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At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin says something along the lines of:

"Love can't save you Padme, only my new powers can do that."

Aside from his eyes turning yellow, we don't actually see Anakin using any kind of power we haven't seen before. And I don't think Palpatine and Anakin found the secret to cheating death that quickly.

What new powers was Anakin referring to?

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    The same kind of power that Obi-Wan gained after being striken down by Vader... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING USEFUL! :)
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Commented May 22, 2014 at 12:32
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    Glowy eyes and enhanced whininess.
    – Omegacron
    Commented Mar 16, 2015 at 18:14

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He was referring to Palpatine's promise, and his new, yet to be found, powers...

PALPATINE: To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret.

The masterstroke of Palpatine's plan was that he never even had to provide the goods (the actual power of immortality); he just had to make Anakin think they could find it. Combine that with Anakin's fear of losing Padme' from his vision/nightmare and his intense love for her, it was a hole in one.

I've actually realised an even greater irony; the quote in the OP from Anakin is "Love can't save you"... whereas it could've, and would've, saved her. If they'd not had their lava-fueled hissy fit and Anakin hadn't choked her into unconsciousness (which I'd not call very loving), they might've worked out their issues more 'lovingly' and moved on with their lives. Except that Anakin had, by that point, slaughtered most of the Jedi. But small steps.

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    In other words, he was referring to powers he did not actually have. What if Padme just accepted his answer and then Anakin still didn't have the powers by the time she gave birth (assuming she was still dying somehow)? I think she would've been a little ticked off.
    – jliv902
    Commented May 22, 2014 at 16:17
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    Sure, she would've. Except her death-by-broken-heart only occurred due to his descent into the dark side (due to her rejection of his power-lusting). So if she'd just accepted his sudden greed for new, better powers, none of that would've happened. Of course, it wouldn't be in character for her to do that, so...
    – IronWaffleMan
    Commented May 23, 2014 at 4:16
  • Out of curiosity, who is the "only one" who achieved it?
    – asteri
    Commented May 23, 2014 at 13:26
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    @JeffGohlke Darth Plagueis could bring the dead back to life and do the opposite as well.
    – jliv902
    Commented May 23, 2014 at 13:31
  • I thought Padme had the broken heart because V died?
    – Omegacron
    Commented Oct 1, 2014 at 18:23
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They weren't anything specific. It was his new sense of power resulting from turning to the dark-side. In his mind, he had thrown off the shackles of everything that was holding him back. The Jedi, their lies and hypocrisy, etc.

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