#anakin critical

[antianakin]

"Anakin tries so hard"

Does he though?

Is he trying really hard when he spends the entirety of AOTC refusing to accept it when Padme says no and keeps making moves on her instead?

Is he trying really hard when he abandons Padme mid-mission before her assassins have been found because she's really put her foot down about not being in a relationship with him?

Is he trying really hard when he murders all of the Tuskens, hunting them down one by one, down to the last child?

Is he trying really hard when he blames Obi-Wan for what happened to Shmi?

Is he trying really hard when he marries Padme anyway at the end of the film?

Is he trying really hard when he spends the next three years doing nothing but lying to the Jedi about all of the oaths/rules he's broken?

Is he trying really hard when he keeps abandoning his own responsibilities to go play house with Padme in the middle of a war?

Is he trying really hard when he can't even show up on time to his own student's assessment, refuses to praise her for how well she did, and then secretly forces her to undergo his own abusive assessment?

Is he trying really hard when he teaches his student that it's totally okay and even PREFERRED to lie to the Council instead of questioning them openly?

Is he trying really hard when he parrots Jedi phrases at his student when he so clearly doesn't believe any of them and certainly doesn't apply any of them to himself?

Is he trying really hard when he demands that his wife obey him on everything simply because he is her husband?

Is he trying really hard when he nearly beats a man to death in front of his wife as a punishment for her because he thinks she MAY have been unfaithful to him (she wasn't)?

Is he trying really hard when he accepts a promotion through pure cronyism and then throws a tantrum because people don't like that he got a position on pure cronyism rather than earning it through his own merit?

Is he trying really hard when he refuses to accept any criticism towards a clearly corrupt politician simply because that politician is the one who got him a promotion through pure cronyism?

Is he trying really hard when he apologizes to his teacher for embarrassing him but not for accepting a position via cronyism and not for mistrusting the people who told him that the clearly corrupt politician was clearly corrupt?

Is he trying really hard when he commits a genocide, murders children, enslaves an entire population, destroys a democracy, and supports the rise of a fascist dictatorship all for selfish greed and power?

Is he trying really hard when he tries to kill his own pregnant wife because she's not happy that he committed a genocide, murdered children, enslaved an entire population, destroyed a democracy, and supported the rise of a fascist dictatorship?

Is he trying really hard when he blames the people he genocided for having caused their own genocide?

Is he trying really hard when he spends the next twenty years continuing to persecute the survivors of the people he genocided and enforce fascism and dictatorship on everyone else?

Is he trying really hard when he intentionally maims his own son to try and force him to become another evil dictatorship along with him?

Because personally that's too many times when he's clearly not trying all that hard for me to feel like he's actually trying all that hard.

[mademoiselle-cookie]

#i'll also point out that r2 DOES end up getting captured in s3 by cad bane in order to find blueprints of the senate or whatever#like he IS a liability and they prove it#several senators and anakin nearly die as a result#so anakin is in actuality putting EVERYONE HE CARES ABOUT at risk by doing this

#ahsoka makes the argument in this ep that artoo having extra tactics memories has come in helpful in the past#so maybe that's the excuse anakin has for it

#i'd be willing to believe that anakin mentioned something about it to palpatine once#and palpatine noticed a fucking golden opportunity to make sure anakin had a weak point on him everywhere he went#and convinced him that the jedi wanted him to erase r2's memory because they were stupid and weak or something#because having r2 as a vital weak point seems like it would be SO HELPFUL for palpatine in so many ways

#i don't think it's an attachment so much as it is arrogance#anakin believing he's better than everyone else#better than the rules#it's the same bullshit that makes him decide the jedi test isn't good enough for ahsoka#HIS training is better#it's not truly an attachment it's just arrogance on anakin's part#this desperation to prove himself better than any other jedi

good tags from antianakin

People excuse this by saying he did get R2 back (but his men get killed. Partly bc he abandonned them and Ahsoka to Grievous) and that he's more effective in battle. But I don't remember R2 being that useful. He's just like he was before learning top secret infos. Which can put him and other in massive danger

# If Hera Can Do It Then Why Can’t Anakin???

[short-wooloo]

I wish the Star Wars fandom treated Anakin more like how the mha fandom treats bakugo

[frustratedasatruar]

I just read a fic description for a Star Wars fic (do not go bother the author) that said "They don’t exactly teach healthy coping mechanisms at the Temple."

And like... what the fuck are you talking about? From what we see of canon, healthy coping methods are the thing that the Jedi teach you in the Temple. They are fucking constantly talking about mastering your emotions and they're always checking up on each other and shit.

You could even argue that "flunking out of all the healthy coping mechanism lessons the other Jedi take" was the problem with Anakin, who constantly responded to people asking about his wellbeing as if he was being interrogated and literally, empirically, could not healthily manage his emotional responses to things even when his life depended on it.

Not getting the groundwork training that all other Jedi get from infancy in this and related subjects was, like, the whole thing about Anakin being "too old." Remember? That whole massive plotpoint? The thing that loads of people complain about the Jedi doing, even though demonstrably, the Jedi making an exception to this rule was an existential mistake?

[professional-rat-eater]

I love Anakin as a character but I think Star Wars as a whole needs to be less forgiving of him and his actions and I think Rex is the perfect character to explore this idea.

Rex wants to save his brothers more than anything and we know that he fails and never recovers from the trauma. It was an impossible task but he fought so hard for it. The clones don’t become a thriving community after the Empire falls. Few live to remember their sacrifice or that they were even there to begin with. They’re wiped off the map and that’s it and Rex just has the live with it.

Imagine realistically how you would feel if you were him and you learned that a huge reason why the Empire was even allowed to rise in the first place is because of the man who you trusted, who was one of your closest friends for three years, who convinced you that he thought of you as a person unlike the rest of the galaxy. I wouldn’t ever be able to look past it, and I don’t think Rex would or should either.

Obi Wan considers Anakin metaphorically dead because it’s the only way to cope with the grief.

Ahsoka has a more complicated view of him because of the distance leaving the Jedi order put between them.

Luke is able to forgive him in the only way that is narratively compelling, because he sees him as his father and not as the monster everyone else does.

Leia never forgives him (nor should she) but grows to understand him more over time.

Padme uses her dying breath to vouch for him even if he doesn’t deserve it.

If Rex didn’t forgive Anakin, it would offer yet another perspective. He is someone who loved Anakin, but Anakin is a huge reason why his brothers are dead. Anakin is the one who used his brothers as the tools they had always been told they were to march on the Jedi temple and murder the Jedi, the only allies the Clones ever truly had. Everything that happens during the reign of the Empire, including whatever goes down in the Bad Batch finale, is part of a huge domino effect because of Anakin’s choices. It would be tragic to see their friendship end this way, but Rex’s entire life is rife with tragedy. Ahsoka is the only positive result of his friendship with Anakin left. They only have each other.

I want Rex to be angry at him. Anakin’s actions are abhorrent and to downplay them only does Anakin a disservice as a character and denies his agency. Yes, he’s a victim of Palpatine’s grooming. He is also the perpetrator of a literal reign of terror and there are few groups of people who are bigger victims of the Empire he helped create than the clones.

[superbrieflightstudentlove]

Padmé Amidala’s Fantasy-Driven Love for Anakin Skywalker

“Her life before Anakin belonged to someone else, some lesser being to be pitied, some poor impoverished spirit who could never suspect how profoundly life should be lived.

Her real life began the first time she looked into Anakin Skywalker’s eyes and found in there not the uncritical worship of little Annie from Tatooine, but the direct, unashamed, smoldering passion of a powerful Jedi: a young man, to be sure, but every centimeter a man - a man whose legend was already growing within the Jedi Order and beyond. A man who knew exactly what he wanted and was honest enough to simply ask for it; a man strong enough to unroll his deepest feelings before her without fear and without shame. A man who had loved her for a decade, with faithful and patient heart, while he waited for the act of destiny he was sure would someday open her own heart to the fire in his.

But though she loves her husband without reservation, love does not blind her to his faults. She is older than he, and wise enough to understand him better than he does himself. He is not a perfect man: he is prideful, and moody, and quick to anger - but these faults only make her love him the more, for his every flaw is more than balanced by the greatness within him, his capacity for joy and cleansing laughter, his extraordinary generosity of spirit, his passionate devotion not only to her but also in the service of every living being.

He is a wild creature that has come gently to her hand, a vine tiger purring against her cheek. Every softness of his touch, every kind glance or loving word is a small miracle in itself. How can she not be grateful for such gifts?”

From the novelization of RotS.

Padmé Amidala’s inner monologue from the Revenge of the Sith novelization offers a fascinating but deeply flawed insight into her perspective, exposing glaring inconsistencies in her character and worldview. While Padmé is often portrayed as an empathetic and wise leader, her thoughts here betray a sense of immaturity, condescension, and a disturbing romanticization of Anakin’s deeply problematic behavior.

Condescension and Elitism

Padmé’s reflection on her life before Anakin is alarmingly dismissive of not only herself but also the people she claimed to serve. Describing her previous existence as belonging to "some lesser being to be pitied, some poor impoverished spirit," she inadvertently exposes a deep-seated elitism. This sentiment starkly contrasts with her public image as a compassionate leader devoted to uplifting the disenfranchised. Her words betray an inherent belief in her own superiority, rooted in her privilege as Naboo nobility, which feels jarringly disconnected from her political career as a champion of the underprivileged.

By referring to others as “poor impoverished spirits,” Padmé reduces the lived experiences of countless beings across the galaxy to pitiable, shallow existences, implicitly suggesting that they lack the capacity to truly understand life’s profundities. Such condescension undermines her credibility as an empathetic leader who is supposed to value all lives equally. For someone who ostensibly devoted herself to serving the needs of the downtrodden, these thoughts suggest a deep-seated disconnect from the very people she claims to represent. How can someone who views the galaxy’s poor as "lesser beings" genuinely champion their rights? Her compassion, as implied by these musings, is framed not as equality but as an almost victorian noblesse oblige, a patronizing obligation to protect those she implicitly considers beneath her.

Condescension Towards Anakin

Padmé’s description of Anakin as someone she understands better than he understands himself is patronizing at best and dismissive of his autonomy at worst. While it is true that she is older than Anakin and likely more experienced, her framing positions herself as his intellectual and emotional superior, diminishing him to a wild, untamed creature she has tamed through her grace and love.

Referring to him as a "vine tiger purring against her cheek" infantilizes and romanticizes him in equal measure, echoing an unhealthy dynamic where she both elevates and diminishes him simultaneously, reducing him to a being she controls rather than a partner she respects as an equal. This language strips Anakin of complexity and humanity, framing him as a prize she has won rather than a partner of the same standing as she.

She views him almost as a project—someone she must guide and “fix.” This attitude not only undermines the mutual respect required in a healthy relationship but also sets her up as an idealized, almost maternal figure in Anakin’s life, which is problematic given his apparent yearning for a nurturing presence to replace his mother and his well-documented struggles with emotional regulation, anger, and trauma.

Instead of addressing these issues with the seriousness they deserve, Padmé romanticizes his volatility, viewing his faults as charming quirks rather than dangerous red flags. Instead she positions herself as a benevolent overseer of Anakin's flaws as endearing traits she is uniquely equipped to handle. This naïve approach not only undermines her judgment but also places her in harm's way, as evidenced by his eventual violent actions toward her.

Immaturity and Naivety

For a 27-year-old woman who has spent years navigating the intricacies of politics and war, Padmé’s thoughts read more like the diary of a lovestruck teenager than the reflections of a seasoned leader. Her infatuation with Anakin’s “smoldering passion” and the “fire in his eyes” feels shallow and disproportionate, especially considering the stakes of their relationship at this point in the story. She is on the verge of giving birth during a galactic war, yet her focus remains on idealizing a man who has already demonstrated significant moral and ethical failings.

This immaturity is further highlighted by her dismissal of Anakin’s violent tendencies and inability to handle rejection or criticism. She acknowledges his pride, moodiness, and quick temper, yet brushes them aside as minor flaws overshadowed by his supposed “greatness.” This blind devotion prevents her from confronting the reality of Anakin’s descent into darkness, instead choosing to cling to a fantasy of who she wants him to be.

Romanticizing Unhealthy Behavior

Padmé’s belief that Anakin has loved her faithfully for a decade borders on absurdity when one considers the context. Anakin was a nine-year-old child when they first met, a child incapable of comprehending romantic love in a meaningful way. His “love” for her at that age was more akin to hero worship or a childhood crush. His fixation on her during the intervening years is less a testament to his devotion and more indicative of an unhealthy obsession. By the time they reunite, Anakin is an emotionally stunted teenager with significant anger issues and a propensity for violence, as demonstrated by his massacre of the Tusken village.

Padmé’s dismissal of this atrocity, coupled with her romanticization of his flaws, reveals her inability to see Anakin for who he truly is. Instead, she projects onto him qualities he does not possess, such as a supposed “devotion to every living being,” which is blatantly contradicted by his actions. Anakin’s loyalty is limited to a small circle of people he cares about, and he is willing to sacrifice entire planets and populations to protect them. Far from being selfless, his actions are often driven by selfishness and a refusal to let go of those he loves.

Padmé’s inner thoughts in this passage are deeply problematic, exposing a condescending attitude toward others, an immature understanding of love, and a dangerous tendency to romanticize unhealthy behavior. Far from being the wise and compassionate leader she is often portrayed as, this depiction reveals her as naïve, elitist, and out of touch with reality. Her unwavering idealization of Anakin blinds her to his faults and enables his destructive behavior, ultimately contributing to the tragedy that unfolds. In this light, Padmé’s story becomes not just one of personal loss but also of the devastating consequences of failing to confront uncomfortable truths.

Her thoughts reveal that her attachment to Anakin is not rooted in a deep understanding or acceptance of who he truly is but rather in an idealized, almost fictionalized version of him. This essay explores the possibility that Padmé’s love for Anakin is based more on his physical attractiveness, status, and the thrilling fantasy he represents, rather than on a genuine emotional connection.

Infatuation with Power, Fame, and Status

Padmé’s admiration for Anakin’s physical appearance and reputation is evident in her thoughts:

“...the direct, unashamed, smoldering passion of a powerful Jedi: a young man, to be sure, but every centimeter a man— a man whose legend was already growing within the Jedi Order and beyond.”

This description emphasizes Anakin’s physical allure and his rising fame within the galaxy. Padmé appears captivated by his role as a Jedi hero and “the Chosen One,” as if these external attributes define his worth. Her fixation on his power and status raises questions about whether she would have been as drawn to him if he were an ordinary person without his heroic image.

Anakin’s role in the Clone Wars as a celebrated warrior likely amplified this allure. To Padmé, his deeds on the battlefield and his “larger-than-life” persona may have symbolized strength, protection, and excitement—qualities that fed into her romantic fantasy. However, this focus on external attributes creates a shallow foundation for their relationship, where Padmé values what Anakin represents rather than who he truly is.

Resistance to the Ordinary

Padmé’s reluctance to acknowledge the realities of her relationship and her insistence on secrecy reflect her fear of losing the fantasy she has built. By keeping their marriage a secret, Padmé avoids the mundane responsibilities that come with open commitment, especially as parents. This secrecy also ensures that Anakin remains in the Jedi Order, maintaining the illusion of him as the heroic “Chosen One” rather than an ordinary man.

Her hesitation to accept Anakin leaving the Jedi Order—despite his willingness to do so for her and their child—further underscores her attachment to his status. Without the prestige of his Jedi identity, Anakin would lose much of the mystique that fuels Padmé’s romanticized view of him. A life outside the Order, where Anakin might take on a humble, civilian role, would lack the excitement and grandeur she associates with their relationship.

The Fantasy of the Hero and the Damsel

Padmé’s perception of her relationship with Anakin resembles a narrative straight out of a teenage romantic novel. In this fantasy, she casts herself as the heroine, a damsel in distress rescued and cherished by a dashing knight in shining armor:

“Her real life began the first time she looked into Anakin Skywalker’s eyes..."

This statement diminishes her achievements and reduces her identity to being the object of Anakin’s affection. It also reveals her belief that her relationship with Anakin has elevated her life to a level of profound significance that others can only dream of. This is the crux of her fantasy: she views herself as living out a romantic narrative, one in which she is the main character and Anakin is the larger-than-life hero who completes her.

The thrill of their forbidden love, heightened by the secrecy and danger of the Clone Wars, making it feel like a dramatic, star-crossed love story rather than a grounded partnership, fuels this fantasy. Their brief, adrenaline-filled encounters allow Padmé to avoid confronting the complexities and flaws in their relationship. She seems more captivated by the excitement and drama of their circumstances than by Anakin himself.

What´s more, this perspective also reduces her to a passive figure whose identity revolves around her romantic connection. Padmé’s reflections diminish her own sense of agency and independence. By framing her life before Anakin as belonging to a "lesser being," she effectively erases her accomplishments as queen and senator. This framing reduces her identity to her relationship with Anakin, portraying her as a woman who finds her "real life" only through her husband. She views her pre-Anakin self—and by extension, the very people she claims to serve—as pitiable, as though her life only gained meaning through her relationship with a powerful man. This is particularly problematic given that Padmé is supposed to be a role model of strength and leadership. Her thoughts here make her seem more like a character in Anakin’s story than the protagonist of her own.

The Cost of Living in a Fantasy

Padmé’s refusal to wake from this romantic fantasy has far-reaching consequences. Her inability to confront the reality of Anakin’s flaws—his possessiveness, violent tendencies, moral compromises and growing obsession with power—allows his darker impulses to grow unchecked. When Anakin confesses to murdering the Tuskens, including women and children, Padmé rationalizes his actions rather than addressing the gravity of what he has done because acknowledging these realities would shatter her romantic illusion.

This denial extends to her pregnancy. Padmé’s insistence on keeping their relationship secret under the guise of duty to the common people of the galaxy and protecting Anakin’s position within the Jedi Order, even as she approaches the birth of their child, reveals a troubling prioritization of the romantic fantasy over practical concerns. A child would inevitably expose their relationship, yet Padmé continues to cling to the illusion that they can maintain their double lives. This decision suggests that Padmé values the drama and excitement of their forbidden love more than the stability and safety of their unborn child. The fantasy of being a romantic heroine takes precedence over her role as a mother.

This failure to confront reality not only endangers her but also their unborn children. Padmé’s prioritization of the fantasy over practical concerns means that her children are born into chaos, with no stable foundation or clear future. Her eventual death from heartbreak underscores the destructive power of her refusal to let go of the fantasy, as she chooses to die rather than face life without Anakin. This choice illustrates the ultimate consequence of clinging to an illusion: the loss of self, family, and the opportunity to create a meaningful legacy.

Conclusion

Padmé Amidala’s love for Anakin Skywalker, as depicted in the Revenge of the Sith novelization, is deeply rooted in an idealized fantasy. Her admiration for his physical attractiveness, fame, and status as a Jedi hero overshadows a genuine understanding of who he is. This fantasy-driven love blinds her to the flaws in their relationship and prevents her from confronting the responsibilities of motherhood and partnership.

