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‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ News: Hayden Christensen To Return As Anakin?

By Nick Younker
Published on: 12:41 PST, Feb 5, 2017

Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been the hot button topic of discussion on social media for a few weeks now since the producers for the film have announced the Episode VIII official title, or slug line you might say. All of the Star Wars films have their own episode number and title, which helps fans to reference the right film in the right trilogy. That includes the original trilogy, the prequels, and the modern sequels.

But one of the biggest topics of discussion has been whether or not the “Force Ghosts” will be returning in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It certainly seems likely, given that a Force Ghost is only known to and inherent by other Jedi’s, which could be Rey or Finn – or both.

According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, the Force Ghosts have been confirmed for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which should come as no surprise to anyone. But it would be hard to digitally insert the likeness of Alec Guinness into the film, although not impossible.

But he is not the only one famous for being a Force Ghost on a Star Wars film. As fans of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi have seen, Hayden Christensen replaced the old actor from the original film as the Force Ghost of Anakin Skywalker alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. The three Jedi have long been the main driving force for the apparitions in the Star Wars films and have long been the standard for which fans judge the effect of the scenes.

With that being said, the presence of Anakin Skywalker on Star Wars: The Last Jedi just goes to show you that producers for the film have a few tricks up their sleeve and it may not be what Star Wars fans expect.

Here is one good example of why the presence of Hayden Christensen as the Force Ghost of Anakin Skywalker might not be what you think it is. For starters, Jedi are not the only ones that use the force. Those on the darkside, classically known as the Sith, use it as well. So if that were the case, then wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that Kylo Ren could also see the Force Ghosts?

What’s even more telling is that in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) has a small presence in the film where Kylo Ren shows him respect as a Sith Lord. Although the image is simply Vader’s burnt helmet, it is still the powerful dark presence of the former Sith Lord that reverberates throughout the scene.

So if Hayden Christensen were to appear in Star Wars: The Last Jedi as Anakin Skywalker, would he be doing so as a guide for Rey or Finn, or would he be there as a cautionary tale for Kylo Ren? It could also be foreshadowing the possibility that Luke Skywalker might be trying to do something in Star Wars: The Last Jedi that he could not do in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, which is to return someone from his family back to the Jedi force and destroy the dark side of the force without that person dying.

Fans should remember that even though Luke did redeem his father, Anakin Skywalker, at the end of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, he was not able to do so without him dying. But if Luke and Force Ghost Anakin were to team up on Kylo Ren, he could be saved before the end of the second movie in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. That could also make for a very interesting final chapter in the trilogy.

[Featured Image by Lucasfilm/Disney]

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