Is Anakin Skywalker the Chosen One in Star Wars? – Armessa Movie News

Yes, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is the Chosen One in Star Wars because creator George Lucas has said so himself. The Chosen One prophecy was created by an ancient Jedi mystic who had a Force vision of an individual who harbored the power to restore balance to the Force. In order to restore balance, the Chosen One would need to destroy the Sith. The Chosen One was also foreseen to be conceived by midi-chlorians: meaning they would be conceived by the Force itself. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) had an interest in the ancient Jedi mystics and the Jedi prophecies of old, not because he was keen to predict or control the future, but because he believed the prophecies offered some insight into the Jedi Order’s fears, hopes, and limitations. Qui-Gon was intrigued with the prophecy that referred to the one who would bring balance to the Force. Although he did not actively seek out this foretold “Chosen One,” by a trick of fate, Qui-Gon did find the Chosen One — a diamond hidden among Tatooine’s wretched hive of scum and villainy.

It is important to remember that prophecies can be interpreted in an abundance of different ways. When a person is given insight into their future, it is hard for them to remain objective. They start to prepare for the worst and try to do things that will stop the future from happening. Funnily enough, by trying to control the future, they often set that very future in motion and the things they didn’t want to happen end up happening anyway. This is exactly what happened with Anakin, who was haunted by visions of the future and became consumed with the effort of trying to stop his visions from coming true. But through those very efforts, his future came to fruition. Indeed, Anakin’s desire for control led him to the dark side, because the Sith are obsessed with control, they cannot let go of their power, and they cannot let go of their possessions. One of Anakin’s greatest weaknesses was his inability to let go. That’s not to say he should be indifferent and detached, but love and compassion are selfless and unconditional things — his love for Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) became twisted into attachment and possession.

The Chosen One in Star Wars Was Never Foretold To Be a Jedi

So Anakin goes to the dark side, is he still the Chosen One even when he becomes Darth Vader? His destiny was prophesied to be the one who would destroy the Sith, and yet he became the very thing he swore to destroy. Well, that ancient Jedi mystic did foretell that there would be a Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith, but they never explained how the Chosen One would do this. There was no step-by-step guide. The Jedi mystic didn’t have a Force vision of some extraordinary lightsaber fight between the Chosen One and a Sith Lord and there was no time frame on when this final defeat of the Sith would occur. It is also important to acknowledge that the Chosen One was foreseen to be very strong with the Force, but they were never foreseen to be a Jedi specifically.

This takes us back to the discussion of how prophecies are interpreted. In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Yoda (Frank Oz) says that the Chosen One prophecy could have been misread, because Anakin’s emotional instability was becoming dangerous and the Jedi Order were no longer sure if he was capable of fulfilling his destiny. However, the Jedi Order believed that such a destiny was simply going to be fulfilled by Anakin becoming a powerful Jedi Knight, gaining in strength and honing his powers so that he would be ready to defeat the Sith when the moment came. When Anakin joined the Jedi Order as a child, his destiny looked very linear. But that’s not how life works. He may be the Chosen One, but Anakin still had free will. Free will that he enacted on many occasions, almost always following his heart rather than his head.

This relates to the philosophical debate between free will and determinism. Is the behavior of individuals purely instigated by their own decisions? Or has their life already been laid out for them? In Anakin’s case, it’s a mixture of both: he became the Chosen One by choosing to do so. The power of his choices actually solidified his predetermined fate. In the same way he chose to let his glimpses into the future lead him to make some very bad choices. But as mentioned before, nobody’s path in life is linear. No matter what destiny lies ahead, there will always be roadblocks and challenges and heartbreak and suffering. Yoda had warned Anakin when he was just nine years old that fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. But it wasn’t until Anakin became Darth Vader that he finally understood the depth of such a warning.

