Star Wars theory reveals 1 tragic reason Anakin is more than the Chosen One

Chosen One stories seem to be everywhere, from Harry Potter to ancient myth. The most archetypal examples come from the Star Wars universe, where each trilogy's hero is plucked from obscurity and given massive responsibility. It's only in the prequel trilogy, however, that the hero is explicitly labeled as "The Chosen One." Yoda and Mace Windu frequently debate whether the young Anakin can really be the one fated to bring balance to the Force. A compelling new theory argues that while he may be the Chosen One, that wasn't his main focus in life.

Redditor MajorBlackie Anakin's arc has more to do with his traumatic past as a slave than his struggle to live up to the "Chosen One" mantle. When Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encounter the boy, he doesn't aspire to be a Jedi like them. Instead, he wants to get away from Tatooine, whether it be as a smuggler or as a soldier.

Then he's taken under the Jedi Council's wing. Between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, he becomes more indoctrinated with their values, devout in the ways of the Force, and seems to be on the perfect track towards becoming what everyone wants him to be: the fabled hero who will bring balance.

In Attack of the Clones, an adolescent Anakin is confronted by his past quite literally in the form of Padme, who in a way represents his salvation. As he falls for her, he's reminded of his journey, and his childhood fantasy of freeing all the slaves. He finds that at odds with his role of upholding order in the universe as part of a religious oligarchy.

The culmination of Anakin's arc, Revenge of the Sith, ostensibly focuses on his turn to the Dark Side. But even that is tinged throughout with his own search for freedom. He rejects his masters in the Jedi Council and becomes a Sith Lord, only to be at the mercy of another master.

In the original trilogy, Anakin sees his children grow up to be rebels rejecting hierarchy. They accomplish what he wanted to do his entire life, inspiring his final — and first — act of true freedom: turning against Palpatine and truly rejecting all forms of power from those above him, providing an example for his son an daughter.

The Inverse Analysis — Whether or not Anakin is even the Chosen One is still very debatable. Even if he isn't, thinking of how his childhood in slavery affected his entire life adds a whole new perspective to the character. Through this lens, both his cruelty and his desire to forge his own destiny in life seem like parts of the same whole, rather than contradictory elements of his personality.