There are some pretty cool Jedi in Star Wars -- especially during the prequels. Master Windu, with his shatterpoint ability, is one of the best. Kit Fisto and Plo Koon were two more awesome character designs. Yet, there's little doubt that the combination of Anakin and Obi-Wan was almost everyone's favorite Jedi duo. That was true amongst fans, but it was also true in the Star Wars universe.
Before the Clone Wars, there were roughly 10,000 Jedi spread throughout the Star Wars galaxy. However, Obi-Wan and Anakin were at the center of the Geonosis Arena when the war started. It was also Obi-Wan and Anakin who became the premiere leaders of the Jedi's most dangerous war efforts. Because of that, out of the 10,000 Jedi in the galaxy, Obi-Wan and Anakin (but Anakin specifically) became the Republic's poster children. Unfortunately, that all happened by Palpatine's design.
RELATED: How Star Wars Made an Annoying Return of the Jedi Plot Hole Even Worse
How Palpatine's powers stack up against some Old Republic Sith is debatable, but Palpatine was definitely an accomplished schemer. He took everything that Anakin loved and stacked it against him, pressuring him to fall into darkness. It's best seen in the Star Wars films, but a recent comic explained Anakin's tragic fall in a whole new way. The comic was Darth Vader #26 by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco, Carlos Lopez, and VC's Joe Caramagna.
In the comic, Vader rescued Sabé (one of Padmé's former handmaidens) from an artificial sandstorm, which would probably lead to a punishment from Palpatine. However, the most important part was Vader's motivation. While he was rescuing her, Vader was having flashbacks to his life before being a Sith. He remembered how he and his mother almost died in a Sandstorm. He also remembered leaving his mother and starting his training. Then, he remembered the Sand People, his dying mother and leaving Padmé behind in Attack of the Clones. All of the terrible moments in Anakin's life happened around sand. It represented the potential to lose what he cared about most.
That's how Palpatine ended up taking advantage of him. Anakin's fear of loss gave him a bit of a savior complex. He had to be right; he had to serve the things he cared about so that he could save them. If he failed again, he would lose everything, like he did his mother. That's actually why Palpatine elevated him during the Clone Wars. As the Republic's poster boy, Anakin believed that he would be able to save the Republic no matter the cost, and that was a major confidence booster.
RELATED: Nobody Respected Darth Vader - and a Return of the Jedi Deleted Scene Proves It
That made Anakin think that he could save anything, including Padmé. Of course, his failure with his mother pushed him into rash decisions to try and save his wife -- even to the point of accepting tutelage under a Sith Lord. Yet, everything was done out of service. He needed to make sure that Padmé was going to be okay, and he was willing to sacrifice himself to do so.
It's worth noting, though, that Palpatine's manipulation wouldn't have worked on any other Jedi. Besides the whole non-attachment philosophy, the prequel Jedi were pragmatists. They were worried about the big picture rather than helping individuals. There were even a few times when they chose to not combat slavery. So, Anakin's willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of someone else (while it ended up destroying the Jedi Order) showed that he embodied a Jedi's life of service more than any other Jedi in the Star Wars prequels, who were more worried about appearances than results.