Anakin Skywalker

"He was the best star pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

Anakin Skywalker is the protagonist of the prequel film trilogy of the Star Wars universe, and the central character in the first three Star Wars films.

Anakin was a legendary Force-user who served the Galactic Republic as a Jedi Knight, and later served the Galactic Empire as a Sith Lord. He was the son of Shmi Skywalker, later in life he became the secret husband of Padmé Amidala, and the father of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. After his fall to the Dark side, he became the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Background
Anakin was born on the planet Tatooine to Shmi Skywalker and he possibly had no father. At some point, he and his mother were sold into slavery to Watto. Anakin was born Force-sensitive, however, unlike other Force-users of his generation, the latter had a midi-chlorian count that was over twenty thousand, when he crossed paths with the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who discovered how high his midi-chlorian was, the latter believed Anakin was the Chosen One of the Jedi prophecy. It is unknown if the prophecy was referring to Anakin bringing balance to the Light or the Dark side of the Force, or both.

Personality
As a child, Anakin was idealistic and precocious for his age as a gifted mechanic. He possessed a very kind heart in addition to his intellect.

As an adult, Anakin developed into a more prideful, rebellious, and headstrong young man, but he still possessed most of the aforementioned traits from his childhood. Although he was a good-hearted person, he was known to hold grudges and had trouble handling his emotions, resulting in, at times where he was reckless, temperamental, and aggressive. He also hated being treated unjustly or being wrongly accused, as well as the fact that he grew to hate being criticized or lectured. He also disliked politics, as he considered most politicians to be greedy and self-conceited. As his fame and Force powers grew, Anakin became more prideful and overconfident (secretly) believing that he was the best Jedi in the order and that he could easily best any Jedi blindfolded with his lightsaber tied behind his back.

Despite his pride as a Jedi, Anakin was not above apologizing or admitting when he was wrong. He was a generally honest person and despised lying and deception, from his friends, allies and enemies alike. Although he could be cocky and unpredictable, Anakin held onto his better traits, such as his sense of justice and his compassion; especially during the Clone Wars, Anakin, like his then-apprentice Ahsoka Tano, matured and became more responsible in many ways, but he would remain impulsive at times.

As a general within the ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic, Anakin was renowned for his leadership skills and admired by clones, Jedi and politicians alike. Anakin was polite, humble, modest, respectful and well-mannered towards individuals who have rightfully earned his respect; such as Sheev Palpatine and Bail Organa respectively, however, despite this, he had little to no tolerance for those who disrespected him for no clear reason; such as Mace Windu and Wilhuff Tarkin respectively.

Unlike his best friend and former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin never followed rules and orders without question; as he always tried to do what was right, even if it meant breaking rules or disobeying orders. Unlike the other members of the Jedi High Council, Anakin was not short-sighted; as he recognized the flaws in the Jedi teachings and code when it came to the values all Jedi were supposed to embody. He often felt the need to speak out against the Jedi teachings and code, despite the consequences that came with questioning the Jedi.

Unfortunately, Anakin also carried guilt and remorse for his violent deeds, the secrets he was force to kept and the loss of some of his loved ones, especially the loss of his mother Shmi Skywalker. Anakin's fear of losing the ones he cared about and his desperation to find a way to stop them from dying, was ultimately one of the main reasons that led him to his fall to the Dark side. Loyal to a fault, Anakin was willing to do anything to protect those he cared about, often resorting to using the power of the Dark side of the Force in order to do so.

Because of his former status as a slave, Anakin severely despises slavers and became very angry whenever the concept of slavery was brought up. He also could not return to his home planet Tatooine, as the planet was a painful reminder of him losing his mother Shmi, the only reason why he returned to Tatooine was because he needed to get Rotta the Huttlet back to his father, Jabba the Hutt; after he had rescued the former from the separatists, in order to secure a peace treaty between the Hutts and the Galactic Republic. Anakin was determined to never talk about his past; when his friend and then-apprentice Ahsoka ask about his past, the only thing he stated was that he "didn't like to talk about his past".

