Star Wars Finally Has A Reason For Lucas' Anakin Force Ghost Change

George Lucas famously edited Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker into Return of the Jedi - and Star Wars tie-ins have finally justified his choice.

Star Wars finally has a reason for George Lucas' decision to add Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost in Return of the Jedi. George Lucas never really saw the original trilogy as a finished product, and as a result every rerelease on DVD was an opportunity for him to make more changes. One of his most controversial decisions was the reason to alter the ending of Return of the Jedi, in which Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost appears before his son Luke, confirming he has indeed been truly redeemed. The scene originally featured Sebastian Shaw, but it was replaced with Hayden Christensen himself.

The decision was a controversial one, especially since it was done just when the backlash against the prequels was at its height, after the release of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. In Lucas' view, it was more than just an attempt to unify the prequels and the original trilogy, though; he shared Obi-Wan Kenobi's view that Anakin had metaphorically died when he fell to the dark side, and thus upon being redeemed he would be reset. The change still feels arbitrary to this day - but, oddly enough, an upcoming Star Wars novel looks set to resolve it at last.

Lucasfilm has published an excerpt from Adam Christopher's upcoming novel Shadow of the Sith, set shortly before the sequel trilogy and focusing on Luke Skywalker's doomed quest for the Sith redoubt of Exegol. In the excerpt, Luke is mystically transported to Exegol where he is confronted by Sith spirits - and receives unexpected help from the Force Ghost of Anakin Skywalker. Previous Star Wars tie-ins had established that Anakin's Force Ghost occasionally gave his son counsel and advice, but on this occasion he actually receives help in battle. As it states in the novel:

"Standing between himself and the wraiths was another figure—a man in flowing pale robes, his back to Luke, his head hidden under a voluminous hood... When the lightning flashed, Luke could see the nine solid wraiths through the form of the man who stood between them and their quarry... The blue figure lifted his hood back to reveal the strong, sharp face of a young man, his gaze intense beneath a furrowed brow that was bisected by straight, vertical scar. His thick hair was shoulder-length and had a slight wave to it. Anakin Skywalker reached out his hand."

With Anakin Skywalker playing such a crucial role in the fight against Sith spirits, it's logically that it's the version of the Jedi from before his fall to the darkness. As such, Hayden Christensen's appearance in the revised Return of the Jedi makes even greater sense, further justifying the revision.

The original trilogy had seemed to treat Force Ghosts as mere observers, but Star Wars: The Last Jedi finally began to give them a sense of agency. Shadow of the Sith takes this one step further, however, with Anakin Skywalker actually helping his son in battle. Given that's the case, it makes perfect sense for this to be Anakin at the height of his power, back when he became viewed as one of the greatest heroes of the Clone Wars. It's striking that the Sith spirits flee from his very presence, afraid of his power even after death.

But the excerpt is important for another reason. This marks the first time it has really felt as though a character's story really continued after their death, with Anakin Skywalker still a force to be reckoned with precisely because he was redeemed and now lives as a Force Ghost. Hopefully, it will point the way to other Force Ghosts continuing on in the same way - meaning fans could still get to see the adventures of Anakin, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Luke, Leia, and more as Star Wars builds on this.