1. Shmi Skywalker
Single-handedly, Shmi Skywalker shaped the history of the galaxy far, far away. I mean, the poor woman - none of it is really her fault. She gave birth to Anakin not out of choice, but because the midi-chlorians decided she would be an appropriate vessel for bearing the "Chosen One." Despite the confusion she must have felt, I think she handled it pretty well and raised her son as best she could. From the moment she gave birth to Anakin, she was the one human who had the most influence on him during his impressionable years. When Anakin was taken by Qui-Gon to be trained by Jedi, she assured him that she would see him again. This promise kept Anakin attached to her and the lingering attachment and love were the reasons why Anakin fell to the Dark Side. Anakin's bond to his mother led him to find her when she was taken by the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine, against the Jedi and Obi-Wan's rules. When she died in the camp, it led Anakin into a rage, where he massacred the whole Raider village, including the women and children. This was just a hint of what was to come with Order 66. The loss of his mother led him to a paranoid state of mind when he started having similar dreams that Padmé was going to die in childbirth. He was in the perfect spot to be manipulated by Darth Sidious/Palpatine. Never wanting to feel a loss like he had experienced with this mother again, Anakin desperately turned to the Dark Side to try to save Padmé. And we all know what happened once he turned to the Dark Side: Darth Vader was born, the Jedi were slaughtered, the government was overthrown, and a reign of tyranny was born. I'm sure Shmi did not mean for any of this to happen to the galaxy and I'm also sure that she did not raise her son to live the life that Anakin ended up living. But her influence and guarantee that they would see each other again, caused him to be attached to a memory that he should have let go of in order to be part of the Jedi Order. For a smaller part in the saga, she lands the top spot as an underrated character since she unintentionally influenced the entire story of Star Wars.
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