The Prophecy Of The Chosen One In 'Star Wars' Explained
The prophecy of the ‘Chosen One” is the key component of the Star Wars saga, and more specifically, the prequel trilogy. The ancient prophecy, made by an ancient Jedi mystic, was interpreted to state that the Chosen One would restore balance to the force by destroying the Sith. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon identifies Anakin as the Chosen One through his unprecedented midi-chlorian count and subsequently displayed inherent strength in the Force. But given the original trilogy and sequel trilogy, is Anakin still viewed as the Chosen One, given his fall to the darkness and Rey’s later ascendance to eliminate the remaining Sith?
Initially, Anakin’s birth and discovery set him on the path to be the Chosen One for the Jedi. His mother Shmi told Qui-Gon that Anakin was conceived without a father. This immaculate conception, followed by Anakin’s midi-chlorian count, and podracing and starfighter successes in The Phantom Menace, highlight how ideally he fits into the prophecy.
Furthermore, The Clone Wars episode “Overlords” focuses on this when Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan are sent to Crelythiumn to respond to a distress call. There, the Father maintains the balance in the Force between the Daughter’s light side strength in the Force and the Son’s dark side strength in the Force. Knowing his days are numbered, the Father tests Anakin, and upon success hopes to make Anakin his successor. But Anakin, in the end, refuses, and returns to his duties as a Jedi.
But, given Anakin’s fall to the dark side and the later ascendance of Luke and Rey, does that mean that, as Yoda says, “a prophecy misread could have been?"
Let’s first look at Luke. He is Force-sensitive, and some believe that this is likely due to him being fathered by the Force-sensitive Anakin. Luke did display admiral light side actions by destroying the Death Star and defeating Emperor Palpatine. But in looking closer at his actions in Return of the Jedi, did Luke defeat Palpatine? In the end, Palpatine was thrown to his death by Anakin/Darth Vader, not Luke. Luke had indeed encouraged Darth Vader to return to the light side, but the killing blow was provided by Darth Vader in a form of redemption. This would further suggest that he would be the one fulfilling the prophecy by restoring the balance to the force by destroying the Sith.
One could also look at Rey as “the Chosen One.” Initially, in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, her birth was unknown and didn’t explain her Force powers. But in Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, we learn that she is Palpatine’s granddaughter. This parentage reveal suggests that her Force power is derived from her lineage. Additionally, her defeat of Palpatine is aided by Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, who is also the grandson of Anakin Skywalker.
These all point to Anakin as being the Chosen One and the real catalyst to the downfall of the Sith. Even though Anakin did fall to the dark side and join the Sith for a long period of time, his birth, power, and actions are a critical element in shaping the galaxy. In spite of his maiming and defeat by Obi-Wan Kenobi at Mustafar, in the end, he did defeat the Sith in Return of the Jedi by tossing Palpatine into the Second Death Star’s reactor. He also is the father and grandfather to Luke and Ben Solo, respectively, who were also instrumental in destroying the Sith.
Furthermore, the 2019 novel Master & Apprentice revealed that the prophecy was as follows:
"Only through sacrifice of many Jedi will the Order cleanse the sin done to the nameless.
The danger of the past is not past, but sleeps in an egg. When the egg cracks, it will threaten the galaxy entire.
When the Force itself sickens, past and future must split and combine.
A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored."
In the end, Anakin did defeat the Sith, as the prophecy foretold. His path was not obvious or direct, but his impact shaped the galaxy for the better in the end and fulfilled the prophecy.
Source(s): Wookieepedia