Anakin Skywalker

"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, to the fallen Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker was a Human male who served the Galactic Republic as a Jedi Knight, and later the Galactic Empire as the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Skywalker was also the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, destined to defeat the Sith and bring balance to the Force.

Childhood on Tatooine
Conceived by midi-chlorians, the symbiotic organisms that allowed individuals to touch the Force, Anakin Skywalker was born to the slave Shmi Skywalker on the desert world of Tatooine in 41 BBY. Anakin and his mother were originally owned by Gardulla the Hutt until she lost them to the Toydarian Watto in a podracing bet. Even at a young age, Skywalker exhibited exceptional piloting and engineering skills, creating the protocol droid C-3PO. When he was ten, Skywalker encountered the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Padmé Amidala, Jar Jar Binks, and R2-D2, and he helped them secure the parts they needed for their starship by winning the Boonta Eve Classic podracing event&mdash;only to learn that he had also won his freedom in doing so.

Battle of Naboo
Reluctantly leaving his mother behind, Skywalker accompanied Jinn and his group to the Republic's capital of Coruscant and participated in the Battle of Naboo, helping to free Amidala's homeworld from the armies of the Trade Federation. Anakin hid in the cockpit of a Naboo starfighter, and, in an attempt to destroy three droidekas, inadvertently engaged the autopilot. This resulted in Anakin's starfighter, along with the astromech droid R2-D2, into space to attack a droid control ship orbiting Naboo. After R2 helped Anakin regain control of the ship, Anakin was shot by a droid starfighter and flew it into the hangar of the droid control ship. Inside the ship, he fired two proton torpedoes which hit the main reactor. This started a chain reaction which destroyed the ship shortly after Anakin's Naboo starfighter had left, killing Daultay Dofine and the crew and causing all droids on Naboo's surface to power down.

During the Battle of Naboo, Jinn was killed during the battle by Sith apprentice Darth Maul, Jinn's student Obi-Wan Kenobi followed Jinn's wishes and took on Skywalker as his Padawan, and much of the Jedi Council believed that Skywalker was the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy.

Return to Tatooine
Ten years later, as the Separatist Crisis threatened to tear the Republic apart, Skywalker was reunited with Amidala when her life was threatened by assassins. After two foiled assassination attempts, Amidala was put under the protection of Anakin, and the two went back to the planet of Naboo. While on Naboo, Anakin revealed to Padmé his love for her, but she refused since Anakin was not supposed to form attachments as a Jedi. While on Naboo, Anakin began to have dreams about his mother suffering, and he decided he needed to go rescue her on Tatooine. On Tatooine, Anakin and Padmé located Watto, who told them that he had sold Shmi to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars. Anakin and Padmé visited the Lars farm only to discover that Anakin's mother had been abducted by Tusken Raider/Canon/Tusken Raiders and was feared dead. Anakin took his brother-in-law Owen Lars' swoop bike and went looking for Shmi. He found her in a Tusken village, and she died in his arms. As a result, Anakin allowed his anger to consume him, and he slaughtered the entire village of Tusken Raiders - men, women, and children.

Battle of Geonosis
After Shmi's funeral, Anakin received a message from Obi-Wan Kenobi telling him of the Separatist presence on Geonosis. Padmé and Anakin then went to Geonosis where they were subsequently captured and placed with Obi-Wan Kenobi into the Geonosian arena to be torn apart by beasts. Anakin managed to gain control of a Reek, but before long the three heroes were surrounded by droidekas. However, a Jedi taskforce arrived led by Mace Windu. A battle ensued in which the Jedi began to lose, but then Master Yoda arrived with the clone army. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé were safely loaded onto a gunship, and they soon caught sight of Separatist leader Count Dooku. Anakin and Obi-Wan dueled with Count Dooku, but both were defeated. Obi-Wan suffered minor wounds, but Anakin lost his right arm. Yoda soon arrived and fought with Dooku until the Sith Lord made his escape. Skywalker received a cybernetic replacement for his lost arm, and he and Amidala were secretly married in the days after the battle, in violation of the Jedi Code.

Receiving a Padawan
During the Clone Wars, which raged for the next three years, Skywalker was granted the rank of Jedi Knight, and took on the Togruta Ahsoka Tano as his apprentice. Anakin was at first reluctant to take on Ahsoka as an apprentice, but the two bonded during their mission to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta from the Separatists. It was during this mission that Anakin acquired the Twilight, a ship which he used several times throughout the Clone Wars until it was destroyed on Mandalore.

