One Return Of The Jedi Detail Makes Anakin's Fall Even More Tragic

One line from Palpatine in Return of the Jedi may have awoken Anakin Skywalker inside Darth Vader before Luke Skywalker broke through to his father.

Summary

Anakin Skywalker's journey in Star Wars culminates in Return of the Jedi, where Luke Skywalker is finally able to bring him back to the light side.
Palpatine sees Darth Vader as his possession, referring to him as "mine," highlighting his control over Vader and his manipulation of him.
Despite being freed from slavery earlier in his life, Anakin becomes a slave again to Palpatine. It is ultimately Luke's faith and Vader's desire for freedom that lead to his redemption.

Return of the Jedi represents the culmination of Anakin Skywalker’s journey in Star Wars. Before the final movie of the original trilogy, both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano had attempted to pull Anakin out of Darth Vader. While both of them succeeded in removing part of the mask Anakin had made for himself, neither were able to break through and reach the boy trapped inside. However, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker was finally able to strike a chord in his father and bring him back to light side. But it may not have been entirely Luke’s doing; one line from Palpatine may have been the catalyst for Anakin’s return.

By the time of Return of the Jedi, Anakin had come a long way from his humble beginning in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. At some point, Anakin reached a point of no return in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith where he gave himself over to the dark side. But even then, his desire was to create a better world for himself and Padmé. In a way, he was still the little boy from Tatooine seeking to free himself from the shackles the galaxy put on him.

Palpatine Saw Darth Vader As His Possession - And He Was Right

Before Luke and Vader's climactic duel in Return of the Jedi, Palpatine goads Luke to join the dark side. During their conversation, Palpatine tells him, “you, like your father, are now mine.” In this moment, Palpatine is using his perfect plan on Luke; the same plan Palpatine used to turn Vader and Dooku before him. However, the fact that he refers to Vader as if he were a servant or a possession shows what he really thinks of Vader. Vader is Palpatine’s slave, to the point where Vader does his “master's” bidding.

Anakin Skywalker Was Freed From Slavery, But His Choices Made Him A Slave Again

Despite Qui-Gon Jinn helping free Anakin from slavery in The Phantom Menace, Anakin ended up becoming a slave of Palpatine by the end of Revenge of the Sith. Just as he’d done with Watto, Anakin woke up and reported to his master every day. He was shackled to a fate he never wanted and forced to carry out work that disgusted him. Palpatine promised him freedom, but ended up utilizing Anakin as a means to his own ends. While Luke’s faith in his father was ultimately what made Anakin realize his mistake, Palpatine’s treatment may have also caused him to break.

When Vader was defeated by Luke, he saw his son do the unthinkable; Luke rejected Palpatine and refused to kill him. Luke saw Anakin’s desire to be free, not Vader’s desire to be conquered. At this point, Vader realized all at once that he didn’t want to die as a slave to Palpatine’s whims. Instead, he chose to destroy Palpatine and be free, even if it meant dying in the process. At the end of Return of the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker dies as a free and fulfilled man while knowing his son won’t be shackled to the same evil he’d been.