Anakin Skywalker/Legends

Anakin Skywalker (41 BBY - 4 ABY) was a Jedi Knight and General of the Old Republic during the Clone Wars. He later took on the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith, becoming Darth Vader at the formation of the Galactic Empire.

Childhood and Discovery
Anakin was born around 41 BBY on an unknown world. He was very young when arrived on the world of Tatooine and as a consequence it was the only home he ever knew. His mother, Shmi Skywalker, claimed that she had become pregnant without being aware of any father. Qui-Gon Jinn took this as part of a prophecy about the Chosen One who would "bring balance to the Force." The wise Jedi Master suggested that the midi-chlorians might have conceived him. In fact, Anakin had a midi-chlorian count of over 20,000, which was even greater than that of Master Yoda.

It is often speculated that Anakin's birth was induced in Shmi by either Darth Sidious (aka Palpatine) or his master, Darth Plagueis, using the power to control life and death. In the knowledge that he would be an incredibly powerful asset, they could someday take on Anakin as an apprentice and get their revenge on the Jedi for their order's losses in the Battle of Ruusan. Like his mother, Anakin was a slave. When Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jar Jar Binks and Padmé Amidala encountered him, he was a kind, selfless nine-year old chattel to a curmudgeonly scrap-shop owner named Watto. Even at this young age, he had a reputation for being able to build or repair anything, evidenced by the creation of his own protocol droid C-3PO and podracer, each from salvaged parts. A child prodigy, Anakin excelled at mathematics and engineering.

Leaving Tatooine
Qui-Gon Jinn was able to win Anakin's freedom based on a clever wager that entered the boy in a podrace. Normally, humans lacked the fast reactions needed to operate such a tremendously high-speed land vehicle. However, Anakin's latent Force sensitivity manifested in the form of limited prescience, which gave the impression to others that the boy had lightning-fast reflexes.

Although Anakin was freed, the Jedi were unable to obtain Shmi's release as well. Even after the crisis in which Anakin and his new companions were entangled ended victoriously in the Battle of Naboo, neither the Jedi nor the Republic made any effort to emancipate her. Anakin's duties as a Jedi prevented him from freeing his mother himself, though she eventually obtained her freedom from Watto through the aid of a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars.

The revelation of Anakin's gifts cemented Qui-Gon Jinn's belief that he was indeed the Chosen One, though many on the Jedi Council were skeptical. Qui-Gon asked the Jedi Council to allow him to train Anakin as his student, after his current apprentice, Obi-Wan, completed the trials necessary to become a Jedi Knight. This request was denied - Anakin was much older than usual, and the Council was concerned that his prior experiences would interfere with his training. In particular, he exhibited much fear and anger, left over from his days as a slave, and further compounded by the separation from his mother and home. They believed he would simply not be able to master the level of emotional detachment required by a member of the order.

Ultimately, Anakin helped to lead Naboo and Gungan forces to victory over the Trade Federation in the Battle of Naboo, by destroying its flagship, the Droid Control Ship. Later, a dying Qui-Gon, slain by Darth Maul, urged Obi-Wan to train Anakin. The Council reluctantly approved, though quietly they were concerned that Anakin was much too difficult a student for the young Obi-Wan. Meanwhile, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine promised Anakin that he would "watch [his] career with great interest." This would be the beginning of a long friendship between the young Jedi and the new ruler of the Republic.

Another politician, Padmé Amidala, was one of Anakin's first glimpses of the galaxy beyond Tatooine. He was fascinated with her as a child, and as he grew to adolescence, this developed into a tragically flawed romance. They would eventually have two children, Luke and Leia, both of whom later became central figures in the Rebellion and New Republic eras.

Adolescence
As a young adult, Anakin developed as arrogant and somewhat socially awkward, doubtless in part because of his rapid transition from scrapyard slave to rising star of the Jedi Order. His natural abilities placed him leaps and bounds above his peers, and this fed his ego as well as distancing himself from other learners of his age. He frequently showed off, and displayed little respect for Obi-Wan, whom he partially viewed as inferior. However, he did state that Obi-Wan was like a father to him and he claimed he had the wisdom of Master Yoda and the power of Master Windu. His early friendship with Palpatine continued, with the Chancellor lending Anakin a sympathetic ear, and saying things to further fuel his pride (e.g. "I foresee you will become the greatest of all the Jedi, Anakin, even more powerful than Master Yoda.")

