Star Wars: The Clone Wars secretly explained how Anakin Skywalker managed to become a Force ghost after his redemption. The Clone Wars fills in the gaps in Star Wars history between Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, chronicling the battles, character dynamics, and world-building that would eventually lead to Palpatine’s victory and Anakin’s turn to the dark side. However, one of the most important things The Clone Wars did is expand upon the lore of the Force, delving further into the powers of the dark side and the light, as well as explaining the mechanics behind the Force ghost ability.
Though becoming a Force ghost in Star Wars was originally thought to be an inherent ability of all light-side Force users, The Clone Wars revealed that it could only be achieved by those who completed a special kind of training. Qui-Gon Jinn had completed much of his training, and in turn, showed Yoda the way. And, as Revenge of the Sith proves, Yoda eventually told Obi-Wan Kenobi, a narrative thread that was later continued in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. Yoda and Obi-Wan’s knowledge clearly explains how Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were later able to appear to Rey as Force ghosts in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but Anakin’s path to becoming a Force ghost was a little more subtle.
Yoda’s Experiences Planted The Seed Of Force Ghosts In Anakin Skywalker’s Mind
Two distinct The Clone Wars arcs play an important part in understanding how Anakin Skywalker was able to appear as a Force ghost in Return of the Jedi. The first is the Mortis arc in season 3 of The Clone Wars, where Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka Tano are stranded in an uncharted region of space. This turns out to be Mortis, the fulcrum of the Force throughout the entire galaxy. While on Mortis, both Obi-Wan and Anakin saw the “spirit” of Qui-Gon. The second vital arc is the one that follows Yoda’s quest in The Clone Wars season 6, when he makes contact with Qui-Gon and scours the galaxy for new Force-related knowledge.
During this second arc, there is a scene in which Yoda asks Anakin whether he saw or communicated with Qui-Gon while on Mortis. Though Anakin acknowledges Obi-Wan Kenobi’s skepticism, Anakin’s own belief in what he saw on Mortis is clear. This belief is encouraged by Yoda, essentially “planting the seed” of Force ghosts being a genuine possibility in Anakin’s mind for the first time. This scenario was acknowledged by Dave Filoni himself in a panel discussing how Anakin managed to become a Force ghost. Filoni emphasized the importance of what Anakin experienced on Mortis and how Yoda’s understanding of those experiences, however subtle, turned Anakin’s attention toward Force ghosts being a real possibility.
Anakin Could Only Become A Force Ghost Because He Was Redeemed
In that same The Clone Wars panel, Filoni mentions the importance of George Lucas introducing Hayden Christensen’s likeness as Anakin’s Force ghost and removing Sebastian Shaw’s in Return of the Jedi. Not only did this help bridge the original trilogy and the prequels, but it also speaks to how Force ghosts work. Both Filoni and Lucas have previously mentioned that when Anakin was redeemed by Luke, he went back to who he was before he “died” and became Darth Vader – a sentiment echoed by the final duel between Vader and Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi. As a result, he was able to appear as a Force ghost, as this is an ability most commonly associated with the light side.
Dark side users generally have a different method of keeping their identity and consciousness intact after death. This is called Essence Transfer. After (a violent) death, a Sith’s essence could be transferred into another person, exactly as Palpatine planned with Rey in The Rise of Skywalker. When Anakin was redeemed, his soul instead became one with the Force, and his body disappeared (albeit off-screen), allowing him to manifest as a Force ghost in Return of the Jedi as who he had been when he was last a Jedi. Expanding the understanding of Force ghosts is only one way in which The Clone Wars proves its importance in Star Wars canon.
