Discussion Leia and Anakin

What if Anakin's spirit cannot progress beyond a certain point in the spirit world until Leia forgives him?

Anakin's spirit could spend the whole trilogy guiding the heroes, in an attempt to earn Leia's forgiveness, as her negative feelings towards her father, manifest in the Force as Dark Side energy, is being used against the New Republic. In the end, perhaps it's the forgiveness itself that weakens the main villain and finally brings lasting balance to the Force.

It makes sense when you think of the Skywalker twins as the two last hopes of the galaxy. Luke's challenge was to reach the buried love in his father, and Leia's is to find forgiveness.

 

Putting aside the EU, people (especially family) can hold life-long grudges having to do with abuse that sometimes never really goes away.

 

Maybe as much as he can't progress in the spirit world, she can't progress in her Jedihood. It wouldn't have to be an overt issue, with the trilogy focusing mainly on the younger protagonists, perhaps not even being mentioned on the first film, except for a small hints. And yes, I suppose it's been dealt with in the EU. I just think it would make for a very powerful human story underlying the final trilogy.

 

This is an interesting idea but I don't think things will play out that way...this kind of thing sounds just a little bit too "lifetime channel" for my taste.

 

I was thinking along the lines of Leia's anger, combined with her growing use of the Force, skirting so dangerously close to the Dark Side, that Anakin would perhaps not allow himself to move on until she was able to complete that final step. Out of love for her and what it means to the New Republic. I don't know, I like the idea. Again, it wouldn't be overt.

 

Would be an interesting relationship for sure. Having a few dysfunctional family arguments between all three of them would be awesome if done right. And if the conclusion was satisfying.

 

"My little girl, c'mon! Daddy's angel needs to forgive him so he can become a Level 5 Force Ghost with a +10 Charisma."
"I think I'll wait a little longer...."
"Damn! I'll have to roll a D20 for Patience!"

 

While the idea itself is not bad (far worse things have been thrown around) I see no reason to have him floating around in such a large role.

Yeah, a cameo, a mention, a holo recording or just one meaningful (again, one meaningful) Force ghost appearance would be more than enough.
Wouldn't really like to see him as a major character.

 

I think of Anakin's force ghost (not the child one, our real force ghost Sebastian Shaw) akin to the Temple Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I've always imagined him (not knowing of the EU side story) being a lost soul, knowing the part he took in all of the killings that occured over his tyranical reign alongside the Emperor. It truly would be like child abuse to Leia, being he held her face to watch her home planet be blown to pieces. People do stuff like that to engrain horrible images into peoples minds. Not easily forgotten.

I'd love to see this touched upon in the movie, and some type of closure. Perhaps that can be the closing of the saga, much like the Army of the Dead's final rest in the Lord of the Rings. The relief they had on their faces when they were relieved of their duties, only to go to peaceful slumber.

 

didn't leia forgive him in tatooine ghost?.

 

It's more that she comes to terms with being his daughter- and loses her fear of having kids that will turn out like him

Possibly she forgives him- but not to his face- I can only think of one Leia-Anakin conversation in the EU, and that's in The Truce at Bakura, where she takes a very unforgiving line.

 

Leia & Kitster's last conversation has elements of that:

Kitster: "After being at the oasis, I think maybe Anakin realized what a terrible mistake he had made. I think he knew how he had failed as a Jedi."
Leia: "Maybe. It would be nice to believe that. I'd like to."
Kitster: "Then you can. The boy I knew would have been sorry for what he had done, and even ten years away would not have changed that. He was still his mother's son."

 

Luke was the one stuck on the crappy desert planet. Leia was the princess. What did she have to bitch about? Just sayin.

 

Good point. I can't really think of anything except being tortured by an interrogation droid and being made to watch her home planet blow up and having her boyfriend frozen for a year or so.

 

It might be interesting to see the spirit of Padme freed by Leia's final forgiveness of Anakin

 

? Padme wasn't a Jedi, how could she have a spirit?

I'd think that just maybe one of the final scenes of IX, Anakin hears Padme's voice, then decides to move on to the afterlife after reconciling with his family. But I certainly do not expect Padme to have a ghost.

 

Where does it say that only Jedi have spirits?

 

It's more that "becoming a spirit" is portrayed as a lost secret, that Qui-Gon rediscovered.

In The RotS novel:

He spoke softly, but not to himself.
Though no-one was with him, he was not alone.
"My failure, this was. Failed the Jedi, I did."
He spoke to the Force.
And the Force answered him. Do not blame yourself, my old friend.
As it sometimes had these past thirteen years, when the Force spoke to him, it spoke in the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn.
"Too old I was. "Yoda said. "Too rigid. Too arrogant to see that the old way is not the only way. These Jedi, I trained to become the Jedi who had trained me, long centuries ago- but those ancient Jedi, of a different time they were. Changed, has the galaxy. Changed, the Order did not- because let it change, I did not."
More easily said than done, my friend.
"An infinite mystery is the Force." Yoda lifted his head and turned his gaze out into the wheel of stars. "Much to learn, there still is."
And you will have time to learn it.
"Infinite knowledge..." Yoda shook his head. "Infinite time, does that require."
With my help, you can learn to join with the Force, yet retain consciousness. You can join your light to it forever, Perhaps in time, even your physical self.
Yoda did not move. "Eternal life..."
The ultimate goal of the Sith, yet they can never achieve it; it comes only by the release of self, not the exaltation of self. It comes through compassion, not greed. Love is the answer to the darkness.
"Become one with the Force, yet influence still to have..." Yoda mused. "A power greater than all, it is."
It cannot be granted; it can only be taught. It is yours to learn, if you wish it.
Slowly, Yoda nodded. "A very great Jedi Master you have become, Qui-Gon Jinn. A very great Jedi Master you always were, but too blind I was to see it."
He rose, and folded his hands before him, and inclined his head in the Jedi bow of respect.
The bow of the student, in the presence of the Master.
"Your apprentice, I gratefully become."

 

Retaining consciousness is a technique, not necessarily having a spirit. At least in the EU anyway (Palpatine comes to mind).

 

True- though I think it was Lucas's reason for why Obi-Wan and Yoda fade, but no other Jedi we see does.