PT Anakin's knowledge of the prophecy

This thread is about Anakin Skywalker's knowledge on the prophecy of "The Chosen One".

One of the things that are never specifically stated in the films but I always automatically assumed to be the case was that Anakin had known he was assumed to be the Chosen One from his earliest Jedi training onward.
It would explain his compulsion of wanting to become the best Jedi, in fact desiring to go beyond the realm of a Jedi's powers.

He is not giving himself a moment to breathe, never contended with the state of things because he is constantly occupied by all that pressure of fulfilling his title. His mind is always on the future, on the un-achievable, vague burden term of being "The Chosen One".

He started his training at an odd age, being roughly 4-5 years older than the Younglings we saw Yoda instruct. If the others knew of his status, they probably kept some distance to him, furthering his isolation.
The only safe things to hang on to were his attachments (in the form of Shmi and Padmé), both of whom he was hardly able to be around due to his Jedi commitments. Having them both on his mind for ten years without a chance at personal interaction led to his obsession and fear of losing them.

That's why I think Palpatine was able to lure him towards the Dark Side- by offering him a quicker way to achieve powers the Jedi couldn't teach him AND using it to keep his one remaining attachment, his wife, safe through the process.

At least this is my theory. It would certainly explain Anakin's dilemma, torn between arrogance, isolation and pressure from the Jedi and himself.


However, as of recently I was wondering whether Anakin never actually found out about the prophecy.
Could the Jedi have successfully left him in the dark? If the case, then surely he still felt the close scrutiny he was under. Perhaps this is where his distrust towards them stemmed from.


Has GL ever officially stated which of these theories ring true to his vision?

What do you think?

 

Billy_Dee_Binks,

Anakin is aware of the Chosen One prophecy. In TPM, he is in the room when Qui-Gon is arguing with the council about having the right to train Anakin. One of the reasons Qui-Gon gives for training him is that Anakin is the Chosen One, and Anakin clearly hears him say this. It's easy to forget it b/c Anakin doesn't say anything in the scene. He just stands next to Obi-Wan.

In the Mortis arc in TCW, Anakin again makes it clear that he knows he's the Chosen One. The Father mentions it to Anakin, and Anakin actually acts sort of annoyed that the Father mentions that he's the Chosen One and he says it's just a myth, though I'm not sure he truly believes what he is saying. It surprised me that he was dismissive of it. I figured he would embrace it given that he thinks that he's exceptional among the Jedi and being the Chosen One is another form of proof that he's exceptional, but you're probably right. He must feel that it's a burden, and that's why he's annoyed with it being brought up.

I don't know what GL has said about Anakin's attitude about being the Chosen One, but I hope this info helps you develop your ideas.

 

Didn't he and Obi-Wan talk (or fight?) about it in the book, Labyrinth of Evil?

 

"You're one of the Lost Twenty. Like Dooku."

"I am the twenty-first, Master Shryne. Surely you've heard of Anakin Skywalker. The Chosen One."

 

Considering Lucas involvement with TCW series, Anakin does know about it and doesn't believe in it (IIRC).

 

Qui-Gon casually brought it up, and the Jedi immediately knew what he was talking about; he didn't have to elaborate on some obscure legend. Knowing that, I'd say the prophecy has been passed down amongst Jedi, and a crucial part of their studies. So yeah, Anakin probably would have heard of the prophecy.

Before he even knew what the prophecy was about, he heard himself being refered to as the Chosen One. Now, I'm not sure if he believed this himself, as the Jedi Council was also in doubt, but his exceptional skills and midi-chlorians spoke for themself. Which was just another source of Anakin's arrogance.

 

About as close as we get in the films - aside from 9 year old Anakin listening in the Council room - is Anakin's rant after the Tusken Camp that someday he'll be the most powerful Jedi ever. Not sure if that's just his own personal issues or whether it stems from knowledge that he's the Chosen One.

Of course, Obi-Wan does clue him in at the end of ROTS

 

That's Lucerno's The Rise of Darth Vader. Takes place a few weeks after the ROTS duel, IIRC.

 

The PT isn't very specific on whether Anakin is aware he's the Chosen One or not.

 

Anakin is a moron, and his intelligence is inferior to a use maxi pad.
Don't get me started on why I think he is a moron.

 

Actually Roan sees Vader a month after the duel and Vader kills him about a month after that. So about two months past since the fateful duel on Mustafar.

