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For this fictional character's appearance in the Star Wars original trilogy, see the article on Darth Vader.

Star Wars character
Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi Knight
Position	Jedi Knight, Jedi Council Member, Jedi General (before being on Council), Jedi High General (while on the Council), Sith Lord (as Darth Vader)
Homeworld	Tatooine
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jedi Order, Galactic Republic, Sith, Empire
Portrayed by	Jake Lloyd (I) Hayden Christensen (II, III, VI[1]) Sebastian Shaw (VI[1])

Anakin Skywalker is the central character in the Star Wars franchise.^[2][3][4][5] The original and prequel trilogies follow Anakin's rise as a vessel of The Force, his fall to the dark side, and his ultimate redemption. In the prequel films, Anakin is a Jedi Padawan, and later a Jedi Knight of legend. As revealed in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, he is the father of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.

Jake Lloyd portraying Anakin Skywalker as a young boy on Tatooine.

Events described in this section occur in the film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. More information is available in the plot summary section of that article.

In the timeline of the Star Wars films, Anakin first appears in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as a selfless nine-year-old boy (portrayed by Jake Lloyd). Anakin and his mother, Shmi (Pernilla August), are slaves in the service of Watto, a junk dealer. As an engineering prodigy, Anakin can build or repair nearly anything, evidenced by the creation of his own protocol droid, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), and podracer, each from salvaged parts. He is also a remarkable pilot with quick reflexes.

Anakin is found on the planet Tatooine by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), who is convinced that he is the "Chosen One" foretold by the Jedi prophecy to bring balance to the Force. Shmi says that he has no father, and that she simply became pregnant with him. Over the course of the narrative, Qui-Gon Jinn goes on to discover that Anakin has the highest known number of midi-chlorians, a measure of Force-aptitude. Anakin forms a strong bond with Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), whom Qui-Gon and his padawan apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), are guarding.

After winning Anakin's freedom in a podrace, Qui-Gon brings the boy to Coruscant and requests that the Jedi Council allow him to train the boy. This request is denied, as the Council thinks that Anakin's future is clouded by the fear he exhibits. Ultimately, Anakin helps win the final battle against the villainous Trade Federation in the film's climactic scene. A dying Qui-Gon, slain by Darth Maul (Ray Park), urges Obi-Wan to train Anakin, and Council leader Yoda (Frank Oz) reluctantly approves. The Republic's newly-elected Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), befriends the boy, promising to "watch his career with great interest."

Events described in this section occur in the film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. More information is available in the plot, which is based on the story and screenplay by George Lucas.

Screenshot of a scene with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

In Attack of the Clones, set 10 years later, Anakin (played by Hayden Christensen) is Obi-Wan's padawan. Because his natural abilities place him far above his peers, he has developed into an arrogant loner during his years of Jedi training, and has begun to chafe against Obi-Wan's authority.

His first official assignment given to him by the Jedi Council is go with Padmé to Naboo and protect her from the assassins who have been trying to kill her. Over the years, Anakin has nurtured a powerful attraction her, even though such emotional attachments are forbidden to Jedi. While on Naboo in conversations with her, he confesses his love for her, as well as his distrust of the political process and the need he perceives for there to be one strong leader.

While guarding Padmé, Anakin senses that his mother is in danger. Upon returning to Tatooine, he finds his mother in a village of Tusken Raiders, but arrives too late; she has been tortured and beaten beyond help, and she dies in his arms. Seized by a blind rage, he slaughters the entire village, even the women and children. He returns with his mother's body, and tearfully confesses to Padmé, who forgives him.

Anakin and Padmé then learn that Obi-Wan has been taken hostage by the droid forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a faction of star systems that want to secede from the Republic. They rush to the planet Geonosis to rescue him — where they are also captured. Faced with their impending demise in a gladiatorial arena, they profess their love to one another. Escaping the fray with the help of a cadre of Jedi and the clone army, Anakin and Obi-Wan engage Separatist leader and Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) in a lightsaber battle. Obi-Wan is injured in the battle and Anakin is forced to fight him alone. He is defeated by the older, more experienced warrior, who severs his lower right arm. Back on Naboo, Anakin's arm is replaced with a mechanical prosthetic, and he marries Padmé in a secret ceremony with only C-3PO and his counterpart, R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), to witness.

Events described in this section occur in the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Scene depicting Darth Vader's march on the Jedi Temple accompanied by the 501st Legion.

In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin and Obi-Wan return from the Outer Rim to rescue a kidnapped Palpatine. They board the Invisible Hand, flagship of the Separatist fleet and its cyborg leader, General Grievous (Matthew Wood). Tracking the captive Chancellor to the observation deck, they encounter Count Dooku. A brief battle ensues, in which Dooku renders Obi-Wan unconscious. Once again, Anakin is set to duel with the Count alone. Wanting revenge for his earlier defeat on Geonosis, Anakin overpowers Dooku and neatly sears off both of his hands. Palpatine then commands Anakin to behead the shocked Count. Anakin gives in to his anger and complies, but instantly regrets it, as killing a defenseless prisoner is not the Jedi way.

After rescuing the Chancellor, Anakin finds that the flagship is in critical condition, and, with some help from Obi-Wan, barely lands its front half safely on an airstrip.

Anakin returns to Coruscant, where Padmé tells him she is pregnant. He is initially overjoyed, but that night has a horrible nightmare of Padmé dying in childbirth. He is afraid this vision will come true, as it is similar to the one he had of his mother just before she died.

