Anakin Skywalker's identification with the "dead-star dragon" is a powerful metaphor for
the dark and profound fear that exists within him, as revealed in the Star Wars: Episode III
- Revenge of the Sith novelization. The imagery comes from the moment that Obi-Wan
Kenobi leads him to an old solar system where the star itself had died long ago and formed
into a cold, hypercompacted dwarf. To Anakin, who had heard his whole life about
sun-dragons- great beings that live within stars- this image of a dead star became a ghostly
reminder of his own worst fears. The dead-star dragon represents a cold, unforgiving voice
within his own heart, reminding him that all things die, and no one can retain love
endlessly. It is Anakin's paralyzing fear of loss, particularly the loss of those he cares about -
which significantly has to do with the fact that his upbringing as a child slave led him to
inevitable goodbyes towards people he loved (his mother), which is the main reason why he
refrained from creating attachments when he grew older- such as Padmé, and it torments
his mind incessantly, nourishing his insecurities and despair.
Throughout Anakin's narrative, this dragon metaphor surfaces as a reminder of the fear
and self-doubt that contribute to his falling towards the Dark Side. The voice of the dragon
becomes more apparent when he feels rejected and defeated, like when the Jedi Council
refuses to give him the Master rank or when his loved ones are in danger. Whereas
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's power seems to weaken the dragon's hold (at least for the
moment) by making Anakin promises of power to avoid death, the metaphorical creature
only braces itself more and more with every choice Anakin makes out of fear. Anakin's
turning point lies in his choosing Palpatine and murdering Mace Windu, an act which he
hopes will at last kill the dragon. But the novel uncovers a sad fact- the dragon is not an
outside entity to be killed but an expression of his own worst self. There was never a
distinct Vader or dragon; they were both expressions of Anakin's suffering and
self-destruction. The dragon bites him as he crushes it, representing the way his own fears
eventually gain the upper hand and transform his wish to save his loved ones into the
reason for their loss.
“And there is one blazing moment in which you finally understand that there was no dragon. There
was no Vader, there was only you. Only Anakin Skywalker. That it was all you. It is you. only you. You
did it. You killed her. You killed her because, finally, when you could have saved her, when you could
have gone away with her, when you could have been thinking about her, you were thinking about
yourself... “
This metaphor summarizes Anakin's ultimate inner conflict- his conflict with fear, love,
identity, and self-imposed isolation that the dark side requires. The dead-star dragon
symbolizes that even stars, entities with overwhelming power and life, are capable of dying,
which mirrors Anakin's innermost existential fear that, regardless of how much power he

acquires, it will never suffice to safeguard what he holds dear. His becoming Darth Vader
was not a triumph over fear but its deference; Vader was not another individual but the
personification of Anakin's defeat and anguish. The dead-star dragon thus represents
Anakin's lasting psychic torture and ultimate acceptance that the monster he dreaded was
himself all along, unmasking the great tragedy at the core of his narrative. Which leads us
to another profound discovery on how Anakin never “turned” into Darth Vader, as he was
him all along.