But Anakin is aware of the fact that he could be the Chosen One in TPM. In the Mortis Arc he doesn't believe in the prophecy let alone that it's about him. At the end of the Arc the Father says you ARE the Chosen One. Whether or not Anakin believed that . . . the jury is still out on it.

But I can see how the label of the Chosen One would affect Anakin's life at the Temple. He comes in late so all the Younglings already have their circle of friends or cliches. On top of that he is labelled the Chosen One and had to be picking up on how to use the Force for this and that really quickly.

I have noticed that (if you throw out Jedi Quest which I do since most of the time Anakin was OOC or too Vaderish most of the time) that Anakin doesn't seem to have any friends his age among the Jedi. In TCW he his kind of chummy with Mace; teasing Mace/being a smart mouth. He seems to know Kit Fisto pretty well seeing that he instructs Ahsoka to go with Kit and take the Mon Cala Prince to safety. He didn't call him Master Fisto so I think it speaks of some kind of friendship. There might be one more but I don't remember.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

"The Starman and Moon Goddess."

 

I know.

 

This is what I believe to be true as well. I feel like if Anakin took the whole, "him being the Chosen One" seriously, he would have been more of a Jedi and less of an emotional boy. I feel like when he was chopped up by Kenobi in ROTS and was yelled at about being the Chosen One, it might have sunk in a little more.

 

But you didn't say where it was from.

 

I know.

 

Somehow, you've always known.

 

Bingo.

 

If you mean the movies alone, outside of the examples given already from the novels, the movies do say pretty clearly that he's aware... or at least aware that the order thinks he's the chosen one.

This conversation happens right in front of Anakin in TPM:

Yoda: Correct you were, Qui-Gon.
Mace: His cells contain a high concentration of midichlorians.
Ki-Adi: The Force is strong with him.
Qui-Gon: He's to be trained, then.
Mace: No. He will not be trained.
Qui-Gon: No?
Mace: He is too old. There is already too much anger in him.
Qui-Gon: He is the chosen one...you must see it.
Yoda: Clouded, this boy's future is.
Qui-Gon: I will train him, then. I take Anakin as my Padawan learner.

The movies indicate that once they allow Obi-Wan to train Anakin, they have accepted Qui-Gon's view of him being the chosen one.

Also, just as a reminder to Anakin later in ROTS:

Obi-Wan: You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! That you would bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness.

 

This is what I agree with as well. Unless he forgot that conversation when he was that young, Anakin was aware that he was the Chosen One, or at least the council thought he was.

 

Oh wow, silly me forgetting to factor that scene into the whole thing.
That answers everything then.

Imagine Anakin's situation:
- The Jedi Council keeps him under extra close scrutiny while treating him like a danger
- He never grew up like a regular Jedi and is used to interacting family and friends throughout his whole childhood
- Goes to Coruscant to train among Younglings half his age
- Trained by someone who is, at the beginning at least, only took him on as his apprentice as a favor to his former master's dying wish
- Grows into being his Master's younger brother, feels the need to constantly one-up his "older brother"- becomes arrogant
- a back and forth between arrogance and self-doubt due to a certain level of isolation from other Jedi (young and old)
- wishes he could "improve" Jedi teachings but receives no support from anyone
- Craves being around "regular" people again, familiar faces he hadn't seen in 10 years (developing an unhealthy obsession as a result)
- like Padmé, never had much room for privacy, or even much of a life to speak of besides his career
- wants to be with her, but has trouble overcoming the maturity and age gap between them, behaves awkwardly due to inexperience
- gets reunited with the two most important people in his life (Shmi and Padmé) only to be torn away from them shortly after (through death and a galaxy-wide war)
- has to try figuring out how to possibly fulfil that vague prophecy title he's been given
- frustrated because he feels the need to become more powerful than his master or anyone on the Jedi Council, yet has no one to guide him towards achieving that goal

I think these key points paint a very thorough and well thought out psychological profile of a troubled young man who could easily be influenced by the dark lord through tempting promises.
I can see why some audience dislike the character. His struggle should be identifiable to most audience, especially teenagers, but going beyond his unsympathetic traits can be a bit of a challenge- the constant complaining, the arrogance, his stiltedness and awkwardness around a girl he's become obsessed with. But here is the thing: Protagonists don't have to be sympathetic to be identifiable, that's just an unwritten rule for safe-formula filmmaking. And yet, Anakin still has his fair share of heroic moments to counter his negative attributes.
To me, this makes him one of the Saga's most compelling characters, and with all his faults, probably one of the most honestly depicted main characters in a blockbuster franchise.

 

If all has been answered, then...