Summary

George Lucas has stated thatStar Warsis like poetry with its symmetries and rhyme , and there is perhaps no better example of that than the similarities betweenLuke SkywalkerandAnakin Skywalker . Both Anakin and Luke are two ofStar Wars’most powerful Jedi , and they have each had an unbelievable impact ontheStar Warstimeline . However , their stories also have remarkable parallel of latitude , and not only because they are founding father and son .

Whilethe chronology ofStar Warsmovies and television receiver showshas complicated the Skywalker family history , the connections between Luke and Anakin are undeniable . In fact , the parallel between Luke ’s story and Anakin ’s demonstrate how intrinsically linked the two are , which was no doubt George Lucas ' purpose . Of all the similarities between Luke and Anakin ’s narrative , however , these 11 are the biggest and best showcase the poetic nature ofStar Wars .

Luke Skywalker is best get laid for his onscreen adventures , but the original Star Wars zep had many essential stories outside the movies .

Luke Skywalker stories outside the movies

11Luke Skywalker And Anakin Skywalker’s Fathers Were Both Mysteries

Both Skywalkers Grew Up Without Knowing Who Their Father Was

One of the greatest mysteries of Anakin Skywalker is his parentage . InStar Wars : Episode I - The Phantom Menace , Qui - Gon Jinn asked Anakin ’s female parent , Shmi Skywalker , who his father was . In answer , Shmi explain that there was no father ; essentially , she believed he was conceived miraculously and spontaneously . While , over metre , it ’s become clean-cut thatPalpatine was probable behind Anakin ’s apparent spontaneous creation(through the manipulation of musical instrument digital interface - chlorians ) , Anakin apparently never uncover this truth .

Luke ’s Father of the Church was besides a mystery , although he infamously did get an solvent to this interrogative in what is considered one of the greatest plot twist in celluloid history . Before"No . I am your father,“though , Luke had little more than vague notions of who his forefather had been . While Obi - Wan Kenobi had described Anakin somewhat , he had n’t really revealed much about him ; he therefore remain a mystery to Luke untilThe Empire Strikes Back . This is a particularly wakeless connexion between Luke and Anakin , give that Anakin is Luke ’s father .

10Luke And Anakin Both Saw Their Parents' Brutal Deaths

Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, And Shmi Skywalker All Met Gruesome Ends

The definition of parent inStar Warsis a complicated one , and Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen are no exception . However , despite not being blood - related to Luke and Luke never explicitly calling them his parents , it ’s clear that Owen and Beru are the parental figures in Luke ’s life story , and they love him as their own son . In fact , theObi - Wan Kenobishow made this even clearer , depicting in groovy detail the phratry unit of measurement they shared . Tragically , though , early on inA New Hope , Luke make it home to find them alone decay .

This was a sad but poignant connectedness to Anakin ’s loss of his motherinStar Wars : Episode II -Attack of the Clones . Just as Luke witnessed the brutal resultant of his aunt and uncle being murdered , Anakin bore unmediated informant to the wounding visit upon his female parent . sorry still , Shmi then died in his arms . This tie between Anakin ’s story and Luke ’s is a sick one , but it ’s also critical . Both Anakin and Luke experienced terrible red ink at a young age , and in many ways , that defined their several paths .

Both Anakin and Luke have severe loss at a immature old age , and in many way , that defined their respective itinerary .

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) looks at Yoda (offscreen) on Dagobah, edited over a sci-fi background.

9Luke And Anakin Both Learned From Master Yoda

Twenty Years Apart, Father And Son Were Trained By The Same Jedi Master

Master Yoda was bring out inA New Hopeas the heady but sure enough way-out ancient Jedi Master who was essentially Luke ’s last chance to become a true Jedi . However , while Yoda ’s time inThe Empire Strikes Backwas fairly brief , the prequel trilogy find Yoda in his prime . FromThe Phantom MenacetoStar Wars : Episode III -Revenge of the Sith , Yoda was limn not as the odd exotic fromThe Empire Strikes Backbut as a deep observe Jedi who served as leader of the Jedi Council and had spent centuries training contemporaries of Jedi .

