Chosen One/Legends

"You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it's this boy?"

- Mace Windu to Qui-Gon Jinn and referring to Anakin Skywalker

The prophecy of the Chosen One was an ancient Jedi legend that foretold the coming of a being who would restore balance to the Force.

The prophecy was one of hundreds of obscure legends maintained by the Jedi Order, though its origins and actual content remain unknown. It was thought to have been created by the earliest Jedi philosophers, after the creation of the Galactic Republic but before the Jedi assumed an active role in it.

It is believed the prophecy detailed the birth of one strong in the Force, who would ultimately bring balance to that mystical energy field through their actions. It may also have indicated that being would, in restoring balance, destroy the Sith, who were thought to be the cause of unbalance, with their use of the dark side of the Force. However, as the Sith were believed destroyed at the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, the prophecy was disregarded by the Jedi High Council. It is known that the prophecy did not state that the Chosen One would be a Jedi, but the Jedi assumed that the Chosen One would be a Jedi, due to the prophecy's being a Jedi prophecy.

History of the Chosen One
"He is the Chosen One. You must see it."

- Qui-Gon Jinn

In the waning days of the Republic, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discovered a young slave boy named Anakin Skywalker on the desert planet of Tatooine. Jinn believed the boy could be the Chosen One himself, due to his extraordinary ability with the Force&mdash;brought on by his unusually high midi-chlorian count of over twenty thousand&mdash;and his apparent virgin birth by Shmi Skywalker.

Despite Qui-Gon's belief of the boy's true purpose in the Galaxy, the Jedi High Council was not entirely convinced, and forebade Qui-Gon from training Anakin. However, after Jinn's death on Naboo, his former Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, took Anakin as his apprentice. The fact that it was a Sith Lord that slew Qui-Gon may have indicated to the Council that, with the Sith returned, the prophecy could still be completed.

"And a special destiny is not always joyous, or easy to bear. My father had a special destiny, and see where it took him."

- Luke Skywalker

Although Anakin Skywalker's powers grew as the years passed, he began a slow but irrevocable slide towards the dark side of the Force, in part due to the increasing influence of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine; someone Anakin thought of as a friend and mentor. The High Council was still dubious that Anakin was truly the Chosen One, and Yoda himself even mused that the prophecy could have been misread, and that Anakin could not have been the one destined to bring balance. This assumption became a conviction when Skywalker fell to the dark side and, as Darth Vader, was responsible for the fall of the Jedi Order. The destruction of the Jedi plunged the Galaxy into darkness, with the Dark Lords of the Sith in control. Obi-Wan Kenobi, during his confrontation with Vader on Mustafar, stated that he believed Anakin was indeed the Chosen One, but that his destiny had been altered, and the prophecy unfulfilled. Yoda and Obi-Wan then looked towards the offspring of Skywalker to one day overthrow the Sith, possibly hoping they would fulfill the prophecy instead. It transpired, however, that the prophecy was still to be fulfilled; decades later, above the moon of Endor. There, Vader stood witness to a confrontation between the Dark Lord of the Sith, Palpatine, and Vader's own son, Luke Skywalker. When Palpatine unleashed deadly Force lightning upon the boy, Vader turned against his Sith Master to save Luke's life. He killed Palpatine at the cost of his own life, and in doing so, fulfilled the prophecy by destroying the last two Sith Lords in the Galaxy. Redeemed finally, Anakin Skywalker passed into the light of the Force, leaving his son to continue the teachings of the Jedi, to maintain the balance that Anakin had restored. Also with only 100 jedi left there should only be about 98 acolytes besides The Two.

Incidentally, a year later, the Central Committee of Grand Moffs proclaimed Trioculus to be "a son who shall be our new chosen one!" It is possible that they used this title under the advice of the Prophets of the Dark Side.

Behind the scenes

 * It has also been alluded to by many fans, that the prophecy was fulfilled when Anakin initiated the purge of the Jedi which along with Order 66, brought the Jedi down to only two; Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This effectively made them equal with the Sith, who had only two members due to the Rule of Two, therefore bringing balance to the Force by bringing equality to both of its sides, Light and Dark; Two Jedi and Two Sith. This may be erroneous however as it has since been stated that nearly 100 Jedi survived Order 66 and carried through the purge. Also, according to the Clone Wars cartoons, Count Dooku has a team of Acolytes likened to Dark Jedi further upsetting the balance.

"&hellip;And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as THE SON OF THE SUNS."
 * It is believed by some that the prophecy of the Chosen One is connected to the prophecy of the "Son of the Suns", as stated in the novelization of Episode IV:

- Journal of the Whills, 3:127


 * This, however, was written in 1977, when the prophecy of the Chosen One had not been developed, and is actually referencing the actions of Luke Skywalker, not his father.


 * George Lucas himself has stated that Anakin is the Chosen One, although Luke indirectly served as the catalyst that allowed Anakin to fulfill the prophecy.


 * It was called by Yoda in Episode III "A prophecy that misread could have been."


 * It could also be interpreted otherwise, that the Chosen One would bring down the old ways of the Jedi and see that the New Jedi Order was not like the old one, the New Jedi would have emotions, and attachments, but would not be controlled by their emotions, like Anakin was. As Jolee Bindo prophesied long ago, ""Love doesn't lead to the dark side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled, but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passions while being in love, that's what they should teach you to beware, but love itself will save, not condemn you." Some could interpret that he either foresaw the downfall of the Jedi and what would save them ultimately, or maybe he was wise enough to see the failings of the Jedi Order of the time. Either way, Anakin was the Chosen One, since the Jedi had to be humbled, and then allowed to start anew in order for this process to happen.


 * Due to an impressive chain of events, Darth Revan could be considered indirectly responsible for the discovery and possibly even the creation of Anakin Skywalker. It was his influence that caused Darth Bane to create the Rule of Two, which led to the rise of Darth Sidious (it has been suggested that he or his former master Darth Plagueis influenced the midi-chlorians to create Anakin) who's manipulation of the Trade Federation caused Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to be sent on a mission to negotiate with them, which failed and led to them landing on Tatooine and discovering young Anakin Skywalker. This could mean that Revan himself could have been the Chosen One and that his actions would bring balance to the Force, even almost 4000 years after his own death. Though this is extremely contraversial and whether or not this should be considered canon is highly debatable.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 21"
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi