15 best Anakin Skywalker moments in Star Wars
By Tom Farr
10. Anakin kills Count Dooku
The beginning of Revenge of the Sith finds Anakin wiser and more confident than he was at the end of Attack of the Clones. This is a result of being a hero of the Clone Wars, as demonstrated again and again in the animated television series. Anakin and Obi-Wan are on a mission to rescue Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who has been kidnapped by General Grievous and Count Dooku. Once the two find the Supreme Chancellor, they’re confronted by Dooku, who quickly incapacitates Obi-Wan. But Anakin has something to prove. When he first encountered Dooku in Attack of the Clones, Dooku defeated him easily, slicing off his hand.
This time, Anakin is able to hold his own, eventually disarming Dooku by slicing off both of his hands. As Anakin stands over Dooku, defeated and on his knees, Palpatine, still posing as the good Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, orders Anakin to kill Dooku. Anakin wrestles with the decision. Killing isn’t the Jedi way. Palpatine argues that Dooku is too dangerous to be kept alive, and Anakin finally cuts off Dooku’s head with his and Dooku’s lightsabers.
This is an important moment because it demonstrates Anakin’s struggle to follow the Jedi code and do the right thing while also being influenced by someone he doesn’t realize wants to pull him to the dark side.