Mission to Tatooine (Separatist Crisis)

"They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals. I hate them!"

- Anakin Skywalker

The Massacre on Tatooine was an incident that happened shortly before the Battle of Geonosis, the first battle of the Clone Wars, in 22 BBY. Having gone to Tatooine to find his mother, Shmi Skywalker, Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker discovered she had been kidnapped by a Sand People raiding party and believed dead. After much investigation, Skywalker tracked his mother, extremely weak after a month of torture, who then died on his arms. Consumed by rage, the young Jedi touched the Dark Side of the Force and massacred the entire village, killing every male, woman and child, and payed no attention to the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn, who spoke to Skywalker in an attempt to prevent the carnage.

Skywalker returned to the Lars Homestead with his mother's body in his arms. Enraged, he told Padmé Amidala of the massacre and showed no mercy to the Tuskens. He blamed the death of his mother on his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had taught him to be mindful of his thoughts and dreams of his mother will pass in time. The Lars family, Protocol droid&mdash;C-3PO, Skywalker and Amidala buried Skywalker's mother near the Homestead and payed their respects. Skywalker's astromech droid, R2-D2, arrived during the funeral to alert Skywalker and Amidala of Kenobi's transmission from Geonosis. C-3PO accompanied Skywalker, Amdiala, and R2 and left Tatooine for Geonosis on Amidala's personal yacht.

Prelude
After his departure from his mother, Shmi Skywalker, on Tatooine in 32 BBY, Young Jedi Initiate Anakin Skywalker couldn't let go of his attachment. The Jedi High Council saw this within Skywalker when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn had brought him to the Jedi due to his high Midi-chlorian count and believed that Skywalker was the chosen one, a force-sensitive that will destroy the Sith and bring balance to the force. Prior to Jinn's death on Naboo, Jinn told his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to train Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi. The Jedi Council promoted Kenobi to Knighthood and agreed with Jinn's request&mdash;Skywalker became Kenobi's padawan. Ten years after the Invasion of Naboo, Kenobi and Skywalker were called to protect incumbent Senator from Naboo, Padmé Amidala, who had been receiving death threats. Skywalker, who had not seen Amidala since the Invasion of Naboo, was intoxicated by her presence and endured a sense of attachment. While Kenobi assured his appentice that a Jedi must not become attached, Skywalker was having problems with his attachment of his mother who he had not seen for ten years. Kenobi knew of Skywalker's problem of attachment and encouraged his apprentice that his dreams of his mother will pass in time.

The assassination attempt on Amidala caused turmoil within the Jedi Council, who had sent Kenobi to the lost wild space planet of Kamino to track a bounty hunter that was responsible for the threat against Amdiala's life. The council had given Skywalker a mission to protect Amidala and transport her to her home planet of Naboo. As his attachment for Amidala grew on Naboo, dreams of his mother worsened and soon one night, he had a nightmare of her suffering. Skywalker insisted that he would go to his home planet of Tatooine to find his mother, which disobeyed Kenobi's request for Skywalker to stay on Naboo and protect the senator. However, Amidala followed Skywalker and the two of them left for Tatooine.

A old friend
"Ani?? Little Ani?? ... You are Ani! It is you! Ya sure sprouted! A Jedi! Waddya know?"

- Watto and Anakin Skywalker meet on Tatooine

Amidala and Skywalker entered the Tatoo system on Amidala's personal yacht. They landed in Skywalker's childhood town of Mos Espa, which the two have not seen for ten years. Skywalker approached his old Toydarian friend, Watto near his shop. Due to Skywalker's ten year absence, Watto did not familiarize who the outlander was. The Jedi padawan refreshed his friend's mind by asking where was his mother, Shmi. Surprised, Watto was thrilled to see his old slave who worked for him. Skywalker demanded to know the whereabouts of his mother, however Watto sold her after Skywalker left Tatooine in 32 BBY. The Toydarian sold Shmi to a moisture farmer family that lived near the city of Mos Eisley. Watto gave his old friend the location of Shmi and both Skywalker and Amidala departed Mos Espa.

The Lars Homestead
Skywalker and Amidala were greeted by Skywalker's old protocol droid, C-3PO, who went with Shmi when she left Mos Espa. C-3PO took his former master to the Lars Homestead, where Skywalker met the family who bought his mother. Young Owen Lars and his girlfriend, Beru Whitesun greeted Skywalker and Amidala. The owner of the homestead, Cliegg Lars, approached Skywalker after he questioned Owen about his mother's whereabouts. The group went inside the homestead while Cliegg explained his relationship with Shmi. He bought Shmi from Watto to free her from slavery and Cliegg married her soon after. One early morning, a group of Tusken Raiders stormed the homestead and took Shmi with them. Cliegg and his fellow moisture farmers began a search party, though only a few returned and Cliegg lost part of his right leg from an undisclosed incident while searching for his wife. Cliegg told Skywalker that he doesn't want to loss hope, but she has been gone for a month. Skywalker insisted that he would find his mother, however Cliegg without hesitation told him that she is dead. Though Skywalker did not lose hope and soon exited the homestead. Amidala joined him outside and soon Skywalker departed on the Lars's swoop bike, determined to find his lost mother.

Reunited and Massacre
The voyage to find his mother proved to be a challenge for Skywalker. He received information from a Jawa about a Tusken camp not far from his location. Skywalker continued on and stopped near the edge of a cliff. The young Jedi saw a lighten Tusken camp and knew that his mother was in one of the Tusken's camp tents. Quietly, Skywalker proceeded towards one of the tents while not alerting any Tuskens. After using his lightsaber to cut a hold on the outside of the tent and kicked it, revealing his dying mother who was tied to two wooden poles. Skywalker proceeded and freed his mother. The Tuskens tortured Shmi which caused hatred of Tuskens build up inside Skywalker. Pleased to see his son, Shmi had a brief conversation with Skywalker until she died from her injuries in her son's arms. Enraged, Skywalker left her mother's body in the tent and stood up and proceeded to exit. The Jedi ignited his lightsaber, and killed two Tuskens that were sitting outside the tent. The sound of the Tusken's dying alerted more Tuskens near-by which caused them to attack Skywalker. However, the Jedi showed no mercy and proceeded to murder more Tuskens until the entire camp was silent.

Return to the Homestead
"I...I killed them. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children too."

- Anakin Skywalker telling Padmé Amidala of the massacre.

Skywalker returned to the homestead on the swoop he left with. Shmi's body was wrapped with a piece of clothing that once belonged to a Tusken. The Lars family and Amidala were shocked to see Skywalker holding his mother's body, whom thought she cannot be found. Cliegg was one of the few who could not bare to look at the sight and soon Skywalker entered the homestead. The rough moment turned ugly as Amidala entered the room where Skywalker was. She tried to ask him of what happened and Skywalker revealed to Amidala of the massacre that he started. His hatred for Tuskens grew worse as he claimed that he slaughtered the Tuskens for the death of his mother. He blamed his master for not letting him find his mother during the ten year span of his absence form Tatooine. Skywalker's became emotional and soon weeped for his mother's loss. Shortly after, Skywalker, the Lars family and Amidala buried Shmi outside near the homestead. Skywalker assured to his mother that he will not fail to lose another love one again. During the funneral, Skywalker's astromech droid, R2-D2, approached the group. C-3PO told Skywalker that R2 received a message from Kenobi and soon Skywalker, Amdiala, and the droids left the homestead to listen to the message that Kenobi transmitted from Geonosis on Amidala's yacht.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones junior novel
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars novel
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith junior novel
 * Perfect Evil
 * Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
 * Tatooine Ghost

References and notes
Masacre en Tatooine