Ultimately, Padmé’s refusal to let go of the romanticized narrative she has created not only undermines her character’s maturity but also contributes to the tragic downfall of both herself and Anakin. By clinging to an illusion, she sacrifices the opportunity to build a grounded, meaningful life for herself and her child. In doing so, her story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of idealizing relationships and clinging to illusions at the expense of truth and responsibility.

[starbeltconstellation]

Helloooo, to all SW fans! 👋

Sooo, I have decided to make this like a… monthly? 🤔🤔 Reblog, to search for other like minded pro Jedi individuals like myself in the SW fandom, so I can find more of my little fandom corner.

So! 😁 I humbly ask those that are Pro Jedi, and do NOT blame them for their own genocide (🤦‍♀️🤢🥶) to reblog or like this post, so I can follow more SW fandom blogs.

I also would follow fans who are Anakin critical/anti Anakin. Although I’m more of a pro Jedi fan who still has sympathy and SO much love for Anakin’s character (🥲💔❤️), while still realizing the fault lies with himself, I also enjoy reading a lot of critical analysis on his character too.

But any Anakin fans who love him to death like me and aren’t afraid to hear criticism are welcome to like this post too! ❤️

The same goes with pro Jedi/pro clone blogs. The Jedi are my ultimate favorite blorbos, but the clones are also so very dear to me, and I love to read headcanons about them. 💕

Hopefully this isn’t a weird post. Lol. 😅🫣😂 I just thought this was a good way to expand outward into more fandom territory.

Thanks! 😜💕❤️✨

[rose-of-red-lake]

It's kind of terrifying how Anakin wouldn't let Padme leave him when she wanted to.

To me, that's the best example of the dangers of attachment. Maybe even more significant than wanting to stop her from dying. Because to casual viewers, it's "saving Padme's life!!" and "ruining his career for her!" You get some romantic idea that Anakin is basing his actions on uwu love. 😍

When it's like no. He's literally not going to let her leave him, even while she's alive. It's not romantic. And that's attachment.

[blackkatmagic]

In this trying time (3 hr AO3 maintenance) do you have any wips to share?

“Kidnapped?” Padmé asks, frowning. “On Naboo? Are you sure?”

Aayla Secura isn't someone Padmé has more than a passing familiarity with, just a fleeting impression of contained mirth and good humor, beauty and tempered ferocity in a fight. Even that small amount of knowledge of her person, though, is enough to know that this serious, almost grim cast to her features is unusual. She curls her arms across her chest, blue eyes dark and mouth pulled tight, and her voice has an edge of certainty, as immovable as stone as she says, “I'm sure, Senator. I just don’t have proof that the Senate will accept.”

Padmé manages not to grimace, though it’s a close thing. With the war turning in the Separatists’ favor, there's almost no chance that the Senate would approve any Jedi leaving their post for any reason, and particularly one with a frontline role like Aayla. The 327th has had some of the most dangerous assignments of the whole war, but—

Clearly it hasn’t been enough to win her any favors from the Senate. Not even a friendly ear.

It feels, a little, like addressing the full Senate when she was fourteen, standing before them and practically begging for them to help Naboo, only to have all the faces there turn away as one. Smaller stakes, maybe, than a full planet being on the line, but Aayla is seeking help for her Master, and Padmé can understand that.

But…word that there was a Shadow on Naboo stirs something like alarm, deep in her chest, though she controls it, locks it behind an iron wall where a Jedi will only feel the vaguest traces of it. After Anakin, she has practice at that sort of thing. Useful, now, knowing that someone else was poking around on her homeworld.

“Why would a Jedi Shadow be on Naboo?” she asks, and when Aayla's eyes narrow, she raises a hand. “Knight Secura, I just want to understand. My planet is hardly a front in the war, and we’re well-removed from most supply lines. It seems a strange place for a Jedi to go when the Separatists have just started a push on all fronts, and the Republic is back on its heels.”

Just for a moment, there’s a flicker of self-consciousness that she buries as best she can, a vivid awareness of the comm in the bottom drawer of her desk, the code she memorized before destroying the note. But—there's no way any Jedi could know about anything relating to her personal matters. Even a Shadow. Most of them are far too busy to look into a single Senator’s life. It’s one of the only reasons, Padmé is sure, that her marriage to Anakin survived as long as it did. Not that it matters any longer.

Finding out just why Quinlan Vos was on Naboo needs to be a priority, though. Padmé can't risk anything else slipping through the cracks.

Aayla signs, lekku curling, and her tense posture eases, just a for a moment. “I'm sorry, Senator Amidala. Quinlan never even mentioned to me that he would be on Naboo, much less what he was doing there. But the last message I got from him was alarming. It must have been important, and I think it put him in danger.”

Padmé curls her fingers against her palm, not letting her nails dig in even though she wants to. She’s seen Jedi working often enough not to doubt Aayla's assertion, even if there isn't proof most of the Senate would accept, but—

Naboo shouldn’t be drawing any eyes, let alone dangerous ones. Not now. Not yet.

“Naboo's security forces haven't alerted me to any strange activity recently,” she says, frowning, but she pushes up from her desk, steps around it to face Aayla more squarely. “What leads you to believe Master Vos is on Naboo?”

For a moment, Aayla hesitates. Then, with a breath, she pulls a comm out of one pocket and holds it up, letting the blue glow flicker to life.

“This,” she says grimly. “I was in a battle when I received it, so it was left as a message. If I had known, I would have answered, but—”

She breaks off, and Padmé doesn’t need to be an empath to feel the self-recrimination that vibrates through the silence.

“—need you to contact Tholme,” Vos is saying when the message starts, clear despite the faint buzz of the image, his words quick and almost desperate. He’s curled over, hunched, with one hand pressed against his side in a way that makes it clear he’s injured, and Padmé frowns. She doesn’t know Vos well, either, but she’s only ever seen him cheerful and laughing, perfectly willing to tease Obi-Wan and good-natured about being teased in return. This is about as far from that as she can imagine.

“Please, Aayla,” Vos says, urgent. “Tell him it’s about the Mask—”

A blaster shot, the crack so loud and close it makes Padmé flinch and twitch back. Vos jerks too, spinning to the side and out of frame, and in his place a figure arrows across the field of the projector, so quick that Padmé can't pick out details. A blaster fires again, and there's a cry, a splash—

Aayla freezes the image there, one fractured, half-blurred shot of curved earth and white pillars and a wide stretch of water, and Padmé goes still, alarm rising.

