With his stunning performance in the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries, Hayden Christensen proved that he was just as perfectly cast in the role of Darth Vader as the infamous Sith Lord’s former Jedi identity, Anakin Skywalker.
After Attack of the Clones introduced a mystery storyline surrounding the origins of the Grand Army of the Republic, George Lucas scrapped that plot thread so he could refocus on the reason he made a Star Wars prequel trilogy in the first place. Revenge of the Sith completed Anakin’s journey to the dark side and ended with his transformation into Vader.
When He Executed Count Dooku
In the opening set-piece of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin and Obi-Wan infiltrate the Separatist mothership to free a supposedly kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine. Unbeknownst to them, the whole thing has been set up by Palpatine himself. After an intense lightsaber duel, Anakin gets Palpatine’s apparent captor – Count Dooku, Darth Sidious’ current apprentice – down on his knees, ready to surrender.
Much to Dooku’s horror, Palpatine encourages Anakin to kill him. Against his better judgment, Anakin decapitates Dooku, thus beginning his path away from the Jedi teachings.
When He Had Visions Of Padmé’s Death
After defeating Dooku, Anakin returns to his secret wife on Coruscant. Padmé bears the joyous news that she’s pregnant. At first, Anakin is thrilled about becoming a father. But shortly thereafter, his irrepressible anxiety starts to rear its head.
He suffers from visions in which Padmé dies in childbirth and becomes obsessed with gaining the power to protect her from death – even if that means turning to the dark side.
When He Was Denied The Rank Of Master
Suspecting that the Chancellor has something nefarious up his sleeve, Mace Windu is wary when Palpatine appoints Anakin to the Jedi Council. Windu allows Anakin to join the Council, but refuses to let him become a Jedi Master.
Anakin launches into an angry tirade after being denied the rank of Master: “This is outrageous! It’s unfair!” Anakin feels underappreciated by the Jedi, which is a large part of why he ends up abandoning them in favor of the Sith.
When Palpatine Told Him “The Tragedy Of Darth Plagueis The Wise”
When Anakin meets Palpatine at the bubble opera, the would-be Emperor manipulates his biggest fear – being unable to save Padmé – to turn him to the dark side. He tells Anakin “the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise,” implied to be Palpatine’s own master, who learned how to save others from death before being killed by his padawan.
This is Palpatine’s indirect way of telling Anakin that he can save Padmé from dying if he renounces the Jedi and joins the Sith.
When He Killed Mace Windu
When Palpatine first reveals to Anakin that he’s a Sith Lord, Anakin goes straight to Windu and reports him. However, when Windu confronts Palpatine, Palpatine launches himself across the room and eviscerates Windu’s backup.
Windu manages to overpower Palpatine, but then Anakin shows up and has to choose between aiding Windu and reaffirming his allegiance to the Jedi and saving Palpatine and turning to the dark side. Ultimately, Anakin goes with option B and allows Windu to fall to his death.
When Palpatine Accepted Anakin As His New Apprentice
After saving Palpatine from Windu, Anakin kneels before his new master. Palpatine appoints him to the Sith and gives him his own fancy Sith Lord name: Darth Vader.
This is the first of many decisions that Palpatine is going to make for Anakin before he finally snaps. The next decision that Anakin makes for himself, years later, will be the decision to kill his Sith overlord to save his long-lost son.
When He Slaughtered The Jedi Younglings
When the cat’s out of the bag and Palpatine’s true identity has been revealed, it’s time to execute Order 66. The clones across the galaxy turn on the Jedi Knights they were assigned to protect, while Anakin goes to the Jedi Temple to slaughter the younglings.
If audiences aren’t wholly convinced that Anakin has turned to the dark side when he accepts Palpatine as his new master, they’re certainly convinced after he slashes his way through a room full of frightened children.
When He Confronted Obi-Wan On Mustafar
If Obi-Wan wasn’t preoccupied chasing General Grievous to Utapau, he might’ve been able to save Anakin from joining the Sith. Unfortunately, by the time he hears that Anakin has turned to the dark side, his troubled padawan is too far gone.
Anakin’s climactic showdown with Obi-Wan on Mustafar is one of the most emotionally charged sequences in the whole saga. Obi-Wan leaves Anakin for dead in a lava bank, but he doesn’t quite kill him, allowing for the rise of Darth Vader.
When He Was Encased In The Armor
After Obi-Wan leaves him for dead, Palpatine finds the remains of Anakin and brings him back to a medical bay to be encased in a cybernetic suit of armor.
This armor is instantly recognizable to Star Wars fans who last saw it being removed to signify Vader’s redemption in Return of the Jedi. There’s a haunting look of terror in Anakin’s eyes as the mask is lowered onto his face, turning him from a man into a machine.
When Palpatine Lied About Padmé’s Fate
When Anakin awakens in a medical bay, with his burns being treated by droids, the first thing he asks is whether or not Padmé is all right. Palpatine tells a well-timed lie to corrode the last shred of Anakin’s humanity.
After Palpatine tells Anakin, “It seems, in your anger, you killed her,” Anakin completes his transformation into Vader and dedicates himself wholeheartedly to doing the Emperor’s bidding.