Although he was committed to the Jedi Order ever since he joined, Anakin was conflicted about it, wanting to walk away from the Order at several points before and during the Clone Wars, particularly so because of his love and secret marriage to Padmé, whom he believed he couldn't live without. Another source of conflict was his dwindling trust and increasing resentment towards the Jedi High Council, which he believed - not without justification - was afraid of him and did not trust him. These fears and resentments were further fomented by Palpatine and some of the Council's (and Obi-Wan's) questionable decisions. When his friend and then-apprentice Ahsoka was accused of treason, he saw right away that Ahsoka had actually been framed and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time; due to knowing her well enough to know she would never commit the crimes she was being accused of.

After she was expelled from the Jedi Order and turned over to the Republic, Anakin was the only Jedi who took an active role in clearing her name; he managed to track down the actual guilty party, Barriss Offee, and expose her after defeating her in a lightsaber duel. However, Ahsoka refused to rejoin the Jedi Order and left due to the fact that all members of the Jedi Council (excluding Obi-Wan) had turned their backs on her. After this incident, Anakin's trust and respect for the Jedi Council were severely shaken, as well as his faith in the Jedi Order itself.

Powers

 * The Force: As the Chosen One, Anakin was immensely powerful and had an amazingly strong connection to the Force, stronger than any Force-user ever in existence. He also possessed the potential to become the most powerful Light and Dark side Force-user in the history of the galaxy, according to Obi-Wan Kenobi; Anakin's force powers surpassed that of even Yoda and Palpatine respectively, at there peaks. Anakin's light and dark side force powers was rivaled only by his son, Luke Skywalker at his peak. Indeed; Anakin was the most powerful Jedi that had ever existed.
 * Telekinesis: Anakin utilized Telekinesis for either offensive and defensive purposes.
 * Force Push: Anakin utilized Force Push to send his opponents flying through the air, causing them serious injury or temporarily incapacitating them/knocked them unconscious.
 * Force Pull: Anakin utilized Force Pull to pull his opponents or objects towards him.
 * Force Choke: Anakin utilized Force Choke to either weaken, kill or intimidate his opponents.
 * Force Grip: Anakin utilized Force Grip to lift his opponents off the ground and into the air, sometimes by the neck, to immobilize them.
 * Force Crush: Anakin utilized Force Crush to crush objects or droids.
 * Force Throw: Anakin utilized Force Throw to cause objects, and even individuals, to be hurled toward a target at an astounding velocity.
 * Force Barrier: Anakin utilized Force Barrier to create a barrier or wall of force energy in front of or surrounding himself or his allies, which could be strengthened with the help of other Force-users.
 * Mind Trick: Anakin utilized Mind Trick to control the minds of other sentient beings, however, it did not work on individuals who have very strong wills.
 * Taming Beasts: Anakin utilized Taming Beasts to control the minds of animals. However, he was not as proficient with the ability as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
 * Force Vision: Anakin utilized Force Vision to have visions of the past, the present, and the future. However, like all Force users, his visions were not always clear or sometimes had visions even when he was not utilizing this power at will.
 * Force Sense: Anakin utilized Force Sense to sense another sentient being's emotions, the future, ripples in the Force caused by momentous or traumatic events, impending danger, and the presence of the Dark side.
 * Transfer Force: Anakin utilized Transfer Force to transfer life-force energy from an individual to revive another individual from death. He was able to channel the life-force of the wounded Daughter into Ahsoka Tano to revive her after the Son drained her of life.
 * Force Rage: Anakin utilized Force Rage to channel his anger to increase his speed, strength, and ferocity.
 * Force Jump: Anakin utilized Force Jump to leap or jump at great distances.
 * Force Dash: Anakin utilized Force Dash to move at amazing speeds.
 * Force Spirit: Due to his immensely powerful connection to the Force and redemption, Anakin was able to preserve his identity through the force, allowing him to become immortal when he died. He became a Force spirit upon dying from the injuries he received from Palpatine, where he sacrifices his life to save his son Luke Skywalker; Anakin likely learned this from Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi (moments before he died) the only known Jedi Masters who learned this ability from the Force Priestesses.
 * Immense Strength: Anakin used his Force powers to increase his physical strength; this made him physically stronger then most, if not all other sentient beings. His cybernetic arm also allowed him additional strength to overpower others with greater ease.
 * Cybernetic Arm: Anakin utilized his cybernetic hand in combat, as it gave him greater strength to easily subdue, restrain, and overpower his opponents.
 * Immense Reflexes: Anakin had impressive reflexes that were above that of ordinary Force-users; his reflexes were superior to most, if not all members of the Jedi Order.

