Even though he was one of the most powerful Jedi in Star Wars, the leading Jedi never liked the idea of Anakin Skywalker being on the Jedi Council. Anakin Skywalker joined the Jedi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace at the behest of Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn, but making him a Jedi Master was where they drew the line. When he was brought before the council, led mainly by Yoda and Mace Windu, they denied his training.
It was a decision that seemed to be in defiance of his skills and his prowess as a Jedi. Anakin was trained as a Jedi by Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, but it was against the council’s will and Anakin was never fully accepted into their ranks. He was always watched closely by the Jedi Masters. Still, Anakin proved himself time and again during the Clone Wars, and showed expert control of the Force, so why did the Jedi Council never invite Anakin to become a master and join the Jedi Council?
The reason is that they saw something in his character that disturbed them. For starters, Jedi begin their training at a very young age. Anakin was already too old to begin Jedi training as he was not brought to the order until he was nine years old. He had already formed a strong attachment to his mother, and attachment is forbidden among the monk-like Jedi. The council saw this maternal bond and felt it would lead Anakin to create new relationships to replace the one he had lost. Worldly attachments had already been ingrained in his worldview. And the Jedi Council was right in assuming attachments would affect him. Ultimately, Anakin Skywalker’s love for Padme Amidala was used against him and was essential in his becoming Darth Vader.
Anakin also harbored a lot of negative emotions before joining the Jedi. He was raised on Tatooine as a slave, and Anakin understood that he was not free to make his own choices or follow his dreams. The Jedi council sensed that resentment in Anakin, even as a child, and that his anger was deep-seeded and would only continue to grow. Anger is fuel for the dark side, and the council’s fears first came to fruition in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones when Anakin returned to Tatooine and slaughters a whole tribe of Tusken Raiders in revenge.
The Jedi Council was made up of twelve members and each of them had known no life outside the order. Whether it was correct or not, they thrived on tradition and dogma that had successfully guided the order for generations. Adding Anakin to the council would have broken those traditions and invited ideas that challenged the Jedi way. Because of his inability to let go of worldly attachments or his anger, Anakin was never fully trusted by the council. Had Anakin existed in another time, perhaps the High Republic, or been trained at a younger age, he may have been invited to the council as a true Jedi Master. But as it was, the council was not ready to change, something Palpatine knew when he placed Anakin in their midst in Revenge Of The Sith, using the dogmatic views of the Jedi and the unrestrained anger in Anakin to shatter the Jedi Order.
From the very beginning of his life, Anakin Skywalker was destined to become Darth Vader in Star Wars. Qui-Gon Jinn refused to see this truth because of his deep belief in the ancient Jedi prophecy. Obi-Wan only trained him out of respect for his fallen master, and Yoda and Mace Windu could feel the touch of the dark side in him from the very beginning. Even his parentage, supposedly a vergence in the Force, made the Jedi Council question Anakin's character. That alone kept him from becoming a true master in their eyes, much less a respected member of the Jedi Council.
