Since he was that little boy, Anakin has feared the “death” dragon. The dragon inside of him that reminds him that stars burn out, that people will die, that all things die. This is the kind of fear that lives inside Anakin Skywalker: the dragon of that dead star.
Anakin's fears paved the way to his biggest steps towards becoming Darth Vader, and one of his biggest fears, though hard to see, is having to deal with failure. Anakin is not one to fail, and he tries desperately to prevent failing himself.
In the Phantom Menace, Master Yoda senses much fear in Anakin, however, this fear is not the understandable anxiety - Anakin is afraid to lose his mother, Shmi, whom he was forced to leave behind in slavery.
Even after his brutal scorching in the fires of Mustafar, sand remained the only natural phenomenon that Vader feared. To him, sand was a reminder that he'd failed to save his mother or Padme from death.
Letting her go just might have saved her life and the Jedi Order. So, clearly, Anakin never actually loved Padmé. He was simply afraid of being alone and losing the one that loved him, and that is only greed, attachment and selfishness, not love. Yoda was right all along: Anakin's fear led him to the Dark Side.
Anakin does not have even the slightest bit of remorse. By the end, he feels nothing but anger. Although he feels regret for killing Padme, he still helps the evil Emperor. The film ends with Anakins standing side by side with the man on whose behalf he has committed all his crimes.
What Padmé knew about Anakin's previous dark deeds. Padmé was well aware that Anakin had committed dark crimes that would've started his fall to the dark side. He even confessed to her that he had massacred an entire Tusken Raider village to avenge his mother, leaving no one alive.
DARK SIDE FRIDAY - Did you know Palpatine feared Qui-Gon Jinn? Palpatine was immensely powerful and he could see the future which made him very confident about pretty much anyone who stood against him. So why Qui-Gon Jinn?
In Star Wars Legends and Canon, Galen Marek (Starkiller) is the only Jedi (other than Obi-Wan Kenobi) to put a beat down on Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. Galen was secretly trained as a Sith Lord apprentice to Vader, but returned to the light side and the Jedi.
As powerful as Darth Sidious may have been, it's easy to forget he actually seemed afraid of Master Yoda. As seen in Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine initially thought he could deal with the aged Jedi Master - and then, when Yoda proved able to counter the Sith Lord's Force lightning, he fled.
Apart from his wife, there's no one Anakin loved more than his own mother, Shmi. Her tragic death in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, was arguably the first step in his turn to the dark side. Anakin wanted to return to Tatooine and free his mother from slavery but once he returned it was too late.
The story is Anakin was manipulated to the dark side by Palpatine based on fears of losing Padme and appeals to his desire power and agency, over his life and the galaxy as a whole.
Although the decision to turn to the Dark Side was Anakin's alone, the choice did not come from thin air. His natural prone to impulsivity and emotion without the support systems he needed in place made it easier for Anakin to stumble down a path of darkness.
Darth Vader : You have failed me for the last time, Admiral! Captain Piett? Captain Piett : Yes, my lord? Darth Vader : Make ready to land our troops beyond their energy field, and deploy the fleet, so that nothing gets off the system.
At that moment, the one in which Vader screamed, "No!" in Revenge of the Sith, the Sith apprentice believed himself to be his own worst enemy. Vader hated himself. It likely only grew worse when Vader realized that Palpatine had absolutely played him.
In the Star Wars Universe, it's hard to deny Darth Vader's greatest enemy was the Jedi Order. Sure, he had enemies such as Qi'ra, the Crimson Dawn and Doctor Aphra. But few came close to truly defeating him, other than Obi-Wan Kenobi and in time, his son, Luke Skywalker.
Thus, while Qui-Gon was less powerful than Yoda, Palpatine feared him more.
That said, Vitiate, sometimes better known as the Sith Emperor, is often thought to have been stronger than Darth Sidious thanks to his mastery of the Dark Side of the force which granted him a ridiculously long life.
Arguably, Qui-Gon is wiser in some ways, given that he knows how to preserve his consciousness in death. Yoda is wise, but sometimes flawed, given that some of his views align with the problematic thinking of the Jedi of this era.
“Someday I'm going to fly away from this place.” Again, young Anakin's quote illustrates his aspirations. His words also foreshadow his role in the climax of The Phantom Menace.
The canonical comic Star Wars: Darth Vader #7 confirms the younglings' deaths caused Anakin grief, self-loathing, hatred and pain, fueling his descent even further into the dark side. Those negative emotions also power the dark side, meaning Anakin likely felt stronger as he killed the younglings.
Mace Windu : For your own good, stay out of this affair. I sense a great deal of confusion in you, young Skywalker. There is much fear that clouds your judgment. Anakin Skywalker : I must go, Master.
Had Anakin not converted: Padme would have been killed by the Emperor before childbirth, and before Anakin and Obi wan returned from the mission to destroy general Grievous. Regardless: order 66 probably still would have happened since the army was under control of the dicator in Palpatine.
Anakin is a tragic hero at its finest, a man who turns evil and loses sight of what he was fighting for once his anger became too high, even choking Padme with his force abilities out of anger and pain, believing she didn't trust him after what he did to the young Jedi padawans.
Giving in to his feelings, Anakin cuts off Mace Windu's hand, giving Palpatine the opportunity to kill him. Anakin regrets this almost instantly, but the thought of Padme was stronger than his remorse This is the moment Anakin officially became Darth Vader and led to serious issues in the Skywalker Saga.