Reunited with Padmé
After an attempt on her life, Anakin was assigned to guard Padmé, who was now the Senator for Naboo. He had not seen her in 10 years. His childhood fascination with her had turned into a powerful infatuation. In conversation, he revealed his affection for her, a distrust of the political process and his view of the need for one strong leader. He fell in love with Padmé, and she with him. Both seemed entranced with the other and their different social castes. Anakin's pursuit of this relationship was in violation of Jedi tradition, which held that although Jedi are not required to be celibate, they must avoid attachment in their relationships.

Anakin suffered recurring nightmares about his mother, Shmi, and went against the spirit of his orders to guard Padmé by bringing her to Tatooine to find Shmi. After speaking to Cliegg Lars, the moisture farmer who had freed and married Shmi in the years since Anakin had been away, he found that she had been carried off by Sandpeople, and set out in pursuit on a speeder bike. The young Jedi discovered their camp, and slipped into the tent that contained his mother, most likely locating her with his Jedi senses. Battered, sleep-deprived, and dehydrated, she died in his arms, presumably of massive cardiac failure.

Anakin allowed the shock of her death to catalyze an explosion of his long-nursed anger and selfishness. He flew into a rage, killing everyone present - even, as he confessed to Padmé later, "the women and children." A number of Jedi, including the recently dead Qui-Gon Jinn, sensed the shock of this massacre, amplified by Anakin's powerful Force presence turning "dark." Padmé was clearly troubled by what he had done, but had invested herself too much in him to be truly repulsed; she tried to soothe him with sympathy. This fit with the mutual delusion and codependency that unfortunately characterized their relationship.

Anakin learned that his friend and mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, had been taken hostage by the Geonosian-engineered Confederacy of Independent Systems forces. Ignoring Master Windu's words, he took Padmé with him to save Obi-Wan. They, too, were soon captured and sent to meet their demise in a gladiatorial execution arena. The timely arrival of the Jedi, and eventually the clone troopers, allowed both of them to escape and fight in the ensuing Battle of Geonosis. Anakin and Obi-Wan pursued Count Dooku, Sith Lord and mastermind of the Confederacy. Dooku unleashed a powerful barrage of Force lightning on Anakin, knocking the youth unconscious. Anakin then lost his right arm in a lightsaber battle with the more experienced Dooku. It was replaced a short while later with a mechanical prosthetic.

In the first days of the Clone Wars, Anakin married Padmé in a secluded lake retreat on Naboo. They would later struggle to keep this illicit relationship secret.

The Clone Wars
The Clone Wars saw Anakin's star continue to rise, as his exploits became legendary. An amazing starfighter pilot, Anakin flew missions over Kamino, Balamak, Virujansi, and elsewhere, cementing a reputation for his unparalleled skills. He custom-modified his assigned Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter into a truly unique vessel that outperformed the ships of the line. Dubbed the "Hero With No Fear", war molded Anakin into a man, but continued to feed his pride. It became increasingly difficult for him to adhere to the strict tenets of the Jedi Code, particularly when the Order itself was thrust into nebulous moral ground in waging a full-scale war. When he could, he would write letters to his beloved Padmé, but he saw her only very rarely.

During the Battle of Muunilinst, Anakin was placed in charge of the space attack against the homeworld of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, a key member of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. His exceptional starfighter piloting skills and leadership led his clone pilots to defeat the enemy forces. Anakin, however, was drawn from the battle by a sleek rogue vessel that flew apart from the enemy swarm. Despite repeated warnings from Obi-Wan not to pursue, Anakin gave chase, and followed the mysterious fanblade starfighter to the jungles of Yavin 4. Beneath the jungle canopy and amid the ruins of ancient Sith temples, Anakin dueled with Asajj Ventress, their ferocious lightsaber attacks illuminating their dark surroundings. Anakin repulsed Asajj, but did so only by giving into his anger, and once again the young Jedi had tread dangerously close to the dark side of the Force.