The Force Does Not Belong to Jedi or Sith

There is some confusion surrounding the fact that for a long time, there were only two Sith existing at one time, but there were tens of thousands of Jedi Knights roaming the galaxy — which puts the Dark side at a disadvantage and the Light a great advantage, meaning the Force would be out of balance. However, it is important to remember that the Light does not belong to the Jedi, the same that the Dark side does not belong to the Sith. In Star Wars: Episode IX – The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) quotes: “To say that if the Jedi die, the light dies is vanity.” The Jedi and Sith are Force sensitive and are able to connect to the Force and manipulate it, however, the Force does not belong to anyone. So, it was in their hubris that the Jedi from the Prequel Era believed that the Sith could only be destroyed by a Jedi. When Anakin did restore balance to the Force, he was neither Sith nor Jedi, merely a man with an immense connection to the Force who had finally achieved balance within himself.

The reason why the Sith put the Force out of balance is because they use the Force to reign terror and exert power over others. They embrace the Dark side fully, becoming selfish and thirsty for power and riddled in fear. For a long time, the Sith became the creators of their own extinction — killing each other because they were afraid of losing their power, thus falling victim to their paranoia. The reason why the Force maintains its equilibrium while Jedi exist is because Jedi work to maintain balance within themselves. They don’t repress the light or the dark, but merely acknowledge that both forces reside within them, and then take up the challenge of choosing the Light over and over again. The greatest Jedi like Qui-Gon and Kanan Jarrus (voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr.) have control over their inner Dark sides. They work to understand their emotions first and keep up the challenging task of being clear-minded and altruistic. However, by the time Anakin joined the Jedi Order, the Jedi had lost their way, losing sight of what’s important and becoming fixated on politics. The Dark side crept its way into their hearts, and the Force was very much out of balance.

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Anakin Skywalker Had To Go to the Dark Side Before He Could Embrace the Light

So, when we look at the entirety of Anakin’s character arc, we realize that Anakin could not fulfill his destiny and redeem himself fully until he had experienced both the light and the dark. He spent an equal 23 years on both sides of the Force. Anakin’s path was never going to be linear because our lives are not linear, they are filled with ups and downs, happy moments and sad moments. Just like Anakin, we can feel lost and become angry and jealous and confused, but it is not until we reap the consequences of acting upon our heated emotions that we gain clarity. Mistakes and failure are our greatest teachers, and although we can become regretful of the choices we made when we succumb to the Dark side, we can then choose to let those regrets inform our future choices. We can choose to be better. Only through our experiences in darkness do we gain real insight into ourselves.

Toward the end of his life, the small part of Anakin that still resided in Darth Vader was very much trapped and helpless. In Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader is not nearly as menacing as he is in the previous films, it’s as if he’s given up. The only real interest he has is in his son, Luke Skywalker. By this time, it is clear that Anakin has lived through the fear, the hate, and the anger, and now he is suffering. But it is also obvious that he believes he has no way out. He is a slave to Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid). However, Luke can still feel Anakin’s inner conflict, he can feel that small flicker of goodness within Anakin. Luke’s resolve was that he would help redeem his father, or die trying. This is why some people believe that maybe Luke was the Chosen One, but, in actuality, it was Anakin who destroyed Darth Sidious; and he destroyed Darth Vader when he chose to exchange his power for the love he had for his son. In doing so, he destroyed the last remaining Sith and fulfilled his destiny.

Anakin’s Choices Shifted the Tide of the Star Wars Galaxy

In Star Wars, balance is everything: there cannot be light without the dark, but the heroes in Star Wars prove that they must master their own demons and darkness within themselves — they must conquer their fears, if they truly want to be at peace. Anakin fulfilled the Chosen One prophecy by finally letting go, something that he was incapable of doing which led him to the Dark side. But perhaps going to the Dark side was the only way in which Anakin would realize how important letting go is. Anakin redeems himself by surrendering to his fate, trading his selfishness for compassion, and letting that small flicker of light within him become a fiery, passionate flame once again. He destroys the Sith just as the prophecy said, but ultimately, it all comes back to Anakin’s choices. Anakin chose to sacrifice himself and save his son, and such a selfless act not only restored balance to the Force, but it restored the balance within him as well.