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Anakin Skywalker

Charactercanon

Also known as vader · Lord Vader · Ani · Darth vadar · Anikan Skywalker · Darth vader

See Anakin Skywalker on Timeline, HyperPanels, Wookieepedia and Databank.

Anakin Skywalker

The prophesied Chosen One who was meant to bring balance to the Force, Anakin Skywalker went from enslaved boy to celebrated Jedi hero, then became the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and was finally redeemed by his son. Born a slave to Shmi Skywalker with no father, he had an unmatched midi-chlorian count. Qui-Gon Jinn found him at age nine, and he won his freedom in the Boonta Eve podrace. Later that year he destroyed the Trade Federation's droid control ship at the Battle of Naboo. The Jedi Council had doubts about him, but he trained under Obi-Wan Kenobi and secretly married Padmé Amidala at the start of the Clone Wars. During the war he earned the name "Hero With No Fear" commanding the 501st Legion, and he trained Ahsoka Tano as his Padawan. Palpatine played on his fear of losing Padmé, and in 19 BBY he turned to the dark side, led the attack on the Jedi Temple during Order 66, and was left maimed after his duel with Kenobi on Mustafar. Rebuilt as an armored cyborg, Vader spent two decades hunting Jedi and enforcing the Emperor's rule. He killed Kenobi aboard the Death Star, discovered that Luke was his son, and tried to turn him. At the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, seeing Luke tortured brought Anakin back. He threw Palpatine to his death, fulfilled the prophecy at the cost of his own life, and became one with the Force.

Facts

Born
41 BBY
Died
4 ABY
Gender
Male
Pronouns
He/him
Height
1.35 meters - 1.88 meters , later 2.03 meters in armor
Hair
Blond, light, and dark
Eyes
Blue Yellow and red
Skin
Light, later pale
Type
Jedi

Connections

Species
Human
Homeworld
Tatooine
Affiliations
Galactic Empire, Galactic Republic, Jedi Order, Sith, Jedi High Council, 501st Legion, Death Squadron, Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military
Trained
Ahsoka Tano, Inquisitorius, Corvax descendant
Trained by
Jedi, Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Force spirit
Parents
Shmi Skywalker Lars, Cliegg Lars
Children
Luke Skywalker, Leia Skywalker Organa Solo
Siblings
Owen Lars, Sola Naberrie

Appearances

1847 Star Wars works, first in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (1977).

See all 1847 appearances in release order ›

Notable works

Key events in Anakin Skywalker's story

View Anakin Skywalker on the Timeline ›

41 BBY - Birth

Born to the slave Shmi Skywalker, who conceived him without a father. Sources disagree on whether he was born on Tatooine or brought there as an infant.

~38 BBY - Sold to Watto

At about age three, Gardulla the Hutt loses Anakin and his mother to the Toydarian junk dealer Watto in a podracing bet.

~33 BBY - Builds C-3PO and a Podracer

While working in Watto's shop in Mos Espa, he builds the protocol droid C-3PO from scrap to help his mother and assembles his own podracer.

32 BBY - Discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn

Meets Qui-Gon Jinn and Padmé Amidala, who is disguised as a handmaiden. A blood test shows a midi-chlorian count higher than Yoda's.

32 BBY - Wins the Boonta Eve Classic

Wins the podrace, which pays for the Queen's ship repairs and earns him his freedom. He leaves his mother behind to go with the Jedi.

32 BBY - Tested by the Jedi Council

The Council judges him too old and too fearful to be trained, but lets him go with Qui-Gon to Naboo.

32 BBY - Battle of Naboo

Flying an N-1 starfighter, he destroys the Trade Federation's droid control ship. Qui-Gon dies, and Obi-Wan Kenobi takes Anakin as his Padawan.

22 BBY - Guardian of Padmé

Assigned to protect Senator Amidala after attempts on her life, he goes into hiding with her on Naboo and falls in love with her.

