When Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace first came out in 1999, many viewers were shocked at the humble beginnings of one of the most fearsome villains in the galaxy. While Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith went on to show Anakin Skywalker’s descent into the dark side, The Phantom Menace stood out as a more lighthearted adventure for lil’ Ani. Despite being born as a slave, Anakin always had aspirations to help other people. He eagerly volunteered himself to compete in the Boonta Eve Podrace to help Qui-Gon Jinn, without any thought of himself.
In The Phantom Menace, Anakin says he had a dream he became a Jedi and freed all of his friends and family from the Tatooine slave trade. This may have been one of Anakin’s first Force visions, as he did end up becoming a Jedi. Qui-Gon freed Anakin, but Qui-Gon failed to free the other slaves on Tatooine. It may seem like Anakin just so happened to be extremely lucky to be hand-picked for freedom by Qui-Gon, but the Jedi Master believed it was the Will of the Force that brought him and Anakin together, and that it wasn’t an accident.
Anakin Skywalker Became A Jedi - But Never Freed Tatooine's Slaves
Part of Anakin’s dream in The Phantom Menace came true; he became the Jedi he’d always wanted to be under Obi-Wan Kenobi. But at some point, he forgot his original ideals of saving his loved ones. At first, Anakin followed the Jedi Code’s rules about attachments to the letter, but in his lust for more power, he forgot about his mother and friends still suffering on Tatooine. There may have been a part of him in the beginning that told him his work as a Jedi peacekeeper would eventually reach his old family, but he failed to take action himself until his mother’s life was threatened.
Even when he returned to Tatooine in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, it was out of necessity to save his mother. He no longer had an interest in liberating Tatooine from slavery, but was merely giving in to his attachment to his mother, Shmi Skywalker. Even when meeting with his former owner who had caused him so much pain as a child, Anakin restrained himself from meting out justice to Watto. Either his restraint was due to his Jedi training, or he had begun to think of the slavery on Tatooine like everyone else: a business he need not interfere with.
To make things worse, the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie tosses Anakin’s dream of freeing the slaves out of the window. Toward the end of the film, Anakin holds a lightsaber to Jabba the Hutt’s throat due to a miscommunication about Ahsoka. Not only does Anakin allow Jabba—who runs the slave trade on Tatooine—to live, he actively helps save Jabba’s son. His actions after the 10-year gap between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones prove his indifference to the original dream that drove him to the Jedi in the first place.
As Darth Vader, Anakin Led An Army Of Slaves In Revenge Of The Sith
Throughout The Clone Wars, Anakin fought side by side with the 501st clone trooper legion. Unlike some other Jedi generals, Anakin genuinely seemed to bond with his troops and rarely asserted his status over them. He listened when they had ideas. But when Order 66 came, everything changed. Even if he took the time to convince them, Anakin knew his troops would never agree to slaughtering all the Jedi. However, upon execution of Order 66, he realized they would obey his every command. Whether he understood what was going on with their inhibitor chips was irrelevant to him; he now had the perfect army.
Because he willfully led the clones against their will, Anakin led an army of slaves during Order 66. With his Force-sensitivity, he knew the 501st were stripped of their freewill. Yet that didn’t stop him from forcibly leading them to do something unforgivable, something that would give many of them PTSD years after. He let many of them die during the Jedi Purge, knowing full well their last act would be a nightmare for them. When Obi-Wan Kenobi said Anakin had become the very thing he swore to destroy, he meant—in part—that Anakin had essentially become a slave driver himself.
Even after the Jedi Purge and Order 66, Anakin continued to order others around against their will as Darth Vader. He treated the Imperial officers under him much like a slave owner would. He tortured and discarded those who failed to please him. Like a slave owner, Vader used Force choke to keep Imperial officers in check through fear. As a child, he dreamed of eradicating the terrible system of slavery he was born into. As an adult, he used everything he’d learned as a child to create his own slave empire.
Leia Fulfilled Anakin's Dream When She Became The Huttslayer
Anakin never got to fulfill his dream of freeing the slaves on Tatooine. When he finally came to his senses and turned from the dark side, the only person he was able to save was his son. However, earlier in Return of the Jedi, his daughter ended up fulfilling Anakin’s original dream. When Leia choked Jabba the Hutt to death, she inadvertently ended the crime syndicate that had shackled her father decades before. Her motive may have been to get revenge on Jabba for taking away Han from her, but she may also have known how much pain and suffering the crime boss was causing on Tatooine.
The Mandalorian season 2 finale revealed that Bib Fortuna ended up taking over Jabba’s position as the Tatooine crime leader, meaning slavery likely still happened on Tatooine after the Hutt’s demise. But Leia’s actions paved the way for Boba Fett to take over and rule with honor and respect in The Book of Boba Fett. It was Leia who began the revolution on Tatooine. By killing Jabba, Leia ended his centuries-long rule. Many slaves were free from his pleasure-seeking empire, and many of Tatooine’s cities began to thrive without relying on slave trade or bounty hunting.
Though improbable, Anakin may have heard of Jabba’s demise before his own death. The Empire was extremely well-coordinated in gathering intel, and with the death of a big crime leader like Jabba, there’s no doubt the Imperials heard of it rather quickly. It’s possible Vader may have seen the report that Jabba was dead. In his final moments, he may have felt relief at the fact that Jabba’s tyrannical rule had finally come to an end. The second half of Anakin’s dream in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace became a reality, and because of both of his children, he was able to on in peace.
