10 Shocking Stories From The Star Wars Expanded Universe
4. Leia Couldn't Forgive Anakin
If theres one thing that Return Of The Jedi rushes past, its the sins of Anakin Skywalker. Yes, he sacrificed his life to save his son and the galaxy but that doesnt bring back the population of Alderaan that he was complicit in murdering, or the Younglings he personally slaughtered, or his Jedi peers who died thanks to Order 66, or Padme You get the picture. Kathy Tyers 1993 novel The Truce At Bakura dealt with Anakins conscience in an interesting way. As a Force ghost, he appears to Leia shortly after the events of the final film, and begs that she forgive him. But she cant. The Princess sends the former Sith Lord on his way and gets on with the task in hand (which happens to be overthrowing a planet still under Imperial rule). As Vader, Anakin tortured Leia and destroyed her home world. It makes sense that she wouldnt be able to let that lie. In The Force Awakens, itll be interesting to see how the shadow of Vader hangs over the Skywalker family. A lot of time has passed, but theyre still the children of a murderous despot, albeit one who turned his life around at the very last minute. That cant be good for your self confidence or reputation, can it?