Throughout the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin were rarely far apart, being dispatched as a team to various battlefronts. As a Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan received the rank of General, with Anakin as his lieutenant. It was on the rain-soaked world of Jabiim that Skywalker had to take over on his own. Obi-Wan was presumed killed in a Separatist attack, and Skywalker led a group of similarly "orphaned" Padawans. In the midst of this battle, Anakin received a priority communiqué from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The galactic ruler requested that Anakin oversee the evacuation of Jabiim in person.

Though it pained Anakin to not fight alongside his comrades in the final push, he had to obey an authority as great -- and a friendship as close -- as Palpatine's. The evacuation of Jabiim was an ugly, controversial extraction, with the Republic abandoning the local forces to fend for themselves. Captain Gillmunn, local leader of the Jabiimi loyalists, swore vengeance on Skywalker and the Jedi order. He pulled a gun on Anakin, and Skywalker reacted by using the Force to start choking Gillmunn. Such frightening use of the Force came easily to Anakin, though it was the first time he had ever used the mystical energy field in that fashion. Anakin was later made a full-fledged Jedi, despite the fact that he never went through the final test prior to his knighting.

Later, on the icy planet of Nelvaan, Anakin experienced visions inside a cave, symbolically depicting his corruption by the dark side.

Transformation to Vader
As the Battle of Coruscant was waged around them, Anakin and Obi-Wan stormed the Confederate flagship Invisible Hand in their Eta-2 Actis Interceptors. In the ship's General's Quarters, Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) and General Grievous were holding Chancellor Palpatine hostage. Obi-Wan and Anakin fought together against Tyranus, until the Sith Lord used the Force to throw Obi-Wan across the room, rendering him unconscious. Anakin fought on, eventually cutting off Dooku's hands, and at Palpatine's urgings, killed Tyranus. Anakin regretted this action, citing that it is not the way of the Jedi to kill a foe that had already surrendered. Palpatine, however, eased Anakin's conscience by claiming that such an action of violence was "only natural" in such a situation.

Upon his return to Coruscant, Anakin was reunited with his wife and she informed him of her pregnancy. He was later troubled by visions of Padmé dying in childbirth. Dark times followed when Palpatine made Anakin his representative on the Jedi Council. The other Jedi reluctantly accepted Anakin's placement on the Council, but denied him the rank of Jedi Master. Further, the Jedi Council urged Anakin to keep tabs on Palpatine. This led Anakin to lose his trust in the members of that governing body. He revealed to his beloved wife that he was plagued with uncertainty.

As he continued to meet with Palpatine, the Chancellor slowly began to plant the seeds of the dark side in Anakin. Playing to his fears of Padmé dying, he told Anakin the story of a Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, who was so powerful he could stop people from dying. Eventually Palpatine revealed his true self, and offered Anakin the chance to learn the ways of the dark side and use its power to save Padmé. Anakin realized that Palpatine was Darth Sidious and promptly reported this to Mace Windu. Windu and three other Jedi went to arrest the Chancellor. Palpatine dueled with the Jedi, slaying three of them almost immediately. Windu and Palpatine continued to fight until Windu came out on top, pointing his weapon at the throat of the cowering Sith. (Although Palpatine appears to have lost, this may have been staged for the purpose of gaining sympathy from Anakin, his hopeful protégé.) He would not stand by, powerless, while another loved one dies.