That’s Naboo. That’s Theed. She knows it down to the last stone, and particularly that space.

“That’s beneath the Royal Palace,” she says, and keeps it even through force of will. “Knight Secura, what was Master Vos doing in Naboo's palace? What Mask is he talking about?”

He can't have known. He can't. Apailana is the only other person besides Sabé who knows, and she wouldn’t betray Padmé for anything.

Aayla switches off the projector, shaking her head. “I don’t know,” she says grimly, lekku twisting with worry as she meets Padmé’s eyes, desperation just hidden behind a Jedi's serenity. “But I would like your help to find out, Senator.”

.

The last time Padmé traveled to Naboo with a Jedi, it was Anakin accompanying her as they fled from Jango Fett's assassination attempts, and nothing about that trip sits easily in her memory.

This trip, Padmé thinks ruefully, looks to be just as stressful, if for rather different reasons.

“You're sure your men can spare you, Knight Secura?” she asks, even though she knows what the answer will be. Sabé, at her right hand, is managing to keep a perfectly blank face, but Padmé knows her well enough to see the way tension lingers in the perfectly straight line of her spine, in the angle of her chin as she carries Padmé’s bag aboard the star skiff.

The slant of Aayla's mouth is rueful. “At least temporarily,” she says. “The 327th is on leave awaiting a resupply and a new batch of recruits. Until then, I can help look for my Master.”

At the very least, the skiff is quick enough that it won't be as long a trip as the one with Anakin, undercover as refugees on a public transport. Padmé forces herself to focus on that and smiles, making it as warm as possible. “We welcome your help, Knight Secura. A Jedi is always a valuable ally to have.”

Sabé, at the edge of the cockpit, slants her a look, but Padmé pretends not to see it.

Aayla glances back towards the entrance to the port, a handful of seconds before a clone trooper in gold-marked armor rounds the corner, moving quickly. “If you’ll excuse me, Senator,” she says politely. “I’ll meet you on Naboo once I've finished seeing to matters here.”

Some part of Padmé was expecting Aayla to push onboard, settle in, ignore all niceties in the name of what she wants. Jarring, almost, to realize that she isn't going to, and it makes her waver, just for an instant. Makes her hesitate, nerves curling in her stomach, because the lack of that is somehow just as unsettling as the presence of it.

But—better. Better this way. Padmé needs to speak to Sabé somewhere there's no chance of being overheard, and hyperspace is the best option.

“Very well,” she says. “I need to meet with the queen once I arrive, and I’ll inform her you intend to join us.”

“Thank you.” Aayla bows, polite, and then straightens, giving Padmé a smile that’s bright and warm and full of relief, so pretty it hits like a blow, makes Padmé’s breath want to catch. “Thank you again, Senator Amidala. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you were willing to help. And that you believed me.”

“I trust the Jedi,” Padmé says, and—her throat feels just a little tight around the lie. That curl of attraction makes her turn her face away, uneasy, and she brushes down the skirt of her dress, doesn’t let her fingers dig into the blaster-proof fabric. Not lightsaber-proof, though. She needs to look into that, see what Yané has come up with. One more thing to do while she’s on Naboo, even if she hadn’t planned to return for at least a few months.

“The Jedi trust you as well, Senator,” Aayla murmurs. “We count you as one of our greatest allies in the Senate. Please, excuse me.”

She turns, moves quickly to meet her clone commander, and Padmé watches her for a long second, trying not to let her gaze linger on the fall of Aayla's lekku, the sway of her movements, perfectly graceful and controlled.

Her throat feels tight again, and she turns away, takes a breath. Dangerous, something in the back of her mind whispers. Too dangerous. Not something she can risk again, no matter how pretty Aayla is.

Sabé is waiting for her at the top of the ramp, her gaze fixed on Aayla's back. There's no attraction in her face, though, just buried wariness, and as Padmé makes her way onto the skiff, she deliberately closes the door and then says quietly, “My lady, will the Jedi be joining us?”

Padmé shakes her head. “She’ll join us on Naboo,” she says. “You have a copy of the message?”

“Of course.” Sabé follows her up to the cockpit, sliding into the copilot’s seat without hesitation. “Teckla and Dormé have everything settled here. Your presence shouldn’t be missed.”

Not unless Anakin comes looking for her again, Padmé thinks grimly. He can tell when it’s a Handmaiden playing her, and she doesn’t trust that he won't say something to give Dormé away. She should have made herself more than clear enough last time he confronted her, but—

Anakin has never been good at taking no for an answer. That’s the problem.

[currentlyobsessedwithobi-wan]

I don’t know how people come to the conclusion that attachment is good. If someone “loved” me to the point of committing genocide for me — without even caring about who’s innocent and who’s guilty —, I’ll be afraid, thank you very much.

[fanfic-obsessed]

Ten Years in Two months

While the meat and potatoes of this idea comes a bit later, it does require some finangleing beforehand. Some of the beginning does feel a bit contrived, because it is. In order for the dominoes of the plot to fall right later, we do have to force them into shape now in a series of improbable actions. 

Bear with me for a bit, we’ll get there. 

There is not really a particular point this starts, save that it is after Padme becomes pregnant (though well before she realizes she is) but before the Umbara arc (or ignoring the Umbara Arc), for no particular reason other than I want Waxer there.  A mission is assigned to the 212th to escort Padme Amidala and her retinue to a neutral world for negotiations with the Separatists.  They are taking with them commander Ahsoka Tano (the in-world explanation being that she was on Coruscant catching up with course work and they would rendezvous with the 501st, who were on a campaign in that region). 

On the way to this neutral world, from the perspective of the rest of the galaxy, the 212th in its entirety vanishes for two months. 

From the perspective of the 212th they become trapped on an uncharted planet for 10 years. 

For the rest of the galaxy those two months are enlightening into Anakin Skywalker's particular brand of instability.  Without the tempering influence of the bonds to his Master and Padawan, compounded by the fact that his secret wife disappeared as well, Well…his attempts to find them could, in the best of lights, be described as unhinged. He did not fall in at this time, for he was given no reason to make that choice (and falling to the dark, into evil is very much a choice. One does not fall by accident, after all), but he made it very clear that the war, protecting innocents, the Republic, or even the lives of his own men meant nothing compared to finding Padme (occasionally he would remember to make it seem as though he was focusing on finding Obi Wan or Ahsoka, though he never quite remembered to include the rest of the 212th). His obsession presented itself in such a way that even Palpatine was reconsidering some of his plans (he still intended to break Anakin into Vader, but he was now inclined to let Padme-and maybe even Ahsoka; Obi Wan was always going to die-live on as a stabilizing influence to his ultimate apprentice). 

