Even though the Star Wars prequels were a mess, they did give Darth Vader a complex and difficult background. His life as Anakin Skywalker was filled with great joy, beloved relationships, and terrible tragedy. He made wrong choices that all helped turn him into the evil Sith Lord he became.
However, it's hard for fans not to try to envision what kind of person Anakin could have been if he hadn't lost himself to darkness. Particularly, when it became to his children, Luke and Leia. Fan favorites themselves, what would their lives have looked like if Anakin hadn't been corrupted?Here are 5 reasons Anakin could've been a great dad (and 5 reasons he wasn't).
Love For His Family (Could've)
As the son of a single mom, Anakin always had a very deep bond with family. He was absolutely dedicated to his mother and loved her with everything he had. Most padawans are taken younger, so they don't have as deep a connection as Ani did. That contributed to his emotional problems, but as a father? He would have always loved his children with his whole heart. He remembered what it was like to be close to his mother, and would have wanted that for his own kids.
Ignoring the Jedi and darkness causing him conflict, the family would've meant so much to Anakin. Leia's middle name also definitely would've been Shmi.
Paranoia About Loved Ones (Wasn't)
Anakin had every right to be upset about his nightmares of Padme's live ending. That's an upsetting thing for any wife and expecting father.
However, becoming threatening and turning into a violent ball of paranoia is not a healthy way to respond. It culminated in literally choking her and trying to chop his best friend in half. That's just not a great thing, folks.
Even if he hadn't gone that far, it's clear Anakin copes very poorly with worrying about loved ones. To think of him worrying about kids? He'd lose his mind and possibly do something awful and traumatic to them. Yikes.
Adaptive Thinker (Could've)
One of Anakin's greatest strengths as a Jedi was his ability to adapt to any situation. Sure, he was stubborn, but faced with a plan going completely haywire? He excelled at figuring out how to make things work. Few Jedi salvaged nearly as many so=called failed missions as Anakin did.
As a parent, that's an important skill. Kids can throw anything at a parent and Anakin's personality style would fit great with that. He would be ready for any wild thing Luke and Leia did.
He might grumble about it, but he would roll with every punch.
Thought Of Himself First (Wasn't)
Even though Anakin did love people dearly and deeply, he still put his thoughts and feelings first. He chose his fears about Padme over her own insistence she was okay and he needed to focus on his own moods. His constant decision to react to his own fluctuating emotions over thinking them through caused him and his loved ones a lot of pain. It even leads to his beloved wife passing away, threatening her instead of talking.
Not only is that why Anakin turned into a Dark Lord instead of a father, but even if he was one, it would spell doom. Kids aren't there to cater to your wants and feelings. Anakin would have greatly struggled with that.
Knowledge of The Force (Could've)
The Star Wars universe has made it clear that force abilities are very hereditary. In that case, Anakin was always bound to have some really powerful children.
Even though attachments are frowned upon in the Jedi, having a father capable of guiding his children in the force? Especially from a young age? That would have been very powerful. Moreover, it would have meant that, even if he and Padme ran away together, he could have been a pretty decent teacher to his own kids. After all, he was one of the most powerful Jedi.
With his strength in the Force, he could have imparted some great wisdom onto his children.
His Theoretical Dedication To The Jedi Order (Wasn't)
If Anakin didn't turn to darkness, and if the Jedi Order survived Palpatine, there was still one huge obstacle in the way of his happy family: The Jedi Order. Anakin still broke their rules on attachment in every possible sense. He fell in love, married, and had kids. That's a royal flush of attachments.
The Skywalker family would have had to abandon their lives to the other side of the galaxy to be whole. If not, he probably couldn't be a real father to his children for years. After all, it's hard to convince a toddler not to call his father "daddy" in public just because he was a Jedi Master.
Either he would've had to leave everything behind or leave his kids behind.
Protected His Loved Ones At All Costs (Could've)
Even though it is hardly the Jedi way, Anakin always was willing to pay great prices to protect his loved ones. Anakin slew an entire village of Tusken Raiders to avenge his mother. He hurt countless people to protect Padme. In the end, he turned to darkness to try to save her and their burgeoning family.
Tough his willingness to turn to violence spoke to the darkness in him, it would make him a much more powerful father if he survived those temptations. He would have gone above and beyond to give his children their best lives.
That's what parenting is all about. Anakin had many flaws, but his great capacity to love was not one of them.
Mistrust Of Their Mother (Wasn't)
During the time Anakin started panicking about Padme, he also started mistrusting her. He started to treat her like a belligerent china doll, one he kept telling to go back in the cabinet. But since she was a person and an autonomous woman, she wouldn't.
The man eventually convinced himself that choking his wife was a good idea because she was confiding in their mutual friend.
While he could've pivoted away from the darkness, the way he treated Padme would've caused a rift between them that he might never have been fixed. If he couldn't trust her with existing, how would he deal with two (probably very rebellious) kids?
Understood The Temptation Of The Dark Side (Could've)
There were so many Jedi that dealt with the temptation of darkness, but few talked about it and honestly helped their fellow Jedi with it. It was talked about like a disease, not a natural part of being a force-user. No wonder people like Quinlan Vos ended up turning from the Order.
If Anakin had survived his temptation, his openness with his feelings could have made him an understanding parent when it came to those struggles. He could have told his children how hard it can be, balancing serenity, order, and the emotions that drive people.
He could have raised his kids into wise, powerful Jedi with a more nuanced view of the darkness within.
Turned To The Dark Side (Wasn't)
At the end of the day, Anakin Skywalker ruined all shots of having a real bond with his family when he turned from the light and became Darth Vader. Not only did that include cutting down a bunch of innocent people, but also the execution of younglings, like his future children, would have been.
He lost his way at this point in his life, which destroyed his marriage, his wife, and lost him his children (almost) forever. He only got to have a minuscule bond with Luke at the end, before he passed away.
Anakin Skywalker will always be a tragic figure, but in the end, it was always his fault for using his dark feelings for evil.