What If Anakin's Mother Had Been Freed With Him?

While he might not have known it at the time, Qui-Gon Jinn's decision to walk into a certain junk shop on Tatooine would ultimately change the fate of the galaxy. It was here that he met a certain Anakin Skywalker, a boy with sandy blond hair and a certain aptitude for piloting and machinery. During the Boonta Eve Classic, Qui-Gon made a side bet with Watto for Anakin's freedom if he won the race against Sebulba. Unfortunately, he was not able to negotiate the release of Anakin's mother, and she remained on Tatooine.

A certain Reddit discussion thread posed a "What if" question for us to ponder on. What if Anakin's mother had been freed with him? In relating to the multiple timelines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, how would this act affect the timeline of the galaxy far, far away? As the top commenter of the thread u/iscarioto said, "Well, no marriage to the Lars family, so maybe they'd have hidden Luke somewhere less depressing." We will not be talking about the impact on Luke, however. This discussion will concentrate on how the act would affect the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker himself.

Let's have a quick refresher on what happened in "the original timeline." Shmi remained on Tatooine while Anakin left for Coruscant with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Jedi Council, more specifically Yoda, sensed Anakin's attachment to his mother, and initially argued against training him in the Jedi ways. After Qui-Gon's death on Naboo, Anakin went on to become Padawan learner under the newly knighted Obi-Wan.

Meanwhile, on Tatooine, his mother Shmi married moisture farmer Cliegg Lars, who freed her from slavery. She went on to live with him on the Lars homestead, where she became a loving stepmother to Owen Lars. In a certain raid on the farm, she was abducted and later tortured by a group of Tusken Raiders. Anakin rushed to find her after previously having a premonition of her death. However, he was too late and unable to prevent her death. Anger swelled inside of him as he held her cold body in his arms. In a fit of rage, Anakin gave into the dark side and massacred the entire village of Tusken Raiders, including all their women and children. His inability to prevent the death of his mother would continue haunt him. In the back of his mind, he would always think of saving his loved ones from death. When he had a vision of Padme's death, he was thus swayed by Darth Sidious to embrace the Dark Side so that he would not repeat the same mistake. He would not be helpless again. The dark side of the Force would allow him to save Padme.

In an "alternate timeline" where Shmi was freed along with Anakin, things might have turned out differently at first. She most likely would not have been captured by the Tusken Raiders. Anakin would not have tapped into the dark side when he killed the Tusken Raiders in anger. She probably would still be alive when the Clone Wars erupted. However, Anakin's attachment to Shmi would still be a trigger, something that could be exploited by a certain Sith. After all, Palpatine was the main key in Anakin's fall to the Dark Side, not Shmi.

After being freed, she could leave Tatooine with Anakin, or remain behind. Without the chains of slavery binding her, Shmi would definitely want to leave with her young son. Of course, Jedi training would prevent her from going everywhere with Anakin. Perhaps she would remain close by. We could see her working in Padme's household on Naboo, or at Palpatine's residence on Coruscant. The latter option was very likely as Anakin would eventually have to return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant despite his missions throughout the galaxy. Whether she stayed on Naboo or Coruscant, she would be in Palpatine's sphere of influence. This scenario would make it easier for Palpatine to use her in his scheme to push Anakin to the Dark Side. If she chose to remain on Tatooine, then everything would be up in the air like in the "original timeline." Even if she had not died at the hands of the Tusken Raiders, Palpatine still would have found a way to use her in his sinister plan.

Even though the end result would remain unchanged with Anakin still turning to the dark side, having Shmi with him would change his life. Provided that she left Tatooine after gaining her freedom, the desert planet would not be a place of pain for Anakin. It would be a place of fond childhood memories, tinkering with gadgets and machines, and participating in high adrenaline podrace. Her motherly advice during his formative years could prevent him from seeking counsel from Palpatine. (We all know Obi-Wan was not very good in this regard.) However, this would just be a slight inconvenience for Palpatine as he continued to "watch [Anakin's] career with great interest."

Written By Apinya Wong

Source(s): Reddit

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