Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader still gets criticized for one seemingly immature outburst in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, 20 years after that movie was released, but I’ve only just realized he was completely in the right. Anakin/Vader is one of Star Wars’ best characters, but he’s also among the most mocked.
In fact, one of the biggest complaints about the prequel trilogy is the dialogue, Anakin Skywalker’s in particular. There’s no denying that some of the lines in the prequel movies are a bit heavy-handed, but in many cases, there’s good reason for Anakin to be making outlandish declarations—he’s falling to the dark side, after all.
One especially well-known Anakin Skywalker line in Revenge of the Sith is ridiculed for being little more than a temper tantrum, but upon closer look, Anakin was right to be upset, and his ‘tantrum’ was actually completely valid.
Why Anakin Was Really So Angry About Not Being A Master
Anakin has long been teased for getting upset that he wasn’t granted the rank of master when he was put on the Jedi Council in Revenge of the Sith. In fact, Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen himself has made jokes about this scene. Clearly, there’s humor to be found here, but there’s validity to Anakin’s reaction as well.
Anakin’s specific response was, “How can you do this? This is outrageous. It’s unfair. How can you be on the Council and not be a Master?” It’s easy to see why this continues to be perceived as whining (which wouldn’t exactly be out of character for Anakin, especially compared to Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones).
However, Anakin had a point about the injustice in what the Jedi were asking of him. That is, Anakin was being asked to take on all the responsibilities of being a Jedi Council member without getting any of the recognition or the title. Sure, that may reflect a level of pride that isn’t befitting a Jedi, but it’s true nevertheless.
Anakin’s response also reflects a larger issue with what the Jedi were asking. If Anakin wasn’t ready for the rank of master (and he wasn’t), then he wasn’t ready to be on the Jedi Council, either. The Council allowed him on to serve their own ends—spying on Palpatine—and he wasn’t wrong for feeling used and disrespected.
Darth Vader Was Still Mad About It 20 Years Later
While I therefore believe Anakin had some right to be frustrated with the Council, it is funny to realize how long Anakin may have held onto this resentment. Much has been said of Darth Vader’s A New Hope line, “When I left you, I was but the learner. Now, I am the master.”
Read in light of this Revenge of the Sith scene, though, this is simply Vader having a chip on his shoulder. Evidently, Anakin was still holding onto anger about this slight, even 20 years after it happened.
Worse still, Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t give Vader what he’s looking for and instead tells him, “Only a master of evil, Darth.” Again, read with this Revenge of the Sith scene in mind, it seems like Obi-Wan is reinforcing that Anakin/Vader never did reach the rank of a true Jedi Master.
Of course, Revenge of the Sith was created long after A New Hope, so this would be a retcon at best. Given what we know about Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, though, it doesn’t seem out of the question that he really would still be harboring resentment about this one event in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
