Summary
OneStar Wars: The Acolyteinterview slip-up has raised some fun questions about whatStar Warscould have looked like had it beenAnakin Skywalkerwho blew up the Death Star rather than Luke.The Acolyteis the newest ofStar Wars’upcoming TV shows, and the cast and crew have given a number of interviews in advance of the show’s June 4th release date. In one such interview,TheAcolyteactor Charlie Barnett misspoke, saying that Anakin had blown up the Death Star inA New Hope.
While this was almost certainly just a slip-up, it nevertheless offers a fun thought experiment about what could have been inStar Warsmovies and TV showsif it had instead been Anakin who took down the giant weapon. While Luke may have been Anakin’s son, the two really couldn’t have been more different in disposition. Whereas Luke was calm, thoughtful, and compassionate, Anakin was reckless, fiery, and a bit conceited. Despite both coming fromthe Skywalker family tree,Anakin Skywalker’s destruction of the Death Star would have looked very different(but may have been more fun to watch).
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Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Anakin wouldn’t have gone into his attack on the Death Star with any real plan. ThroughoutStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Anakin made it clear that his battle strategy included running head-first into battle, taking down as many droids as possible, and trusting that he could defeat any enemy he encountered. Often, this served him well, as he was one of the Republic’s best fighters. Presumably, this would have applied to his attack on the Death Star as well.
Perhaps because Anakin was the Chosen One, he had an incredible ability to have things go his way. InThe Clone Wars, he once went so far as to walk across an open battlefield with blaster bolts zipping past him, yet he was unharmed. Even Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was well-versed in Anakin’s devil-may-care approach to danger, was shocked that he would be so brazen. However,even when Anakin was so reckless, he tended to win.
Obi-Wan and Anakin’sClone Warsdynamic also suggests that, even if others (including superiors) had a plan to destroy the Death Star, Anakin wouldn’t have followed it. This was the bane of Obi-Wan’s existence even before the Clone Wars, as Anakin could be unpredictable and very difficult to control. Even so, Anakin’s track record suggests that, even without any plan, he would surely have pulled off some stunning move that destroyed the Death Star.
Anakin’s track record suggests that, even without any plan, he would surely have pulled off some stunning move that destroyed the Death Star.
R2-D2
Luke was also very new to the ways of war, the Force, and even flying, at least in the context of battle. This was certainly not true for Anakin, who had served as a solider for the Republic for years, beginning when he was only a teenager. Moreover, Anakin’s legion wasn’t just any army; the 501st was one of the most fearsome in the Clone Wars. While Luke had a bit of trepidation and was uncertain about his ability to use the Force to destroy the Death Star, Anakin would have flown in fully confident in what he was doing.
In fact,the opening ofStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithis perhaps the best reference point for what Anakin’s destruction of the Death Star would have looked like. At the beginning ofRevenge of the Sith, during the Siege of Coruscant, Anakin and Obi-Wan rushed to save Chancellor Palpatine, who had been taken hostage by the Separatists (although that ended up being orchestrated by Palpatine himself). During that scene, Anakin flew recklessly, smiling and laughing with R2-D2 and even flying his ship into Obi-Wan’s to get buzz droids off of it.
Presumably, Anakin would have brought that same energy to his attack on the Death Star, and he would have done so with his clone troopers by his side. This would have made the destruction of the Death Star much more intense and action-packed with Anakin than it was with Luke. Even with Darth Vader on his tail, Luke’s destruction of the Death Star was subdued compared to how Anakin often did battle.
Anakin Would Probably Massacre Every Imperial On Board
Of course, Anakin simply killing everyone who gets in his way should never be ruled out as a possible battle strategy. Not only was Anakin ruthless throughout the Clone Wars, making a game of killing as many droids as possible, but he also cut down an entire camp of Tusken Raider men, women, and children, and he killed innumerable Jedi during Order 66, younglings included. With that track record,it’s entirely possible that Anakin’s attack on the Death Star would have included an on-the-ground assault, in which Anakin and his troopers could have killed the Imperials as they went.
This would certainly have looked very different in the movie, although the outcome would have been the same. In fact, in the interview in which he misspoke, Charlie Barnett was actually referencing the loss of life Luke Skywalker was responsible for after he blew up the Death Star. However, even if the same number of people died in Anakin and Luke’s attacks, Anakin’s would have been considerably bloodier.
Anakin Would Blow The Death Star Up From The Inside Out—Like The Battle Of Naboo
Anakin Already Has Experience With This Strategy
Anakin’s attack on the Death Star would also be unique compared to Luke’s because he already had experience with an assault of this kind. InStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Anakin accidentally blew up a battleship during the Battle of Naboo. This exact experience may have been even more useful to Anakin in an attempt to blow up the Death Star because he may have been able to use the very same strategy; inThe Phantom Menace, Anakin destroyed the battleship by blowing it up from the inside out.
This would have been a much more chaotic and dangerous approach to destroying the Death Star, but that is in keeping with Anakin’s character. In truth, while Luke’s destruction of the Death Star is an iconic piece ofStar Warshistory, it would have been incredible to see Anakin in the role, too. AlthoughStar Wars: The Acolyte’sCharlie Barnett may have misspoken, his comment does open the door to imagine how different—and thrilling—Star Warswould have been if it had beenAnakin Skywalker, not Luke, who destroyed the Death Star.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
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