Star Wars has made one major change for Anakin Skywalker, hinting that the franchise has moved on from George Lucas’ vision of balance. When George Lucas launched the Star Wars prequel trilogy, he changed the focus of the entire saga. No longer were these the adventures of Luke Skywalker; now, they were centered on the character of Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s father. Lucas even introduced the Chosen One prophecy, establishing Anakin as a Messianic figure destined to bring balance to the Force.
The movies themselves were never clear about just what that meant, but Lucas has explained his interpretation in interviews. Surprisingly, though, Anakin Skywalker’s appearance in Ahsoka suggests Star Wars has actually abandoned Lucas’ views on balance of the Force. Star Wars is an ever-evolving franchise, and this particular evolution is easy to miss – but very real.
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George Lucas Viewed Balance As The Triumph Of The Light
George Lucas viewed the Sith and the dark side as parasitic in nature, in that it was destructive; in fact, in many interviews and speeches he compared the dark side to a cancer, in that he viewed darkness as the embodiment of selfishness, consuming and destroying, never giving back. This explains why, to Lucas, balance in the Force means destruction of the dark side. This is why Anakin Skywalker brought balance to the Force by killing Emperor Palpatine; with the cancer removed, the light can prosper.
The problem, though, is that the Star Wars prequels never made this explicit. The closest they came was during Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, in which Obi-Wan insisted Anakin was destined to destroy the Sith, not join them. While this was presented as Obi-Wan’s interpretation – with Yoda suggesting the prophecy could have been misread – it was also Lucas’ view.
Ahsoka Revealed Anakin Skywalker As Equal Parts Light & Dark
The problem, though, is that Ahsoka suggested a very different interpretation of balance. In Ahsoka, Anakin was the agent of balance – the embodiment of both light and dark, able to tap into either when necessary. As Hayden Christensen himself has put it, this is Anakin as the all-powerful Jedi Master “who could wield both sides of the force — light and dark — at will.” Anakin has fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One, embodying a balance of the Force that requires both aspects. It’s more like a yin and yang, where light and dark must coexist.
This interpretation is very different to Lucas’. Under Lucas, the dark side must be destroyed; in Ahsoka, the light must coexist with it. Balance arguably becomes harder to achieve because neither side should be allowed to dominate the other. What’s more, the very fact Anakin has preserved his consciousness after death seems to be evidence Star Wars considers this newer interpretation to be correct.
Under Lucas, Force Ghosts Shouldn’t Even Have Been Able To Access The Dark Side
There’s another massive Star Wars retcon in play here, because Lucas intended Force ghosts to be reserved solely for those committed to the light side of the Force. Matt Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the SIth makes this clear; Stover worked closely with Lucas himself on the script, and was given permission to amplify many of the scenes. There’s a longer discussion between Yoda and Qui-Gon’s Jinn’s Force ghost on how to become immortal; “It comes only by the release of self, not the exaltation of self. It comes through compassion, not greed. Love is the answer to the darkness.“
And yet, Ahsoka features an Anakin Skywalker Force ghost who is able to access the dark side. To be fair, it’s possible Lucas’ views on Force ghosts still apply in general, with Anakin as the one exception – a Chosen One who may be able to become something more than just a Force ghost, with his role as an agent of balance superseding their traditional nature. This would be an interesting workaround, but it would still reinforce the fact Star Wars simply views the Force itself differently to Lucas now.
Star Wars Projects That Feature Force Ghosts | Characters that Appear As Ghosts |
|---|---|
The Empire Strikes Back | Obi-Wan Kenobi |
Return of the Jedi | Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Anakin Skywalker |
Star Wars Episode III–Revenge of the Sith (deleted scene) | Qui-Gon Jinn |
Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Yoda |
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa |
Obi-Wan Kenobi | Qui-Gon Jinn |
Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Qui-Gon Jinn |
Ahsoka | Anakin Skywalker |
Why Has Star Wars Moved On From Lucas’ Interpretation Of Balance?
Part of the problem is that Lucas himself was inconsistent when it came to explaining what balance means. As noted, the movies themselves aren’t entirely clear, and it’s all left rather up in the air when the prequels come to an end. The Mortis arc in Star Wars: The Clone Wars muddied the waters, because the Mortis gods represent the dualism of the Force, with the Father maintaining the balance; that story is quite clear that Anakin’s role as the Chosen One is to take the Father’s position for himself. It’s possible Lucas changed his mind, himself toying with other interpretations.
Dave Filoni, Lucas’ protégé in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, has taken on a major role in shaping the future of this franchise. He seems much more committed to the yin and yang view of the Force, and to the idea that balance requires both light and dark. This is definitely a major change from the original movies, and from the interpretations Lucas pushed for years, but it may well grow out of Lucas’ own evolving opinions. Whatever the case may be, the change is striking, and it means the future of Star Wars will be very different to the past.
