The interwebs have been loud and busy ever since the final official trailer to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dropped during Monday night football on October 21st. Articles and fan chatter on Reylo, Bendemption, Palpatine being alive all these years or a manifestation of some kind, to a possible return of The Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker in a full Force Ghost form have been flooding the social media feeds everywhere.
And the latter seems to be picking up speed with “The Hollywood Reporter” and “Showbiz 411,” both claiming to have sources confirming that The Clone Wars “Hero with No Fear” will return for the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga and tie together all the Star Wars movies. According to Showbiz 411, Hayden Christensen filmed his scenes last year and will appear as a Force Ghost, just as Yoda returned in “The Last Jedi.”
Now, that said, there is no confirmation from Lucasfilm on whether or not Anakin will return in “The Rise of Skywalker.” So, please, take this information for what it is. But, at the same time, let us not discredit it altogether either. For example, look at how we found out about Ewan McGregor reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Think about it, four years of reported rumors from multiple journalists and news sites. Even Ewan McGregor recently told “Men’s Journal” how relieved he is to be able to talk about it now.
So, again, regarding Anakin’s return, is it too farfetched to think he’d return for one last face-off against his former master, Darth Sidious? Taking all of the previous saga films into account, it’s not. Is it? Well, let’s look a bit closer. George Lucas himself has said that the first six films are the story of the “Rise and Fall” of Anakin Skywalker. Now, that does not discredit the past two films, “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” because Anakin’s presence heavily exists through the ideals and motivations of his grandson, Kylo Ren. Also, Palpatine seems to have returned from beyond the grave, in a manner of speaking, of course.
So, does this mean that Anakin didn’t fulfill his destiny in “Return of the Jedi?” Remember, he was said to have brought balance to the Force by destroying the Sith, but now we know that Sith still lives. Therefore, it would appear that Anakin has some unfinished business to tend to. What say you?
It’s a lot to take in, but here are a few additional things to think about before making your decision between rumor or possibility. Remember, the Emperor once said to Yoda, “Darth Vader will become more powerful than either of us.” Also, a recent novel by Claudia Gray, “Master & Apprentice,” reveals some rather prevalent prophecies. One, in particular, may or may not pertain to Palpatine and the possible return of Anakin Skywalker.
Prophecy 6:
He who learns to conquer death will through his greatest student live again.
Guess we’ll find out soon enough! Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will hit the theaters on December 20th, 2019.