22 BBY - Death of Shmi and the Tusken Massacre

Troubled by visions, he returns to Tatooine and finds his mother dying in a Tusken Raider camp. In his rage he slaughters the entire tribe.

22 BBY - First Battle of Geonosis

Loses his right arm fighting Count Dooku as the Clone Wars begin, and is fitted with a cybernetic replacement.

22 BBY - Secret Wedding

Marries Padmé Amidala in secret on Naboo, breaking the Jedi Code.

22 BBY - Knighthood and Ahsoka Tano

Now a Jedi Knight and General of the 501st Legion, he is given Ahsoka Tano as his Padawan during the Battle of Christophsis and the rescue of Jabba's son.

~21 BBY - Mortis

On Mortis, the Father tests him as the Chosen One. He glimpses his future as Darth Vader, but the memory is erased.

19 BBY - Ahsoka Leaves the Order

Ahsoka is falsely accused of bombing the Jedi Temple. Even after she is cleared, she walks away from the Order, and Anakin's faith in the Jedi is badly shaken.

19 BBY - Battle of Coruscant

Rescues Chancellor Palpatine and executes Count Dooku at Palpatine's urging. He is then seated on the Jedi Council but denied the rank of Master.

19 BBY - Becomes Darth Vader

Learns that Palpatine is Darth Sidious and helps him strike down Mace Windu, hoping Sidious can save Padmé from the deaths he has foreseen. He pledges himself to the Sith as Darth Vader.

19 BBY - Order 66

Leads the 501st in the attack on the Jedi Temple and kills its inhabitants, younglings included. He then wipes out the Separatist Council on Mustafar.

19 BBY - Duel on Mustafar

Chokes Padmé in a fit of rage and loses a duel to Obi-Wan, who leaves him maimed and burning. Palpatine has him rebuilt in a life-support suit. Padmé dies after giving birth to Luke and Leia.

~18 BBY - Jedi Hunter

As the Emperor's enforcer, he hunts down surviving Jedi and oversees the Inquisitorius.

9 BBY - Hunting Kenobi

Draws Obi-Wan out of hiding and fights him twice. In their second duel Kenobi damages his helmet and leaves him behind.

2 BBY - Confronts the Ghost Crew

Moves against the growing rebel movement at Lothal and in the Siege of Lothal. Ahsoka Tano learns that her former master has become Vader.

2 BBY - Duel on Malachor

Duels Ahsoka inside the Sith temple on Malachor and nearly dies in its collapse.

1 BBY - Battle of Scarif

Boards the rebel flagship Profundity and slaughters its crew, but fails to recover the stolen Death Star plans.

1 BBY - Kills Obi-Wan Kenobi

Captures Princess Leia, his own daughter though neither knows it, and strikes down Kenobi aboard the Death Star.

0 BBY - Battle of Yavin

Survives the Death Star's destruction and learns that the pilot who destroyed it was a Skywalker, his son.

3 ABY - Battle of Hoth and Cloud City

Leads the attack on Echo Base and pursues Luke to Bespin. There he cuts off Luke's hand, reveals that he is Luke's father, and offers to rule the galaxy with him.

4 ABY - Redemption and Death at Endor

Brings Luke before the Emperor aboard the second Death Star. Watching Sidious torture his son, he turns on his master and throws him down a reactor shaft, taking mortal wounds from the lightning. He dies unmasked beside Luke and becomes one with the Force.

4 ABY - Appears as a Force Spirit

Appears as a Force spirit on Endor alongside Obi-Wan and Yoda during the victory celebration.

~9 ABY - Teaches Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds

Appears to Ahsoka Tano in the World Between Worlds for a last lesson, making her face the choice between life and death.

35 ABY - Voice at Exegol

He is one of the Jedi voices that urge Rey to bring back the balance during the Battle of Exegol.

Often seen with

Data from Wookieepedia (revision 15624518, 2026-09-26), licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.

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