Anakin
Skywalker
Skywalker
taken from the comic cover Republic #67
taken from the comic cover Republic #71
Anakin grew up as a slave in the markets of Mos Espa, on Tatooine, arriving on the planet with his mother
Shmi when he was just three years old. Shmi later revealed that there was no father to Anakin, that she
simply found out she was pregnant and carried the child to birth. Anakin and his mother were owned by
Gardulla the Hutt at the time, but were eventually won in a podracing bet by Watto. Despite his gruff
demeanor, Watto treated the Skywalkers fairly. After meeting Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin dreamed of becoming
a Jedi Knight. His chances were enhanced when Qui-Gon learned of his immaculate conception, believing
Anakin to be the Chosen One prophesied by the ancient Jedi lore. After winning the Boonta Eve Classic
podrace and being freed by Qui-Gon, Anakin left Tatooine and trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi. His own
lightsaber was constructed on Ilum, but Anakin could only remember obtaining the red blade from a vision
of Darth Maul. Eventually, he grew into a brash young pilot who joined the Old Republic as a fighter pilot,
gaining recognition during his education at the Academy and then during the Clone Wars. Anakin was still
a brash young man, and the barriers of patience and hard work seemed to stifle his growing proficiency in
the Force. During much of his training, Anakin thought of just two people: his mother on Tatooine, and
Padme' Amidala. He fell in love with Padme', and was frustrated that this love was unreturnable. It was
about this time that Senator Palpatine also noticed the young Anakin. Sensing the Force within him,
Palpatine also sensed Anakin's desire to learn quickly. After the death of Shmi Skywalker Lars at the
hands of a clan of Tusken Raiders, Anakin became so enraged that he killed the entire clan, inclding the
females and the children. His descent into the Dark Side had begun. During the Battle of Geonosis,
Anakin lost his right arm in a lightsaber duel with Count Dooku. The arm was replaced with a cybernetic
prosthesis, but took away some part of Anakin's humanity. Anakin slipped further from the Jedi ideal when
he secretly married Padme' on Naboo. Anakin fought beside Obi-Wan during the Clone Wars, but
Anakin's secrets and his anger often put them at odds. As the war ground on, Obi-Wan was forced to go
off on a mission by himself, and Anakin was chosen to accompany Nejaa Halcyon to Praesitlyn. Anakin's
quick thinking and daring heroics assured that the hostages there were saved, and the Jedi Council
decided to promote him to the level of Jedi Knight upon his return. He made sure that his Padawan's braid
was removed from the Jedi Temple and given to Padme' for safekeeping, as another reminder of his love
for her. After Anakin beheaded Count Dooku during the First Battle of Coruscant, it was hoped that the
Clone Wars came to an end. However, the Outer Rim Sieges continued to rage, forcing the Senate to
continue supporting the needs of Chancellor Palpatine. It was during this time that Chancellor Palpatine
introduced Anakin to the wonders of the Dark Side of The Force. He also learned that Padme' was
pregnant with his child, although he soon began having dreams of her death during childbirth. Anakin
realized that, with the power of the Dark Side of the Force behind him, he would be able to provide for
himself and his pregnant wife. There would be nothing to hinder him, and his security seemed assured. He
became Palpatine's student and was given the title of Darth Vader, and the fall from the Light Side to the
Dark Side happened so quickly that Kenobi was powerless to stop it. Kenobi pleaded with Anakin to
return to the Light Side, but Anakin would have no part of it. He became Palpatine's personal weapon,
destroying the inhabitants of the Jedi Temple before traveling to Mustafar to destroy the Council of
Separatists. Padme' and Obi-Wan both followed Anakin to Mustafar, where Anakin accused them of
betraying him. After a heated argument in which Anakin nearly choked Padme' to death, Anakin and
Kenobi confronted each other in a vicious lightsaber duel. They were evenly matched physically, but
Obi-Wan's knowledge of the Force was much greater than Anakin's, and Kenobi was able to maintain his
strength. Obi-Wan was forced to cut off Anakin's legs and arm in order to stop him, and Anakin fell into a
lava-filled pit, where he was seared alive. Obi-Wan then turned his back on Anakin, leaving him to die in
the hopes that the evil in the galaxy would be eliminated. Palpatine, however, managed to locate Anakin
before he could die and pulled the burning Anakin from the pit. Palpatine spared no expense in trying to
save Anakin, employing a team of medical droids to replace his lost limbs and fit him with a cybernetic
life-support suit. Meanwhile, Kenobi then fled with Padme', taking her to Polis Massa where she died
during childbirth, just as Anakin had foreseen. It appeared that she died of a broken heart, as medical
scans revealed no physical trauma. Anakin's anger boiled over when he learned of Padme's death,
especially when Palpatine explained that it had been Anakin himself who killed her. After giving in
completely to his anger and hatred, Anakin became Palpatine's minion. Sometime after the Battle of
Yavin, Palpatine was able to discover that Anakin had had a son. He used this knowledge to help secure
his hold on the former Anakin Skywalker, as well as a way to help turn Luke to the Dark Side. The Light
Side of Anakin Skywalker seemed to try and return to the surface, and Vader was faced with a crisis.
During the Battle of Endor, Luke managed to get the Light Side of Anakin to re-assert itself, and as the
Emperor was trying to kill Luke, Anakin rose up and threw the Emperor down the Death Star's power shaft.
The life-support systems that kept Darth Vader alive, however, were seriously damaged by the Emperor's
Force lightning, and failed. Anakin died soon after Luke removed the facemask to allow Anakin to see his
son with his own eyes.
Some info gathered with permission from:
The Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia
Shmi when he was just three years old. Shmi later revealed that there was no father to Anakin, that she
simply found out she was pregnant and carried the child to birth. Anakin and his mother were owned by
Gardulla the Hutt at the time, but were eventually won in a podracing bet by Watto. Despite his gruff
demeanor, Watto treated the Skywalkers fairly. After meeting Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin dreamed of becoming
a Jedi Knight. His chances were enhanced when Qui-Gon learned of his immaculate conception, believing
Anakin to be the Chosen One prophesied by the ancient Jedi lore. After winning the Boonta Eve Classic
podrace and being freed by Qui-Gon, Anakin left Tatooine and trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi. His own
lightsaber was constructed on Ilum, but Anakin could only remember obtaining the red blade from a vision
of Darth Maul. Eventually, he grew into a brash young pilot who joined the Old Republic as a fighter pilot,
gaining recognition during his education at the Academy and then during the Clone Wars. Anakin was still
a brash young man, and the barriers of patience and hard work seemed to stifle his growing proficiency in
the Force. During much of his training, Anakin thought of just two people: his mother on Tatooine, and
Padme' Amidala. He fell in love with Padme', and was frustrated that this love was unreturnable. It was
about this time that Senator Palpatine also noticed the young Anakin. Sensing the Force within him,
Palpatine also sensed Anakin's desire to learn quickly. After the death of Shmi Skywalker Lars at the
hands of a clan of Tusken Raiders, Anakin became so enraged that he killed the entire clan, inclding the
females and the children. His descent into the Dark Side had begun. During the Battle of Geonosis,
Anakin lost his right arm in a lightsaber duel with Count Dooku. The arm was replaced with a cybernetic
prosthesis, but took away some part of Anakin's humanity. Anakin slipped further from the Jedi ideal when
he secretly married Padme' on Naboo. Anakin fought beside Obi-Wan during the Clone Wars, but
Anakin's secrets and his anger often put them at odds. As the war ground on, Obi-Wan was forced to go
off on a mission by himself, and Anakin was chosen to accompany Nejaa Halcyon to Praesitlyn. Anakin's
quick thinking and daring heroics assured that the hostages there were saved, and the Jedi Council
decided to promote him to the level of Jedi Knight upon his return. He made sure that his Padawan's braid
was removed from the Jedi Temple and given to Padme' for safekeeping, as another reminder of his love
for her. After Anakin beheaded Count Dooku during the First Battle of Coruscant, it was hoped that the
Clone Wars came to an end. However, the Outer Rim Sieges continued to rage, forcing the Senate to
continue supporting the needs of Chancellor Palpatine. It was during this time that Chancellor Palpatine
introduced Anakin to the wonders of the Dark Side of The Force. He also learned that Padme' was
pregnant with his child, although he soon began having dreams of her death during childbirth. Anakin
realized that, with the power of the Dark Side of the Force behind him, he would be able to provide for
himself and his pregnant wife. There would be nothing to hinder him, and his security seemed assured. He
became Palpatine's student and was given the title of Darth Vader, and the fall from the Light Side to the
Dark Side happened so quickly that Kenobi was powerless to stop it. Kenobi pleaded with Anakin to
return to the Light Side, but Anakin would have no part of it. He became Palpatine's personal weapon,
destroying the inhabitants of the Jedi Temple before traveling to Mustafar to destroy the Council of
Separatists. Padme' and Obi-Wan both followed Anakin to Mustafar, where Anakin accused them of
betraying him. After a heated argument in which Anakin nearly choked Padme' to death, Anakin and
Kenobi confronted each other in a vicious lightsaber duel. They were evenly matched physically, but
Obi-Wan's knowledge of the Force was much greater than Anakin's, and Kenobi was able to maintain his
strength. Obi-Wan was forced to cut off Anakin's legs and arm in order to stop him, and Anakin fell into a
lava-filled pit, where he was seared alive. Obi-Wan then turned his back on Anakin, leaving him to die in
the hopes that the evil in the galaxy would be eliminated. Palpatine, however, managed to locate Anakin
before he could die and pulled the burning Anakin from the pit. Palpatine spared no expense in trying to
save Anakin, employing a team of medical droids to replace his lost limbs and fit him with a cybernetic
life-support suit. Meanwhile, Kenobi then fled with Padme', taking her to Polis Massa where she died
during childbirth, just as Anakin had foreseen. It appeared that she died of a broken heart, as medical
scans revealed no physical trauma. Anakin's anger boiled over when he learned of Padme's death,
especially when Palpatine explained that it had been Anakin himself who killed her. After giving in
completely to his anger and hatred, Anakin became Palpatine's minion. Sometime after the Battle of
Yavin, Palpatine was able to discover that Anakin had had a son. He used this knowledge to help secure
his hold on the former Anakin Skywalker, as well as a way to help turn Luke to the Dark Side. The Light
Side of Anakin Skywalker seemed to try and return to the surface, and Vader was faced with a crisis.
During the Battle of Endor, Luke managed to get the Light Side of Anakin to re-assert itself, and as the
Emperor was trying to kill Luke, Anakin rose up and threw the Emperor down the Death Star's power shaft.
The life-support systems that kept Darth Vader alive, however, were seriously damaged by the Emperor's
Force lightning, and failed. Anakin died soon after Luke removed the facemask to allow Anakin to see his
son with his own eyes.
Some info gathered with permission from:
The Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia