"Ani... you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine."
The necessity and significance of Anakin being a kid in Episode I.When making the Prequels, George Lucas wanted to explore two major, intertwining themes; what causes republics to become dictatorships, and what causes people who start out as regular children to grow up to be evil?
Lucas subverted many people's expectations by beginning his Star Wars saga with a young, cherub-like Anakin living as a slave with his mother. Some long-time fans were taken aback by this, so I'd like to go over why I think it works.
First, I'd like to unpeel the layers of Padmé's above line here to Anakin from Attack of the Clones. And I'd like to do so by starting from the end of the Lucas saga and working back.
At the end of Return of the Jedi, Anakin redeems himself by saving his son, destroying the Emperor and helping restore the galaxy's freedom and balance to the Force. Where did the lost good dwelling inside this ruthless warlord come from? Was he always a ruthless warlord?
What kind of person was this knight of darkness before he was Darth Vader? And how did he become a Sith Lord?
Continuing the walk back through the saga, it's in Episode III that we see Anakin fall to the dark side and transform into Darth Vader. And some of the big components of what led up to that were the rash decisions he made. Which were due largely in part to him being a young adult, about 23, still unable to harness his impulses and emotional reactions - due to a lack of wisdom and experience, and as Hayden Christensen says, naïveté. Despite, at this point, having spent the previous 13 years training as a Jedi. So we have scientifically proven brain development at play here, as well the layered tragedy of his inability and/or unwillingness to integrate the Jedi Way of non-attachment and mental & emotional stability, despite a whopping decade as a Padawan. If he'd joined the Jedi as a teenager and become Vader in his early or mid-twenties, it wouldn't be as impactful. The audience could say "Well, he only trained for a few years, what do you expect?" The prolonged training period highlights the incompatibility between Anakin and the Jedi and the way in which people tend to sweep things under the rug until they come bursting out later.
Furthermore, after all Anakin had done by the time of their last meeting, Padmé still believed Anakin was a good person deep down. Why? Because despite his flaws and crimes of passion, she knew his heart was mostly in the right place. And she knew him, who he could really be, because she remembers when he was a selfless, brave and heroic little boy - and that part of him isn't gone for good.
It was important for Lucas that the themes central to Anakin's turn were the big issues of life that we all struggle with, and therefore should focus on fear of loss and inability to accept change. As he says, "Anakin's flaws, like all mythological heroes flaws, are the flaws that everyone carries with them." And what bigger loss is there than losing your loved ones? Anakin's fall should mirror his redemption, which was brought about through the loving connection he had with his son. His problems needed to revolve around the loving connection he has with his mother and the struggles he goes through in leaving her so abruptly at such a vulnerable age. Lucas states "it's the central issue... that drives everything."
Some think Episode I should have featured a teenage or early-twenties Anakin. And even Lucas originally had Anakin at around twelve years old. But while writing the screenplay he eventually moved his age down to around nine or ten because, as he simply says, he "felt it worked better." because as he states he "realized the issue of his leaving his mother wasn't quite as dramatic as it needed to be."
Psychologist Daniel Goleman, an associate of Lucas' in the field of reforming the education system, wrote the landmark book Emotional Intelligence, which Lucas was reading while writing TPM. The book states through the research of countless child psychologists that the ages in which the trauma of losing a parent, leaving a parent or divorce has the largest affect is 6-12. This is a precarious time when they begin to understand the implications of death and separation, though still have not yet began to step into a place of personal independence. Thus making Anakin's decision to leave his mother and become a Jedi the most difficult for him to make.
It also makes the relationship between Anakin and Shmi all the more touching, and therefore also all the more difficult for Shmi to let him go at his age, let alone race pods, and all the more poignant when she displays how much she believes in him. This is what Lucas wanted to drive home, this is what he felt was important to the story.
Attachment to one's parents, particularly the mother, is natural and necessary for young children. Not so much for teenagers.
And a hero's journey has to have the reluctance stage, after all. Good drama needs something which holds the hero back. And like all great stories, the thing holding Anakin's back is also what drives the rest of the story - the story of how he falls and how he's redeeemd.
This particular, younger age also makes things like building a protocol droid, building a podracer, winning a podrace and destroying a droid control ship all the more spectacular and unexpected accomplishments. While also feasible enough in making him out to be that much more of a young phenom or child prodigy. Subverting expectations, yet still establishing Anakin as a great pilot with strong Force abilities, which were integral to the plot and his character development.
Not to mention at twelve or older he may not have been able to fit into a pod.
So in being old enough to win a podrace yet young enough to be traumatized by leaving his mother, nine or ten is the sweet spot.
And while being a slave is tragic for anybody, it's even more so for a kid. It elicits more sympathy from the viewer. Furthermore, we see that despite his adverse conditions, he is still a relatively happy child, and most importantly it's because of his relationship to his mother, his loving, nurturing foundation.
It also makes it that much harder to believe this kind-hearted boy will eventually become Darth Vader.
This image is loaded with foreshadowing but in an almost mind-bendingly incredulous way. Replace Ani with a teenager and that sense of curious anticipation deflates quite a bit. A younger, more innocent Anakin makes that yearning question of "how?" really pop.
At this age he is also much more compelled to seek out a father figure, as he did in Qui-Gon. And having Ani as a young child really brings out Qui-Gon's warmth.
He subsequently also sought out a father figure in Obi-Wan and unfortunately Palpatine as well. And let's not forget the influence his greedy slave master Watto would've had on his psyche.
There's also the matter of the Jedi Council's reluctance to allow him to become a Jedi. At ten, Anakin is just the right age to miss his mother and harbor a lot of fear regarding her situation. Obstacles add drama, yo.
And just look at how his littleness is magnified here. Such a young person - in this daunting new situation on this strange new planet - on the other side of the galaxy - feeling small, alone and cold.
And speaking of father figures and Obi-Wan being his master; when their master/apprentice relationship started, there was a distinct enough gap in their ages for it to work. But as the years went on, by Episode II they are almost more like peers, which complicated things and interfered with Anakin's training, which is another important element to the story.
Now, to address the age issue between Padmé and Anakin. I feel this is a bold move. It's unexpected and sets up more anticipation for the next films. But most importantly, I believe, when we see the two of them develop a bond together in Episode I it shows for certain that they develop an authentic bond of caring for each other as people, without any influence of hormones or anything.
For example when Padmé comforts him on the ship and he gives her the Japor snippet, that's just pure kindness. Moments like these emphasize the compassion brought out in these two characters for one another, and therefore their bond is established and grounded in genuine, mutual caring.
Even Anakin's fascination with her and her beauty is grounded in boyish innocence. "Are you an angel?" strikes
us a certain way, but we quickly realize Ani meant it in reference to a species of beautiful creatures from the moons of Iego.
Anakin being younger also sets up an obstacle and challenge for him to have to prove himself to Padmé. This way we see that she doesn't just fall for him because of his looks or something superficial, he had to really impress her with his character. The age gap, the fact that
she's older, along with their societal roles, also shows that Padmé's feelings for him are so strong that she is willing to stay true to her heart rather than follow societal norms and rules. This scenario is also so much less cliché.
Personally, I loved the anticipation after TPM, wondering how this was gonna work out. The sense of taboo we get from TPM also works as a nice set up for the actual taboo of them being in a relationship when they do later come of age.
And going back to Anakin's ten years as a Padawan, ten years of dwelling on Padmé is a very long time, which is the point. The prolonged timespan really makes his obsession hit home. Three or so years doesn't raise the viewer's eyebrow quite the same. This is also a long time for him to go without seeing or hearing from his beloved mother, which creates a lot of inner problems for him which fester only to come exploding out in AotC. Being away from his mother for a few years as a teen isn't nearly as impactful as being away from her for a decade as a child.
Also, having a 10 year gap between Episodes I and II gives the Clone Army a reasonable amount of time to grow into adulthood, all with Palpatine setting all of his plans in motion at one time. So having Anakin as a boy in Episode I would put him at about 19 in Episode II, so we still get to have that mirroring with Luke & Leia's ages in ANH, that fans craved.
There's also the practical matter of casting to consider. It's easier to cast a young child, then three years later a different 19-20 year-old than it is to worry about a 14-year old trying to play a convincing 19 or 20-year old after only three years, and so on. And would he even still have the proper acting chops, etc.? It's better to jump.
Some say this is all fine and dandy, but couldn't it have been done with flashbacks? Simply... no, that's not Lucas' style. And I think it would be a disservice to the story, the films and to the overarching saga as a whole.
One also must realize how important Lucas' children are to him. He says our children redeem us. They teach us compassion and they should bring out the best in us. He says the most important thing you can do is raise children. He makes his movies to instill morals and imagination into the young generations so they can decide for themselves what kind of adult they want to become. So why not make the main character of this saga that is so centered around kids, a kid?
And being that we got to see Anakin as a kid, it makes it that much more impactful and tragic when he goes to the Jedi and takes out the Younglings. Not to mention the women and children of the Tusken camp. Here's this young man that was denied that which he wanted so much, to be with his
own mother, that in anger he ended the lives of dozens of other mothers and children. So in this sense, a young, innocent Anakin serves as a stark contrast to the dark Anakin he is now on the road to later becoming.
Heck, the young, innocent Anakin stands in stark contrast to Darth Maul, who is meant to represent primal fear. It's no coincidence that literally seconds after leaving his mother, Darth Maul launches an attack upon Qui-Gon - strongly emphasizing the thrusting of Anakin into a new, more uncertain world fraught with unexpected dangers.
And just admire the contrast in Anakin's theme to the Imperial March. A theme written for one the age of twelve or older just wouldn't be quite enough of a dramatic juxtaposition. And again, look to music within TPM featured during the fight with Darth Maul and its dramatic, stark contrast to the sweet and charming melody of Anakin's piece.
The exuberant, sunny youthfulness of little Ani and TPM in general serves as the contrast to the dark tragedy of Darth Vader and the dark times of the Empire. We the viewers are given the full ride as the galaxy is drained of color, life, friendship, exuberance, joy and love.
Episodes II and III are cautionary tales of what not to do. The characters are not meant to be role models or typical heroes. Episode I was given the privilege to inspire us to be wise and independent like Qui-Gon, brave and resourceful like Padmé, pure and authentic like Jar Jar and selfless like Ani. "Yippie!"
And I like Jake Lloyd's natural approach to acting, it is a joy to see, My inner child really relates to him.
All in all, the young viewers relate to Ani, as well as to Padmé and even Jar Jar. Moreso than to the young adult characters, to whom they more look up to. A young Anakin helped to bring in a new generation of fans and inspired them to be brave and overcome their adversaries and challenges, by using their intelligence and through helping each other.
Perhaps there's also something to be said about retaining a sense of childlike wonder as we traverse through our lives.
Lucas often talks about how children teach us compassion and unconditional love, and that if we treated everybody the way we treat our young children we'd all be a lot happier. And perhaps we can learn something of this from Episode I, even if it's only in the way we treat the characters of Little Ani, and even Jar Jar for that matter - especially the actors who played them.