Abilities

 * Lightsaber Skills: Anakin was extremely skilled in lightsaber combat and an exceptionally gifted duelist. Anakin used his Force powers to increase his physical speed and agility to make his lightsaber skills more lethal in combat; this made him a formidable opponent alone in single combat. According to Kanan Jarrus; Anakin was the greatest lightsaber duelist in the entire Jedi Order. He also possessed the potential to become the greatest lightsaber duelist in the history of the galaxy; according to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin's skills in lightsaber combat rivaled, if not surpassed that of even Yoda and Palpatine respectively.
 * Form I: Anakin was very skilled in Shii-Cho.
 * Form IV: Anakin was extremely skilled in Ataru. During the Clone Wars, Anakin made some adjustments to Ataru, to make it far more effective in defending against incoming projectiles or range attackers.
 * Form V: Anakin was a master of Shien/Djem So, considered by some to be the most proficient practitioner of the style.
 * Form VI: Anakin was highly skilled in Niman.
 * Jar'Kai: At first, Anakin only had some skills in Jar'Kai; however, by the time of his duel against Barriss Offee, Anakin's skills in Jar'Kai had greatly improved to the point where he could defeat the recently turned Dark Jedi relatively easily, thus becoming more proficient in the style.
 * Expert Hand-To-Hand Combatant: Anakin was extremely skilled in unarmed combat.
 * Expert Marksman: Anakin was highly skilled in the use of blaster pistols, although he rarely used any.
 * Master Pilot: Anakin was extremely skilled in piloting various speeders and all types of flying crafts. According to Obi-Wan Kenobi; Anakin was the best star-pilot in the history of the galaxy.
 * Master Engineer: Even as a child, Anakin was amazingly skilled in engineering for someone of his age. At the age of nine, he was able to successfully build his own podracer and a protocol droid.
 * Genius-Level Intellect/Master Tactician/Leader: Even as a child, Anakin was amazingly intelligent and wise for someone of his age. His intelligence and wisdom rivaled that of even Yoda and Palpatine respectively. As a Jedi General, Anakin was a highly skilled tactician and a very capable leader. Throughout the Clone Wars, he had gained an excellent reputation of never being defeated, those serving in his unit, rarely if ever dying under Anakin's command, he could also use his opponents own tactics against them.
 * Intimidation: As an immensely powerful Force-user, Anakin commended an intimidating presence to the point where many of his allies and enemies alike across the galaxy feared him, even exceptionally powerful Force-users; such as Yoda, Palpatine, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Barriss Offee respectively were terrified of him; as Anakin was the most famous yet feared Jedi in the entire Jedi Order.
 * Multilingual: Anakin was capable of fluently speaking English, Huttese, and Bitt.

Lightsabers
Anakin's valued weapon and possession was his blue-bladed lightsaber. Anakin's first and second lightsabers are made out of Solid Heavy-Duty metal and Black alloy.
 * First Lightsaber: Anakin built his first blue-bladed lightsaber on Ilum, it would remain in his possession until it was destroyed on Geonosis in the Separatist Droid Factory while fighting Geonosian soldiers; during Anakin and Padmé's attempt to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi. He briefly fought Dooku with two borrowed lightsabers until he was defeated by the Sith.
 * Second Lightsaber: Anakin built a slightly different blue-bladed lightsaber and used it throughout his Jedi career and the entirety of the Clone Wars. He used this weapon through Revenge of the Sith, even after having fallen to the Dark side and throughout the fall of the Galactic Republic. He lost this weapon to Obi-Wan when he was heavily mutilated on Mustafar, leading to the latter keeping it for nineteen years after. Luke Skywalker was given this weapon after meeting Obi-Wan and used it while part of the Rebel Alliance. Luke had no proper training and was forced to improvise his attacks with it. He lost it in his duel with Darth Vader, causing it to fall down Cloud City's airshafts. It then resurfaced and ended up in the hands of Maz Kanata, Finn, and then Rey, the two latters who both fought Kylo Ren with it. It was later presented to Luke by Rey as a sign he was needed once again.

The Phantom Menace
In this film, Anakin Skywalker appears as a nine-year-old slave. He used to serve Gardulla the Hutt, but now he serves Watto, a Toydarian, after he gained Anakin and his mother through betting. He is raised on the planet Tatooine by his mother, Shmi Skywalker, who says Anakin had no father, implying miraculous birth. He is a gifted pilot and engineer, and has the ability to "see things before they happen". He even creates his own protocol droid, C-3PO. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn meets him after an emergency landing on Tatooine and becomes convinced the boy is the "Chosen One", foretold by a Jedi prophecy as the one who will bring balance to the Force. Anakin wins his freedom in a podrace, but is forced to part with his mother.

Qui-Gon takes Anakin to the Jedi Council, who forbid training on the grounds because the boy's future is clouded by the fear he exhibits. During the invasion of Naboo, Anakin is ordered to stay by Qui-Gon until he can find a hiding place. After hiding in a starship, he helps defeat the Trade Federation by accidentally destroying their command ship. After Qui-Gon is killed in a duel with Sith Lord Darth Maul, his apprentice, the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, promises to train Anakin, a proposal the Jedi Council reluctantly accepts. During the film, Anakin forms a close bond with Padmé Amidala, Naboo's queen. Palpatine, newly elected as the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, befriends the boy, telling him that "we will watch your career with great interest".

Attack of the Clones
Set 10 years later, depicts Anakin as Obi-Wan's apprentice. Palpatine assigns Anakin and Obi-Wan to investigate an assassination attempt made on Padmé, who is now a senator following her term as Queen of Naboo expiring. Anakin and Obi-Wan locate the assassin, but before they can board a ship, Obi-Wan hurls himself out the window and onto a droid. Fortunately, Anakin "borrows" an airspeeder and he is able to rescue him. With that, the two are able to chase down the assassin, but fail to learn her identity when she is shot by her own employer with a toxic dart that poisons and kills her in seconds. Being assigned to protect Padme, Anakin travels with her to Naboo, where they fall in love. In the mix, Anakin has a vision of his mother in pain, and goes to Tatooine, where he learns that Shmi had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders weeks ago. He goes to the Tusken camp, where he discovers his mother has been tortured beyond saving by the tribe; she dies in his arms. Heartbroken, Anakin flies into a violent rage and slaughters every single Tusken Raider; men, women, and even children.

He returns with his mother's body, and tearfully confesses his deed to Padmé, who comforts him and forgives him for acting upon his emotions. Soon after, Anakin and Padmé travel to Geonosis, hoping to rescue Obi-Wan from Jedi-turned-Sith Lord Count Dooku and his army of battle droids and Geonosians; instead, they end up in a droid factory and are captured and sentenced to death. Anakin and Padmé profess their love for each other before being transported into the arena. After fighting the Reek turned loose on him, Anakin and his friends are rescued by an army of clone troopers and Jedi. After fighting in a fierce battle, Anakin and Obi-Wan follow Dooku to a hangar and confront the Sith Lord, only to be electrocuted by Force Lightning. When he recovers, Anakin loses his right forearm in a lightsaber duel with him; it is later replaced with a prosthetic. Anakin and Padmé then marry in a secret ceremony.

Revenge of the Sith
Three years later, Anakin is a Jedi Knight and hero of the Clone Wars. He and Obi-Wan lead an attempt to rescue Palpatine, who has been captured by Count Dooku and Separatist commander General Grievous and taken to the Separatist flagship, Invisible Hand. During the rescue, Anakin defeats Dooku in a lightsaber duel and executes him in cold blood at Palpatine's urging. When he returns to Coruscant, he meets with Padmé, who tells him she is pregnant with his child. That night, he has a vision of Padmé dying in childbirth; he fears it will come true, as it is similar to the visions he had of his mother before her death.

Meanwhile, Palpatine names Anakin his personal representative on the Jedi Council. The Council, suspicious of Palpatine's near-dictatorial power in the Senate, denies Anakin the rank of Jedi Master, and orders him to spy on Palpatine, whom Anakin considers a friend and mentor. Confused and angered by the perceived snub and the instructions to commit what he believes to be treason, Anakin continues to lose faith in the Jedi.

Eventually, Obi-Wan engages General Grievous on the planet Utapau, and Anakin is sent to inspect the Chancellor's reaction. During their chat, Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he is Darth Sidious, the Sith mastermind behind the war, and that the Dark Side of the Force holds the power to save Padmé's life. Conflicted, Anakin reports Palpatine's treachery to Jedi Master Mace Windu. Despite orders to remain behind, Anakin follows Mace to the Chancellor's office to ensure Palpatine is captured alive. He walks in on the Jedi Master, ready to kill Palpatine and intervenes on the Sith's behalf, severing Mace's lightsaber arm; Palpatine then kills Master Windu with a blast of Force lightning. Desperate to save his wife and seeing nowhere else to go, Anakin pledges himself to the Sith Order as Palpatine's apprentice, being renamed Darth Vader. At that point, Anakin Skywalker as we know ceased to exist, being replaced by the Darth Vader persona.

Return of the Jedi
23 years later, in Return of the Jedi, Anakin redeems himself by killing Palpatine, who was really the true traitor and enemy of the Galactic Republic that Mace Windu warned him about. Refusing to let his son die, he hurls his former master over a pit's railing, avenging Padmé, his past crimes, and himself, destroying the Sith Order and setting about the collapse of the Galactic Empire. However, Palpatine's Force Lightning shorts out Anakin's life-support system, mortally wounding him. He dies in Luke's arms, after looking at his son "with his own eyes". His final request is for Luke to let Leia know of his redemption from the Dark Side. Luke gives his father a proper Jedi burial by burning his body and armor on a funeral pyre on the forest moon of Endor. Later, he appears to Luke, as a spirit, along with Yoda and Obi-Wan.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Anakin appeared as one of the main characters of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In the series he was voiced by Matt Lanter, and took on an apprentice known as Ahsoka Tano, who eventually left the Jedi Order.

Star Wars Rebels
Anakin appears twice in the second season episode, "Shroud of Darkness". He was once again voiced by Matt Lanter, who originally provided Anakin's voice in the show's predecessor.

In "Shroud of Darkness", Anakin is first seen as a holocron recording, teaching different lightsaber tactics. He later appears as a vision in the Jedi Temple on Lothal, chastising Ahsoka for leaving him. It is then that the image of Anakin becomes that of Darth Vader. Tormented and in tears, Ahsoka finally learns the fate of her former master.

In "Twilight of the Apprentice", Ahsoka sees Anakin's face beneath the mask of Darth Vader when she injures him during their duel and hears his voice. Ahsoka shows him compassion, firmly saying she will not leave him again. Anakin briefly falters, but then, embracing his inner darkness as Vader, he coldly tells her that she will die, causing their duel to resume as the Sith temple around them collapses and explodes.

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny
Anakin appears in the animated miniseries, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, with Matt Lanter reprising his role from The Clone Wars and Rebels.

Disney INFINITY
Anakin Skywalker appears in Disney INFINITY's third installment as a playable character. He is playable in the Toy Box and the Twilight of the Republic Play Set, where he helps Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and Yoda to battle General Grievous and defeat Darth Maul. He can also be used in the other Star Wars play sets if his crossover coins in each play set are collected.

Star Wars: Force Arena
Anakin Skywalker is a playable character in Star Wars: Force Arena as a Legendary squad leader card.

Disney Parks
Anakin Skywalker appears as a meetable character at Disney's Hollywood Studios during Star Wars Weekends at the Walt Disney World.

Trivia

 * Anakin Skywalker was named after Ken Annakin, the director of Disney's 1960 live-action movie, Swiss Family Robinson, one of George Lucas' favorite Disney movies.
 * According with J. J. Abrams, Anakin was planned to appear in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as a Force spirit. However, the idea was scrapped, and the only references to Anakin was a mention.
 * Also, Disney confirmed that in the rest of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Anakin will not appear in the remaining films.
 * Prior to his death, Anakin was the most powerful Force-user in the Star Wars universe; the only individual who is equal to Anakin's Force potential, is his son, Luke Skywalker.
 * Actors auditioning for the part of Anakin included Ryan Phillippe, Paul Walker, Colin Hanks, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson, Eric Christian Olsen, Erik von Detten, Chris Klein, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonathan Brandis, Jesse Spencer, Donald MacKinnon, Jonathon Jackson, Jett Garner, among many others.