Funeral of Anakin Skywalker

The funeral of Anakin Skywalker took place on Endor, in the aftermath of the Galactic Empire's defeat during the Battle of Endor. During the battle, Anakin&mdash;who had been known as the Sith Lord Darth Vader&mdash;was redeemed by his son, Luke. The redemption, however, cost Anakin his life, having been mortally wounded by Emperor Palpatine as Anakin killed him.

After Anakin's death, he became one with the Force. Luke escaped the Second Death Star, where Anakin had died, just before the space station was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance. Once on Endor, Luke built a funeral pyre and lit his father's remains on fire. After the funeral ended, Luke joined the Rebel and Ewok victory celebration, where he saw the spirit of his father&mdash;along with the spirits of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda&mdash;proudly watching the celebration.

Prelude
During the Battle of Endor, Darth Vader and his son, Luke Skywalker, faced one another in a final lightsaber duel aboard the Second Death Star. Luke defeated his father, but was attacked by Emperor Palpatine, who used Force lightning in an attempt to kill Luke. Refusing to watch his son die, Vader&mdash;who still had good within him&mdash;threw his master down a reactor shaft. This act redeemed Vader from the dark side of the Force, and he once again became Anakin Skywalker. With Palpatine dead, the Sith were defeated.

The choice to save Luke was ultimately a sacrifice, as Palpatine's lightning struck Anakin when the redeemed Jedi threw the Emperor down the shaft. Luke attempted to save Anakin by bringing him to a shuttle, where they could escape the Death Star, but Anakin knew that his death was imminent. At his father's request, Luke removed Darth Vader's helmet from Anakin's head, allowing the former Dark Lord of the Sith to look upon his son with his own eyes for the first and last time. In his final moments, Anakin comforted Luke, reminding his son that there was always good in him&mdash;just as Luke had believed. Anakin passed away, and became one with the Force.

The funeral and aftermath
Luke escaped the Death Star with his father's remains moments before the battle station exploded. The death of the Emperor and the destruction of the Death Star led to the defeat of the Galactic Empire and the restoration of freedom to the galaxy. Luke brought Anakin's remains to Endor, where the Rebel Alliance and the native Ewoks were celebrating the Emperor's defeat, and constructed a funeral pyre near the Ewok village. When the pyre was constructed, Luke lit it aflame and burned his father's remains.

After the funeral, Luke joined his fellow Rebels to celebrate in the Ewok village. He reunited with his friends, as well as his twin sister Leia Organa. Luke briefly stepped away from the celebration and saw the spirits of his Jedi masters, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, quietly observing the evening's festivities. Anakin's spirit, which had been preserved by Kenobi and Yoda, appeared beside the two masters, proudly watching his son as Luke looked on. Luke bid them farewell and rejoined the celebration, his journey to becoming a Jedi Knight complete.

Behind the scenes
Anakin Skywalker's funeral is a scene from the ending of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. When the film was first shot, the funeral scene was not part of the movie. It was only after the conclusion of principal photography that George Lucas and his creative team decided to add the scene. Anakin's death had ended with the character in Luke's arms, so Lucas was concerned that the audience would think Anakin was still alive, or that there would be audience confusion as to what became of Anakin's body. The scene was intended to correct that potential confusion. Producer Howard Kazanjian was opposed to the scene at first, but changed his mind after viewing an animatic version of it. Once the decision was made to include the funeral pyre, the scene was scripted, given a storyboard treatment by Joe Johnston, and shot.

In the non-canon Star Wars Legends continuity, formerly known as the Expanded Universe, there were conflicting sources as to whether Anakin's body disappeared upon his death. The Return of the Jedi novelization stated that the body was burned, though later sources, including a defunct version of StarWars.com, stated that Anakin's body disappeared and that Luke burned the empty armor of Darth Vader. It is unclear as to whether Anakin's body disappeared or was burned in official Star Wars canon, with the official Databank vaguely stating that Luke burned "the remains of his father."

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi