NOOOOOO, STAR WARS PREQUELS!

Ok, I’m going to try to not think about how much the Anakin/Padme relationship was botched in execution and just address what you’re talking about:

Yes. 

Actually the similarity goes deeper as Padme primarily wants to protect her people and her myopic view allows Palpatine to take over the Senate (SPOILER, but I also spared you having to look up “vote of no confidence”), while Anakin works for what is essentially a police force (until the Clones…uh…attack?) that shouldn’t be controlled by Palpatine but is.

In this example, Palpatine is Varrick, not Unalaq. Unalaq is, like, Count Dooku.

If we’re going to talk emotions, it’s hard because the Star Wars Prequel doesn’t really have any (BUUUUUUUURN!), but what they were trying to set up was something like what we saw on Korra and what you identify: serving politics over your relationship will end your relationship.

The main difference between the two, though, is that I don’t see Mako going dark, I see him coming around once he realizes the police are less about honor and more like those two practical-joke officers in The Peacekeepers.

-Da7e-