Saga How does Anakin become a Force Ghost:

Why can Anakin manifest himself as a Force Ghost after his death?

The most straightforward answer would be: "Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon or/and Yoda managed to teach him in his dying moments." This explanation can be found in a novel as its support (I can't quite remember what the title was and whether it's canon or not). However, we can never assume learning that an easy process, taking into account the complicated tests Yoda faced in the "Wellspring of Life" in the Clone Wars and the fact that Qui-Gon himself took great pains in learning - even unable to visually manifest himself at first. Though I'm not sure how Obi-Wan inherited this spiritual immortality during his seclusion, how can it be a matter of seconds for Anakin?

Some may believe, however, that Anakin, being the offspring of the Force and the Chosen One himself, is inherently blessed with that ability, like some sort of "free pass". This indeed seems also self-explanatory.

But last week I noted some rather intriguing details in the Clone Wars episodes, shedding light on a new possibility that Anakin has always believed the ability towards spiritual immortality, and might have learned the ability himself, possibly before his fall to the dark side.
[Evidence 1 (the Mortis arc)] Anakin himself was pretty sure of his encounter with Qui-Gon and even asked the ghost of Qui-Gon for guidance, while in contrast, Obi-Wan acted much more defensively and even unsheathed his lightsaber when the ghost of Qui-Gon attempted to talk with him. This proves that Anakin himself believed the presence of Qui-Gon was real.
[Evidence 2 (Episode 611 - Voices)] Anakin himself heard Qui-Gon's voice calling "Yoda." when rambling around the temple. It is then that Anakin turned around and walked up to Yoda, starting the following conversation:
Yoda: "Spoke with Master Qui-Gon Jinn on Mortis, did you not?"
Anakin: "Y...Yes. So did Obi-Wan. However, since he's dead, we don't think it's actually him. Rather, an illusion, a mind trick formed out of our memories. That's was Obi-Wan believes."
Yoda: "Perhaps nothing, it is."
Anakin: "Everything we know about the Force tells us that an individual retaining their identity after death is... impossible."
Yoda: "Everything that we know, yes. But what about what we know not, hmm?"
Anakin: "Master Yoda, are you suggesting that you've just spoken with Master Qui-Gon?"
[Evidence 3 (Episode 611 - Voices)] After Yoda's deprivation ritual, Anakin and the Council members gather to discuss Yoda's experience.
Ki-Adi Mundi: "What Yoda says is impossible. ..."
Anakin (interjects with a certain voice): "...As far as we know."
[Evidence 4 (Episode 611 - Voices)] Anakin trusted Yoda, helped him escape the Temple and appointed R2 with Yoda along his journey. As R2 never had its memory wiped, Anakin could well talk with his astromech which he had already trusted him as a friend, and get the details of Yoda's mission - even the route to the Wellspring. R2's record on the mission sufficed for him to complete the journey - Yoda used the Force to navigate, while Anakin can count on R2.

We may well conclude that Anakin believed in Force Ghosts and have all the resources to learn that. If he had some time off from the battlefront, it's possible that he made that journey by himself and acquired the knowledge. This opens for us a new possibility to explain Anakin turning into a Force Ghost. Even if Anakin didn't took his journey before his fall, his staunch belief in an spiritual afterlife might've as well greatly facilitated his "learning from Obi-Wan" in his last seconds.

 

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Force_spirit

Although Anakin Skywalker—a fallen Jedi Knight and the Chosen One of the Force—never received the training that allowed his mentors to become Force spirits, his redemption and sacrifice made it possible for his consciousness to be preserved after death by Kenobi and Yoda.

 

Preserved? Kind of like salvaged? That sounds strange to me...

 

The Legends take on it:

Rise and Fall of Darth Vader

Closing his eyes as he slumped back against the shuttle ramp, Anakin Skywalker had every reason to believe he was finally about to embrace perpetual darkness.
Not for the first time, he was wrong.

