Welcome to my second installment of Star Wars Speculation! I aim to make this a series where I discuss something in the realm of Star Wars once a week. I'm still currently debating exactly what day I should upload these, so don't expect to see a trend in posting for awhile, but the topics will change radically from week-to-week and will remain focused on something within the realm of Star Wars. Today's topic is "Balancing The Force," and I will be providing my interpretation of the "Chosen One" prophecy.
"Balancing The Force"
To kick things off, I suppose I ought to explain the Chosen One Prophecy itself. The prophecy of the Chosen One was a Jedi legend introduced in The Phantom Menace that foretold the coming of a being who "would destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force." The ideology behind Chosen One prophecies have a firm foundation in countless fictional worlds. In the context of the Star Wars universe, it was believed to refer to Anakin Skywalker. However, I have another theory that I believe connects the entire Star Wars Saga.
[I'm going to recap the Anakin's arc through the prequels really quick for those who need a refresher or are confused about how Darth Vader could possibly be considered to be the Chosen One. Those proficient in their Star Wars lore, feel free to skip over this.]
[I'm going to recap the Anakin's arc through the prequels really quick for those who need a refresher or are confused about how Darth Vader could possibly be considered to be the Chosen One. Those proficient in their Star Wars lore, feel free to skip over this.]
Quick Prequel Recap: Anakin's Rise & Fall
There were those within the Order, such as Mace Windu, who doubted Skywalker's status, but his exceptional skills and strength with the force were acknowledged by all. Once the Clone Wars began, Skywalker became a Jedi General and quickly rose through the ranks of the Order. Eventually, at Chancellor Palpatine's behest, he was appointed to the Council as a personal representative of the Chancellor. However, the Council refused to grant Skywalker the rank of Jedi Master despite allowing him to sit on the Council.
This limitation, along with numerous other factors, lead Anakin to become steadily seduced by the dark side. Chancellor Palpatine revealed himself to Anakin as the Sith Lord manipulating the Clone Wars (Lord Sidious) and promised to have the ability to save Padmé from dying in childbirth (something Anakin had seen in a vision). Skywalker was very conflicted at first, but reported the revelation to Mace Windu.
Windu was accompanied by Jedi Masters Kit Fisto, Saesee Tin, and Age Kolar to arrest the Chancellor. Sidious quickly disposed of the three Jedi accompanying Windu, so the confrontation became a one-on-one duel. Windu got the upper hand as Sidius lost his saber, and held him at bay when Skywalker arrived. Windu declared that Sidious was too dangerous to be kept alive, but Anakin disagreed because the idea Sidious could save Padmé had taken hold in his mind. As Windu tried to strike him down, Anakin intervened and disarmed Windu. Windu was then hit with Sidious' full force-lightning and flew out the window to his implied demise (although, there's still technically no official canon confirmation that the fall killed him).
After this, Anakin pledged himself to serve under Palpatine and henceforth be known as Darth Vader. Vader was then ordered to march on the Jedi temple alongside legions of Clone Troopers and kill all Jedi inside. Palpatine issued Order 66 to all Republic Clone Troopers as an executive order to kill their Jedi generals. Those with a chip implant then turned on the Jedi, but the mechanics behind that warrants explanation in another article.
The Case against Anakin's status as the Chosen One
So clearly Anakin's turn to the dark side seems like it would negate the possibility of Anakin being the Chosen One. Obi Wan states as much in Revenge Of The Sith when he says "You were the Chosen One! It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them. You were to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness." However, you've got to take into account that this is the way things look from a certain point-of-view.
How Anakin did fulfill the Prophecy
Contrary to popular belief, I think Order 66 does factor into the prophecy. At the time he marched on the temple, there were thousands of Jedi and only two Sith. While Order 66 didn't wipe out EVERY Jedi immediately as evidenced in Canon by the revelation numerous Jedi survived (ie. Ahsoka, Kanan, etc.), I think the dwindling numbers and secluded remnants did actually start to bring some balance between the light and dark side of the Force.
By the time of Return Of The Jedi, we know with the upmost certainty that Luke was the last Jedi remaining. The Jedi Order was reduced to only Luke once Yoda passed on, so at that point the Force was unbalanced again since there were two Sith (Sidious and Vader) and one Jedi (Luke) left.