The prequel and original trilogies certainly manage Yoda other than , but Luke and Anakin did each get to experience preparation with Master Yoda , which shaped their Jedi way of life . For Anakin , this was a bouldery route ; he was originally very ill received by the Council , and his relationship with Yoda remained constrained . Sadly , it was clear throughout the prequel trilogy that Yoda never fully trust Anakin . For Luke , the experience was more positive . Despite an odd first encounter , Yoda unfeignedly serve Luke infer the Jedi way and master his skill with the Force .

8Luke And Anakin Both Bonded With R2-D2

R2-D2 Had A Significant History With Both Luke And Anakin

One of the sweetest friendly relationship Anakin had throughout the prequel trilogy was his relationship with R2 - D2 , the droid who was first introduced inA New Hope . R2 - D2 was equally Anakin and Luke ’s droid , and he had a considerable account with each of them . This is a particularly howling adaptation of the poetic similarities between Luke and Anakin because R2 represents a history that includes both of them , arguably at the best point in their lives .

Although Luke will never really get it on Anakin as the Jedi he was , R2 is a throughline that connects the two Jedi Knightsand unitesthe Skywalker family tree . In fact , R2 was really Padmé ’s droid first , make this rhyme all the more meaningful . It ’s almost as though Anakin passed the droid down to his son . While that ’s obviously not the case , given Anakin did n’t know Luke existed , it ’s a rare moment the Skywalker filiation gets close to more traditional family practices .

7Anakin And Luke Both Grew Up On Tatooine

Although Neither Luke Nor Anakin Liked Tatooine, They Both Called It Home

The dry , depressing desert planet Tatooine was a place both Anakin and Luke hanker to escape in their younker , but they each live there for quite some time . This is one of the more interesting connections between the two because they efficaciously deal a home base planet despite Luke not growing up with Anakin . Moreover , while Luke technically grew up with his aunt and uncle , those definitions might be a bit of a stretchability .

Yes , Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen were Luke ’s relatives , as Owen ’s father had married Anakin ’s female parent . However , Anakin did n’t spring up up with or really bonk Owen , and it ’s extremely dubious he would have consider him a brother . Even so , this shared world is no doubt one of the many rhyme between Anakin and Luke ’s story . This bond is particularly meaningful because , whether Luke was cognisant of it or not , he develop up on the land where his paternal grandma was sink .

6Luke And Anakin Were Both Excellent Pilots

Luke Seems To Have Inherited His Incredible Piloting Skills From His Father

Both Luke and Anakin had incredible feats as pilots . InThe Phantom Menace , untested Anakin actually ensured his own exemption by winning a podrace . While this may not seem so remarkable on the surface , Anakin was the first man to ever complete — let alone bring home the bacon — a podrace because of the speed and danger the races require . Anakin live on to be , as Obi - Wan Kenobi say Luke inA New Hope,“The best headliner pilot light in the beetleweed . "

Luke , likewise , managed to pilot his X - wing successfully enough inA New Hopethat he was capable to destroy the Death Star . While he did have assistance from the Force , this nevertheless did require important aviate skills . This seraphic connection between father and son was highlighted in theObi - Wan Kenobishow when Obi - Wan spotted Luke atop the Lars ' home , pretending that he was flying a ship .

5Anakin And Luke Both Became Jedi Later In Life

The Jedi Were Concerned About Anakin’s Age, But Luke Became A Jedi Even Later

One of the largest headache the Jedi Council had about Anakin Skywalker inThe Phantom Menacewas his age . By 9 , Anakin had the time to develop attachment , which could risk touch sensation of reverence , jealousy , and anger . In light of that , the Jedi Council initially rejected him ; they only made an exception because of Qui - Gon Jinn ’s demise . Presumably , that was a gene in his fall after all , as those weakness were major contributors to Anakin ’s path to the dark side .

