Star Wars: Anakin Skywalker Breakdown– Because We All Hate Sand
Before he was Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker was a child with a weird and tragic past– and he was likely doomed from the start.
The actor that brought Anakin Skywalker to life, Hayden Christensen, has been making Star Wars news lately. This week, it was announced that the character will appear in the upcoming Disney+ series, Ahsoka. Even before his inevitable slide towards the Dark Side, this pod-racing, droid-building, sand-hating Jedi Knight had one of the most interesting histories in the Galaxy. So let’s break down what makes Ani can.
Anakin’s Early Years
Born to Shmi Skywalker, Anakin’s father was M.I.A. According to the Darth Vader comics, he was conceived of midi-chlorians that Emporer Palpatine palpatined into Shmi from across the galaxy using the Force. Does this make Palpatine Anakin’s father? Is that too farfetched, even for Star Wars?
We’ll leave those questions up to you to ponder, but regardless, the future Sith Lord came from a galactic Virgin Mary beginning– and never stopped being the most-over-the-top thing in the room.
Being traded around from Hutts to Wattos didn’t stop Anakin from learning to be an exceptional pilot. He also grew to be pretty good at building droids, mostly by messing around with scraps he found in Watto’s junkyard. He would go on to build C-3PO and his own podracer, and he repaired power cells for a local hospital. You know, normal kid stuff.
Anakin Joins the Jedi Order
And now, for the story we know all too well. After leaving Tatooine with Obi Wan Kenobi, he began his apprenticeship. Anakin would go on to train as a Jedi and face numerous tests and temptations. Both he and Kenobi would feel as if they had been forced together by circumstance. But this lack of control would cause Anakin to consider walking away from his training to experience a life without the Jedi Order.
In the end, Anakin chose to continue down the path of a Jedi. He would eventually go on to protect Senator Amidala– but the seeds of doubt and discontent were already sewn.
Next, he became a general in the Clone Wars and master to his own Padawan, fan favorite and star of her own upcoming show, Ahsoka Tano. The two came to have a close, sibling-like relationship until Ahsoka was framed for crimes against the Order. Eventually she left the Jedi Order– something her master had considered himself. Their trust was fractured. But years later, Ahsoka would still be devastated to discover that Anakin had become Darth Vader in her absence.
In light of the closeness between Anakin and Ahsoka and his appearances in both Ahsoka and Kenobi, we can’t help but wonder how we will see Anakin’s return. My money is on Force-ghost Anakin, or possibly angst-fueled flashback Anakin. Either way, we can’t wait see what this adds to the friendship these three Jedi had.
What’s your favorite piece of Anakin backstory? How do you thin we will be seeing him in the upcoming shows? What character should we do a breakdown for next time? Let us know in the comments.
May The Force Be With You, Adventurers!