Ultimately, Vader does fulfill the entirety of the prophecy when he intervenes between the Emperor's torture of Luke. When Vader throws his master into the second Death Star's reactor, his suit takes a substantial amount of damage from Sidious' force lightning. Therefore, his respirator is impaired, so he also dies as a result and the Sith are no more. Anakin destroyed the Sith and balanced the Force. Mystery solved, right? Not quite...
My Interpretation of the Prophecy
The Belief there was Another
As I alluded to earlier, Obi Wan no longer believed Anakin to be the Chosen One after Skywalker's fall to the dark Side. Obi Wan seemed to trust that Luke would be the one to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force at that point.
This idea is confirmed in an episode of Star Wars Rebels where Darth Maul tracks Obi Wan to Tatooine, and is defeated in a brief duel with Kenobi. As Maul dies, Kenobi cradles him in his arms and Maul asks "Tell me... Is he the chosen one?" Kenobi replies definitively saying "He is." It's a brief part of the episode and Kenobi's only appearance on the series thus far, but enough evidence to me that Kenobi surely put all his faith that Luke was the Chosen One.
It makes total sense when you look at the events of A New Hope, as Kenobi is so careful in how he explains to Luke everything that happened to Anakin and appears to have complete trust in Luke.
Yoda, on the other hand, seems to have been prepared for the possibility that either of the Skywalker twins could be the Chosen One. This is echoed most in the saga when Kenobi's Force spirit says "He is our last hope" and Yoda responds that "There is another," referring to Leia of course.
The Balance is undone
So why do I think the Chosen One Prophecy is still applicable? Well... The state galaxy isn't exactly balanced anymore... While I think Anakin brought a temporary balance to the galaxy, there's still an ongoing war between the light and dark. This part of my discussion is largely speculation since we don't really have too many concrete facts about the story between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, but I think there's just enough evidence currently to support my idea.
I feel like potential Chosen Ones that fit my theory for this Star Wars sequel trilogy are Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren. Luke played a hand in bringing balance to the Force as he was the driving force behind Vader's redemption, but we've yet to see how he'll factor into The Last Jedi. I have reason to believe that Luke will be the key behind the entire idea of balancing the Force. People have been quick to point out Luke's darker attire and looming presence in the back of The Last Jedi posters as signs he could be going dark, but I think it points to something else...
This theater standee for The Last Jedi features Luke on both sides, one clearly representing the light side and the other representing the dark side. I think people are getting a little wrapped up in the dark side argument because they're so convinced he will go dark at this point. Instead, I believe, this represents the idea that this version of Luke we will meet will have a very different set of ideals and will dwell in the middle. Kylo Ren clearly undid everything Luke was working towards in regards to a new Jedi Order, and tipped the scales back towards the dark Side again in doing-so. Perhaps this catastrophe was the tipping point for Luke to realize that something in the DNA of the Jedi Order was fundamentally flawed, considering two Skywalker's had successfully dwindled the Order.
There's a concept that's been subtly implanted into the new Star Wars canon known as "Gray Jedi," or simply force wielders that walk the line between light and dark. In the first trailer for The Last Jedi, the entire theme of the trailer seemed to revolve around balance, with the word "balance" even slipping into Rey's voice-over as she discussed seeing "light... darkness... a balance." I believe all of this is pointing towards the idea that Luke will want to found a Gray Jedi Order to replace the traditional Order. I think that's the entire point of Luke's shocking voiceover from that trailer where he says "I only know one thing... It's time for the Jedi to end." I believe this will be Luke's attempt to achieve a true balance of the Force. Whether he does it by himself or needs the assistance of Rey or Kylo Ren remains to be seen, but keep in mind that this is only just speculation so take it with a grain of salt. I could be entirely off-base, but that's just the idea that I've had swirling around in my head for a while. I suppose we'll wait in 56 days to see if I was right when Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15, 2017!
I hope you've all enjoyed reading my thoughts on this topic, and let me know if you have any ideas for Star Wars related topics I can discuss.
-May the force be with you, always!
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