He was swiftly removed from command of the 501st and had to be kept partially sedated for at least 6 of those 8 weeks. 

With the 212th for the first few months, from their perspective, they tried to contact the rest of the fleet. Tried to contact anyone.  Tried to escape from their orbit around this one planet, thankfully habitable and with an abundance of edible food. However, though they did not know it, the planet was out of sync with the rest of the galaxy.

Over the period of about two years they shifted from living mostly on the ships with just enough people on the surface of the planet to keep everyone fed to a more permanent settlement on the planet with a rotating skeleton crew up on ships to keep everything running. 

Padme found out about her pregnancy pretty early on, and with it came the knowledge that her relationship with Anakin was not the secret she thought it was.  Nor was the relationship forbidden like Anakin told her. The marriage was forbidden, because of the Oaths Anakin swore as part of the Jedi Order and how they conflicted with the traditional Nabooian Wedding vows (though she also finds out that the Jedi Order would have helped revise both sets of vows so they did not conflict).  Even beyond her own misunderstandings of the Jedi, she started to see the many places where Anakin either deliberately misunderstood his own culture, or deliberately misled her.  

In fact it became obvious within the first six months that every culture represented in the ships (The variety of cultures from the natborn admiralty, the Nabooian Delegation, The clones, and the Jedi) all had some misconceptions about all of the other cultures ranging from the humorously minor to massive misunderstandings (One of the minor misunderstandings is between the Jedi and the Clones on names and numbers. The Jedi believe that they are making sure that they are calling the clones what the clones want to be called instead of their designation. The clones think that the Jedi as a whole are uncomfortable with their designation AS names-Which yes but also no-so even though most of the clones prefer a name to their designation, even the few that want to use their designation are told by the other clones that the must choose a name to use around the Jedi). 

Obi Wan takes over Ahsoka’s training and the gaps that Anakin had left become very obvious; the place where he taught her something that was outright wrong even more so. About three months in, Ahsoka tells Obi Wan about Anakin’s ‘training’ of being surrounded and fired upon by the 501st.  One of the few things that Anakin was right about was that he Jedi would not understand, nor condone, that training. Ahsoka had not realized how disconnected from her own culture she had become in her short time with Anakin. How isolated he had made her from her people. Though she and Obi Wan were the only Jedi, she felt closer than ever to everything she had grown up with as he took on her tuition. 

In month 8 Obi Wan, who was looked to as the leader, arranged for a series of times to address the misconceptions held by an for each culture present.  When it became clear that they were cut off for the long haul, he helped the variety of people to start to live instead of just surviving.  And at the beginning there were a number of natborns among them that were anti clones, or anti Jedi, just as there were many clones that were anti nat born.  But with only about 1500 people in total (1300 clones, about 50 natborn officers and support staff, about 150 senatorial support staff) there were simply not enough people to support those kinds of prejudices.  It is hard to say that the clones were not human when you listen to the stories of decommissioned batchmates during one of the remembrance ceremonies.  Or hate the natborn lieutenant that got drunk and cried all over you about the pregnant wife they left behind.

The twins were born with a village of aunts and uncles, and though they are the oldest, they were not the only ones. Sache, one of Padme’s former handmaidens and part of her senatorial retinue, entered into a relationship with Waxer and Boil, having a child with them that was a year younger than the twins.  Many relationships formed and broke apart during those years.

Ahsoka and Padme ended up co parenting the twins, with Padme being called Mom and Ahsoka being called Mom Ah.  It was the twins who insisted on their names from their earliest ability to speak. 

In year four Cody and Obi Wan get married. Though theirs is not the only relationship that develops, nor the only one with healthy communication, their relationship does highlight to Padme how unhealthy her relationship with Anakin actually was. (It should be noted that, although Anakin’s instability and actions were flashier, this is not Anakin abusing/coercing the poor innocent Padme. In this they are toxic together, both acted in unhealthy ways that compromised their own morals).  Padme was able to see how Cody and Obi Wan did not use their love for each other as a bandage for deeper wounds. That CodyWan did not become all consuming; each man had friendships and hobbies and duties separate from each other (even with the friends they shared, they did not act as a single unit, inseparable from each other).  The other relationships she saw only drove this point home. 

At some point in those ten years she tells Obi Wan of what happened on Tatooine, just before the start of the war. And Obi Wan, eyes betraying his grief and horror at the massacre of the Tuskens asked her why she absolved Anakin of his crimes (By technicality, as a senator Padme did have the authority to absolve Anakin-so even if Tatooine becomes part of the Republic, and the crime is reported, Padme’s actions mean that Anakin cannot be tried under Republic Law). Padme cannot answer him.  

Though it does take time, Padem is eventually able to meet Obi Wan’s eyes again after the revelation. 

6 years in, Ahsoka and Padme realize that they have fallen in love.  Driven by the Jedi teachings for healthy and open communication (though many cultures value open and honest communication, few need it in the same way as the Jedi who are all some degree of Empath), they talk about what was happening. Neither is sexually attracted to the other, but they do want to date each other.  But Padme is married to Anakin. And it might have been six years, so they do not know if Anakin even still lived, and if did, he had likely moved on (both of which are reasonable assumptions) but being together without first speaking to Anakin felt too much like giving up the idea that they would find a way home. So they agreed to wait until they were ready to give up that idea. 

They had not given up by the time that the 10 year mark rolled around.

In year 7 the chips begin to deteriorate. The material they were made up of were not meant for the extra years of use, plus the method Helix used to stop the accelerated aging (discovered within 5 months of actually having time) created an enzyme as a byproduct that had no effect on the clones, but accelerated the deterioration of the chips.  The first three chips were removed after the clones involved complained of migraines. All the documentation in the computer banks (the archive of what was readily available, instead of what was stored on the galaxy’s version of the cloud) of the ships said the chips were to inhibit excess aggression. No one had any reason to not believe the documentation, not even with the realization that the chips were not in the right place for what they were supposed to do (the assumption is that the Kaminoans, for all their genetic know how, just do not understand near human neurology enough to have put it in the right place).  Obi Wan met with Helix, the head medic, with Cody after the removal of those first chips.  Obi Wan assumed that he did not know about the chips because he had not been on the council when the order was put in. Helix is able to confirm that all of the clones have these chips and what they are supposed to do (according to the literature) and that some were beginning to deteriorate.  After it becomes clear that the removal will not hurt the clone, they make the decision to remove all of them. However, believing them to be behavioral modifiers (if incorrectly placed), and as they did not have the optimal equipment to decode them, they all left it at that and put the Chips into storage and basically forgot about it. 

