Star Wars Finally Has A Reason For Lucas' Anakin Force Ghost Change
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.
Related: Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ CORRECT Viewing Order
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
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