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Skywalker, Anakin

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Anakin grew up as a slave in the markets of Mos Espa, on Tatooine, arriving on the planet with his mother Shmi when he was just three years old. The details surrounding Anakin's birth are quite confusing, since Shmi revealed to Qui-Gon Jinn that Anakin had not father, that she simply found out she was pregnant and carried the child to birth. Years later, when the story of Darth Plagueis was revealed to Anakin by Chancellor Palpatine, it was theorized that Anakin had been brought to life by Plagueis himself. Anakin and his mother were owned by Gardulla the Hutt at the time, but were eventually won in a podracing bet by Watto. Despite his gruff demeanor, Watto treated the Skywalkers fairly. After meeting Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin dreamed of becoming a Jedi Knight. His chances were enhanced when Qui-Gon learned of his immaculate conception, believing Anakin to be the Chosen One prophesied by the ancient Jedi lore. After winning the Boonta Eve Classic podrace and being freed by Qui-Gon, Anakin left Tatooine and trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi. His own lightsaber was constructed on Ilum, but Anakin could only remember obtaining the red blade from a vision of Darth Maul. Eventually, he grew into a brash young pilot who joined the Old Republic as a fighter pilot, gaining recognition during his education at the Academy and then during the Clone Wars. Anakin was still a brash young man, and the barriers of patience and hard work seemed to stifle his growing proficiency in the Force. During much of his training, Anakin thought of just two people: his mother on Tatooine, and Padme' Amidala. He fell in love with Padme', and was frustrated that this love was unreturnable. It was about this time that Senator Palpatine also noticed the young Anakin. Sensing the Force within him, Palpatine also sensed Anakin's desire to learn quickly. After the death of Shmi Skywalker Lars at the hands of a clan of Tusken Raiders, Anakin became so enraged that he killed the entire clan, inclding the females and the children. His descent into the Dark Side had begun. During the Battle of Geonosis, Anakin lost his right arm in a lightsaber duel with Count Dooku. The arm was replaced with a cybernetic prosthesis, but took away some part of Anakin's humanity. Anakin slipped further from the Jedi ideal when he secretly married Padme' on Naboo. Anakin fought beside Obi-Wan during the Clone Wars, but Anakin's secrets and his anger often put them at odds. As the war ground on, Obi-Wan was forced to go off on a mission by himself, and Anakin was chosen to accompany Nejaa Halcyon to Praesitlyn. Anakin's quick thinking and daring heroics assured that the hostages there were saved, and the Jedi Council decided to promote him to the level of Jedi Knight upon his return. He made sure that his Padawan's braid was removed from the Jedi Temple and given to Padme' for safekeeping, as another reminder of his love for her. After Anakin beheaded Count Dooku during the First Battle of Coruscant, it was hoped that the Clone Wars came to an end. However, the Outer Rim Sieges continued to rage, forcing the Senate to continue supporting the needs of Chancellor Palpatine. It was during this time that Chancellor Palpatine introduced Anakin to the wonders of the Dark Side of The Force. He also learned that Padme' was pregnant with his child, although he soon began having dreams of her death during childbirth. Anakin realized that, with the power of the Dark Side of the Force behind him, he would be able to provide for himself and his pregnant wife. There would be nothing to hinder him, and his security seemed assured. He became Palpatine's student and was given the title of Darth Vader, and the fall from the Light Side to the Dark Side happened so quickly that Kenobi was powerless to stop it. Kenobi pleaded with Anakin to return to the Light Side, but Anakin would have no part of it. He became Palpatine's personal weapon, destroying the inhabitants of the Jedi Temple before traveling to Mustafar to destroy the Council of Separatists. Padme' and Obi-Wan both followed Anakin to Mustafar, where Anakin accused them of betraying him. After a heated argument in which Anakin nearly choked Padme' to death, Anakin and Kenobi confronted each other in a vicious lightsaber duel. They were evenly matched physically, but Obi-Wan's knowledge of the Force was much greater than Anakin's, and Kenobi was able to maintain his strength. Obi-Wan was forced to cut off Anakin's legs and arm in order to stop him, and Anakin fell into a lava-filled pit, where he was seared alive. Obi-Wan then turned his back on Anakin, leaving him to die in the hopes that the evil in the galaxy would be eliminated. Palpatine, however, managed to locate Anakin before he could die and pulled the burning Anakin from the pit. Palpatine spared no expense in trying to save Anakin, employing a team of medical droids to replace his lost limbs and fit him with a cybernetic life-support suit. Meanwhile, Kenobi then fled with Padme', taking her to Polis Massa where she died during childbirth, just as Anakin had foreseen. It appeared that she died of a broken heart, as medical scans revealed no physical trauma. Anakin's anger boiled over when he learned of Padme's death, especially when Palpatine explained that it had been Anakin himself who killed her. After giving in completely to his anger and hatred, Anakin became Palpatine's minion. Sometime after the Battle of Yavin, Palpatine was able to discover that Anakin had had a son. He used this knowledge to help secure his hold on the former Anakin Skywalker, as well as a way to help turn Luke to the Dark Side. The Light Side of Anakin Skywalker seemed to try and return to the surface, and Vader was faced with a crisis. During the Battle of Endor, Luke managed to get the Light Side of Anakin to re-assert itself, and as the Emperor was trying to kill Luke, Anakin rose up and threw the Emperor down the Death Star's power shaft. The life-support systems that kept Darth Vader alive, however, were seriously damaged by the Emperor's Force lightning, and failed. Anakin died soon after Luke removed the facemask to allow Anakin to see his son with his own eyes.