The Malevolence
Later in the Clone Wars, Anakin and Ahsoka rescued Jedi Master Plo Koon and three other clones after their fleet had been destroyed by a new Separatist superweapon, the Malevolence, which was commanded by General Grievous. After narrowly escaping the ion cannon of the Malevolence, Anakin led a squadron of bombers to destroy the superweapon and kill Grievous. Because too many bombers were destroyed or incapacitated, Anakin was forced to change the plan, and the bombers dropped their payload on the ion cannon, forcing it to overload and the Malevolence to retreat from its attack on a Republic medical station. While making his escape, Grievous captured Senator Amidala, and Anakin and Obi-Wan boarded the Malevolence to rescue her. While on the ship, Anakin sabotaged the ship's navigation system to cause the ship to crash into a nearby moon when the hyperdrive was engaged.

Second Battle of Geonosis
The Republic was forced to return to Geonosis after the Geonsosians had built new droid factories. In order to take down the new droid foundry, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ki-Adi-Mundi each led a group of clone troopers. The three groups were separated, and only Obi-Wan's group managed to arrive at the landing zone. Anakin, Ahsoka, Captain Rex, and troopers of the 501st Legion were forced down by enemy fire, and they made their way to Obi-Wan's position by foot. On the way, they met up with Ki-Adi-Mundi's forces. After uniting their forces, the Republic forces were able to destroy the shield generator protecting the droid factory.

Anakin and Ahsoka then met up with Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and her Padawan Barriss Offee. Barriss and Ahsoka were sent into the Geonosian catacombs under the factory in order to plant bombs to destroy the factory, while Anakin and Luminara distracted the droid army. Poggle the Lesser, archduke of Geonosis, foiled Ahsoka and Barriss's plan. As a result, Ahoska and Barriss were forced to use a tank to destroy the factory, burying themselves under the rubble of the factory in the process. Anakin, confident Ahoska was still alive, attempted to remove the rubble, but Luminara told Anakin their Padawans were dead, and that he needed to let go of his attachment to her. It turned out Ahsoka and Barriss were alive, and both were rescued.

Luminara left in search of Poggle, but she was captured by Queen Karina of Geonosis. Anakin and Obi-Wan, along with clone troopers, rescued her and captured Poggle. In the process, they discovered parasitic brain worms were controlling undead Geonosian warriors. After the Queen's lair was destroyed, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Luminara brought Poggle into Republic custody. Unfortunately, some brain worms acquired clone hosts on a Republic ship containing Ahsoka and Barriss. Anakin found out about the parasites and interrogated Poggle the Lesser for answers on how to defeat the worms. When Poggle was unwilling to talk, Anakin gave into his anger and began to Force choke the Geonosian leader. Poggle told Anakin through a translator droid that the worms hated the cold. Ahsoka was able to defeat the worms, and she and Barriss were rescued.

Revelation on Mortis
After receiving a 2,000 year old distress signal, the Jedi Council sent Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan to investigate. After reaching the location of the distress signal and finding nothing, all three were somehow brought to land on a strange world called Mortis. There, they met three force-using beings: the Father, the Daughter, and the Son. It was revealed to Anakin by the Father that he was the Chosen One, and only he could balance his two children, his daughter (the light), and his son (the dark). Anakin demonstrated his ability to control both of the beings. After the Son, in trying to kill the Father, accidentally killed his sister with the Dagger of Mortis, he later showed Anakin the evil that he would do as Darth Vader. Anakin, horrified at the things he would do, submitted to the Son who said that if Skywalker joined him, then his future would be different. The Son wanted Anakin to join with him so that he could use the Jedi's starship to escape Mortis and wreak havoc on the galaxy. The Father erased Anakin's memory of the future, saying that the Son broke a rule by showing Anakin his future. The Son came, but to his surprise, the Father stabbed himself with the dagger. The Son ran to his father, but according to the plan, Anakin stabbed the Son in the back with his lightsaber. After the Son died, the Father explained to Anakin that he had restored balance to Mortis, and that he now needed to do the same for the galaxy. Before dying, the Father told Anakin to beware his feelings as they might lead to his downfall. After this, the planet seemed to break apart, and Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan found themselves back in the shuttle in outer space.

Turning to the Dark Side
Throughout the Clone Wars, Skywalker's anger and sense of loss pushed him ever closer to the dark side of the Force. While rescuing Supreme Chancellor from the Separatists during the Battle of Coruscant, Anakin defeated Count Dooku, stealing his lightsaber and cutting off both of his hands. Palpatine insisted that Anakin kill Dooku, but Anakin refused as it was not the Jedi way. Nevertheless, Anakin beheaded Dooku, and after Obi-Wan regained conciousness, the two Jedi and the Chancellor were captured by General Grievous. Anakin and Obi-Wan freed themselves, and confronted Grievous who broke a window on the bridge of the Invisible Hand and escaped out into space. Anakin was forced to crash land the Invisible Hand on the surface of Coruscant. After this, his wife Padmé told Anakin that she was pregnant. Anakin began to have dreams of visions of Amidala dying in childbirth. This made him desperate to find a way to save his wife.

