From Anakin to Vader: The Rise and Fall of a Jedi in the Original Star Wars Trilogy

 

Growing up, I always felt like I was catching bits and pieces about Star Wars. It seemed like you either loved it or hated it. I never watched any of the movies, so I didn't understand the magic. Names like Yoda, Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi were everywhere, but did I even know who they were or which movies they came from? Not at all.

Well, I'm here to tell you that I'm only in the beginning stages of my Star Wars journey, and I've unlocked a whole new world.

Spoiler Alert: Please make sure to watch the movies before reading my blog, as there will be spoilers ahead. My boyfriend and I knew nothing about Star Wars going in. We followed the order recommended by his friend and Disney+, which helped us a lot, just like it did when we watched all the Marvel movies. (I can do a blog post ranking those if you're interested!)

First of all, we start off with a guy who knew Anakin. We didn't know who Anakin was, but we found out his name is Anakin Skywalker. We were like, "Okay, we've heard of Skywalker, but not this one." Still, we were going in blind. As the story unfolds, you start to realize, "Wait a minute, this is the backstory of an important person, but who?" You don't really know at first.

Then we get to the love story. Even from a young age, you can tell that Anakin had a soft spot for the senator, played by Natalie Portman. Later on, they actually get together and fall in love. But amidst all this, so many things are happening. There's a war brewing, Yoda warns us, and you get to see Anakin grow up.

Anakin was a slave, and when the Jedi come, they take him with them because they realize he's one of them. But as he grows up, you start to see that he's different. He doesn't follow all the rules and laws of the Jedi. There are a lot of things that happen to him that make him feel, which is something Jedi aren't supposed to do. One thing that could have prevented all of this was taking his mother with him. To become a Jedi, you basically leave everything behind. He left the one person he loved the most, and she loved him. They thought he would get over it, but he never did.

Now let's jump ahead to when he completely loses it, and we figure out, "Holy ****, we are seeing the backstory of Darth Vader!" It was one of those things where I did not see it coming. During the first and second movies, I told my boyfriend, "This could be the makings of a villain," but for some reason, I always thought he would snap out of it. By the middle of the third movie, it was clear he wasn't going to.

These three movies were so good. I wasn't expecting any of it to resonate with me or for me to like it. Darth Vader is going to be one of those villains I have a soft spot for—not condoning his actions, but understanding his journey. Keep in mind, I'm only on the third movie, but I feel for him. He grew up as a slave and always had it rough. Then some guy comes along saying, "Hey, you're special, you gotta come with us." His mother lets him go because she knows he's special. Every time he had a question or thought, it got shot down because they treated him like a kid. That built up resentment. And then, spoiler alert, to find out his mother is dying—it all came to a head.

Star Wars is something I'll pop in and out of to update you all on, but it's such a solid start. I give it a 9.5 out of

Bye and "May the Force Be With You"