Everyone knows that George Lucas declared Anakin Skywalker as “The Chosen One” in the Prequels. Most recently, May the Force Be With You website returned to comment on his original concept:
“You gotta remember this is one movie and it’s meant to be seen one through six. So, I think when you watch the actual movie in order, the story will become very clear, that Anakin is the Chosen One.”
That’s good ol’ George giving us his take. But, here’s the thing, from a writing perspective, he’s wrong.
I know, that blows peoples’ minds when I say it, but as a writer, my only dog in the fight is to the story. Yes, personally I love Luke more than Anakin as a character, and I don’t pretend that my love of Luke doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that “Star Wars” (as it was originally called) came out when I was a mere impressionable eleven year old. But, despite that, the clues remain in the story and I’m shocked that George doesn’t see it. Firstly, let’s remind ourselves that the incredible Lawrence Kasdan worked with Lucas on the plot. George is a phenomenal world-builder and producer, but for decades now folks have challenged his understanding of plot, character, and dialogue.
It may seem sacrilegious to say so out loud among us fans, but even George’s then wife saved Star Wars in the first place.
Please understand, I come at this from the perspective of someone who loves Star Wars, the trilogy, the universe, and I even like the Prequels as flawed as they are. I take nothing away from George Lucas who I believe to be a unique genius filmmaker who revolutionized both sound in cinema with THX and special effects through Industrial Lights & Magic. Lucas rewrote the rules on action-adventure stories on film for the late seventies and eighties, and paved the way for so many new filmmakers to explore using the template of The Hero of a Thousand Faces from Joseph Campbell, who distilled the Hero’s Journey into specific stages.
This is where I begin my assertion. Lucas claimed that “Hero” was on his desk when writing Star Wars and Hollywood has used the template ever since- sometimes to the detriment of the viewers. Hence, if you understand the Heroic Journey, the idea of Anakin as “The Chosen” does not ring true from a writer’s perspective.
I don’t simply knock Lucas for this mistake individually. Keep in mind, I’m also a huge fan of Star Trek, and for all the amazing world-building Gene Roddenberry achieved a decade before Lucas, he also did not work alone. Star Trek owed so much of its formation to the actors, classic science fiction writers, and definitely the “lost” Gene, Gene L. Coon. Great stories take a village it seems, but bad mistakes can often be traced to single decisions.
Hence, “The Chosen One” problem.
- The Victim Waiting to Be Saved
Each of the Hero’s Journey stages must be met by the Hero/Heroine. The first stage “The Call to Adventure” represents two options: The Hero goes to Adventure, or The Adventure Comes to the Hero. Either way, our heroic protagonist must ANSWER the Call. If they do not, they are no longer the hero of the story- simple right? Except it’s even more dire than that. Heroes who do not answer the call, don’t just return to “nobody” status. Under Campbell’s analysis, a failed hero becomes “a victim waiting to be saved”. As Campbell himself puts it:
“Walled in boredom, hard work, or ‘culture,’ the subject loses the power of significant affirmative action and becomes a victim to be saved.”
This happens at every stage of the Hero’s Journey. Anakin’s refusal stage happens at “The Abyss”- the darkest part of the journey for a Hero up until that point. It’s halfway through the journey and if Anakin were the hero of the Prequel series it would fit in the second movie where Lucas has placed his fall. Like Jonah swallowed by a whale, The Abyss represents the darkness that threatens to pull the Hero off his path through fear or anger. In Attack of the Clones, Anakin’s actions against the Tuscan Raiders, motivated by his anger and self-recriminations at being unable to save his mother, moves him into the Dark Side and villainy.
2. “You Were The Chosen One!”
Fast forward to The Revenge of the Sith, and Anakin’s complete loss of the Light Side of the Force within him is demonstrated through his actions of following the Emperor all the way into murdering the Jedi younglings…
This chilling action is NOT in any way the actions of someone bringing Balance to the Force. There’s no balance in ending the lives of children. One could make the argument perhaps, if Anakin took the younglings under wing to learn the Dark Side arts. He never second guessed a moment that they shouldn’t be killed.
