Shmi Skywalker Lars/Legends

"But you can't stop the change, no more than you can stop the suns from setting."

- Shmi Skywalker to her son, Anakin Skywalker

Shmi Skywalker Lars was the mother of Anakin Skywalker, as well as the paternal grandmother of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo, eventually the great-grandmother of Jaina Solo, Jacen Solo, Anakin Solo, and Ben Skywalker. As of 36 ABY, she became the great-great-grandmother of Allana the daughter of Jacen Solo and The Hapan Queen Mother.

Shmi was sold into slavery at an early age, and after her son was born, he too served as a slave. She cared for her son greatly, and was willing to do anything to help him. After Anakin left to become a Jedi in 32 BBY, she was sold to Cliegg Lars, who freed her and married her. Just before the Clone Wars, Shmi died under slow torture at the hands of Tusken Raiders, her legacy continuing through her grandchildren.

Early life (72 BBY - 66 BBY)
Shmi was born in 72 BBY on an unknown planet. At the age of nine, Shmi and her family embarked on a space voyage to the Outer Rim Territories, where they were captured by pirates and sold into slavery.

Life as a slave (66 BBY - 32 BBY)
"The Republic doesn't exist out here. We must survive on our own."

- Shmi to Padmé Amidala

Shmi had a difficult childhood, taken from one system to another by several masters while serving as a house servant. Upon reaching adulthood, she was dropped from house servant status and forced into cleaning work Three years later, Shmi and her son came into the ownership of the Hutt crimelord Gardulla the Elder on Tatooine. Gardulla was cruel and had little regard for the safety of Shmi and her son, as evident when she allowed young Skywalker to participate in the Boonta Eve Classic, believing Anakin to be incapable of winning. One such invention was a protocol droid Anakin had found and managed to scrape together using old parts he gathered from Watto's junkyard.Thank the Maker

Shmi became aware of Anakin's gifts and hid as much as she could from Watto, though she could not hide Anakin's natural piloting abilities. After discovering this almost by accident, Watto let the boy continue his piloting, believing he could gain potential profit from the venture. Anakin proved to be an excellent pilot despite the fact that he had never been able to finish a race. To her relief, Anakin managed to come out unharmed, save for a few bruises, though she hated watching him drive in what she referred to as "those awful races". Though she never said so, Anakin thought that his mother believed that simply by being there she could keep him from coming to harm. She secretly wished for Anakin to have a better life as his gifts made her realize that he wasn't meant to be a slave.

A mother's dream realized
"Son, my place is here, my future is here. It is time for you to let go&hellip;now, be brave. Don't look back."

- Shmi to Anakin



One day after returning to the hovel that she and her son shared Shmi met Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn,   Padmé Amidala, Jar Jar Binks and their astromech, R2-D2. Shmi offered the group her hospitality and place to stay during the raging sandstorm that enveloped Mos Espa. Like Anakin, Shmi initially believed that these strangers arrived on Tatooine to free slaves. This proved not to be the case when they recounted to Anakin their plight of how they ended up being stranded on Tatooine on a diplomatic mission to Coruscant. Anakin offered to help his newfound friends repair their ship, forming a plan that included Qui-Gon sponsoring him in the upcoming Boonta Eve Classic. Shmi, however, disagreed. It was only when that Anakin recalled her words on helping others that Shmi allowed Anakin to help the strangers, claiming that he was meant to help them.

As she watched Anakin build his podracer, Shmi revealed to Qui-Gon Anakin's miraculous birth. When Qui-Gon remarked that his presence in The Force was unusually strong, Shmi hopefully asked if he was able to help Anakin, instead of getting the answer she'd hope for, the Jedi Master replied that he had not intended on freeing slaves.

The next day, Shmi accompanied the group to the Boonta Eve Classic, where she tensely watched the race from afar. Unbeknownst to her, before the start of the race, Qui-Gon wagged a bet with Watto for the freedom of Shmi and Anakin. Watto, however, wouldn't have it, claiming that no ship was worth two slaves. Because of his interest in the boy, Qui-Gon opted to free Anakin and used his powers to tamper with the chance cube Watto had brought out to decide which of the two would be freed. To her surprise and theirs Anakin won the race, and likewise, his freedom. Shmi joined Anakin in the crowd of admirers, and the two shared a brief mother-and-son moment with Shmi telling Anakin of how proud she was of him.

After securing Anakin's earnings from the race, Qui-Gon informed Shmi of Anakin's freedom and of his intention to train the boy as a Jedi. He was, however, unable to secure her freedom. It was then that Shmi had to make the toughest decision in her life: letting go of her son. Comforted by Jinn, she watched as Anakin prepared himself to leave, the latter stopping a few times to express his doubts about leaving home. She advised him to let go, claiming that her place and future was on Tatooine. This prompted Anakin to leave with the Jedi Master, however, not before promising that he would return and free her.

Freedom
While her son trained with the Jedi, Shmi remained in the service of Watto. Watto had since then toned down his gruff demeanor, treating Shmi with more respect than he previously had, and on occasion, forage for the both of them during hard times.

Eventually, Watto's business began to decline, due to his excessive betting on podraces, further discrediting his reputation as a successful junk dealer. His losses were so bad that he was forced to sell Shmi to Cliegg Lars, a moisture farmer who had fallen in love with her. Watto made several excuses and created a number of delays in the transaction, torn between the loss of his only slave and his hope that she would be happy with Lars. With her help, Cliegg and his son Owen tricked Watto into selling Shmi in exchange for Tobal lens. Watto later admitted to deactivating her slave transmitter shortly after Anakin's departure, for fear that Shmi would wander aimlessly off in her sorrow and blow herself up. When Cliegg asked for her hand in marriage, Shmi agreed. She found that she had fallen in love with Cliegg, as well as Owen, and wanted to be a part of their lives.

Shmi often told her new family how much she missed her son Anakin, often telling them about how special he was and of how proud she was of him. Owen, who had come to view Shmi as a mother, became jealous and wished he could be the son that Shmi had let go all those years ago. During her years with the Lars family, she kept a journal, where she recorded events almost every day. This journal would eventually come into the possession of her granddaughter Leia Organa Solo, many years later. From reading the diary, Leia gained a faint sense of what her father was before becoming Darth Vader and learned compassion for him.

Despite finding a place amongst the Lars family, Shmi still longed to see her son. Every night, she held a vigil for Anakin, hoping that he would return from the stars. Shmi Skywalker Lar's entry''

Reunited with Anakin and death
"Why'd she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have!"

- Anakin Skywalker

About ten years after he left to join the Jedi, Anakin had several dreams of his mother being tortured. This was actually happening, and he had sensed it through the Force. Anakin traveled to Tatooine to find her, bringing Padmé Amidala and R2-D2 with him. Upon arriving, he was told by Watto that he had sold her to Cliegg Lars, who had freed and married her, a prospect Watto regarded as preposterous. At the Lars homestead, he encountered his old droid, C-3PO, and learned from Cliegg that Shmi had been abducted by a tribe of violent Tusken Raiders while she was out picking vaporator mushrooms. Young Skywalker, riding Owen's speeder bike and getting directions from a group of Jawas, used his Jedi powers to find her inside one of the Tusken Raider encampments, wounded and dying after weeks of torture. She was amazed to see her grown-up son and managed to say that she was proud of Anakin before she died in his arms. Enraged, Anakin slaughtered every single Tusken Raider in the camp, including all the women and children. The Tuskens regarded the slaughtered camp as a sacred grounds, and made offerings to the "spirit" that had destroyed the camp. This was one of the first incidents where Anakin's potential to slide into the dark side of the Force was apparent.

Anakin later took her body, completely wrapped up, back to the Lars homestead where she was buried next to Edern Lars. In front of her grave, Anakin voiced his regret that he had not been able to save her. His mother's death would be the start of Anakin's phobia of loss, and his intense hatred of Sandpeople.

Legacy
In the decades following Shmi's death, she was remembered for starting the Skywalker family. Her old friend Sorna came to the Lars homestead every year to place flowers on her grave.

In 19 BBY, Anakin's wife Padmé gave birth to Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa and died soon afterward, having lost the will to live, apparently as a result of discovering the true nature of Anakin Skywalker, the man she loved. The twins were separated by the Jedi: Leia was adopted by the childless couple Bail Organa and his wife; Luke was adopted by Owen and Beru Lars. In 8 ABY, Leia discovered a journal of Shmi's at the old Lars Homestead, now in the possession of the Darklighter family. By watching the journal, Leia learned about her adoptive family before the Clone Wars and discovered how Shmi had died. Leia also learned compassion and some forgiveness for her father.

A year after her journal was discovered, Leia gave birth to Han Solo's children, Jaina Solo and Jacen Solo. During the Emperor's return, Leia gave birth to her's and Han's third child, Anakin Solo, who would die during the Mission to Myrkr. In 26 ABY, Mara Jade Skywalker gave birth to her and Luke Skywalker's child, Ben Skywalker. Ten years later, Tenel Ka gave birth to Jacen Solo's child, Allana, making Allana Shmi's great-great-grandchild.

Personality and traits
"I... I love&mdash;"

- Shmi's last words

Shmi was kind and gentle, despite her years of slavery. She was selfless, willing to sacrifice anything for her son. She loved and cared for Anakin more than anything, and desperately wanted him to have a better life, knowing that there was something special about him. It was because of her love and sense that he had a special destiny that she allowed him to go to Coruscant to become a Jedi, knowing she would likely never see him again. She was befuddled by his birth however, as it seemed Anakin had "no father". She cared for Cliegg Lars, her husband following Anakin's departure, and his son, Owen Lars, despite the fact that he was not her true son. Years later, her husband additionally described her as loving, "the best partner a man could ask for".

Behind the scenes
The character was portrayed by Swedish actress Pernilla August in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Coincidentally, August portrayed the mother of another miraculously conceived character, Jesus Christ, in Mary, Mother of Jesus. Shmi Skywalker Lars' first name was derived from Lakshmi, a Hindu goddess. It also closely resembles the Hebrew word שְמִי (pronounced shmi) which means "my name", making her full name a sentence: My name is Skywalker.

Appearances

 * Episode I: Anakin Skywalker
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Episode I: Qui-Gon Jinn
 * Episode I: The Phantom Menace ½
 * Bad Business
 * Jedi Quest: Path to Truth
 * Jedi Quest comic
 * Jedi Quest: The Way of the Apprentice
 * Jedi Quest: The Trail of the Jedi
 * Jedi Quest: The Master of Disguise
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones novel
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones comic
 * Star Wars Republic 50: The Battle of Kamino
 * Star Wars Republic 59: Enemy Lines
 * Star Wars Republic 62: No Man's Land
 * Jedi Trial
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith comic
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Dark Times: The Path to Nowhere
 * The Last One Standing
 * Sandstorm
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (junior novelization)
 * Star Wars Empire: Betrayal
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Galaxies
 * Thank the Maker!
 * The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
 * Tatooine Ghost
 * The Unifying Force
 * Tempest