Summary
Star Warsmay have just taken its biggest step toward revealing the true origins ofAnakin Skywalker/Darth Vaderin the last 5 years based on one blink-and-you-miss-it cameo inThe Acolyte. Anakin is easily one of the most compelling and beloved characters inStar Warsmovies and TV shows. While he may have been introduced as one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sithin the original trilogy, the prequels fleshed out his time before he joined the dark side, revealing that he was so much more.
However,the true explanation for Anakin’s mysterious conception has remained elusive in the franchise. There are theories that the Force itself created Anakin to bring balance, but many believe that it was Palpatine who manipulated midi-chlorians via the Force to create him. While there remains room for debate,The Acolytemay have just revealed howStar Warswill conclude this decades-old question.
Star Wars Just Made Darth Plagueis' Greatest Force Power So Much More Mysterious
The Acolyte officially gave Darth Plagueis his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars and made his greatest Force power all the more interesting.
Darth Plagueis Possessed The Power To Create Life
Little has been revealed about Darth Plagueis in canon, although his Legends backstory was extensive. In canon, Plagueis is confirmed to be Palpatine’s Sith master, but most of Plagueis' canonical backstory was revealed in a conversation between Palpatine and Anakin inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Specifically, Palpatine asked Anakin if he had heard the"tragedy"of Darth Plagueis the Wise and informed Anakin thatPlagueis was powerful enough to create lifeand keep those he cared about from dying.
InRevenge of the Sith, this became pivotal information because it got into Anakin’s head (which is precisely what Palpatine intended), as he was desperate to learn the same power to save Padmé. However, as important as this revelation was in that movie, it has much larger implications forStar Warsmore broadly. Not only does this reveal perhaps the single greatest power in all ofStar Wars, but also, it implies that Anakin’s miraculous conception might have a very clear source after all.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
When Anakin was introduced as a child inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, it was immediately clear that his story was going to take on a much different tone than many had anticipated. Yes, many had assumed that following the original trilogy, Vader’s backstory wouldn’t go so far back that he was a child. However, viewers were also surprised (many for the worse) to discover that Anakin’s story began not with a person who already seemed evil but rather with someone entirely innocent and pure of heart.
This notion that Anakin was conceived without explanation essentially gave him the arc of a Messiah.
This shocking turn took on an even greater meaning when it was revealed that, according to Anakin’s mother, Shmi, he had been born without a father. This notion that Anakin was conceived without explanation essentially gave him the arc of a Messiah, which was reinforced by the idea that he had been foretold inthe Chosen One prophecy. However, while the prequel trilogy explored this idea of the Chosen One quite a bit, the true explanation for Anakin’s spontaneous creation remained entirely mysterious in the prequels.
Of course,Revenge of the Sithdid plant the seed that there was more to this story, asPalpatine revealing Plagueis' ability to create life immediately seemed connected to Anakin’s curious origins. In fact, with the added context that Plagueis was Palpatine’s master, this story suggests that Palpatine might have even acquired this knowledge directly from Plagueis, perhaps using it to create Anakin himself. Even so,Star Warsdidn’t confirm then that this was how Anakin was made, and, really, the franchise has avoided a clear answer since the prequels.
The closestStar Warshas come to confirming that Palpatine created Anakin with the Force actually came in aStar Warscomic book,Darth Vader (2017) #25. In the comic, Darth Vader enters a portal, within which he encounters various visions from throughout his life. The one most suggestive of Palpatine’s role in Anakin’s creation shows a pregnant Shmi Skywalker with a creepy phantom of Palpatine behind her. A subsequent image shows a close-up of Shmi’s pregnant stomach with a swirling image in the middle and the words"the chosen one."
The swirls could be a visual representation of Palpatine manipulating midi-chlorians to create life.
Interestingly, the details of this image might even offer more insight into how Palpatine could have done this. Presumably, the swirls could be a visual representation of Palpatine manipulating midi-chlorians to create life. While this imagery does also seem fairly straightforward, even this does not confirm that Anakin was created in this way. At the end ofDarth Vader (2017) #25, Palpatine ominously tells Vader,“Finding even one true thing… nothing is more difficult.“Theoretically,this could mean the visions Vader saw were false.
The Acolyte Clearly Shows The Origin Of Plagueis' Power
Now,The Acolytemight be the show that finally connects the dots.The Acolytecomprised numerous mysteries, although one of the most significant was Osha and Mae’s origin story. Like Anakin, the twins had no father, but the circumstances of their birth were quite different. Rather than a type of Messiah coming to effectively save the Force, Osha and Mae were a creation ofthe witches of Brendok, Mother Aniseya in particular. However, like Anakin, Osha and Mae seem to have been created with the Force.
Many worried that this meantThe Acolytewas stealing from or otherwise ‘ruining’ Anakin’s legacy inStar Wars, although that isn’t the case—far from it, in fact. Not only didThe Acolytemake it clear thatOsha and Mae aren’t the Chosen One, but also, their existence may be the very thing that ends up finally explaining Anakin’s own origins. InThe Acolytefinale, it was shockingly revealed that none other thanDarth Plagueis was on the Unknown Planet, watching Osha and Qimir.
It remains unclear whether Qimir is working with Plagueis or not, but either way, it’s clear that Plagueis has taken an interest in them. In all likelihood, it’s really Osha that he is interested in, not Qimir. After all, Palpatine already confirmed inRevenge of the Siththat Plagueis ultimately acquired the power to create life. Now, more than 100 years earlier,Star Warshas shown that he found a being who had been created with the Force. The implication is clear: Osha will be the key to Plagueis unlocking the power to create life.
The implication is clear: Osha will be the key to Plagueis unlocking the power to create life.
Is Anakin The Result Of The Sith “Arms Race”?
These revelations also set up a thrilling possibility regarding Anakin’s backstory. It seems more than likely thatThe Acolyteis establishing, finally, the history that led to Anakin Skywalker’s creation, meaning that Plagueis will seemingly uncover the nature of Osha and Mae’s creation and learn how to wield that power himself. Whether he is the one to create Anakin or Palpatine is remains unclear, although it seems probable that one of the two of them did. However,this could also mean that Anakin was made because the Sith were competing to achieve this power.
After Osha and Mae make it clear that such a power can exist, undoubtedly, dark side Force-users would be obsessed with the ability. Could it be that the events ofThe Acolyteset such an arms race in motion? That could be the plot of a second season of the show, although season 2 has yet to be confirmed. Whether or notThe Acolyteis renewed, though,Star Warsseems to be getting closer and closer to confirming that Anakin was indeed created by the Sith.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
