Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Exploring The Skywalker Family Tree

The Star Wars universe is a beautiful thing. Audiences in 1977 recognized that fact in droves. Audiences in 1999 still recognized that fact – in spite of the obvious flaws in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and its sequels. The franchise has a beauty that reaches far beyond science fiction fandom, and far beyond teeny-bopper crushes on rugged cinematic heroes. Its beauty reaches into every corner of society, uniting the entire spectrum of age, gender, culture and politics - as fans of this fantastical story, borne of the mind of George Lucas. So, what is this unifying beauty? Firstly, it is a story of hope and optimism – of good people from all walks of life, and from a wide range of different planets, rising up against tyranny and defeating evil. Secondly, it is a story of action and adventure that takes us far beyond the rigid confines of what we ever thought was possible - leading us into a place where great things can be achieved and, when people have the courage of their convictions, galaxies can be saved. Thirdly, and most importantly, it is about family. This is the aspect of the Star Wars saga that really makes it accessible to everybody – because everybody can relate to the Star Wars concept of family, even those that don’t have one. Families in the Star Wars universe are complicated and fraught with tension. Children are abandoned, to be raised by others in far-flung star-systems, and siblings are separated. Parent and child are destined to be locked into conflict, and history can, on occasion, seem to repeat itself. Then there is found-family – those people that form an unshakeable bond of friendship that ties faster and stronger than any sharing of a gene pool. In spite of all the tragedy and drama, however, the concept of family forms the framework of the Star Wars universe, against which the epic tale of galactic warfare plays out. The greatest revelations throughout Star Wars history have been based around family and, when the battles are over, it is to family – both genetic and found – that our heroes return. It is the theme of connection – reflected in every aspect of the narrative, including the Force – that anchors the universe for the audience, because connection is something that is a basic need in human nature. We all need to feel connected to something, and in Star Wars, the characters are as connected to each other as they are to the galaxies through which they travel. This is why, ultimately, so many people feel connected to Star Wars, and so many people have flocked to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The prequels – The Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones, and Revenge Of The Sith – were less successful because the sense of connection within the stories was less palpable, and did not have the necessary amount of emphasis. JJ Abrams has reignited that theme with aplomb, though, and in doing so, has expanded the Skywalker family tree even further. In seven films, released over 38 years, we have been introduced to four generations of the same family, and these generations have determined the course of the Star Wars universe. The Skywalker family is the beating heart of the franchise – sometimes warm, sometimes ice cold, but always there, anchoring the narrative. Like all families, they are filled with dark secrets and estrangements. They express love, loathing, trust, distrust, loyalty, betrayal, pride and shame. They exist in extraordinary circumstances and are faced with fantastical challenges – but they remain a relatable dynasty. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has introduced welcome new blood into the family fold, so now is an interesting time to explore some Skywalker genealogy. Be warned, however – inevitable, giant spoilers lie within. The Shmi Skywalker-Lars Generation Shmi Skywalker is the mother of Anakin Skywalker, who would eventually grow to become Darth Vader. She and her son live in slavery on the planet of Tatooine, enslaved by a junk merchant named Watto. They are discovered there by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who senses a great gift in the young Skywalker. In conversation with Shmi, she explains that she has no partner, and Anakin has no father. She simply found herself to be pregnant. Convinced by Qui-Gon Jinn that Anakin is a prophesied figure, destined for greatness within the Jedi, she agrees to allow him to be taken into training, promising him a better life. Shmi is unable to accompany him, however, and the two are parted. While Anakin is training, Shmi is purchased from Watto by a farmer named Cliegg Lars. He then frees her from slavery and marries her – making her the stepmother of his son, Owen Lars. Shmi lives for many years as part of the Lars family, until the farm is attacked by Tusken Raiders and she is abducted and tortured. It is at this point that Shmi is briefly reunited with her son, Anakin, when he feels her pain remotely and comes to her aid. Shmi dies in his arms, prompting his first embrace of the Dark Side. The Anakin-Padme Generation Having spent his childhood in slavery on Tatooine until the age of nine, Anakin Skywalker is found to be a particularly gifted individual. He is an excellent pilot and builds a complex protocol droid – named C3PO – before being identified by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn as a potentially powerful wielder of the Force. The separation from his mother that results from this discovery creates deep-seated anxieties within Anakin, which are