The Chosen One: The Boy (Part 1) |

This is the first of a three-part series on the characterization of Anakin Skywalker in the Prequel Trilogy.

I have always loved that teaser poster for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Admittedly, I was a little surprised when I heard that Anakin Skywalker would be portrayed as a child in his first canonical appearance in the Star Wars saga. Did it bother me? Not in the least. In fact, from the moment I saw Episode I, I was intrigued: how would this bright, adept young kid eventually turn into the most feared, iconic villain of all-time?

“Darth Vader as a boy? That’s ridiculous!” Yes, I heard that complaint often. I still hear it. I’ve been told that seeing Vader as a child somehow minimizes his standing as a villain later on. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that Episode I serves no purpose in the saga. The so-called “Machete Order” even encourages fans to omit Episode I entirely from their saga-viewing experience. I disagree whole-heartedly. Quite frankly, if a person consciously omits Episode I because he or she feels that it serves no purpose to the overall story of Anakin Skywalker, then he or she doesn’t understand the story of Anakin Skywalker as envisioned by his creator.

Anakin Skywalker, age 9

In order to understand why George Lucas chose to depict Anakin as a child, one must first understand how the Star Wars saga is arranged chronologically. At the point of this writing, there have been seven live-action canonical films in the saga. In these seven films, none of the films pick up where the other left off. Each of the seven films begins at a different point in time, with a different amount of time having passed between each of the films. The iconic text crawl seeks to bring the watcher “up to speed,” filling in the gaps between films. The fact that so much time passes between films shows how big and grand this saga is… there are countless, untold stories between the films (which novels and other media are seeking to cover).

The time gap between films also shows that George Lucas (and now the Lucasfilm Story Group) is being intentional… he chooses the time period of each film intentionally, for a specific purpose. Episode I is set thirty-two years before Episode IV for very specific reasons.

Anakin and Shmi Skywalker

Why is Anakin depicted as a child? Because this period in his life is critical… perhaps one of the most critical points of his life. In Episode I we see his attachments. Sure, the film shows us how strong in the Force he really is. It also depicts how talented he was, even from an early age, as a pilot. These critical aspects of Anakin’s character, both of which were mentioned by Obi-Wan in Episode IV A New Hope, could have been covered just as well at any age. But his attachments… Episode I keys in on his attachments, both to his mother Shmi and, to a lesser extent, to Padme.

The Jedi Council prefer their younglings to have no attachments. Regarding Anakin, here is what I wrote in this piece on Anakin and his attachments:

“…the Jedi preferred younglings. Young, impressionable children with no memory of their parents. Children they could mold in to conformity. Conformity to duty. Conformity to service. Conformity to the Code. Anakin came to the Jedi as a young boy, already possessing a strong attachment to his mother. This immediately made both Yoda and Mace Windu uncomfortable. This one would not be so malleable. This one had not been taught from an early age to suppress his feelings and emotions, his wants and desires. The word Windu used to describe him is “dangerous.”

Thanks to Episode I, and to seeing Anakin’s relationship with his mother, we can see how he was different than the other children brought to the Jedi Temple to train. We begin to understand how his love for his mother, as well as his fear of losing her, led to his behaviors and actions in Episode II Attack of the Clones. We then, in turn, see how her death impacted him in Episode III Revenge of the Sith in such a profound way that it led to his obsession with saving his wife and, eventually, to his fall to the Dark Side.

We also see an interesting parallel occur… Anakin’s induction into the ways of the Jedi as a child with attachments mirrors his son Luke years later… and allows us to better understand Yoda’s reluctance to train him. “He is too old!” Yoda complained. This intentional parallelism is missed without the events of Episode I.

“Darth Vader as a boy?” Absolutely. I think of that boy as I see a teenage Anakin screaming, “I hate them!” (the Tuskens who killed his mother)… while the “Imperial March” subtly begins to play. I think of him as I hear Vader screaming “No!” at the realization that his wife is dead. I picture him as I watch the tortured, hate-filled monster entering the Tantive IV at the beginning of Episode IV A New Hope. I think of that boy as Vader’s son reaches out to him with love in Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

And, finally, I think of that boy as his mask is removed. At this moment, Anakin Skywalker is finally redeemed by… attachment.