The Real Reason Palpatine Sent Anakin to the Jedi Temple During Order 66

In Star Wars revenge of the sith, once anakin cut off the hand of Mace Windu, and palpatine tested him out of the window, dubbing the chosen one as Darth Vader. He sent Anakin to the jedi temple, and then to Mustafar to wipe out the separatist leaders, ending the war.
Why didn’t palpatine just send anakin to Mustafar, while the clones took out the jedi at the temple? Risking Anakin against Jedi Masters all defending themselves at once might have cost Palpatine all he had worked so hard for with Anakin, losing him in a duel. Let’s look at the answer as to why Palpatine sent Anakin to the Jedi Temple first, from the Star Wars revenge of the sith junior novelization.

In the novelization, it writes ““Anakin Skywalker, you are one with the Order of the Sith Lords,” Palpatine replied. “Henceforth, you shall be known as…Darth Vader.” “Thank you, my Master.” Darth Sidious—Chancellor Palpatine—stood alone in his enormous office. He’d sent his new apprentice and a battalion of clone troops to the Jedi Temple. That would take care of the Jedi on Coruscant. He scowled slightly under his hood. He sensed that his apprentice was not yet as fully committed to the dark side as he should be. Well, destroying the Jedi

Wrede, Patricia C. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: Junior Novelization (pp. 138-139). Disney Book Group. Kindle Edition. ”

It would seem that Sidious didn’t need Anakin at the temple at all. Rather, he just wanted him to prove himself, and thus cementing a theory I had on why Anakin had to kill the younglings. I don’t think he was happy doing it, I think he was just numb to doing whatever he needed to do in order to unlock the powers in the dark side to save padme. He had been fed a lie. Anakin taking Windu’s hand was what made him pledge allegiance to the emperor on the sole reason that the Jedi would never forgive this actual treason and murder he just committed. Palpatine, was welcoming him with open arms. This also tells me that Sidious knew Anakin’s heart wasn’t fully in being a Sith Lord. Much like Maul lived and breathed being a sith, and would rather die than become a Jedi, Anakin like being a Jedi, and he fought his whole career against those of darker deeds, so him becoming the very thing he swore to destroy must have devastated him. The reason he was crying on Mustafar wasn’t because of the deeds he had just done, but because of the man he was today was so far off from the man the little boy on Tatooine wanted to become all those years ago. In the novel the rise and fall of Darth Vader, it explains why he was crying, which I’ll quote here -

After killing all the Separatist leaders, Palpatine’s new apprentice had stepped outside the mountain fortress on Mustafar to gaze at the blazing lava rivers below. He would not mourn for the lives he had taken. But for the loss of his former self, the boy who had dreamed of becoming a Jedi, he was unable to hold back the tears that streamed down his cheeks. Anakin Skywalker was gone. Or was he? After all, Padmé had fallen in love with Anakin, not Darth Vader.

Right here we see how Anakin was callous and indifferent to the lives he just took, the betrayal he committed to the very jedi who took him in and made him who he is, but rather was sad because little ani was so far gone from the Vader that is today. This shows Anakin has the ability to still think of himself as Anakin, even though he’s now technically Vader. This proves that Anakin never fully is killed off within Vader. Only mostly, with a fragment always lingering, especially with the longing of Padme, and trying desperately to bring her back.


This is a scene I really want to see in the Kenobi show, or any show that has order 66 relevancy. A flashback of Anakin inside the Jedi Temple during Order 66, showing his new powers in the dark side and defeating all the masters and jedi just like it was described in the official revenge of the sith novel by Matthew Stover, as well as in the revenge of the sith video game. Anakin’s might in the Jedi temple was only briefly scene during the hologram image that Obi-Wan Kenobi pulled up when he and Yoda returned to the Jedi Temple. Anakin can be seen choking one jedi and battle several other. Dueling jedi master cin drallig who was the jedi temple’s lightsaber teacher. Meaning he was so good at fighting with a lightsaber, he taught the students at the temple. He could switch back and forth between all the different lightsaber forms mid combat without even thinking, and Anakin defeated him, easily. Anakin was strong and once he travelled over to the dark side, he entered a new level of power. Power he was only getting used to, and this is something Sidious wanted him to feel for himself while proving his loyalty to the dark side.

Have a great day! May the force be with you!

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