George Lucas himself has described Star Wars as the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, and as the productions continued, this definition has become increasingly accurate. When Darth Vader first appeared in A New Hope, no one knew he was Anakin Skywalker. However, the revelation of this secret in The Empire Strikes Back marked a moment that changed Hollywood history and added an entirely new dimension to Anakin's story. He was certainly a villain, but this explanation has given his narrative a completely different meaning.

The prequel trilogy has made this story even more intriguing. Starting from The Phantom Menace, Anakin's difficult childhood as a slave on Tatooine and how much he missed his mother when he left to become a Jedi are depicted. Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, along with the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, reveal the struggles and pain he faced in his early life. This additional context reinforces the idea that Anakin's story is truly tragic.

However, there is a detail that tells the true tragedy of Anakin's story, and it is often overlooked: He lived under the control of a master at almost every moment of his life. Born into slavery on Tatooine, he was later sold by Watto along with his mother, Shmi Skywalker. Although he was freed by Qui-Gon Jinn, this freedom was based on the promise that he would become a Jedi Padawan. After Qui-Gon's death in The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi becomes his Jedi Master. While not a master like Watto, he is still another person controlling Anakin's life.

Anakin becomes a Jedi Knight between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but he still calls Obi-Wan “master” and feels this dynamic. Later, in the middle of Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine/Darth Sidious becomes a new master for him, and this time a control similar to Watto begins. The only moment in Anakin's entire life when he was truly free is when he dies in Luke's arms after killing Palpatine to save Luke. This is a horrifying truth that shows how restrictive, controlled, and painful Anakin's life was.

This reality does not completely absolve Anakin of his wrongdoings. Ahsoka's departure from the Jedi Order showed Anakin that there was another path, and that his turn to the dark side or the necessity to kill Jedi—especially younglings—was not inevitable. Nevertheless, this detail should make Anakin a more sympathetic character for the audience. Anakin's life has never been easy, even while being trained as a Jedi. From the moment he arrived on Coruscant, he was seen as a threat and an outsider, and he knew that the Jedi Council initially rejected him. Moreover, he experienced the painful loss of his mother.