# So who is Anakin's father? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700 "2005-05-13T16:38:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/21 "2005-05-13T21:28:04Z")
While we’re looking locally, bear in mind that Jedi mind tricks don’t work on Watto, the flying, long-nosed, middle-eastern junkyard owner. I don’t know if him having Force resisitance is evidence of Force powers. Remember the fondness with which he welcomed Anakin when he returned in Episode 2. And as the slave owner he would be the male with the most access to Shmi. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/22 "2005-05-13T21:35:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Schmi didn’t say a word about midchlorians; that was in Qui-Gonn’s statement to the Council that “It’s possible the boy was conceived by the midichlorians”. And one presumes that Qui-Gonn knows what he’s talking about. I think midichlorians are just alien sperm. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/23 "2005-05-13T21:41:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I thought it was revealed that Schmi is a hermaphrodite and was Annakin’s father, but who his mother was is a mystery. > > Wait, that’s Cartman. Sorry. Who is Anakin’s Father? Is it…the 1979 denver Broncos, Officer Barbrady, Jimbo, Mr. Garrison, That little monkey guy who hangs out with Dr. Mesphio… ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/24 "2005-05-13T21:41:35Z")
Anakin’s real father was Harry Potter. That’s why J. K. Rowling is always telling her fans to not get all “Star Wars-y” in their discussions about what’s coming up next in the series. She’s trying to throw us off the scent. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/25 "2005-05-13T21:47:25Z")
No, the big twist is that Anakin’s Real Father is Jar Jar. That would damage me pretty badly, enough to push me over to the dark side. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/26 "2005-05-13T21:52:47Z")
No, no, no. Anakin’s real daddy is … Dargo. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/27 "2005-05-13T22:01:25Z")
My WAG - Palpatine. Lucas would probably think it’s clever and symmetrical with Luke and Anakin. And considering that in this vast galaxy, a long time ago, everyone keeps running into everyone over the generations, like some 3rd class soap opera, it wouldn’t be surprising at all. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/28 "2005-05-13T22:18:21Z")
No no no, Anakin’s real father must be… Luke. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/29 "2005-05-15T03:47:25Z")
I think Shmi met a horny Jedi at a Mos Eisley singles bar. _You want me to come back to your place._ I want you to come back to my place. _I don’t need to sheathe my meat saber in a light-condom because they don’t feel good._ You don’t need to sheathe your meat saber in a light-condom because they don’t feel good. _But if you get Aldeberanian-spacecrabs or knocked up, you won’t remember my name or this night and won’t sue for child support._ But if I get Aldeberanian-spacecrabs or knocked up, I won’t remember your name or this night and won’t sue for child support. _My name bitch do say…_ Your name bitch I… what? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/30 "2005-05-15T04:09:04Z")
> [@aaslatten](#): > > That’s what I got from it as well, but really, isn’t that a bit ridiculous. The big baddie from Star Wars is now a Christ figure? > [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > No, it just means ol’ George forgot how to write a good story. What it means is he stuck by his original idea to base the main thread of the story on myths and legends and fairy tales. Just like the Bible does. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/31 "2005-05-15T12:33:05Z")
> [@aaslatten](#): > > That’s what I got from it as well, but really, isn’t that a bit ridiculous. The big baddie from Star Wars is now a Christ figure? > [@GuanoLad](#): > > What it means is he stuck by his original idea to base the main thread of the story on myths and legends and fairy tales. Actually, I think it means that he did a 180-degree reversal on his original idea, and changed Darth Vader from the Main Bad Guy to the Protagonist of the series. A horrible idea from the start, which is why Eps 1 and 2 were bound to suck big-time. Milton could get away with making Satan a protagonist, and various writers have made Dracula out to be the poor mis-understood waif, but Lucas ain’t up to it. Coming next: Episode 0, where we learn that Palpatine was an abused child, and then we’ll add Episode 7 where Palpatine doesn’t really fall to his death but is caught on a ledge so that he can be sorry for all his past wickedness and die honorably and become the REAL protagonist of the tale. I personally like the idea that Luke’s sperm got shot through the force to impregnate Shmi, because I like the confrontation in EMPIRE STRIKES BACK REVISED AGAIN: Vader: “No, Luke, **I** am your father.” Luke: “No, Darth, I am **your** father.” Vader: “No, no, Luke, I am your father, don’t confuse the issue.” Luke: “It’s true, Darth, I am your father due to a wrinkle in the Force, so I am your farther father.” Vader: “This is CNN.” ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/32 "2005-05-15T14:52:37Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > Coming next: Episode 0, where we learn that Palpatine was an abused child, and then we’ll add Episode 7 where Palpatine doesn’t really fall to his death but is caught on a ledge so that he can be sorry for all his past wickedness and die honorably and become the REAL protagonist of the tale. **Episode 8** : Boba Fett emerges half-digested from the Sarlacc’s maw. Fanboys cheer wildly and say, “See, he **is** a badass! I told you so!” But it’s soon revealed that he didn’t actually fight his way out. The sarlacc spit him out because Boba was giving it indigestion. Before Boba Fett can repent of his villainous ways and become the REAL REAL protagonist, he is accidentally knocked into a grain thresher by a headless C3PO, whose noggin has again been knocked off in an unlikely series of events. Never fear, R2D2 has retrieved his head. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/33 "2005-05-15T15:11:24Z")
