This Official 'Star Wars' Book Has Brought New Life To The Biggest Darth Vader Fan Theory

It is no secret that Star Wars fans argue a lot. Like, A LOT. One of the biggest ongoing arguments in the Star Wars fandom is the question of who brought balance to the Force. Who was the real "Chosen One?" Depending on whom you ask, you could get one of several answers. George Lucas purists will say that Anakin was the Chosen One. Others are adamant that it was Luke. Some may even hit you with a theory of Jar Jar Binks. The problem with this question is that the actual story in the movies does not give a concrete answer and, at times, seems to contradict itself. The original trilogy of movies would lead you to believe it was actually Luke who balanced the Force, and an aged Obi-Wan seems to agree with it. Looking at the six-movie-saga in whole, the argument could still be made for Anakin. Then in the sequel trilogy, Anakin asks Rey to bring balance to the force again the way he did, and one story even suggests that Yoda wanted Leia to be the person to bring balance. Needless to say, there are arguments to be made for every side of the story. So what is the real answer to the question? Well, a new book may offer a new answer to this generation-old question.

There is a new book on the horizon that acts as an in-universe biography of the Skywalker family called Skywalker: A Family at War. The book acts as a non-fiction story inside the Star Wars universe. In this story, a historian looks at the Skywalker family and makes conclusions and theories on the Skywalkers based on the history they have, much like a real historian would. This is something several literary universes have attempted, such as the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book set in Harry Potter's Wizarding World. Star Wars has even experimented with this (although these books are no longer canon) in The Jedi Path and The Book of Sith. Both of these are meant to be tomes instructing new Jedi and Sith in the ways of each order respectively. It is important to note that the new book doesn't really add anything new to the canon. This seems to be closer to a retcon to me, but I don't really think it is changing or clarifying anything that we previously knew about Star Wars. Instead, this seems to take the Star Wars story we know and look at it from the new point of view of someone in the universe, and we all know how important point of view is in Star Wars.

So how does this help answer the "Chosen One" question? The information it gives us comes from an excerpt from the book on StarWars.com, and it involves a brief what-if scenario. It reads:

“Had Qui-Gon survived and Maul been vanquished, Anakin would have been raised under the watchful, calm tutelage of a seasoned teacher. Although the two would likely have had their disagreements, Qui-Gon’s compassion for the former slave might well have brought about a very different outcome. Perhaps Qui-Gon himself would have helped his Padawan return to Tatooine and free the slaves. At the very least, he would have empathized with Anakin’s restlessness with the strict Jedi Code, offering solutions beyond the scope of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s regulation-driven mind. Perhaps Shmi Skywalker would have been saved."

This definitely does not give enough information for a definitive answer, and I am not sure if the entire book will either. This does seem to imply that if Anakin had grown up under Qui-Gon's teachings, he may have fulfilled the prophecy of the "Chosen One." This would make sense because Anakin turns away from the Jedi because he thinks they are falling into corruption. Qui-Gon always listens to what the Jedi Council has to say but makes his own decisions based on what he feels is right with the Force. I don't know if Qui-Gon could have or would have saved Anakin's mother, but having Qui-Gon to confide in may have helped a lot more than Obi-Wan or even Yoda. "What if Qui-Gon had not perished?" is an interesting thought and would be interesting to see play out someday. For now, we will just have to stick to our theories and come up with answers from our own points of view.

Written By Alex Lenzini

Source(s): Inverse

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