Anakin Skywalker: Life as a Force ghost

At the end of Return Of The Jedi, we see Anakin as a Force ghost together with Yoda
and Obi-Wan. After everything that happened to him, all the memories of his past life, all the adventures, all his pain. What is his life going to be like as a Force ghost, how does he go on, what is his purpose now? Do you think he could communicate with Luke, Obi or Yoda?

I dont know, I like to think that once you are part of the Force you will find peace.
But I think this is a field in Star Wars that has not been explored very much.

Please post your ideas and theories on this.

Vortigern Edit: Since these issues are so closely related, I'm adding in atomik's question: "How did Anakin learn how to become a Force ghost?":

From what I gather, becoming a Force ghost after death is not common knowledge to the Jedi (Yoda knows because he was taught by Qui Gon and therefore Yoda taught Obi Wan). Is there ever any mention from the movies (or EU) of how Anakin learned this ability? Perhaps from Palpatine?

Please dicsuss the matter of Anakin as a Force ghost -- how he learned to do it, and what it's like after he does -- here in this thread.

 

He did try to communicate with Leia so he could apologize to her, but she told him to GT*O.

 

It would be pretty miserable I would imagine.

 

i imagine that he's found peace. if it was a continuation of his life in the material sense, with all the burdens that were attached to it, it just wouldn't make any sense at all.

 

this REALLY has never been talked about that much before and i would really love to know how being a force ghost works. another thing that kind of makes me sad and think that the whole star wars saga has an unhappy ending is the fact that any one and every one who is not a jedi just rots in the ground.i guess you could say that there would be a lot more closure if there was sum kind of a "heaven" wear every one becomes one with the force and its just that the difference is that yoda,anakin and obi-wan can talk to people between worlds.

 

Agreed.

 

I believe he found peace as well. But as we see with Ben, force ghosts have feelings too. He is burdened and saddened at events just as in real life. I don't know how Vader's communicative skills would work - but I'm convinced that he would be surprised at the whole force ghost ordeal, and would accordingly realize his faults (perhaps even more so than he did before he died).

He redeemed himself, but he can never undo the things he did. I'm sure he communicated a lot with OBW and Yoda, possibly Qui-Gon as well. It would be beneficial for the Jedi to learn more about the dark-side. But OBW and Yoda could also guide him to find true peace.

 

Well, Anakin and Yoda and Obi would definetly have some differences to settle out, but once they finally settle it I guess they probably randomly go around the galaxy to random Jedi's saying: "May the Force be with you." However, that is my stupid theory, they are there for helping future generations, but then again there's still what the spirit world is like, if they spend all their time roaming around without going to heaven or hell, then they would most likely do what I said earlier in my post. If not, and there really is a another world up there then they might just have a good time, and just do the same things they did while alive, assuming the worlds are similar. Again, these are my theories, so read and understand!

Bane

 

Do you suppose Anakin and OBW would have another go at it, just for kicks?
OBW: aaargh, you got me.
Anakin: Told you I was the master now
OBW: Yeah, yeah. We'll do it again tomorrow, and I'll show you a thing or two - Brat
Yoda: haha, fun this is. Try now against Anakin, I will

 

This thread needed a little levity! Thanks for my requisite morning laugh, Rossa!

 

Well, first of all, my understanding of the force ghosts has been that once someone dies in the star wars universe they go to a heaven/netherworld of sorts, the difference between a regular person and Obi/Yoda/Anakin is that as force ghosts they still are a part of this netherworld but have learned how to retain the ability to continue communicating with those still living. Almost reminiscent of angels in christianity.

Now that being said, and since they still seem to have feelings and such as previously mentioned, I would imagine they have an understanding of the universe or something profound/the mysteries of life revealed and this keeps them content or something like that, also interesting was Obi-wan telling Luke he couldn't intervene in Luke's conflict with Vader. Its like force ghosts can talk to people and give them advice but no more than that. (does Obi simply mean he can't show up during the battle to startle/distract Vader or something more...?)

Basically, I am as curious as everyone else to hear opinions on this.

 

We will go to extreme lengthts to please the mods

I thought about that as well. My initial thought, and one that I at least partly stick with, is that there's an allusion to Qui-Gon in TPM. "I can only protect you, I cannot fight a war for you." It's not that he can't, it's more that he will not. It's a moral dilemma. I think it was very much that for OBW as well. "I can only guide you, I cannot fight your battles for you." Didn't Lucas originally have Yoda and OBW to go with Luke and aid him defeating Sideous?

 

Originally Obi-Wan returned from the netherworld of the Force and I believe Yoda blocked Palpatine's lightning.

 

Well being an eternal Otimist:

I figure they all join the netherworld of the force, but just for a while. Then they move off to another realm - a new universe. I mean, where was Qui-Gon? We know he was among Yoda and Obi-Wan, but not in the final scene. So apparently there is somewhere else to be. So I figure one can remain a force ghost for a while before leaving the old world behind for good - and I imagine even Yoda and Obi-Wan, like Anakin, revert back to a younger age - 20's or so. At that point, one travels to the new universe, but those Jedi who keep their identity, remain Jedi in the new universe and apart from that, everything is the same as in the old universe only more advanced. So Obi-Wan, Yoda, Qui-Gon and others are fighting the good fight in the new world - and Anakin too - only this time, with his wealth of knowledge, he is not only more helpful and still very powerful, but won't likely make the same mistakes he made the first time. In the new universe, I imagine that other Jedi exist as well, only not arriving via "identity" but rather born after dying in the old universe. And all of the others (non jedi) who died in the old universe also are born into the new universe - but as 'new' people. And when they all die in the new universe, they move on to yet another...but the Jedi are needed in all universe and those who have retained their identity just remain the same person in each of them. I'd imagine that they are selective about who they grant 'identity' to - probably those who have fulfilled their destiny in the last universe - whatever it was. And that makes these individuals special.

Oh yeah - and they would all have to work out their little inner-problems. Anakin apologizing profusely and Obi-Wan too and Yoda too and they all hug and make up, swearing that they will be great Knights in the new realm - this time - together all the way!

 

"Returned from the netherworld of the Force" is used in ROTS to describe Qui-Gon's state of being. As opposed to "he has contacted us from the netherworld".

 

ROTS talks a lot about learning to retaining ones identity, which leads me to think the Netherworld is more like nirvana than heaven and that "becoming one with the force" means complete lose of ones concious self. It may sound grim, but life here and now is what matters the most. After all, the only real purpose of ghost Obi-Wan in the OT is as a guide to Luke, to help him face his challenges.

Now regarding Qui-Gon: this is only something I've heard, but someone said that because Qui-Gon didn't perfect the technique (he didn't vanish when he died) he is only able to exist as a voice and not in spririt form.

 

Vortigern Edit: I'm making this the official Anakin-as-Force-ghost thread. To this end, here are the initial responses to atomik's question "How did Anakin learn how to become a Force ghost?":

 

Perhaps Anakin learned it from Luke?

Vader had a close bond with Luke. He could even read his mind, as was demonstrated in ROTJ when he discovered the existance of his daughter. Perhaps when Luke abandoned hatred in favor of compassion Vader recalled Obi Wan's final moments on the Death Star? Perhaps when he was in the trench run trying to clip Luke, he sensed Obi Wan's presense around Luke? Maybe he communed with Yoda and Obi Wan while he was dying by Luke's side?

At the end of the day, there really is plenty of evidence he learned this aspect of force all on his own, either in his last moments as a Jedi or through decades of tedious study of lore about the force; or a combination of both. We have to remember that he saw with his own eyes, Obi Wan's vannishing act. That HAD to raise some questions. Coming from a perspective of darkside belief, he must have initially thought that Obi Wan gave up his life for some self serving need once he vannished. Then later, when he became good, he understood that his death was a sacrifice to help Luke. In that moment he could have made the connection.

I think the only reason Lucas didn't opt for a plainly stated "Anakin learned this ability because ..." is because it kind of kills the surprise factor. I mean we see the guy die and we think it might be all over, then in the final moments he appears; fully restored and out of the suit. It's a nice moment that would be spoiled by an explanation on how he got there. And again, I think there's enough in the film to show it was a journey that he made on his own, in the very least similar to how Qui Gon discovered it.

 

Qui-Gon may have learned it from the Shaman of the Whills.

 

I agree. There was totally no room for explanation in the film, it would have killed the surprise factor. I remember when I saw ROTJ I was completely bemused that the villain in the story turned out to be the hero. That was awesome to me at the time and I was suddenly terribly curious about Vader. But then he died and I was really sad which is inexplicable when you think back on on the horror he caused. But taking out the big bad guy (Sidious) is the main point in fantasy, and being a fantasy nut, that clinched it for me. So when the force ghost came along at the end it really made me happy. I remember I felt that Yoda and Obi-Wan had come for him as if to say that there is always hope and redemption, even up to the last minute - and I liked that ending a lot. Of course after the PT, I would have been very unhappy if he hadn't become a force ghost because of how that all went down.

 

One of George Lucas' many inconsistancies. That's why.

 

It would be interesting to see something else written about Leia/Anakin Force Ghost after the PT and LOTF. I'd like to see if she'd respond differently. Didn't Anakin say that he didn't have much time when he spoke to her? Gave me the impression that he wouldn't be around as a ghost for enterity.

 

[EU]It would make sense for him to have only a limited time given the EU's limits on Ghosting(Obi-Wan disappeared as well) but, we have Anakin's ghost telling Jacen to stand firm over 20 years after he talked to Leia.[/EU]

 

Was this in LOTF or something else? I thought Jacen just observed Anakin in the past.

 

No. It was during Jacen's battle with Onimi in The Unifying Force . But, we also have Obi-Wan's spectral voice making an appearence in the novel after Zonama Sekot's departure.