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine met with Anakin, telling him he wanted him to be his eyes and ears on the Jedi Council. The Council allowed Anakin to sit on the Council, but they refused to grant him the position of Master. This angered Anakin, and he was further angered by learning from Obi-Wan Kenobi that the Council asked him to spy on Palpatine. Later, Palpatine revealed that he knew the dark side of the Force, and Anakin realized Palpatine was a Sith Lord. Palpatine told Anakin that if he turned the Chancellor over to the Jedi, then he would be unable to save Padmé from certain death. Nevertheless, Anakin told Mace Windu, who went with Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar to arrest Palpatine. Palpatine killed three of the four Jedi, but was still fighting with Windu when Anakin arrived in his office. Anakin told Mace Windu he was not allowed to kill Palpatine, but Windu insisted Palpatine was too dangerous to leave alive. Anakin cut off Mace Windu's hand, and Palpatine attacked him with force lightning and pushed the Jedi out the window. Anakin then submitted himself to Palpatine's teachings and he became a Sith apprentice called Darth Vader. Palpatine told Vader to kill all of the Jedi in the Jedi Temple. Vader and the 501st Legion carried out this order, and Vader himself killed younglings. Afterwards, Vader was sent to Mustafar where he killed Nute Gunray and the rest of the Separatist leaders. Amidala followed Vader to Mustafar, with Obi-Wan as a stowaway on her ship. Vader, convinced that his wife had sided with Obi-Wan, began to force choke her until Obi-Wan told him to let her go. The two former friends dueled until Obi-Wan cut off all of Vader's non-robotic limbs and left him for dead. Palpatine found Vader and put him into a life-sustaining black suit of armor. Vader asked Palpatine what had become of Padmé, and he told Vader that he had killed her in his anger. Believing his wife to be dead, Vader embraced his role as the Emperor's right hand and enforcer.

Searching for the Stolen Death Star Plans


When the Galactic Civil War erupted between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic nineteen years later, Vader captured Princess Leia Organa, attempting to find stolen plans to the Death Star&mdash;the Empire's greatest superweapon. Leia had hidden the plans inside R2-D2, and Vader was unable to retrieve the stolen plans. Vader attempted to interrogate Princess Leia without effect. When he brought her before Grand Moff Tarkin, he asked her for the location of the Rebel base. He told her if she would not comply, then he would use the Death Star to destroy her home planet of Alderaan. Leia lied saying that the Rebel base was on Dantooine, and Tarkin destroyed Alderaan anyway. Later, Canon/Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 were pulled into the Death Star on the Millennium Falcon by a tractor beam. Luke and Han rescued Leia, while Obi-Wan shut down the tractor beam. Darth Vader felt Obi-Wan's presence, and confronted him. The two dueled, and Darth Vader defeated Obi-Wan, who vanished as he died, leaving behind only his cloak and lightsaber. The Millennium Falcon escaped, but a homing beacon was placed on board, which led the Empire to the secret Rebel base on Yavin IV. In the Rebel attack on the Death Star, Darth Vader boarded his TIE Advanced starfighter and shot down several fighters including the X-wing of Biggs Darklighter. With the help of Han Solo piloting the Millennium Falcon, the Death Star was then destroyed by a young rebel pilot named Luke Skywalker. Vader escaped the destruction of the Death Star in his Tie Advanced. Following its destruction, Vader became obsessed with discovering the pilot's identity, only to learn that it was Luke Skywalker: his own son, born before Amidala's death.

Revelation to Luke
Vader continued to pursue both Skywalker and the Alliance over the next three years. He discovered a secret Rebel Alliance base on Hoth, but was unable to capture any of the Rebel leadership. Vader hired bounty hunters to track the Millennium Falcon, and the bounty hunter Boba Fett led Vader to the mining colony of Cloud City. He captured Han Solo and Leia, and he froze Han Solo in carbonite. He used Luke's friends as bait to lure him to Cloud City, where the two dueled. Vader revealed his identity to Skywalker, though his son refused to join him and escaped. When Darth Sidious learned of Skywalker's existence, he set in motion his own plans to recruit Skywalker and thereby replace Vader, but Skywalker surrendered himself to Imperial forces on the forest moon of Endor in hopes of swaying him back to the Jedi.

Fulfillment of the Chosen One Prophecy
In a final duel on the Death Star II as the Battle of Endor raged around them, Skywalker and Vader fought each other, and Vader refused his son's attempts to redeem him, learning that Skywalker had a twin sister named Leia in the process. Skywalker defeated his father but refused to kill him, and when Sidious attempted to kill the young man, Vader&mdash;moved by his son's love&mdash;abandoned the dark side and sacrificed himself to destroy the Emperor, fulfilling the prophecy of the Chosen One. Mortally wounded, Anakin made peace with his son and became one with the Force.