ST Anakin Skywalker in the New Films

I guess it depends on one's idea of what the ST is about, and who is what.

As someone who thinks that Rey is Luke's daughter and Anakin's grandchild, it makes sense, as Anakin is where the Skywalker family (essentially) began, and represents the family's "original sin," so to speak.

If, as some do, I thought that the ST centers around Kylo, that Luke's funk is all about Kylo, and that Luke and Rey's relationship will mostly be about getting Kylo back on-track, then Anakin could impart the truth about who he, as Kylo's grandather, was and what Rey will need to know in order to redeem Kylo.

Or, whatever theory one has, Anakin could impart insight as to what was fundamentally problematic about the old Jedi Order and why Jedi need not be that wat.

So several options

 

I don't see Anakin talking to Rey unless Rey is related. But, then again, I don't know what direction the story will go, so although I can't see it right now, it doesn't mean I won't appreciate it if it makes context in the story when I see the movie.

I do, though, think Anakin should talk to Luke. As I said before, it would actually seem a bit odd if he didn't. Why introduce the fact that he has the ability to materialize as a ghost and then NOT have him do it, especially when his legacy is still so relevant to the events in the ST? It was fine when ROTJ was the end, but in the context of all 9 nine films, the ending of ROTJ will now seem a bit odd if Anakin never uses his ghost ability again. It would kind of be like TFA showing us, "Look, Rey can use the force!", and then not have her use the force at all in episodes 8 and 9.

 

ESB and ROTJ showed us, "Look, Leia can use the Force!" and then had her not use the Force at all for the next 30 years in-universe...

 

I could see him appearing to kylo more then i could rey.

 

The sad thing could possibly be that HC filmed his scenes with Carrie after the latter passed away. That would be both eerie as well as emotional, as father gives guidance to daughter about the grandson.

 

Anakin's spirit appearing to Leia would be amazing. And it could be done after CF's death without little to zero CG. You just need footage of Leia, um, looking, at something (surely they have that) and then a stand-in for the wide shot to establish the scene.

Maybe a sequence in which Anakin appears to Leia and then to Kylo right after to tie Leia into Episode 9 or relay a message from Leia to Kylo...Hm...

 

Fair enough. Rian and KK will make the best movie they can, and they may not think that Hayden belongs, or may not like the idea of having him. However, equally likely is the idea that they may actually like the idea of him being in the movie for continuity's sake or for other reasons, and may think a scene with him has potential.

I think it will come down to whether or not they think it will work in the story. Certainly they are not going to shoehorn him in for the fans that want him, but they also are not going to shun him merely because some fans hate him. They either have a part for him that they think is functional in the story, or they don't; it pretty much comes down to that. We all have our opinion on which way they will go, but no one really knows; it is all conjecture.

 

I think The Force Awakens demonstrated that they're not averse to fan service. (And no, that's not bashing, it's just an observation). And George Lucas certainly never was above it - see, Sith, Revenge of The and Chewbacca.

 

Honestly, I don't even think the term "fan service " is useful or meaningful; I think it is one of the many things people say when they just plain have a negative opinion about something. If anything, they want to give "general audience service" because that would be where most of their money comes from (not the people on this site, or the people camping outside the theater in SW costumes ). Fans don't even agree on the topic I was talking about, so how do you "service" that?

 

I would really love to see some interaction finally between father and daughter before Leia is no longer part of the films.

 

Fan service, like any term, can be useful depending on what one means by it and how one uses it. The idea in this thread is that some fans just want Anakin to appear because they want to see him, and that's not a strong narrative reason by itself. There might be narrative reasons, but I haven't seen any strong ones yet.

The above idea that it would be wonderful for Anakin to appear to Leia is a bit strange since the last time couple times we know they saw each other he was torturing her and then her love interest Han.

I think Leia's natural reaction to seeing Anakin suddenly appear would be to scream!

Overall, if you have to pick a Force ghost to help move the plot along, it makes much more sense to pick Yoda or Kenobi since these characters are much less controversial than Anakin.

If Anakin were to appear to anyone, Luke would make the most sense. I've mentioned before that appearing to a darksider (Kylo) would actually be a big narrative no no because the Jedi don't want evil people to learn of their power of immortality. If the writers were to ignore this for fan service, it would do a lot of damage to the logic of the story.

 

Is there some novel about what Leia thinks now about Vader?

 

I don't see it as being that traumatizing that she would scream. It is not a hard stretch to believe that she is aware that Anakin saved Luke from the Emperor. The scene also does not have to be just Anakin and Leia. He could appear to Luke and Leia together.

Anakin redeemed himself- why would Leia not have anything to do with hearing out the one person who turned from the dark side especially when she firmly believed that her son still has good in him as well?

 

Yes in Bloodline (6 years before The Force Awakens) we know she has post-traumatic stress about Darth Vader. She has a lot of unresolved issues on what he has done, but doesn't know how to balance that with what Luke told her, and continues to tell her, about Anakin Skywalker. She doesn't seem to know that being a Force Ghost is a thing. By the end of the book, through her experiences, she now starts to accept Vader as one of her two fathers, and starts to understand what he might have been thinking that led him down his unfortunate path.

Honestly after reading that book, I thought there is no way they AREN'T going to have a Leia/Anakin scene at some point. If not in the films then in another novel. But the fact that Anakin's last words were about Leia makes it seem exceptionally poignant for them to meet.

 

Do you have any quotations from the book that support that Leia began overcoming her PTSD and unresolved feelings about Vader?

