Bart Simpson: Will you be my father figure?
Homer Simpson: No way! I don't want my fingerprints on that train wreck!
Many have observed that one of the major themes in the classic trilogy arc is the relationship between father and son. Many have observed one of the major themes of the prequel trilogy is the importance of mothers. But one of the subtexts present in the prequels that isn't often discussed is Anakin Skywalker's search for a father figure. It is a search that ultimately leads to tragedy.
Luke's quest to know his father is overt. He's always been fascinated by the father he'd never known and believed was dead. It's his prime motivation to take the Jedi path. "I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father," he says in A New Hope. When Yoda asks why he wants to become a Jedi in The Empire Strikes Back, he replies, "Mostly because of my father, I guess."
By contrast, Anakin never seeks his biological father. He never discusses the issue. Clearly he knows there has never been a father in his life and accepts it. Nevertheless, like any boy, he needs the guidance of an older male to show him how to grow into manhood. The only true parental figure he has is his mother. Like a lot of young boys living with a single mother, he looks elsewhere to find the guiding older male missing from his life.
The first father figure Anakin has is Watto. The Toydarian is gruff, dishonest, and greedy but he is neither evil nor cruel. In his own way, he has an affection for Anakin. When Anakin returns to Watto's shop in Attack of the Clones, Watto -- once he recognizes the young man -- seems genuinely glad to see him. Anakin's behavior also reflects his complex relationship with Watto, performing an act of kindness by fixing the pit droid and gently addressing him in Huttese. However, Watto is Anakin's owner. Kind or not, Anakin isn't a son to Watto, he's property. He's more than happy to put the ten-year-old to risk his life in podraces for money. If Anakin decided to run away, a device in his body would blow him to pieces. Therefore, Watto proves to be an inadequate and inappropriate father figure for Anakin.
He finds a new possibility in Qui-Gon Jinn. The Jedi Master is as close as Anakin will ever get to finding the perfect father figure. The two have an instant rapport and a powerful connection. He gives Anakin words of encouragement, helps him with his podracer, and even carries the boy on his shoulders after the race. He's patient with Anakin and most importantly, he respects the boy. He explains things and always allows Anakin to make his own decisions. He is perhaps the first adult besides Shmi to treat Anakin with kindness and compassion, and to show faith in him. Both are strongly attuned to the Living Force.
Qui-Gon is perhaps the one Jedi who would've been an ideal Master to Anakin. But it was not to be. Qui-Gon dies and the young boy loses a father figure he knew only briefly. His next father figure is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan is a young man who suddenly finds himself a "father," a role he is not prepared to handle. He is placed in charge of Anakin's training as soon as he becomes a full-fledged Knight and right after the death of his own "father," Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan agrees to train Anakin out of a deathbed promise. Before that, he had little opportunity to bond with the child and for a time, even distrusted him. "The boy is dangerous, the Council can sense it, why can't you?" Obi-Wan says within Anakin's earshot. In The Phantom Menace novel, Obi-Wan is even a bit jealous of Qui-Gon's willingness to take Anakin on as a Padawan. It isn't until Qui-Gon's funeral that Obi-Wan changes the way he relates to Anakin.
We can see at the beginning of Attack of the Clones that while Obi-Wan has bonded with Anakin and that there is warmth and humor in the relationship, there is also tension. Part of it arises out of Anakin's impetuous, rebellious behavior. Part of it is because Obi-Wan is a stern father who's quick to lecture and criticize. He's not being malicious. Obi-Wan is overwhelmed with the responsibility of training the Chosen One. He has difficulty relating to someone not raised as a Jedi since birth. He worries about what could happen if someone so powerful were to lose control. It doesn't help that Obi-Wan doesn't seem to be as connected to the Living Force as Anakin. The irony is Obi-Wan's tough-love approach plays a hand in driving Anakin away instead of keeping him in the Light.
Anakin loves and admires Obi-Wan. He says he's grateful to be Obi-Wan's apprentice, describing him "as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu." The morbid little joke "you'll be the death of me" might have been prophetic but to Anakin, it stings. He tells Obi-Wan, "Don't say that, you're the closest thing I have to a father." Later on in Clones he tells Padmé that Obi-Wan is like a father to him. He, like all children, wants the father's approval and at the same time wants to be seen as an independent person. Over the course of the Clone Wars they may grow closer only for their relationship to disintegrate during Episode III. The burden of keeping secrets, Palpatine's growing influence, and other unknown factors will bring on the final break between Anakin and Obi-Wan.
A post on a message board describes how as a slave, Anakin must have developed an "animal logic." This means he regards anyone who is nice to him as good. He is unable to ascribe ulterior motives behind a friendly face. If so, this animal logic leads him straight to another father figure, the kindly and understanding statesman Palpatine. Anakin's first impression of the Supreme Chancellor is the warm, paternal pat he receives at the end of The Phantom Menace. From their brief scene together in Clones, one can tell Palpatine has become a confidant and a mentor. He has gained Anakin's trust. He never has anything but flattery for the young man and it's interesting to see Anakin respond with some flattery of his own ("it is your guidance more than my patience"). Anakin is reverent and respectful toward Palpatine because he's not rebelling against Palpatine's authority and Palpatine doesn't put him on the defensive the way Obi-Wan does. Anakin admires Palpatine as a politician and as a person. He defends the Supreme Chancellor as a good man and claims he is not corrupt. When he tells Padmé the galaxy should be led by someone wise we all know who he has in mind. Episode III will chronicle precisely how Anakin abandons his former father figure Obi-Wan for a new father figure, Palpatine. This new father figure will offer Anakin power beyond what the Jedi have taught him, the illusion of greater freedom to use that power, and affirmation of Anakin's darker passions.
It's sad to see Anakin begin and end his journey owned by his father figure. It is ironic that Anakin's desire for a father figure results in Luke's "fatherlessness." The name Darth Vader seems to be a play on "Dark Father." He is Luke's Dark Father, but Palpatine is a Dark Father to Anakin/Vader. Like Watto, he is an owner, a master. Except Palpatine is far more malevolent.