Initially, there was darkness for Anakin Skywalker, a boundless shadowy realm, like a universe without stars. But then, from somewhere at the edge of his awareness, he perceived a distant, shimmering light, then heard a voice say, Anakin.
The voice was familiar.
Although Anakin no longer had a body or mouth with which to speak, he somehow answered, Obi-Wan? Master, I'm so sorry. So very, very—
Anakin, listen carefully, Obi-Wan interrupted, and Anakin was aware that the distant light was either growing brighter or closer, or perhaps both. You are in the netherworld of the Force, but if you ever wish to revisit corporeal space, then I still have one thing left to teach you. A way to become one with the Force, If you choose this path to immortality, then you must listen now, before your consciousness fades.
Knowing he was beyond redemption, Anakin said, But Master ... why me?
Because you ended the horror, Anakin, Obi-Wan said. Because you fulfilled the prophesy.
The light was very bright now.
Anakin's first thought was that he might be able to see his children again. He said, Thank you, Master.


Life & Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Had Obi-Wan's spirit not witnessed Vader's action, he never would have believed it. Vader, the same monster that Obi-Wan had left to die on Mustafar, had sacrificed himself to save his son. And suddenly Obi-Wan realized where he had failed. For unlike Luke, Obi-Wan had not only believed that Anakin was consumed by the dark side, but had actually refused to believe that any goodness remained within Vader. And by refusing to allow that possibility, Obi-Wan had condemned not only his former friend but his own capacity for hope.
Fortunately, Luke's unwavering faith in his father's innate goodness had proved to be a stronger force than the power of the dark side.
Obi-Wan recalled what Qui-Gon Jinn's spirit had told him so long ago, when he said that Obi-Wan was not ready, and that he failed to understand. For so many years, Obi-Wan had thought Qui-Gon meant that he wasn't ready to comprehend details about Anakin's conversion to the dark side. But now, he finally understood his Master's words.
I wasn't ready to forgive Anakin. And he won't be entirely free unless I do.
Unfortunately, just as Obi-Wan realised that Anakin Skywalker lived, he also knew that Anakin would not live much longer. As Luke hauled his dying father toward a shuttle, Obi-Wan's spirit shifted his own psyche to another realm. And he waited.

After Anakin died in his son's arms, Obi-Wan called out into the void, "Anakin."
A moment later, Obi-Wan heard a familiar voice return from the darkness. "Obi-Wan? Master, I'm so sorry. So very, very—"
"Anakin, listen carefully," Obi-Wan interrupted. "You are in the netherworld of the Force, but if you ever wish to revisit corporeal space, then I still have one thing left to teach you. A way to become one with the Force. If you choose this path to immortality, you must listen now, before your consciousness fades."
Obi-Wan sensed confusion and remorse in Anakin's psyche, then Anakin answered, "But Master ... why me?"
"Because you ended the horror, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "Because you fulfilled the prophesy. Because you were ... and are ... The Chosen One."
But Obi-Wan knew in his heart that those were not the only reasons. He added, "Because I was wrong about you. And because I am your friend."

 

This is exactly the excerpt I was referring to. I just couldn't remember the source.

Speaking of sources,

I looked up the Wookieepedia page and found this sentence was used in the Canon overview without a direct source. In the following "description", the source of Anakin's Force Ghost was only the A New Hope movie. I would take this claim unproven and questionable in canon.

 

I always liked the idea that Anakin and Qui-Gonn had a similar connection to the Force (less dogmatic and academic than the Jedi), which made Qui-Gonn believe in Anakin, and which allowed both to find their own way to inmortality.

But all the factors listed above work as well: Anakin was the Chosen One, he had/discovered the ability by himself, he was helped by Obi-Wan and Yoda...

For me, it's one of those things that movies don't need to explain. There are enough elements to justify it without having to rationalize it. Sometimes, trying to explain the details of how these kind of (unrealistic, fantastic) things work is quite silly and can take you out of the movie, in my opinion.

 

There was no training mentioned in the OT to do that. People thought that Yoda and Obi-Wan are just powerful enough to do that unlike the other Jedi, or did we see only them because Luke only knows them and he doesn't know any other Jedi?

Later in PT, Qui-Gon talked with Yoda, and in TCW, Qui-Gon was in Mortis because Obi-Wan was also in Mortis, it looks like the Force ghosts follows the people who are close to them.

Also they never said Anakin can do everything that Yoda and Obi-Wan can do. Luke just saw the guy, that's it. We don't know what Anakin can do, perhaps it's limited and it's only special to Luke, due to the bond between Luke and his father.

Rey was able to hear the voices of other Jedi, such as Windu, Aayla, Luminara, Ahsoka and they never received any Force ghost training. Perhaps Anakin's one time appearance was similar to this, only Luke was able to see it.

 

He becomes one thanks to the help of Yoda and Obi-Wan, who helped Anakin to preserve his spirit in the Force once he died.

"(...) later on, as we get to the end of the movie, as [Anakin] joins the Force, he was able to retain his original identity, it's because of Obi-Wan and Yoda, who learnt how to do that." - George Lucas

"He is to teach one who will save the universe from a great imbalance. For this, the great gift will be his." - Force Priestess (to Yoda)

 

I always thought Anakin's spirit was rescued, probably by Obi-Wan and Yoda but perhaps they had assistance from Qui-Gon Jinn.

All of the Jedi who speak to Rey at the end of The Rise of Skywalker died after Qui-Gon ascended. Could it be that Qui-Gon rescued their spirits too?

EDIT: By 'always' I mean ever since the lore on this technique was discussed in Episode III.

 

Qui-Gon could not help even if he wanted to, since his training was incomplete. Hence the need to train Yoda and Obi-Wan while they were alive. Both of them were not rescued. They joined the Force at will due to their complete training.

 

How is this a certainty for you? Maybe Qui-Gon had the right kind of relationship to them, and perhaps he even started training them before they died. But if Anakin could be "rescued" and perhaps Ben Solo was rescued, why not them? Apart from Mace Windu all the other voices are from characters who died later, if you follow stuff outside the saga. I should register, I would have preferred it if only KNOWN ascended Jedi were represented, and only saga characers, but the unexpected presence of all those voices wasn't a dealbreaker for me. i just like the idea that maybe it can be rationalized.

 

I'm not following. Before who died? He did train Yoda and Obi-Wan before they died. He was tasked to do it. But Qui-Gon rescuing those who passed away is impossible for him, otherwise Yoda and Obi-Wan wouldn't need training.

Had Anakin died before Yoda and Obi-Wan, even in a state of complete selflessness (which is a requirement), he couldn't preserve his identity. Because he didn't know how to and had nobody (completely trained, that is) on the netherworld of the Force to help him.

 

I am talking about all the other Jedi whose voices come to Rey at the end. How could they speak to her if they did not ascend like Qui-Gon?

One theory is that they did have an afterlife because Qui-Gon's spirit reached them at or before their various deaths.

Since Qui-Gon was already in the afterlife before all of these characters died, he could in principle have reached them, just as he reached Yoda, even though it's a solution that raises other questions. Most fans assuming, I believe, that Yoda being very advanced was the first person Qui-Gon could reach. Or maybe there is something from the cartoons people are going from; I haven't watched much of that stuff.

 

Oh. Well, I don't know. I'm not familiar with who speaks to Rey or why. I don't expect consistency in the story and mythological aspects of the Force between Lucas's works and the Disney trilogy, nor would I try to make it work. They consciously took a different path.

Lucas' wpretty consistent. Qui-Gon learned from a Shaman of the Whills. He died haven't completed his training, so he contacted Yoda (probably due to the latter's great connection to the Force) and instructed him to be tried by the Force Priestesses. Yoda passed the trials and communed with Qui-Gon. Yoda teaches Obi-Wan to commune with Qui-Gon. Both Yoda and Obi-Wan complete their training. When Anakin dies, they are able to help him.

It's established that preserving one's consciousness is the path of only a few Jedi. It's also established that it requires a state of complete selflessness.

 

Personally, the idea I've been going with is the concept that Anakin was created by the will of the Force, and in death he is able to retain his image and consciousness by the will of the Force. More of an external "exemption" to having to learn the skill.

 

Vader bought the instructional videos "How to Become a Force Ghost" volumes 1-6. Available on VHS for 3 payments of $19.99 + S&H.

