We know that Anakin became disillusioned with the Jedi Order. He also put being with Padme above everything else. So, why didn’t he leave the Order then? His duty-first thinking and desire to save Padme are two compelling reasons. We also cannot forget about Palpatine.
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Duty First Thinking
A leading explanation for why Anakin didn’t leave the Jedi Order is his commitment to it and the Republic. We can also say the same for Padme. As a post in this Reddit discussion indicates, “They both wanted to help the Republic” and remained in their roles to do so. Padme saw Anakin as a Jedi first and encouraged him to embrace “the whole duty first thinking.”
This article elaborates on the duty-first argument by specifying how Anakin felt “a sense of duty” to fulfill the Chosen One prophecy to honor Qui-Gon and win the Clone Wars. If Anakin left the Order, it would have undermined not only his special role but also the Republic’s efforts in the conflict.
We can also think of his duty to the Jedi arising from what the Order had done for him. As this short video conveys, Anakin had lost faith in the Jedi but believed “he owed them everything.” The Jedi had rescued him from slavery and given him “a home.” Deep down, he thought leaving would be a mistake, especially because of his connection to Obi-Wan.
In addition, Anakin prioritized being a leader of the Jedi. We could say that he wanted “more than anything else” to be “a hero”, and the Jedi offered “the only real path to make that happen.” He placed the most emphasis on being a Jedi Master, not a family person.
Although Anakin is happy about Padme’s pregnancy and having a child, he seems driven more by his Jedi identity. He is concerned about Padme, but does not seem to be too focused on fatherhood.
To Save Padme
The second and more pressing reason is that Anakin wanted to save Padme. Responses in the first Reddit discussion above stress how Anakin sought to master the Force to save her and that Palpatine manipulated him into following the dark side to that end.
Other fans support the idea that Anakin stayed in the Order to protect Padme. One post states, “He wanted the power to protect the people he cared about,” and staying with the Jedi provided “a path to gain such power.” Another one indicates how Anakin sought “power to stop death even.”
On that note, others weigh in about Anakin’s visions of Padme’s death, compounded by the loss of his mother, pressured him to “search for more power and knowledge about the Force.” That knowledge could arise from becoming a Jedi Master and gaining access to the Jedi Archives.
Before Palpatine fully intervened, Anakin thus thought the Archives would be a conduit to saving Padme. As this “What If” video explores, if Anakin had gained access to the Restricted Section, he would have immediately researched “ancient texts” and learned “forgotten wisdom.” He may have discovered that he could transfer some of his midi-chlorians to Padme.
This scenario reflects the underlying motivation for staying with the Jedi. He could have found a pathway without Palpatine.
Palpatine’s Manipulation
Yet, we shouldn’t forget about Palpatine’s influence on keeping Anakin in the Order until the time was right. Before he dangled the prospect of saving Padme before Anakin, Sidious maneuvered to keep him there.
As part of “shaping Anakin into the perfect apprentice,” Palpatine uses praise for Anakin and insults against the Order to mold his candidate. This influences “Anakin’s ego” and plays into Sidious’s plans to subvert and overthrow the Jedi. Palpatine places Anakin in emotional turmoil that has him stay with the Jedi, then abandon them at the crucial moment.
The opera scene in Revenge of the Sith, recapped here, is a prime example of toying with Anakin’s ideas about “Jedi ideals” and slipping in confusion about the Sith. The legend of Plagueis allows Sidious to work on Anakin’s “deepest fear of losing Padme.”
It’s a cumulative progression to this point, where the seed is planted to turn away from what he believed in the most to save the one he cherishes the most.
Anakin Couldn’t Leave the Order
Anakin stayed with the Jedi Order for several key reasons, including his belief in them and what they had done for him. His desire to save Padme through the Order was a priority and a turning point to the dark side. Beneath it all lay Palpatine’s influence.