Anakin arrived just in time to see Windu preparing to kill Palpatine. Palpatine then attacked Windu with Force lightning while pleading to Anakin for help. Trying desperately to block Palpatine's lightning, Windu screamed at Anakin not to listen. During this battle, Palpatine went through a physical transformation as he struggled to intensify his dark side powers, his face becoming hideously deformed and his eyes turning yellow. Windu prevailed and expressed a desire to kill Palpatine and end the Sith; however, Anakin confronted him, stating that Palpatine must stand trial&mdash; to execute him is not the way of the Jedi. Windu ignored Anakin and prepared to kill Palpatine, but in a flash, Anakin drew his lightsaber, severing Windu's arm. Before Windu could respond, Palpatine used Force lightning to send Windu plummeting to his death. After this, Anakin questioned his actions, but Palpatine stated that he was fulfilling his destiny. He further encouraged Anakin to embrace the dark side. Anakin said he would do anything Palpatine desired; all he wanted was to save Padmé's life. Anakin then pledged himself to the Order of the Sith, and Sidious endowed him with a new name: Darth Vader.

In order to increase Vader's power with the dark side, Palpatine ordered him to lead a battalion of clone troopers to the Jedi Temple and kill every Jedi and Padawan inside. Vader did this without question, killing venerable Jedi and younglings alike. Palpatine then commanded Vader to go to the planet Mustafar, where he killed the Council of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, including the Trade Federation Viceroy, Nute Gunray, Sidious' former ally who had invaded and occupied Naboo before being defeated by Anakin during the Battle of Naboo, thirteen years before.

Padmé went to Mustafar to try to reason with Anakin, afraid for him and wanting to leave public life to live together and raise their child. Unbeknownst to her, Obi-Wan stowed away on his ship to find Anakin. Upon seeing Obi-Wan, Anakin suspected betrayal and used the Force to choke Padmé until she lost consciousness. Anakin and Obi-Wan fought an intense battle throughout the mining complex and down the river of lava outside. The battle ended on the banks of the lava river, where Anakin, in his overconfidence, leapt to strike his former master, only to lose his left arm and both legs to Obi-Wan's blade.

Anakin tried to claw his way up the bank, using only his remaining prosthetic limb. As he did this, Obi-Wan shouted to him, "You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. It was you who would bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness!" In agony and still struggling to get at Obi-Wan, Anakin screamed "I hate you!" Obi-Wan, with sadness in his voice, looked at his former friend, "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." In an instant, Anakin's body caught on fire and he was nearly immolated. After Obi-Wan and Padmé left the planet, Darth Sidious came and found Anakin barely alive next to the lava river. He took Anakin back to Coruscant and repaired the damage to his body through intensive cybernetic enhancement at the Imperial Rehabilitation Center. Upon his revival as a cyborg, Vader questioned his master about Padmé, who had lost the will to live since last he'd seen her. Sidious told him that Vader had killed his wife in his anger.

Overwhelmed by his despair in the belief he had killed his wife and unborn child, Vader broke his bindings on the operating table and struggled to walk under the sheer weight of his new mechanical legs. His subsequent rage destroyed med droids and severely damaged the facility. Palpatine smiled as he realized that Vader's hatred would serve him well. The only thing that remained in Anakin's life was his service to the new Emperor.

Though much of his potential power had now been lost, Darth Vader became the brutal second in command of the Galactic Empire. He had the blood of many millions, including almost the entire Jedi Order, on his hands. Vader tortured Princess Leia &mdash; who he did not realize was his own daughter. He also nearly killed his son Luke Skywalker several times.

The redemption of Anakin Skywalker
Luke Skywalker risked everything, including turning himself over to Vader on the forest moon of Endor, but was able to finally bring his father back from the dark side. He faced Palpatine as the Emperor attempted to lure Luke to the dark side, all the while appealing to his father to repent. After Luke defeated Vader in a duel and refused the Emperor's offer to join him as his new apprentice, Palpatine had finally had enough. He unleashed his powerful Force lightning on Luke. Defiant in the face of evil, Luke suffered the wrath of Palpatine, and Vader could do no more than watch as Luke Skywalker lay dying.

But Anakin Skywalker would not stand by and let his son fall. Anakin never forgot the pain Dooku had once inflicted upon him with the lethal power of Force lightning, and could not bear to see his son in such agony. He had been unable to save his mother, he had killed his own wife and had ensured his own downfall....but Anakin could save his son. In a final heroic effort of self-sacrifice, Anakin struggled to his feet to rescue his son from the Emperor He overthrew his dark Master, and cast the Emperor down the Death Star's reactor shaft to his death. However, it was at the cost of his own life. Anakin received grievous wounds in the process, and his breathing apparatus short-circuited, but this single act served to redeem his past actions.