In the final confrontation between Anakin and Obiwan (the true hero of the prequel trilogy), Kenobi’s betrayal comes out as a roar. “YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!” he shouts while Anakin burns amputated. Ben is broken-hearted because he knows the truth. He and Qui Gon were wrong; desperately wrong about Anakin; just as the Jedi Council was desperately wrong about Palpatine. If greed and the quest for naked power is the ruination of evil, then good’s deepest flaw is complacency and ignorance.
The verb tense “were” is key in Ben’s phrase. He’s NOT “The Chosen One” or else Obiwan would have said instead “YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE!” A small, but definitive change in the dialogue. Not even Anakin’s best friend, his “brother”, believes that he’s “The Chosen One” anymore.
3. A New Hope
One of Briton’s greatest heroes of lore is King Arthur. The Jedi are called “Jedi Knights” for a reason. Lucas wanted to connect elements of fair play and chivalry with the Jedi code. If we look through Arthur’s knights we can see similar- albeit not exact- parallels in the Anakin/Luke relationship. The grand quest of the Arthurian Cycle was for the Holy Grail. So many knights sought after it, but few even were granted a vision of the chalice. Only one ever found the Holy Grail itself. Folks thought that Launcelot, the greatest knight of the round table would be the champion of the quest. but, his indiscretions- especially with Guinevere and Lady Elaine– made him unfit to be the “Chosen One” for the quest. Instead his son, Galahad finds the Grail against all estimations. Still sound familiar? Anakin’s part in “The Chosen One” to bring balance to the Force, was to sire Luke who would do so.
4. “Even Yoda Cannot See Their Fate”
In “The Empire Strikes Back”, Luke is plagued by visions of his friends Han, Leia, Chewy and the droids killed by the Emperor. Yoda and the ghost of Obiwan urge him to stay to complete his training. They are haunted still by their failed belief that Anakin was “The Chosen One”. Why be concerned otherwise? But when Luke explains he must save his friends, Kenobi tells him that “Even Yoda cannot see their Fate”. Fate is written for the Jedi to truly see. They only know what was foretold.
“This is a dangerous time for you, when you will be tempted by the Dark Side of the Force”, Ben warns. He knows that Anakin was his greatest failure. Kenobi cannot trust that his newest apprentice will be protected from the seduction of the Emperor.
“The cave… remember your failure at the cave…” We’re never given a clear picture as to what Yoda saw in the images of the cave. But, looking back it’s clear. Luke is seen as Vader’s replacement.
“Only a fully trained Jedi knight with The Force as his ally will conquer Vader and his Emperor.” This is not true. Not in this movie, and not in the final feature of the trilogy. Luke doesn’t get the opportunity to complete his training with Yoda before the old master passes.
5. The Balance in Luke
The kicker is in The Return of the Jedi. After Luke confronts Vader and loses his hand, mirroring the symbolic loss of his father’s limbs. Luke decides he’d rather fall from the Cloud City than give in to Vader’s temptation to join the Dark Side. Rescued by Leia and Lando Calrissian, Luke is devastated to learn the truth of his parentage. He goes through his own personal “Abyss” to come through the other side stronger. Luke makes the ultimate choice. Not the Light. Not the Dark. He is a Jedi Knight like his Father before him. He believes in Anakin Skywalker’s goodness. He’s the one who stands up against the Emperor in a way his Father never could before him but he does not follow the path either Yoda or Obiwan place before him either.
You’ll notice that Luke is wearing black through The Return of the Jedi (which Lucas originally wanted to call “The Revenge of the Jedi” until his own fans reminded him that a Jedi wouldn’t want revenge. See? Lucas isn’t beyond his own mistakes!) The black symbolizes that Luke is already balanced The Force within. No other Jedi wears black in the original trilogy. We never see Obiwan wear anything but his white robes. Luke only wears black after his fateful encounter that removed his hand. It was the addition of his bionic hand that saw the black gloves and the symbolic understanding that he holds within him the Light of Obiwan and Yoda, and the Dark of his Father. Luke never waivers in his belief that Anakin has good in him. Obiwan disagrees “He’s more machine than man now”.