Dammit! I was going to open up this thread and say something about Episodes -3, -2, and -1, as part of a pre-trilogy. Let’s not put it past ol’ Georgie, because then he’s have a trilogy… of trilogies. The mind boggles. The wallet is floating. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/34 "2005-05-15T17:19:04Z")
Nono, a real trilogy of triologies, as one of Piers Anthony’s readers pointed out, is three cubed, or 27. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/35 "2005-05-15T19:10:14Z")
> [@dotchan](#): > > Nono, a real trilogy of triologies, as one of Piers Anthony’s readers pointed out, is three cubed, or 27. I think in the case of a Piers Anthony “trilogy”, it’s called a **triage**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/36 "2005-05-15T19:56:17Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > In my little corner of the world, Shmi’s “There is no father” line doesn’t mean that there wasn’t any father, just that there wasn’t any father worth mentioning. As in, either she was raped by a former owner and refuses to speak of him, or dad was a deadbeat and she’s better off without him and allows no mention of him in her life. To me, the line says, “I raised him, myself, and he’s my son. He doesn’t have a father.” Not that she just woke up one day magically pregnant. No, no, the music went all mystical and mysterious and dramatic right there. In case we’re too stupid to catch the wild metaphysical implications, they beat it into our heads using an orchestra. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/37 "2005-05-15T20:23:29Z")
> [@dotchan](#): > > Nono, a real trilogy of triologies, as one of Piers Anthony’s readers pointed out, is three cubed, or 27. > > :eek: No, if a trilogy is 3, then a trilogy of trilogies would be 9. 3 trilogies. However 27 _would_ be a trilogy of trilogy-trilogies. Like 3 of what I was talking about - 3 sets of 9. This is all from a mathematical standpoint. I don’t even know who Piers Anthony is. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/38 "2005-05-15T20:25:51Z")
Now, now… let’s not drag John Williams into this. Actual conversation heard during the recording sessions: Williams: Midichlorians? What is this, George? Is this the phantom menace? Lucas: No, no, they’re tiny cells that conceived Anakin in Schmi’s womb. Williams: What? Biology? But what about the Force? Lucas: Midichlorians add depth to the Force– Williams: Fool! You have ruined the entire run of my childhood with this chlorine crap! Lucas: John, you were 40! Williams: Shut up, bitch! Lucas: John, what are you doing? John, no! Williams: How do you like them batons up the ass? Now where’s my million dollars!? Lucas: Arrrrghhhh! Here! Williams: _throws musical score at him_ May the force be with you. _at orchestra_ Ok, from the top, guys! Kor-ah, Mah-tah, Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah! ☹ Ok, I’m sorry. And Anakin’s dad is the guy with the big foreheard on the Jedi Council. How do you like them foreheads? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/39 "2005-05-15T20:32:26Z")
The reason that Anakin is born from a virgin birth is that Lucas is making the Star Wars films fit into the Monomyth (the universal myth of the hero) in Joseph Campbell’s _The Hero with a Thousand Faces_. Lucas decided at some point that what he was doing in the Star Wars movies was following the mythic structure given in Campbell. It’s my contention that Lucas does better when he doesn’t try to follow Campbell’s schema. Among other things, Campbell’s theories never did make much sense. Campbell pulls little bits and pieces from many myths, legends, and stories which he assembles into a single structure and then claims that this is the “true structure” of many (all?) stories. (It’s not clear whether he’s trying to make a psychological claim or a metaphysical claim when he says that.) Lucas does better when he just assembles for himself the bits and pieces from all the stories that inspired him - _The Wizard of Oz_, _The Lord of the Rings_, the King Arthur legends, _The Chronicles of Prydain_, _The Searchers_, _The Triumph of the Will_, _The Dam Busters_, _The Hidden Fortress_, and many other things. It would have been better if Lucas had never heard of Campbell. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700/40 "2005-05-15T20:45:20Z")
> [@chaoticdonkey](#): > > This is all from a mathematical standpoint. I don’t even know who Piers Anthony is. [aside] He’s a Scifi/Fantasy author who doesn’t know when to end a series. [/aside] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-is-anakins-father/303700.md?page=3)