Ahsoka Finally Ends 20-Year Debate Over Prequels' Anakin, Proving It Was Lucas' Fault

Since his debut as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones more than two decades ago, Hayden Christensen has received some pretty harsh feedback from fans of the franchise.

Some said his acting was bad, some made fun of his cringe-inducing lines, and some felt he wasn't imposing enough to make viewers believe his character would become one of the most terrifying villains in movie history.

And even though fans' attitudes toward him have softened considerably over time, there were still plenty of skeptics who thought he was a mediocre Anakin at best and that a different actor should have played the role.

Well, the just-released episode 5 of the Ahsoka TV series proved them all wrong, as it gave us arguably the best live-action Anakin Skywalker, redeeming the actor and making it clear that Christensen's casting was never the problem in the first place.

Although the actor reprised the role in 2022, his appearance in the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series was brief and limited to a few flashbacks (as Anakin, not Vader).

But the situation with Ahsoka is different, as almost half of the episode was devoted to Anakin interacting with his former Padawan, and fans were absolutely blown away by Christensen's acting, with some admitting that it completely changed their opinion of him in the role.

With no poorly written dialogue, Hayden's performance felt completely different and left no doubt that he was Anakin all along.

Moreover, in a scene where Skywalker becomes his Sith version, the actor somehow managed to look menacing even without Darth Vader's suit, instantly disproving earlier accusations that it was impossible to believe he would become a Sith Lord.

With all this in mind, it's now crystal clear that the problem with the prequels' portrayal of Anakin was not Hayden, but rather George Lucas' writing and directing, which made him look like an angsty teenager.

Many Star Wars actors pointed out that Lucas didn't know how to write good dialogue, and some of the lines he wrote for Anakin were among the absolute worst, which was even more disastrous considering the importance of the character.

The best Anakin scenes in the movies were those with little or no dialogue, allowing Christensen to act with his face, which he did beautifully, as when he contemplated whether it was worth it to reveal Sidious' identity to the Jedi.

Fortunately, now twenty years later, Ahsoka finally puts an end to the debate and gives Hayden Christensen a long overdue and well-deserved vindication.

Episode 6 of the series will be released on September 19, 2023.

Source: Reddit