Current Events > 'I don't like sand...' is the most profound moment in all Star Wars. *spoilers*

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"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and gets everywhere." The infamous like from Attack of the Clones. People make fun of it relentlessly. But they shouldn't. The true genius of this scene is lost on casual audiences and memers.

You see, Anakin grew up on Tatooine, a planet with a lot of sand. But he's not talking about sand.

Tatooine is the place where he lived as a slave, where Qui Gon died, where he left his mother behind. To him, Tatooine is a place of sadness and regret. When he says he hates sand, he's really agonizing over the weight of his past. He follows this up by saying Natalie Portman is the opposite of sand, by being soft. Natalie is the woman he loves and wants to spend his future with.

Anakin wants to leave the sand behind and be with the soft Natalie, because that would make him happy. But at the same time, he's haunted by the sand of his past.

And it's that duality, that contrast, that perfectly encapsulates Hayden Christenson's landmark performance. Anakin is striving to be a good and happy person but can't. "It get's everywhere." Anakin can't shake out the sand. He can't let go of his pain.

It is that pain that ultimately undoes him, and ties the theme of the Prequels together. That we can not let pain decide who we are, lest we become twisted and hateful, and ultimately hurt the ones we love most. That warning against pain and bitterness is even more relevant today than it was in 2002.

I hope from now on you'll watch the Star Wars Prequels with more of an open mind, and realize how smart they really are.