 * "You were right, you were right about me. Tell your sister. You were right." Wikiquote

Nearing death, Anakin asked Luke to help him remove his mask, so that he could see his son with his own eyes. Luke helped disconnect the mask. Underneath, Anakin was bald, with white skin from not being exposed to sunlight for over twenty years. After seeing his son directly, he told Luke that he was right about him &mdash; that there was good still in him &mdash; and to tell his sister, Leia Organa, the same. With these last words, Anakin Skywalker died and became one with the Force.

His armor was burned in the manner of a Jedi, and Luke saw what appeared to be a vision of an apparently forgiven Anakin (whole and without the artificial body of Vader), Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda smiling down upon him. With the deaths of the last two Sith Lords, Anakin Skywalker had finally brought balance to the Force. His destiny fulfilled, Anakin Skywalker had passed on into the embrace of the light of the Force.

Appearance
Anakin appeared as an average human. As an adult, he stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters) in height. His hair went from straight and blond as a child to wavy and light brown as an adult. After losing his dominant right arm at the elbow to Count Dooku, he was given a cybernetic prosthetic replacement that was later enhanced by him and covered with a black leather glove. During the Clone Wars he acquired a vertical scar near his right eye, the result of a duel with the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress. Anakin dressed in traditional Jedi garb, though ominously, he wore darker colors than most Jedi (dark brown and black). His tunic was partially made of synthetic leather and his lightsaber bore no resemblance to his mentor's weapon, which further separated him from other Jedi.

After his redemption and return to the light side of the Force, when he at last fulfilled the Jedi prophecy and slew the Emperor, Anakin's dying wish was that he should see his son Luke "with his own eyes." Luke complied, and removed the fearsome mask that had caged his father's face for over twenty years. What was revealed was the ghostly pale visage of a sad and withered man in his mid forties. His head bald and browless, Anakin's skin was pasty white from not having been exposed to sunlight for approximately two decades, his face still carrying the scars of a tragic duel. His weary eyes stared out from dark, sunken sockets at his son, and back at a life filled with sorrowful regret. Once more they shined blue, as Anakin Skywalker made peace with the Force and forever joined it.

Darth Plagueis
In light of information revealed by Palpatine to Anakin, it becomes distinctly possible that Darth Plagueis may in fact be Anakin's 'father'. It is known that Darth Plagueis had the ability to create or sustain life through manipulation of midi-chlorians, and Anakin's conception bears a notable resemblance to this concept. Though Sidious never learned the secret from his master, it is unknown whether Anakin was a key in rediscovering the secret or merely an extremely powerful pawn. It is impossible to know for certain if this is the case, yet it remains a distinct possibility.

Behind the Scenes
In | Sanskrit, the name "Anakin" means "warrior." Creator George Lucas took the name from his friend and fellow film director, Ken Annakin.

Depending on which version was seen (VHS or DVD, respectively), the appearance of Anakin's redeemed Force spirit was either that of a robust, middle-aged man with graying brown hair and a kindly face, or that of the younger Anakin in his twenties just before his fall from grace to the dark side, though now he was dressed in the garb of a Jedi Master.

Portrayal
Anakin was played in the films by Jake Lloyd as a child, Hayden Christensen as a young adult, and Sebastian Shaw as a dying, elderly (and redeemed) person. Christensen himself portrayed Vader in the black armored suit in Episode III, while David Prowse did so in IV, V, and VI, except for the fight scenes in V and VI, in which swordsman Bob Anderson was in the suit. While in the suit, Anakin/Vader was voiced by James Earl Jones.

In Return of the Jedi, the unmasked Vader and the spirit of the forgiven Anakin were played by actor Sebastian Shaw. In the release of the DVDs, however, Hayden Christensen had replaced the body of Sebastian Shaw when appearing as the Jedi spirit.