Just 15 days shy of the 10th anniversary of their arrival to the uncharted planet, whatever grip that was holding the ships bound to orbit the planet vanished (The planet was in sync with the rest of the galaxy- it is a window of time that is six hours long in the larger galaxy, or 15 days long on the planet) Still not able to raise communications to anyone outside of the planet’s orbit, not knowing how long they would have before they were stuck again, and fearing that they would be cut off from anyone left behind (no one had forgotten that the planet had not registered as there until they were trapped), everyone was loaded onto the ships along with all of their food stores and the 212th left the uncharted planet. 

As soon as they hit the galaxy at large again, alarms began to shriek. Every system that communicated with the central systems (basically everything outside of life support) experienced a fatal error upon reconnecting with the galaxy’s central system. It takes 4 days to fix. They have to reset all of the internal clocks/calendars in their computer systems to a date and time two months and 3.5 days after they became trapped (the last 24 hours of that time was spent inputting random dates into the system). 

NOTE: There is a very important reason for this. Computers are very black and white about some things, and communicating between computers is often validated on specific information to make sure that both systems are dealing with the same information at the same thing. Current Date/Time had to be validated for the purpose of navigation. Galactic/Stellar drift is very real, and in the mapped regions of the galaxy that drift is precisely calculated.  It is impossible to keep a real time map of every object in the galaxy, instead there is a systematic ping that goes out at specified times (Twice per Galactic Standard year) remapping every object in the known galaxy and correcting the location in the centralized system.  Then Navigation computers calculate how long it has been since the last ping to figure out where everything is and a safe route.  That only works if the current date time matches the current date time of the centralized system exactly (some of those object movements, even objects large enough to damage the largest of ships, can be measured in microseconds). 

No one realizes why this is an issue. The entirety of the 212th believe that 10 years have passed (born out by their time keepers, which had ticked along for ten years) and yet to the larger galaxy only two months have. They absently notice that by the time anything is working again the planet they were on had vanished. 

A message is sent to Coruscant, to the Jedi temple, but it is a hesitant thing. Deliberately vague in details. Obi Wan has no idea what 10 years has done for or to the war effort.  The response is almost immediate,  a call from the Jedi council. The very first question out of Mace Windu’s mouth is a cranky sounding ‘Where in the Force have you been for the last two months?’ (Look Master Windu is absolutely ecstatic that they are safe and not dead, but he has spent the four days helping to keep Anakin contained-the sedation began to wear off faster now that he could feel Ahoska and Obi Wan in the Force again-, the last two months realizing that Obi Wan ran about a third of their side of the war, and had been in the middle of sleeping for the first time in weeks).

There is quite a bit of confusion as both Obi Wan and Mace were absolutely sure the other had lost it over how long the 212th had been gone (Obi Wan: we were trapped for ten years; Mace: Bullshit! You’ve been gone for 2 months).  It is Ahsoka’s appearance that convinces Mace that something more is going on (he would not know the children, and Ahsoka is the only other one for whom 10 years-or 10 years and 5 months for the clones- would make a huge visible difference). Mace is able to convince Obi Wan that they really have only been gone two months and the 212th makes its way back to Coruscant, reeling over the disconnect (The Lieutenant who spent the last 10 years mourning over the missed moments with their wife and unborn child…hasn’t even missed the birth).

The mind healers who have been dealing with Anakin nearly weep in relief at the news that Padme Amidala is with the 212th and safe. They know that Anakin needs many much therapy still but they have hope he will actually pay attention now that his wife is back. 

The 212th, now a community in a way that they had not been, returned to Coruscant.  They do not split in the ways that they would have before (before relationships and children) and peer at the lives they had left behind that they no longer quite fit the shape of. 

The lieutenant brings home their best friend (a clone who had not picked their name before the mission, but decided to go with 29, which they picked to reference the number of a decommissioned batchmate)  to meet their wife, only for some of the wife’s family make an awful comment about flesh droids and being a pet (thankfully their wife was equally embarrassed by her brother’s behavior). 

Obi Wan, Cody, Padme, and Ahsoka go to the Jedi temple, to the Jedi Council (the twins, like the rest of the children, were left aboard the Negotiator in the care of their extended family). They speak of the planet where they had been trapped and the lives they grew there. 

Padme took the time to apologize to the Council, formally, for the violation of their beliefs that she and Anakin had perpetrated by marrying as they had.  She could admit that while Anakin had not told her of any Jedi traditions for marriage, or really any traditions they might be violating by marrying, she had made no effort to check either. 

As an afterthought Obi Wan told the Jedi Council about the chips deteriorating, but that they did not appear to be doing anything anyway (To which every other member went: “What chips?”). Upon being asked Obi Wan calls for Helix to get a chip or two out of the storage closet they had been forgotten in. Which was then promptly handed to people with specialized equipment for decoding bio mechanical chips. 

After the latest round of sedation has worn off Padme, Obi Wan, and Ahsoka go to see Anakin. They are told that before Anakin can be released he needs to be assessed by three different mind healers. They go intending to tell Anakin of the twins. Padme also goes with the intent to test the waters about the possibility of separating (She does not know that her and Ahsoka dating would go anywhere, nor are either of them even thinking of it right now, but even leaving that aside Padme has realized that her and Anakin are not healthy together). Things do not go quite as intended. 

At first Anakin is so happy to see all three of them, he exclaims over Ahsoka being so grown up (she is now 24, now older than Anakin). It rapidly becomes clear that Anakin expected he would be released immediately, now that they were back.  There was a small blip, a frown and a strange heaviness when he realized that all three of them were backing the healers that he needed to be assessed.  Anakin also did not like how close Ahsoka and Obi Wan were, oh before they vanished he would joke about Ahsoka being their shared padawan, but he preferred it when Obi Wan’s lessons unintentionally reinforced the idea that Ahsoka was better off with Anakin than any other Jedi.

There were a few moments when he could speak to Padme alone, and the way he spoke left  Padme feeling cold. There was nothing overt but it all reinforced a possessiveness that Padme realized she did not want in her or her children's lives. They leave without telling Anakin about the children. 