Palpatine, who by now has amassed near-dictatorial power in the Senate, makes Anakin his representative on the Jedi Council. The suspicious Council accepts Anakin, but denies him the rank of Jedi Master, and tell him to spy on Palpatine. His pride wounded, Anakin loses all faith in the Council. Ultimately, the Chancellor offers him the chance to learn the dark side, which he claims holds the power to prevent death. Anakin realizes that Palpatine is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, and reports Palpatine's secret to Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson). He soon follows Windu to the Chancellor's office to make sure Palpatine is taken alive.

Anakin arrives to find Windu holding his lightsaber on a disarmed Palpatine. Windu declares the Dark Lord of the Sith under arrest, but Palpatine defiantly unleashes a torrent of Force lightning at Windu. The Jedi Master deflects the lightning with his lightsaber back at Palpatine, hideously scarring the Sith Lord's face. The attack continues unabated until Palpatine seemingly tires, giving Windu a chance to strike a deathblow. Anakin pleads with Windu to spare Palpatine's life, but Windu refuses, insisting that Palpatine is too dangerous to be kept alive. As Windu raises his lightsaber to deliver the final blow, Anakin intervenes, severing Windu's right hand. Palpatine then springs to life, bombarding him with Force lightning and hurling him out the window to his death. Anakin then submits to the dark side, and is dubbed Darth Vader.

Scene from the end of Revenge of the Sith, depicting Vader's rebirth in the iconic black armor and respirator.

Vader's first task as a Sith Lord is to assault the Jedi Temple and to kill everyone inside, including the children. Vader is then sent to Mustafar to assassinate the Separatist leaders. After completing this task, he is met by Padmé, who pleads with him to flee Palpatine's grasp with her. He refuses, saying that the two of them can overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Obi-Wan, who had hidden himself on Padmé's ship, suddenly emerges. Vader accuses Padmé of conspiring against him, and uses the dark side to choke her into unconsciousness. Kenobi and Vader then engage in an intense lightsaber duel throughout the mining complex. At the end of the duel, Kenobi severs Vader's left arm and both of his legs. As Vader comes into contact with the molten metal, he catches fire and is nearly immolated. Obi-Wan leaves him to die, but Palpatine comes to Vader's rescue.

Palpatine reconstructs his apprentice's ruined body with the iconic suit of black armor first seen in A New Hope. Once Vader regains consciousness, Palpatine tells him that Padmé had died as a result of Vader's anger. (She had in fact died in childbirth after delivering Luke and Leia.) This half-truth breaks what remains of Anakin's spirit, and he screams in torment. He is last seen overseeing the construction of the first Death Star at Palpatine's side.

In the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, Anakin is made a full-fledged Jedi Knight despite the Council's reservations. During the next three years of fighting in the Clone Wars, Anakin becomes a legend throughout the galaxy, renowned as "The Hero With No Fear." Among his most noted moments are a fierce duel with Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress and the liberation of the Nelvaanians from the Techno Union.

Anakin's adventures in the Clone Wars are also chronicled in the comic book series Star Wars: Republic. Among other highlights, Anakin first learns to use the Force to choke someone, fights another duel with Ventress (this one leaving him with a distinctive scar on his right temple), and commands his first few missions.

Main article: Darth Vader

As chronicled in James Luceno's book Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Vader sheds his identity as Anakin Skywalker shortly after incurring his injuries on Mustafar; in the months afterward, he systematically pursues and kills the survivors of Order 66 (save Obi-Wan and Yoda) and, in the process, fully embraces his new identity as a Sith Lord and disavows any connection to his former Jedi self. The novel also reveals that Vader plans to eventually overthrow Palpatine, and that he had betrayed the Jedi because he resented their supposed failure to recognize his power.

The redeemed spirit of Anakin Skywalker appears in the novel The Truce at Bakura, set a few days after the ending of Return of the Jedi. He appears for the first (and only) time to his daughter Leia, imploring her forgiveness. Leia condemns him for his crimes and banishes him from her life. He promises that he will be there for her when she needs him, and disappears.

In Tatooine Ghost, Leia learns to forgive her father after learning about his childhood as a slave and the death of his mother. In Star By Star, her son, Anakin Solo sacrifices himself, redeeming the name of Luke and Leia's father.

In the Dark Nest Trilogy, Luke and Leia uncover old recordings of their parents in R2-D2's memory drive. For the first time, they see their own birth and their mother's death, as well as their father's corruption to the dark side.

In the novel The Unifying Force of the New Jedi Order series, set 30 years after A New Hope, Anakin's voice would speak to his grandson, Jacen Solo, telling him to "Stand firm" in his battle with the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong.

In the Legacy of the Force series, Jacen uses the Force to travel back to watch Anakin as he begins his journey to the dark side and slaughters the children at the Jedi Temple.

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Novelization, 1st edition paperback, 1999. Terry Brooks, George Lucas, ISBN 0-345-43411-0
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Novelization, 2003. R. A. Salvatore, ISBN 0-345-42882-X
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Novelization, 1st edition hardcover, 2005. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1
• The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2
• Vader: The Ultimate Guide, 2005.
• Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1998. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-3481-4
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1999. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-4701-0
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2002. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-8588-5
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2005. James Luceno, ISBN 0-7566-1128-8
• Star Wars Databank. Skywalker, Anakin, Vader, Darth

• Skywalker family
• Darth Vader

• Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars Databank
• Anakin Skywalker on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki