Anakin Skywalker
Personality
\"For Anakin, there is nothing more important than friendship. He is the most loyal man I've ever met—loyal beyond reason; in fact […] abstractions like peace don't mean much to him. He's loyal to people, not to principles. And he expects loyalty in return. He will stop at nothing to save me, for example, because he thinks I would do the same for him… because he knows I would do the same for him.\"
Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
The duality of light and dark.As a young boy, Anakin was thoughtful and intelligent. He was friendly and easily got along with others despite his status as a slave. He also had a special place in his heart for his mother, whom he constantly built inventions to sell or to use to lighten her workload. At the coming of the Jedi, he was both helpful and generous; doing all that he could to help them off-planet, risking his life at the podrace as well as giving them the sizable reward money which he and his mother would have had use for. Though lovable, he also was one to carry grudges and was vengeful, but he commonly held these two traits in check. He also hated being treated unjustly or being wrongly accused. He was fiercely loyal, doing anything to keep those he was close to from harm, at any cost. His only price for this dedication was loyalty in return.
His separation from his mother was the hardest thing he'd ever done, and it still hurt him for years. Because of his fear of losing even more friends in such a manner, he kept to himself, fiddling around with his only friends, the Temple droids. During this, however, he grew especially close to Obi-Wan, considering him a father and a role model. Due to his sudden escalation from slave to being known as the \"Chosen One\" and the rising star of the Jedi Order, pride and arrogance set in. He grew cocky, self-appreciating, and he grew to hate being reprimanded or lectured.
He was naturally honest and despised lying and deception, and especially hated politics, correctly considering most politicians to be greedy and self-conceited. Obi-Wan's continual self-consciousness when it came to Anakin hurt the boy, who at times wasn't sure whether Obi-Wan liked him, something his heart craved. Therefore, he turned to a more complimenting, comforting source: Palpatine.
His yearning to be loved, as well as appreciated, came out in his devotion and secret marriage to Padmé, one of the only three people he ever thought appreciated or cared for him. As his fame grew, he became more and more arrogant, and he knew that he was one of the best Jedi of the Order, believing that he could easily best any Jedi blindfolded with his lightsaber tied behind his back. This coupled with his frustration at his perceived injustice at being kept at the rank of Jedi Knight made him more and more bitter and distrustful of the Jedi Council. His belief in them was shattered more and more as Anakin's closest friend, Palpatine, swayed him from trusting them. Slowly, his bond with everyone except the Chancellor was completely shaken and broken, even that of his wife when he assumed her betrayal of him. Born out of this conflict was the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader.
\"Extinction is a way of nature. Weaker species are replaced by stronger ones.\"
Darth Vader expressing his views[src]
Vader was a rattled man, shaken by the perceived betrayal of his dearest friend, his former comrades-in-arms, and his wife. Upon donning the armor that kept him alive, Vader remained uncertain, but became more self-confident following his killing of Roan Shryne on Kashyyyk. Vader did not suffer fools lightly, and did not get on well at all with many of the higher-ups in the Imperial military, nearly choking Admiral Conan Antonio Motti to death when he challenged the power of the Force, though Admiral Motti survived due to the intervention of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. Both Admiral Kendal Ozzel and Captain Lorth Needa were not so fortunate as Vader telepathically strangled both men to death following blunders they had committed. For their part, many higher ranking Imperial officials despised the Dark Lord and his \"sorcerer's ways.\"
Despite his rather rocky relationship with higher ranking officers in the military, Vader got along quite well with the clone troopers, once remarking, \"I was rather fond of Commander Appo,\" following the latter's death at the hands of Roan Shryne. One reason Vader was popular with the troops that served under him was his willingness to fight in the front line, and not expect of anyone anything he was not willing to do himself. One officer who looked up to Vader because of this was Erv Lekauf, who often spoke highly of Vader to his grandson Jori Lekauf. Another military officer to be taken under Vader's wing was Firmus Piett, who succeeded Ozzel as Admiral of Death Squadron, and notably survived being under the Sith Lord's command having erred not once, but twice during his tenure under Vader. However, both of these failures were caused by unforeseeable factors, not errors in judgment.
Mace Windu
Personality and traits
Mace Windu had the personality that many Jedi had over the centuries. Although he was an extremely talented Force user and swordsman, he hardly displayed arrogance, and humbled himself to older Jedi such as Master Yoda.
Despite his bravery, it should be noted that he was slightly reluctant at times, an example being Anakin Skywalker's presentation to the Jedi High Council. He also showed he was careful about who his friends were and who he trusted. For example, in 19 BBY, after Anakin Skywalker was a Councilor and was one of the most talented Jedi in the Order, Mace stated that he did not fully trust Anakin.