However , Luke was significantly older when he became a Jedi , and he did n’t suffer the same fate . InA New Hope , Luke was 19 twelvemonth old , much previous than any new Jedi had been in the prequel trilogy . While this raises interesting questions about what sort of impact historic period and affixation really do have , it is nevertheless a significant connection between Luke and Anakin . Both father and son were untraditional Jedi , at least in term of the prequel trilogy ’s Jedi Order . While their fates were different , their Jedi way of life were fascinatingly like in their complexness .

4Anakin And Luke Each Lost A Hand

Both Luke And Anakin Lost Their Hands In Battle

Luke and Anakin ’s lost hand line of latitude could confessedly be perceived as funny , and to some point they are , but they also mull over something much deep . In a sense , these loss are incredibly symbolic — Luke ’s in particular . For Anakin , his hand was misplace in a battle with Count Dooku inAttack of the Clones . Although he had yet to turn to the morose side , he had already carry out his terrible mass murder of the Tusken Raiders . With that horrible incident and this raw mechanical hand , he was one step closer to becoming Darth Vader .

With that ugly incident and this young mechanically skillful hand , he was one step closer to becoming Darth Vader .

Luke ’s hand has a very exchangeable symbolism , although with the added layer that this new hand was reminiscent of his father ’s . In fact , Luke even allow his heart linger upon Darth Vader ’s robotlike hand , apparently reflecting on the foreign bond he now had with his beginner . This moment was deepen by Luke ’s fear of becoming like his father , as well . Of naturally , perhaps the most obvious connector refer to their hands is the fact that Darth Vader took Luke ’s hand himself .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

3Palpatine Tempted Both Luke Skywalker And Anakin Skywalker With The Dark Side

Although Only Anakin Fell, Palpatine Wanted Anakin And Luke As His Sith Apprentice

Emperor Palpatine has proven himself clock time and again to be behind many of the dark side events inStar Wars , and that was certainly the case both when he tempted Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force and create Darth Vader and when he attempted to flex Luke . With Anakin , Palpatine was of course successful , although that was no doubtfulness in part due to Anakin ’s protract exposure to him . From the moment Anakin make it on Coruscant inThe Phantom Menace , Palpatine was plot his eventual fall .

Palpatine achieved this in a number of ways , most notably by confront himself as a reasonable , even comforting wise man to move opposite the Jedi ’s harsher , more shady perceptual experience of Anakin . With Luke , Palpatine just did n’t have that time ; Luke appeared before him first as an grownup . He also had at best brief encounter with Luke , rather than working alongside him for years as he had Anakin . Despite those divergence , and the very different issue , this is yet another pattern in Luke and Anakin ’s standardised stories .

2Obi-Wan Kenobi Was A Mentor To Both Luke And Anakin

Obi-Wan Trained Luke And Anakin In The Ways Of The Force

Although Obi - Wan Kenobi inarguably had more hands - on training meter with Anakin than he did with Luke , he had lasting impacts on both . For Anakin , Obi - Wan was both a founder and a brother figure , and he was his Jedi Master for near two X . The former skipper and apprentice certainly had a very complex relationship even before Anakin ’s betrayal and Vader ’s eventual execution of Obi - Wan . However , the essence Obi - Wan had on Anakin ’s life is undeniable .

For Luke , however , Obi - Wan was his very way into the path of a Jedi . Just as Obi - Wan and Yoda had hoped years before when they brood a plan to one day see the Jedi restoration , Luke accepted Obi - Wan ’s education on the Force and became a Jedi . Yes , his time with Obi - Wan was much briefer than his father ’s had been , but Luke and Anakin certainly shared a Jedi master in a meaningful way .

Anakin Skywalker from Attack of the Clones to the left and Luke Skywalker from A New Hope to the right in front of a purple background

Luke Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader