Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:
xhonzi said:
Just for arguments sake, would you agree that most of those are external factors, and somewhat are not the choice of the character in question... therefore making him a tragic victim rather than a powerful villain?
Right. And that's what was said in the OT... Vader was "seduced" by the dark side of the force.
That's the key word, I think. Seduced. Whenever I think of how Anakin's fall should have played out, I keep coming back to "he should have been Seduced by the Power of the Dark Side of the Force". And I would say that seduction is probably the most choice based of the different things you listed. When you are seduced, you usually receive different consequences than the ones you considered when making your choice... but it's less cheating than "oh noes! My robotic arm's AI overrode my own free choice and I never wanted to do those things!" Or, "I died, and a dark spirit resurrected me and now I'm EVIIIILLLL!"
Like Bilbo was seduced and ultimately addicted to and changed by the Ring (and Gollum too). It didn't have to be completely a choice.
I agree. It had to be something that would last for 20-30 years... and fleeting emotions and broken promises have a tendency to not work. Something that starts out as a choice, and then addicts or otherwise binds the person to it... that's what was required.
xhonzi said:
None of those (which I have seen/read) really present a fallen hero, right? Maybe some normal people gone bad... which is also a good thing, but still in something of a different class than what we'd expect from Star Wars. Or am I wrong?
I don't think the OT ever painted Anakin as a hero. Obiwan called him the "best starfighter in the galaxy, and a good friend." So he was a nice guy with first class skills. He didn't have to be "the chosen one", he could have just been one of the guys. And I never thought of his portrayal in the PT as being consistent with "a good friend". I always thought a better Anakin character would have been a nice, mild-mannered, kind, well-intentioned and highly skilled young man who unfortunately was also a little gullible and ended up being seduced by and ultimately controlled and changed by dark forces. That way, it would be scarier because it would show that anyone could end up on the dark side, if you're not careful.
One of the main purposes, in my opinion, of Anakin's fall to the dark side from an OT perspective is to give the threat that Luke might fall some real weight. Luke is a hero, but he is not above being tempted into the dark side. If Anakin is not a hero, then Luke is not as at much risk.
Other than that, I like your take on the well-intentioned but gullible and weak willed nature of his character.