The Star Wars prequel trilogy was filled with unforgettable moments and performances -- not always for the right reasons. After 16 years, actor Hayden Christensen, who memorably played Anakin Skywalker throughout the prequel films, will return to the franchise in Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka series. But now, it remains to be seen if these shows are able to do Anakin justice and redeem Christensen's portrayal.
Over time, it has generally become clear that a lot of the issues with Anakin were in large part due to George Lucas' writing. The dialogue and some of Lucas' other creative decisions were to blame for a lot of the unintentionally hilarious or awkward moments that riddled the trilogy, but that fact didn't do much for Christensen, who had to somehow make those lines and moments work. And Star Wars is in different hands now, which gives the actor a second chance to bring the role to life.
This isn't necessarily much of a defense for some of the actor's choices throughout Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith. The second film in the prequel trilogy saw Christensen play a teenage Anakin like a sociopathic creep, rather than Padmé Amidala's Jedi protector. And maybe part of it was necessary. After all, the point of those films wasn't that Anakin was a good person before Emperor Palpatine corrupted him, it was that he had always been troubled and held back by fear, anger and suffering. Again, aside from some of Anakin's interactions with Padmé, Christensen was able to bring a level of sincerity to the role. Anakin was flawed but only as much as most humans are.
Somewhere beneath Lucas' writing and dialogue, there was a powerful arc. That is why it is so important and so exciting that Christensen is getting a second chance at the role, now that enough time has passed for everyone to grow familiar with what that role was meant to be, including Christensen himself.
Anakin was forced into slavery on Tatooine, forced to leave his mother behind at a young age and only got to see her again moments before she died. That was after trying to rescue her from the Tusken Raiders. Thanks to Emperor Palpatine and the visions of Padmé's death he inflicted, Anakin was desperate and fearful of losing both the love of his life and his unborn child (twins, unbeknownst to him). His fall to the Dark Side was understandable the entire time and might have felt more relatable if the dialogue was better and Christensen was given more direction, especially in Attack of the Clones.
Thankfully for Anakin, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels expanded on his character greatly, making his transformation that much more complex and some of his actions that much more justified. The Clone Wars showed that he constantly violated the Jedi code but always to protect those he cared about, such as his Padawan, Ahsoka. That is the Anakin that many across the fanbase have come to know over the past 16 years, and the one Christensen will be taking on when he appears in Ahsoka and Obi-Wan.
With Disney, while the sequel films have had a mixed response from fans, Disney+'s The Mandalorian was met with virtually universal acclaim. More of that appears to be on the way with The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. With two darker series instead of a relatively light-hearted film, the franchise could redeem the live-action adaptation of Anakin.
If Christensen is able to bring back the same emotionality to what will likely be a slightly darker take on the character, free from the stilted, awkward dialogue of the prequel films, he could redeem himself completely in the eyes of the fans. And that would make his reunion with his former Padawan Ahsoka, as well as his rematch with Obi-Wan Kenobi, that much more powerful.
To see Anakin's return to Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka will both stream on Disney+.
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