[Havok]

I know. I watched the Clone Wars. I just wish we had seen that level of ass kicking in the films. Maybe not some of the over the top stuff but Clonewars was generaly better at depicting the fighting going on then the filns.

Isn't that part of the reason Lucas ok'ed the cartoons, because he knew that he couldn't show the "cool stuff" due to time and story constraints?

[Cykeisme]

I know. I watched the Clone Wars. I just wish we had seen that level of ass kicking in the films. Maybe not some of the over the top stuff but Clonewars was generaly better at depicting the fighting going on then the filns.

Your argument is that Anakin is pathetic because he isn't seen kicking (that much) ass in the films, even though he kicks ass in the official Expanded Universe novels, comics and animated series? So this is essentially a canonicity issue here..