The Star Wars prequels introduced the idea of the Chosen One, prophesized to bring balance to the Force. This turned out to be Anakin Skywalker, discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi as a child and trained as a Jedi in the hope that he would be the one to finally destroy the Sith.
It’s safe to say that didn’t quite work out the way the Jedi hoped. Fans have been debating what the prophecy really means ever since, particularly as the concept of “balancing” the Force is vague. One common interpretation is that the Jedi tragically misunderstood the implications, with Anakin fulfilling the prophecy at the end of Revenge of the Sith by reducing the Jedi Order to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, with the Sith represented by the Emperor and himself — two vs two.
However, we also know that there were many Jedi still in hiding this point which spoils the neatness of this theory. Now fans have come up with an interesting alternative take.
The idea is that Anakin “balanced” the Force with “a lifetime of forcing others to become heroes”. This imagines Vader as a test for budding heroes like Luke, Ahsoka, Ezra, and Cal Kestis, with his villainy pushing others to step up their games to oppose him. This makes him a necessary component of a system needed to bring light to the galaxy.
It’s also pointed out that Vader’s actions may have brought balance to the Force simply by influencing Luke Skywalker. After all, it’s Vader that pushes Luke to ultimately step away from a cycle of retribution by refusing to continue fighting him in Return of the Jedi.
In the immediate wake of that movie almost all other Force users are dead (let’s ignore Ahsoka Tano for the moment), leaving Luke as the “balanced” representative of the Force in the galaxy.
Regardless of your take, the prophecy is a fun thing to interpret and proof that George Lucas still had what it takes to inspire imagination in Star Wars fans when making the prequels.
Published: Oct 27, 2021 06:45 am