Shmi Skywalker Lars/Legends

"The problem with this universe is that nobody helps each other."

- Shmi Skywalker

Shmi Skywalker Lars was the mother of Anakin Skywalker, as well as the paternal grandmother of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo.

Biography
Shmi and her family was abducted by pirates during a starship trip to the Outer Rim at a young age and had been a slave almost her entire life, more often than not working as a house servant. Shmi changed owners many times during her life, and while some of these masters were kind - notably Pi-Lippa - who taught Shmi valuable technical skills - others were cruel, such as Gardulla the Hutt.

In 42 BBY, Shimi discovered that she was pregnant and gave birth to a son she named Anakin, on an unknown planet.By 32 BBY, she and her son were slaves of the Mos Espa junk merchant Watto on the desert world Tatooine. They had passed to the Toydarian's ownership as a result of Gardulla losing heavily on the podraces. Life under Watto was harsh, and only a few personal possessions were allowed her. To help with her work, Anakin built a protocal droid and after he left Shimi cared for it.

She had become aware of Anakin's gifts and hid them from Watto. If he found out he would have use the boy for his own. Shimi never wanted a slave's life for son Anakin but got her wish when a Jedi by the name of Qui-Gon Jinn showed up and befriended her son. Qui-Gon's ship was damaged and seriously needed parts, so her son Anakin created a plan to help his new friends. The plan included Anakin participating in the Boonta's Eve Classic, which Shimi disagreed. However, Anakin convinced her to let him participate. As she stood by watching Anakin build his podracer, she told Qui-Gon that the boy was born without a father and Qui-Gon replied that Anakin was to be a Jedi. It was then that Shimi realized that her son was meant to do something great.

Shmi was a loving and devoted mother who did not question the necessity of her son leaving after he won his freedom in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace and left for Coruscant with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to be trained as a Jedi. Before leaving Anakin promised to come back and free her.



Sadly, mother and son would not see each other again for ten years. Her son became a Padawan apprenticed to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Shmi herself had been sold to a very kind moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars. Lars freed and married Shmi, making her stepmother to Owen Lars.

Shmi often told her new family how much she missed her son Anakin who had been freed by a Jedi to join the Jedi order years before. She would often talk about her son and how special he was to Owen and his father. Owen, however, became jealous and wished he could be the son that Shimi let go all those years ago. During those years she kept a journal where she recorded events almost everyday. This journal would eventually come into the possession of her granddaughter Leia Organa Solo many years later.

About ten years after he left to join the Jedi, Anakin sensed through the Force that his mother was in pain. Anakin travelled to Tatooine to find her, and upon arriving learned that she had been abducted by a tribe of violent Tusken Raiders. Young Skywalker used his Jedi powers to find her inside one of their encampments. 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. 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 is buried next to Edern Lars. Anakin voiced his regret in front of her grave that he could not save her.

Behind the scenes
Shmi's 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.

Shmi was played by Swedish actress Pernilla August in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.

Appearances

 * Thank the Maker! in Star Wars Tales Volume 2
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Jedi Quest: Path to Truth
 * Jedi Quest series
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Empire: Betrayal
 * Tatooine Ghost
 * The Unifying Force