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Summary
George Lucas has made many changes to theStar Warsoriginal trilogy , and one of the most significant was replacingAnakin Skywalker ’s Force Ghost inReturn of the Jedi . In both the 1983 theatrical cut and the 1997 special edition , Sebastian Shaw ’s interlingual rendition of Anakin ’s Force Ghost is experience with the spirits of Obi - Wan Kenobi and Yoda , watching over Luke Skywalker as he reverberate on his journey . The deduction is that Luke sees his father and mentors as he remembers them , or the age they were when they conk out . Indeed , when Luke lastly met Anakin , Anakin was an older man .
For the 2004 videodisk going of the original trilogy , Lucas changedReturn of the Jedi ’s end so that rather of Shaw , Anakin Skywalker ’s Force Ghostwas played by Hayden Christensen . The move angered many looker , particularly since the DVD exercise set came out during the height of prequel repercussion and unfavorable judgment against Christensen ’s carrying out inStar state of war : Episode II - Attack of the Clones . However , Lucas has an explanation for why Anakin ’s Force Ghost is young , how it affects the future of Christensen ’s Darth Vader , and what it means forhow Jedi Force Ghosts work inStar Wars .
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Why Did Anakin’s Force Ghost Change?
In an event where George Lucas and Hayden Christensen interviewed each other and answer fan enquiry , Lucas explained that the grounds why Anakin ’s Force Ghost is young is that he metaphorically died after becoming Vader — an idea reinforce by Vader himself duringObi - Wan Kenobi . This was a notable revelation of how Force Ghosts work . When Anakin was redeemed upon saving Luke inReturn of the Jedi , his" … inner person would go back to where we left it off . “Additionally , Lucas think replacing the original Anakin Force Ghost with Christensen would help oneself tie in the prequels and originals , bringing it full circle .
Though Vader turned back to the light and defeated Emperor Palpatine inReturn of the Jedi , Anakin had already been consume by the Dark Side . Rather than Vader , Christensen ’s Anakin Force Ghost is modeled on the heroical Jedi Knight who fought in the Clone Wars . Although Anakin sometimes tap into the Dark Side , he was n’t to the full corrupted untilStar Wars : Episode III - Revenge of the Sith . Lucas ' reasoning also clarifies why Obi - Wan and Yoda are older , as they never turned to the Dark Side and do n’t have a point to” … go back to where we leave it off … “like Anakin .
Conceived by the will of the Force itself , Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One , destined to bring the Force into balance . Anakin struggle to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala , and ultimately fell to the benighted side , becoming Darth Vader . For years he serve as Palpatine ’s ripe hand man , but he was at last redeemed by the organized religion of his son , Luke Skywalker . Now a Force Ghost , Anakin retain to act as an broker of balance .
Whether consultation agree with this explanation for why Anakin ’s Force Ghost is young , these are the Force Ghost rule from George Lucas himself . In the sequel trilogy , Christensen returned for a voiceover cameo as one of the Jedi Rey discover on Exegol , further cement Lucas ' polarizing alteration toReturn of the Jedi . Sebastian Shaw ’s version will always have a particular place in the hearts of those who mature up with the originalStar Warstrilogy , but Christensen is now synonymous with Anakin .
Who Was Sebastian Shaw, The Original Anakin Force Ghost?
Sebastian Shaw was the first actor to portray the unmasked Anakin Skywalkerfollowing the buyback of Darth Vader inReturn of the Jedi . Before play one of scientific discipline fiction ’s most iconic villain , Shaw was an accomplished stage and cinema actor . In addition to being a legend in British theater as an accomplished Thespian , and having a motion picture career that goes back to the 1930s , Shaw was also a novelist . Initially kept in the darkness about his fibre ’s significance , Shaw was surprised to realise so many adore young rooter followingReturn of the Jedi ’s expiration .
Indeed , Shaw ’s appearance inReturn of the Jediwas a historical momentthat essentiallylaid the foot for all other version of the part , particularly Hayden Christensen ’s Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader . That said , give Sebastian Shaw ’s professional achievement , and the fact that he ’s still inReturn of the Jedias unmasked Vader , Christensen replacing him as the original Anakin Force Ghost was n’t that much of a loss for the player himself , and in no way dent his wider legacy .
Sebastian Shaw ’s appearance as the unmasked Darth Vader was vary slightly to make him look more like Hayden Christensen .
Who Voices Darth Vader In Obi-Wan Kenobi?
To bring a young , pre - original - trilogy Darth Vader to life sentence inObi - Wan Kenobi , the show combined Christensen ’s onscreen performance with the iconic voice of James Earl Jones — Vader ’s original voice actor . Where George Lucas ' replacement of Sebastian Shaw ’s likeness with the new Anakin was n’t well - received because of the canon explanation , Obi - Wan Kenobiembraced both sure-enough and fresh aspect of Vader to wreak liveliness to the quality , allowing Christensen to redeem himself a piddling in the optic of those who hated the prequels .
Combining Jones ' and Christensen ’s performance to create young Vader at an earlier point in theStar Warscanon timeline was the well potential creative choice for the character . Alongside the variousObi - Wan Kenobieaster testis and Christensen ’s carrying into action as Anakin ’s Force Ghost inReturn of the Jedi , Obi - WanKenobi ’s Darth Vader further confirm Lucas ' visionof experience more direct connection across canonicalStar Warsmedia . Moreover , all this could imply thatObi - Wan Kenobiisn’t the last that viewers will see of James Earl Jones and Hayden Christensen ’s collaborative Darth Vader .
Hayden Christensen also give as Anakin Skywalker ’s Force Ghost inAhsokaseason 1 .
Other Controversial Changes In The Star Wars Remasters
replace Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen inReturn of the Jediisn’t the only change to the originalStar Warstrilogy that split buff . Perhapsthe most infamous and gross Special Edition change is Greedo shoot at Han Solo firstin the firstStar Warsfilm , retroactively titledA New Hope(something that Lucasfilm has largely backtracked on in subsequent re - edits over the eld ) . Other misguided changes admit an embarrassing musical act , “ Jedi Rocks , " in Jabba ’s palace , an unconvincing CGI Jabba utter with Han inA New Hope , and Vader scream “ Nooo ! ” when dispatching the Emperor .
The Star Wars original trilogy was re - relinquish in 1997 with legion change , and these special editions are derided for a variety of cause .
These inclusions are n’t just distract — they sometimes switch details that harm the original story . Still , not every alteration Lucas made to the originalStar Warstrilogy was harmful . Some of the subtler updated effects ( such as the compositing in the Rancor view or add together windows to Cloud City inThe Empire Strikes Back ) have worked beautifully . John Williams ' rewritten mark forReturn of the Jedi ’s triumph celebration is a huge advance from “ Yub Nub . ” ReplacingAnakin Skywalker ’s Force Ghost ranks among George Lucas ' controversial decision , but some changes prove that theStar Warsspecial editions do have meritoriousness .
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