Padme tries six more times to go and talk to Anakin about separating. At best he acts like he does not hear or understand her words.  At worst he starts ranting about Obi Wan trying to steal his wife and needing to be sedated. 

Regretfully, and with the backing of both the Jedi and the 212th community, Padme starts the process to get a divorce. Nabooian traditions insist that a couple that wants to divorce must meet with a Nabooian marriage counselor first, to see if reconciliation is possible.  Setting this up takes several months as, upon being informed of proceedings Anakin had a second breakdown. His connection to the Force was such that the Jedi needed to block the connection lest he become very destructive. Only the Force Blockers left him not coherent enough to attend the session with Counselor. In the end the Jdi built a special room just to block Anakin’s specific connection to the force for them to meet in.  Traditionally the divorcing couple meets at least 5 times before permission is given to divorce.  It took one meeting for the Counselor to grant Padme her divorce. 

The 501st had not been assigned a new general by the time the 212th returned, and Ahsoka was almost ready for knighthood.  She took command of the 501st for a total of 4 months, it was too uncomfortable and too much like she was replacing Anakin (made weirder by the fact she still wanted to date his soon to be ex wife  and was helping to raise his children).  In the end Obi Wan ended up taking direct command of the legion, with Cody taking the lead of the 212th.  This also made everyone uncomfortable, thankfully the war ended three months after that (the revelation of what the chips did had the council contemplating finding the planet that 212th had been stranded on).

Palpatine had been indiscrete around someone who he had assumed would back his power play for an Empire. To be fair, in another world that family would have been high ranking imperial with very human centric tendencies. 

Palpatine had not expected a Lieutenant of the Galactic Navy, member of the 212h or not, to whip out a slug thrower and shoot at a party when Palpatine had admitted to knowing about the slave chip in the clones' heads. 

To be fair, neither did the Lieutenant.

[antianakin]

I think one of the funniest things to see in Star Wars fandom is this idea that Anakin and Padme would actually genuinely be good for each other and be a happy, healthy couple if only Anakin didn't go dark or if only Palpatine hadn't manipulated them or something along those lines.

And I'm over here like "based on what common values and interests?"

The things they share the most in common are the things that make them TOXIC, it's the very traits they share that lead them to their shared doom and destruction. Their shared selfishness, greed, and ambition is what allows them to throw aside their ideals in order to be together no matter the cost. Their shared willingness to ignore reality in favor of what they WANT to believe is what allows their situation to continue to deteriorate.

Padme fights for democracy, and Anakin believes in dictatorships.

Padme wants a large family because she has fond memories of her childhood with her own family, and Anakin wants one person whose life revolves around him and him alone.

Padme (usually) believes in mercy and justice, and Anakin believes in might makes right.

What about them would make anyone think they'd actually ever be a functional couple when the only stuff they have in common are the lies they tell themselves about each other?

[my-star-war-sblog]

I'm just gonna say it. Antis are wrong. The Jedi were the heroes and near (if not fully) perfect. Anakin was a whiny bitchbaby who selfishly decided to murder the people who raised him lovingly bc he couldn't bear the thought of giving up his Jedi status inorder to be with Padme. Anakin was wrong, the Jedi were right. End of story.

[short-wooloo]

The signalgate scandal really do be showin why the Jedi were right not loop Anakin in on the rako hardeen operation

Incompetent blabbermouths should not be allowed into high level covert operations, that's just basic opsec

[sonic-fairyspell]

The Jedi did nothing wrong. They didn't ""steal"" kids. They did not deserve to be fucking murdered. They weren't responsible for their genocide. They are not at fault for Anakin's Fall. They did everything they could do to help people. Anakin is responsible for his of his own actions and choices. That includes his choice to Fall and aid Palpatine instead of stop him, his choice to lead the mind controlled Clones into the Temple, his choice to lead the genocide of the Jedi, his choice to be literally the worst person in the galaxy, murder more people, and help lead and enforce the fascist Empire. Those were his choices, his actions. Not the Jedi's. Don't like it? Too bad, that's was the movies and shows literally show.

[percabethsong]

One of the discourses I hate the most in Star Wars fandom is the "Anakin wouldn't fall to the Dark Side if Qui-Gon trained him"

He absolutely WOULD, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he falled EARLY.

If we consider the Legends version of Qui-Gon Anakin would be full dark side at 19. We are talking about the man who left his 14 years old Padawan in a WAR ZONE, alone. So, yeah. He was really a jerk in Legends.

But I do know that any of this is canon, so, ok, let's look at canon Qui-Gon. Was he a bad person? Not, nothing indicates such. Was he a good teacher? Well... Not quite.

Bear with me, ok? I understand that Obi-Wan was indeed ready to be a Knight in TPM. But early in the movie, Qui-Gon leads to believe that HE doesn't think so, saying Obi-Wan still has much to learn. And then, Anakin shows up, Qui-Gon gets invested in the whole "Chosen One" thing and promptly says infront of the Council that he'll take him as his student. Yes, I am aware that he then explains that even though Obi-Wan has still much to learn, he has nothing else to teach him. But think for a minute. How would that look like to Obi-Wan? He didn't have this conversation earlier, explaining what he would do. It would be totally understandable to feel like a second thought in his master's head. Now think about Anakin Skywalker, known to be a jealous and insecure person, in a situation like that. Don't you think he would feel rejected, alienated?

Then we go to the Extend Universe and things get worse. In the Padawan novel, in which Obi-Wan is 16 and struggling with self-worth, he mentions that his master, although calm, is very hard to read. He barely knows when he is doing something that Qui-Gon approves or not. Obi-Wan is constantly criticised in this fandom for being overcritical with Anakin (which I don't fully agree because Anakin was very hard to deal as a teen), but he also praises him a lot when he gets things right, and that's canon. Now imagine Anakin in this situation. He would go insane. Still in the same novel, it's stated that at the time Obi-Wan was 16, Qui-Gon still hadn't move past the basic forms of lightsaber with him, and they basically only did meditation. Now, I don't think that's a bad thing as a Master. But just imagine Anakin Skywalker, the "it's all Obi-Wan fault, he's jealous, he's holding me back" if he had that guy as a Master. Do you really think his relationship with Qui-Gon would be better than his with Obi-Wan? Yes, Anakin and Obi-Wan fought a lot, but they were close. Qui-Gon would be distant, and that is just fertile ground to Palpatine manipulation.