Analysis of Star Wars; Anakin Skywalker

It was no secret that Anakin was Luke's father. Anakin had died at some point and left Luke with his uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. We might assume that Owen was Anakin's brother. Where was Luke's mother? Either she died earlier, leaving Anakin to take care of Luke by himself, or she was killed at the same time as Anakin. Kenobi tells Luke that Anakin was Luke's father (which we know) and that he was also a Jedi, and that he was Kenobi's friend. Luke seems to have roots on Tatooine, as his whole family is there, his father was there, and now we discover that Kenobi, that crazy old hermit, was Anakin's friend. Kenobi also recognizes Luke on sight, so perhaps Kenobi, being Anakin's friend, was also keeping a friendly eye on his friend's son. After WWII, some men did not make it back from the wars, and so they would charge their friends, if they made it back home, to check in on their families. Kenobi did not have a family of his own, so he would have kept an eye out for Luke, being his friend's child. However, Owen would have no part of it, and probably told Kenobi to stay away from Luke, so Kenobi would have kept a watchful eye on him, out of respect for his friend, but from a distance.

Kenobi fought in the Clone Wars, and we might surmise that Kenobi and Anakin were both in the clone wars, and were contemporaries. One gets the feeling that Owen, Kenobi, and Anakin were all from the same generation. Anakin was a Jedi Knight (owning a lightsaber) and also a star pilot. Being a star pilot was probably similar to being an airplane pilot in the first or second world war, more likely the second. In WWI, airplanes were so new, that pilots had a sort of esprit de corps that was almost as mythical as that of the ancient knights, because flight was so new. By WWII, many laypersons were involved with airplanes, and so being a pilot was not quite so extraordinary, but being a good pilot was still a valued skill. So, starfighter pilots would have been more analogous to WWII fighter pilots. Somehow, Luke acquired piloting skills, though, without a father to teach him. Unless they were crop-dusting, most rural kids did not learn how to be come pilots in the 20th century, so we might consider starships equivalent to automobiles or motorcycles: Everyone learned how to drive, no matter what backwards part of the country you were from. So, starships were not so much the airplanes of the 20th century, but also the cars. Flying around Beggar's Canyon, shooting womp rats, are the sort of childish or teenage activities that kids might get up to after first learning how to drive. Good drivers do not stand out, though, so Anakin's piloting abilities must have been so extraordinary that they made a distinct impression.

So, who was Anakin? Someone about Kenobi's age, who was a Jedi, friend of Kenobi's, from Tatooine. They might even have grown up together, or enlisted together. Anakin and Kenobi probably joined the knighthood and fought in the Clone Wars together, and survived. Anakin came back after the wars to start a family, siring Luke. After that time, Anakin lost his wife somehow and was killed by Darth Vader when the dark times were ushered in. He must have either made provisions for Luke to be taken to Owen after his death, or he left Luke with them while he continued doing his knightly duties. This possibility would explain some of Owen's resentment. Owen disliked or distrusted the Jedi order for some reason, and there are two possibilities that come to mind. One: Owen was also close to Anakin, but Anakin kept going off and doing risky activities, sticking his neck out for justice, until he got himself killed. This would have been similar to losing a brother in a war, and then becoming a pacifist, hating everything to do with wars, warriors, and the military, or knightly order. Two: Anakin was too busy with his knightly duties to take care of Luke, especially with Luke's mother gone, so he took Luke to live with Owen and Beru. This would have been a major imposition on Owen's family, but since Owen did not have any children of his own (apparently) they took him in. Owen might have resented Anakin for being a bad parent and saddling him with his offspring, but after Anakin died, he would not speak ill of him. In either case, Owen disapproved of Anakin, and Kenobi, and wanted to keep Luke as far away from that lifestyle as possible.