 

The Force ghost concept is all over the place. Lucas also said this:

"The Qui-Gon Jinn thing you will discover as time goes on. There is a whole issue around that and the ability to disappear. The key line to understanding this is when Ben Kenobi tells Darth Vader, 'If you try to strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine'... So, that's a key line. And it'll be explained as we go along." — George Lucas, The Phantom Menace News Conference, New York

Then there's the retcon of Vader's body disappearing at the end of ROTJ:

According to the canon reader Star Wars: The Story of Darth Vader Anakin's body did become one with the Force prior to the cremation of his armour.

"As Anakin lay dying, he asked Luke to remove his helmet so that he could look at his son's face with his own eyes. When Anakin died, his body disappeared into the light side of the Force. Luke was sad that his father was dead but proud of him too. The light side of the Force had overcome the dark side and Anakin Skywalker had returned. On the forest moon of Endor, Luke burned Vader's armour. All around the galaxy, everyone celebrated the end of Palpatine and his evil Empire."

Note that this is a retcon. In the earlier film novelisation his body was explicitly stated to have been on the pyre.

"Luke stood in a forest clearing before a great pile of logs and branches. Lying still and robed, atop the mound, was the lifeless body of Darth Vader. Luke set a torch to the kindling.

As the flames enveloped the corpse, smoke rose from the vents in the mask, almost like a black spirit, finally freed. Luke stared with a fierce sorrow at the conflagration. Silently, he said his last goodbye. He, alone, had believed in the small speck of humanity remaining in his father. That redemption rose, now, with these flames, into the night." - https://scifi.stackexchange.com/que...-vader-s-body-disappear-in-return-of-the-jedi



So, Vader apparently disappeared right after this last shot of him from the film, which essentially means Luke dragged Vader's empty armor off the DSII before it exploded...doesn't have quite the same impact.

 

I'll stick with my headcanon that he at least took a while to fade away.

 

This IS how it was done. Case closed!

 

Kenobi/Ginn/Yoda taught him in his dying moments

 

My thoughts on this may be a bit outside the box on this. Maybe at the end of ROTJ Anakin wasn't manifested as a force ghost, but merely as Luke's vision due to his connection to Anakin. We see Luke being able to interact with Obi-Wan and Yoda, both physically and telepathically. Yet we never see Luke have any force ghost interaction with Anakin. Simply seeing someone doesn't necessarily equate to interaction with that individual, and since we see no other force ghost connection between Luke and Anakin, like I said, maybe he was just a figment of Luke's imagination, so to speak. Even in the ST, Luke still only encounters Yoda's force ghost, even with his connection to his father.

 

For me it really felt like a deficiency that Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon seem not only to be almost absent from the ST but that they also seem not to have been a strong influence on Luke when he was establishing his training temple or dealing with his worries about young Ben. One wonders why he seems not to have consulted them afterward either. It requires a fan patch theory in my opinion. It takes more than just noting that he was blocking out any Force connection by the time Rey showed up, because what about before?

 

I also at first felt like the lack of appearance of Anakin (especially) and Obi-Wan in TROS was a missed opportunity. But after seeing the whole concept of communicating with all the Jedi that came before, I enjoyed that idea so much I was willing to forgive that. It makes sense to me why Yoda was the one to appear to Luke in TLJ, cos out of all of them, Yoda was the one he knew and learned from the most. The one who saw him at his most vulnerable. As far as whether or not they all communicated with him while he was starting his new Jedi temple, we don't really know about that. That whole three-decade part of the time between ROTJ and TFA has been largely untouched, with the exception of that last 5 years or so. That period (which if you think about it, was even longer than the time between ROTS and ANH) leaves it open for lots of interesting things to be revealed! Unfortunately, it wouldn't work out to do live action, due to certain actors ages, etc. But I would LOVE to see a massive, TCW style series that follows our favorite characters and goes over what happens during that time!

Maybe it could be called "New Republic" or something-and we'd see things like Han and Leia married, Young Ben training with Luke, Leia training as a Jedi, Force ghosts, Emergence of Snoke and his turning of Ben, Luke and Lando on their search for Exegol...there's just so much there-just talking about it makes me excited!

 

Not to the guy who created it.