In the above clip, notice another important feature. Luke throws away his lightsaber after looking at his own machine and human hands. He is part of both the Light and Dark. If he were truly simply for the Light Side, he wouldn’t abandon the opportunity to destroy the Emperor. But that’s not his purpose anymore. He’s there to bring Balance, not to destroy evil. Luke is the trigger for his Father to complete that.
According to George, Anakin fulfills the prophesy by killing Palpatine. Why does that mean he brings “balance to the Force”? Lucas never goes into details. If Vader and Palpatine are both dead, why would that bring balance in the first place destroying the Sith? Did Palpatine bring “balance to the Force” by wiping out the Jedi Council in the Prequel? None of that makes sense. Even if you ignore that illogical statement, does anyone truly believe that Vader would have killed Palpatine so if not to protect his son? Vader had decades to try, but never attempted to unseat the Emperor. It is only when Luke is being killed by Force lightning that Vader makes the decision to change. In short, it’s not Anakin that does this, it’s his love for his son that makes Vader end Palpatine. Luke is again, the catalyst, and the only reason Vader kills Palpatine. Consider the length of time it takes for Anakin to make that fateful decision and while he considers Luke doesn’t ask for mercy from the Emperor, instead he pleads for his Father to intercede. Luke brings Balance to the Force through his love for his father and his belief in his redemption. Luke is The Chosen One. He even tells Leia that he feels the good in him and that he has to go save him.
Even Yoda questions Qui Gon’s assertion that Anakin was “The Chosen One”. So, why would George Lucas leave so many breadcrumbs to show us how he really isn’t in the first place?
6. “You Already Have”
As if trying to put an exclamation on this point, as Darth Vader dies, he confirms our suspicions. In Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey we know since Anakin abdicated his role as hero in the Prequel series, he remained a “victim waiting to be saved”.
“I’m not leaving you here, I’ve come to save you.” Luke urges.
“You already have.” Anakin says. Anakin completes the Heroic Journey now saved by the hero. Anakin Skywalker admits to the audience that he is NOT “The Chosen One”.
The cycle is complete.
Conclusion
When Star Trek the Next Generation aired 21 years after the original, Gene Roddenberry was already on his own hero’s journey final cycle. Among the rules he had for this new take on Star Trek, was that the characters in the Enterprise couldn’t have internal conflicts with each other. It was a baffling move. Fans everywhere loved the strength of the debates between Spock and Kirk and arguments between Bones and Spock. Roddenberry wanted The Next Generation to be emblematic of humanity getting past itself, but instead such a rule diminished the first season of the series. Fans felt the characters were inauthentic. The show grew in popularity only when human personality conflicts appeared in later seasons. Beginning with the underappreciated Dr. Pulaski character and Data, and later with Ensign Barclay and others. Many more conflicts with future sequels helped build fan popularity as Roddenberry sadly finally exited the stage.
As a writer myself I am loathed to challenge another writer’s vision of their own world or universe. But, in the same way, I’m not going to ignore missed opportunities and bad choices in story. I never held my tongue at the terrible conclusion of Game of Thrones, the monstrous ending of LOST, or the criminal series finale of Enterprise. So, I’m not going to pretend that despite all the evidence to the contrary, George Lucas was right in saying that Anakin was “The Chosen One”. He made the show and he can declare it. But, he’s still wrong to do so. And if you still agree with him, you’re wrong too.
But, hey you’re in excellent company!
Like all great Prophesies, “The Chosen One” is not what you would expect. Luke comes through Anakin, and therefore completes the circle. (Exact wording of the Prophecy of the Chosen One revealed in canon novel ‘Master and Apprentice’)