Star Wars Fan Theory Reveals the Real Person Behind the Death of Anakin’s Mother

Palpatine has always been a manipulator. In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, fans learn that it was the Emperor who had set up Kylo Ren's (Adam Driver) turn to the Dark Side. Palpatine had inadvertently created Rey (Daisy Ridley). He was also behind the rise of the First Order, one of his contingency plans before the fall of the Empire.

Even in the prequels it was clear that Palpatine was pulling the strings behind so many things. The transformation of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to Darth Vader had all been Palpatine's doing. Star Wars comics even revealed that Shmi's seemingly immaculate birth to Anakin Skywalker had actually been the result of Palpatine's manipulation of the Force inside her body.

Now, a new fan theory on r/FanTheories puts the blame on another major episode in the life of Anakin Skywalker – the death of his mother.

According to the fan theory, Palpatine had framed the Tuskan Raiders for killing Shmi, manipulating them so that this would drive Anakin down the path of the Dark Side.

"Palpatine was playing Anakin like a fiddle the whole time, and this was a huge step in his journey towards the dark side," Star Wars fan steinrikur explained in his post, "It is inconceivable that it was just a coincidence that his mother was killed in such a way by the Sand people. My theory is that he either staged the attack and delivered Shmi to the sand people to torture, or he bribed/tricked/persuaded them to attack the farm and kidnap the woman."

Knowing how manipulative Palpatine is, it wouldn't be a surprise to hear that the Emperor was actually behind the death of Shmi. Anakin needed a little nudge down the dark side, and what else would drive the Jedi towards the path of anger and hatred than the death of his mother?

What do you think of this Star Wars theory? Let us know in the comment section below.

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