For me, looking at whether the good guys or the bad guys are the main characters is the wrong way of looking at it.
I don’t understand how else to look at it if you’re going to discuss structure, theme, and narrative intent. That’s the bones of the story. The scaffolding. It’s the way you build a story so that the meaning comes through loud and clear. If this is a conversation about those sorts of things (and I was under the impression it absolutely was) then you HAVE to look at it that way, don’t you? What’s the alternative? Even fairy tales have to be created by someone who wants to figure out how best to effectively communicate the idea they want to get across. The ideas don’t just happen accidentally.
Well, the question is if we’re talking simply about the mechanics of storytelling or if we’re talking about whether it’s acceptable to have a protagonist who might also be a “bad guy.” You seem to take exception with the fact that Anakin is the main character in the PT, so that’s where I’m coming from.
I’m going to disengage at this point, sorry. But again, thank you for spending the time and being fair and patient about it.
Fair enough.