 

BBM and this gives me hope along with some of the 'rumors' about TLJ that could give FG Anakin a reason to appear. For example, if she is put in a situation where she needs to protect herself using the Force (without a lightsaber) and Luke hasn't reunited with her yet, might the Chosen One show up to help her out? For 30 something years I have believed that the films are about the Skywalker family as a whole not just the male force sensitives via DNA. From Yoda's dying revelation of another Skywalker in ESB and ROTJ Luke's thoughts betraying her to Vader during the duel, to redeemed Anakin telling Luke to "tell your sister you were right about me" then finally Luke telling Leia "you have that power too" the saga made me very vested in the fact that Leia is the daughter of the Chosen One and the promise that entails. Leia is quick witted with great reflexes and instincts like Anakin was as a Jedi. At times I even think she has a bit of his temper. They have touched on her powers only lightly to this point. Show me her connection to Anakin (not Vader!) in a more powerful/emotional way. I honestly don't want to believe that we are meant to just see Leia as only Padme like because she played a huge part in the politics. She is Anakin Skywalker's daughter and if she is beginning to understand him on some level then bring her together with the good person that Anakin Skywalker was, not the Darth Vader persona.

Or why not have Anakin as the guide for Leia if she ends up confronting Kylo? Couldn't the father help his daughter with her son who has gone down the path of the dark side like he once did? Especially if, as AniLukeRey mentioned, she is starting to understand what Anakin might have been thinking. Luke was only tempted. Leia is the direct connection between Anakin and Kylo and I don't think Kylo would give FG Anakin Skywalker the time of day.

I need to go read Bloodline.

 

I think that Anakin is most likely to speak to Luke if he appears. Whether or not he's related to Rey, he may simply talk to her to give advice. Same with Kylo. I don't know how an Anakin-Leia interaction would go down, it's never made clear how forgiving she is of him.
About the fan service issue, that label often stops directors from including potentially good plot elements, and it's a shame.

 

Or maybe he would talk to her regardless because his grandson is on a destructive path and she could stop him.

 

Yup! This was near the end of the book.

Bloodline, Claudia Gray

 

Bloodlines really makes me want to see a Leia -Anakin conversation.

 

Nice, great points.

This is really showing her moving to resolve inner conflicts about her biological father, and some emotional growth and maturity in understanding the complexities of his life (rather than merely being angry and hating with him for the things he has done). This would DEFINITELY point towards an interaction down the road. What would REALLY suck is if they planned to do it for episode 9, and never shot it for TLJ.

Yes, you can make a legit use for any terms, but some terms have a way of being frequently misused, such as "fan service" on this site. Like Disney isn't picky enough, firing people and reshooting massive amounts, but they are going to make a significant change in the story that doesn't fit the narrative for a few Hayden-loving fans? That makes no sense at all, and really is an example of the phrase being used to justify opinions.

Inventing a narrative reason would be a little silly; that would be trying to predict the movie and fit Anakin in. That would be more plausible if we had a better idea of the overall story, otherwise you are just pulling things from your rear end in stating how Anakin fits into the narrative for Disney/LFL's story. I think the point is continuity, and the deep emotional feelings and connections Anakin has with those in the remaining saga movies (Leia, Luke,Kylo).

 

There are plenty of clear reasons a force ghost anakin could show up to Luke, Rey, or Kylo. Now, a very specific in story one? Obviously there's no way we could guess that right now without having to go off of pure speculation. But Luke and Kylo both have very obvious, heavy links to Anakin, not just through blood but thematically as well in this story. It's really not that hard to imagine a scenario or a convo these characters could have. Personally, I think it could be cool and im not really a pt fan or anything


Now as much as I would love for Anakin to appear to Leia, I think that is way too far out of a possibility. Maybe it could've happened in IX, especially maybe with some setup in VIII if he appeared to a different character, but it's probably off the table now. It's a shame though, the Leia-Vader connection is an extremely unexplored aspect of the story imo.

 

I think it makes the most sense for Force ghosts, including that of Anakin, to appear to the protagonist (Rey).

I don't personally feel Kylo has been contacted by the Force ghost of Anakin. I think he probably had a Force vision (similar to when Rey touched the lightsaber) when he came into the possession of Vader's mask. That is perhaps how he saw the "power of the darkness" - through flashbacks. And it sounds like he hasn't had another vision in a while.

I'm not sure how it works, but what if Kylo quite literally can't see Force ghosts? If they're not visible to dark siders (I don't know if they are or not) then it might not be possible for Anakin to appear to him. Kylo might be too far gone to be reached in that aspect.

 

I'm thinking Hayden might be back and he'll be back in the flesh. None of the Force Ghost stuff. Rey has Anakin's old lightsaber which might have some of Anakin's old DNA on it. I'm thinking they're going to put the lightsaber in the Force Tree and the Force Tree is going to give birth to an Anakin clone. Well the body is a clone but Force Ghost Anakin will flow through the tree into the new body. So's part clone part reincarnation. The point of all this is to then take New Anakin to Kylo so Anakin can straighten out his grandson. The problem being New Anakin's still a baby so Kylo can't understand him.

 

This passage definitely supports the claim that Leia began to understand her father's motivations and to perceive him differently. However, it doesn't suggest that she forgave him for torturing her and Han, or that her trauma instantly went away, or that she began to love him and would welcome him visiting her in spirit form.

It establishes the first step in that process, but it doesn't support the idea that Leia would love for Anakin to pop up and help her with Ben.

Especially when we consider that Luke is much better suited for the job, and that the general audience has no idea about Leia's understanding of Anakin's motives.

I think it would feel pretty out of place for Anakin and Leia to act like bosom buddies in TLJ. I feel pretty comfortable stating that there's zero chance it will happen.

And as for projecting what's going to happen in TLJ, we all only have the info in TFA to work from and speculate from. From what we know about TFA and the leaks from TLJ, there's nothing to support Anakin appearing yet.