exacerbated by her tragic death, years later. The passing of his mother is the first and only time Anakin comes into contact with his step-family – headed by Cliegg Lars. Cliegg lost a leg trying to save Anakin’s mother, but the young Skywalker feels little in the way of positive emotion toward his step-father. He also meets his step-brother Owen Lars, and his girlfriend, Beru, who all work on the family farm. Owen and Beru later marry, and become farmers in their own right. Padme Amidala is elected Queen of Naboo at the age of 14 and embarks on a diplomatic career that would see her become a Senator - unpicking the threads of a Sith conspiracy that eventually gives rise to the Empire. Having crossed paths with the child Anakin, Padme meets him once again as an adult, in his capacity as a Jedi Padawan. The two fall in love, secretly marry, and conceive – but in the process, Anakin has been simultaneously seduced by the power of the Dark Side, promised by Senator Palpatine. Anakin commits a heinous crime and becomes Darth Vader, and Padme dies giving birth to twins – Luke and Leia – who are separated and hidden at secret locations to protect them from their father. The Luke-Leia Generation In an attempt to hide them from their father, who has become powerful with the Dark Side of the Force, the surviving Jedi send the Skywalker twins away to begin very different lives. Leia is adopted by Senator Bail Organa and his wife, Queen Organa, and is raised as Princess on Alderaan. Luke, meanwhile, is given shelter by his step-uncle and step-aunt, Owen and Beru Lars on their farm on Tatooine. The droid R2D2 eventually brings Luke and Leia back together, and the two feel an immediate bond which they do not initially understand. The droid also brings Luke, and eventually Leia, into contact with a roguish smuggler named Han Solo. As Luke discovers his true parentage, and his brotherly relationship to Leia is also revealed, Leia and Han Solo develop a romantic connection. As this new family is formed, Luke confronts his father and Emperor Palpatine intervenes - resulting in Vader’s death. Luke honours Anakin with a funeral pyre, and the next Skywalker generation looks to the future. The Ben Solo-Rey Generation While Leia and Han were more than capable of stopping the Empire in its tracks on more than one occasion, it seems they were unable to stop the slow and gentle creep of the Dark Side toward their own son, Ben. We discover that Ben’s uncle, Luke, began a training school for young Jedi, and Han and Leia encouraged Ben to study hard with him. However, the shadow of Ben’s grandfather, Darth Vader, loomed large, and the young Padawan was unable to break free of it. A dastardly villain named Emperor Snoke rose in the vacuum caused by the demise of both Emperor Palpatine and Vader, and this new evil figure seduced Ben Solo, as his grandfather was seduced before him. Obsessed with his family’s history and the temptation of Dark power, Ben follows in his ancestor’s footsteps and lays murderous waste to the Jedi school. The actions of Ben Solo, who now refers to himself as Kylo Ren, are those of a petulant teenager, trying to emulate an idol – except that the idol in question is a mass murderer, and the actions he emulates results in the violent deaths of many innocent individuals. It also results, we are told, in his uncle Luke exiling himself – taking himself, and his extensive Jedi powers, out of the equation and out of reach of Snoke, Ren and the forces of their First Order. But, in the Star Wars universe, it is never so simple as to have one family member go ‘off the rails.’ The defection of Ben Solo to the Dark Side brings with it a number of implications. The Force, in this narrative, has always been about balance, and for every villain, there has always been a hero to combat them. Historically, in the higher branches of the family tree, this balance has resulted from conflict between parent and child, and Master and Padawan. Anakin was taken from his mother by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and rebelled against his trainer, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke and Leia were hidden from their father, and then defied his advances once they were grown. Ben Solo (or Kylo Ren) defied his parents and went to the Dark Side. But, there is a new hero on the scene, in the form of Rey. Rey was abandoned on the planet of Jakku as child and has been awaiting the return of her family ever since. The Force is strong with her and she feels a deep connection to the lightsaber of Luke Skywalker when she first picks it up. Could it be that Episode VIII will reveal her to be the daughter of Luke? Such a plot twist would make her the cousin of Kylo Ren, and therefore a true equal of his on the battlefield. There would be no suggestion of deference or influence as a result of generational difference – it would be young Skywalker against young Skywalker (for Leia is the mother of Kylo Ren). So, what of the older generations? With their offspring pitted against each other, what tensions may arise between estranged twins Luke and Leia? Despite his heinous crimes, Leia has been convinced that her son can still be saved and turned to toward the light. Will Luke and Rey be of the same sentiment? This question would be further complicated, if it were to be revealed that Rey’s mother was killed during Ren’s attack on the Jedi school. Indeed, as we digest the revelations of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and look ahead to the family dramas possible in Episode VIII, there is much more to explore within the Skywalker family tree.