Star Wars Set Up Anakin Skywalker’s Most Horrific Act 3 Years Before It Happened (& Nobody Noticed)

by

While Anakin Skywalker’s brutal killing of the Tusken Raiders in Attack of the Clones is often seen as one of his worst acts, a lesser-known event in The Phantom Menace reveals an earlier, equally disturbing instance of violence – a massacre committed when Anakin was only nine years old.

Anakin Skywalker’s story in Star Wars includes several terrible acts of violence, even before he turned to the dark side. One particularly disturbing example is his massacre of the Tusken Raiders. He not only killed them all, but he also justified his actions to Padmé, claiming they were simply “animals” and deserved to be killed as such.

While Anakin Skywalker later committed terrible acts during Order 66, fully under Palpatine’s control, his massacre of the Tusken Raiders happened earlier, when he hadn’t fully fallen to the dark side. Notably, he showed no regret for killing them. Surprisingly, the Tusken Raider slaughter wasn’t even the first time Anakin had killed a large group of people.

The Tusken Raider Incident Wasn’t Anakin’s First Massacre

Though he seemed like an innocent child in The Phantom Menace, a long way from becoming the infamous Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker actually committed his first mass killing during the Battle of Naboo.

You know, as a huge Star Wars fan, I always found it fascinating how Anakin immediately disobeyed Qui-Gon. He was told to stay with the ship, but he just couldn’t resist getting involved! He basically found a loophole – he figured if he piloted the ship during the Battle of Naboo, he wasn’t technically leaving it, so he justified jumping into action. It really showed his rebellious side, even as a kid.

Although Anakin often appeared unprepared and relied on sheer luck – a result of his Force connection – he managed to destroy the Trade Federation’s battleship during the battle. This resulted in the deaths of everyone aboard, and surprisingly, the young boy reacted with celebration rather than remorse.

This Attack Was Largely An Accident, But It Foreshadowed Anakin’s Fall

There’s a huge contrast between Anakin destroying a battleship in The Phantom Menace and his violent killing of the Tusken Raiders in Attack of the Clones. With the Raiders, Anakin deliberately and personally murdered them one by one, using his lightsaber.

As Anakin says in the film, he killed the Tusken Raiders because he blamed them for his mother’s death and sought revenge. This act is often seen as the clearest initial step in his turn to the dark side. However, it’s also important to remember that even as a child, Anakin was capable of reckless violence.

Anakin clearly saw the battle as a game. He didn’t appear scared or grasp the seriousness of what was happening. Despite the destructive consequences of his actions – even though they were ultimately for the side considered ‘good’ – he wasn’t acting with bad intentions.

But this raises a bigger point: didn’t this incident foreshadow the person Anakin would eventually become? It happened before he even began his Jedi training, meaning he joined the Jedi Order having already killed more people than most experienced Jedi.

Whether Anakin Skywalker’s actions in The Phantom Menace were truly evil is open to interpretation, but it’s probably best to say they weren’t. However, the fact that he already committed a large-scale killing before joining the Jedi Order makes his later violent acts in Star Wars seem a bit more predictable.

Read More

2026-03-08 03:18