Star Wars Fan Theory Reveals the One Person Who Could Save Anakin Skywalker

There are a lot of questions surrounding the latest entry in Lucasfilm’s epic saga, with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker finally capping off the long-running series. But while fans might be wondering about the influences of Emperor Palpatine and Supreme Leader Snoke on the latest battle between Light and Dark, the balance of the Force might have been decided long ago. Fans witnessed Anakin Skywalker’s rise and Darth Vader‘s fall in the Star Wars prequels, seeing how the supposed Chosen One would eventually turn on everything he knew and embrace the teachings of the Sith.

And while he ended up turning on his master and saving Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, a new fan theory suggests that there was only ever one person who could have stopped him from straying toward evil: Qui-Gon Jinn.

The new theory suggests that Qui-Gon understood the necessity of balance, somewhat countering the dogmatic views of the Jedi Order in the years before their destruction at the hands of Darth Sidious. Check out the theory below:

Qui-Gon has long been held in high regard among die-hard Star Wars fans, especially after his role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Despite dying at the end of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon was portrayed as one of the first Force users to understand how all life flows through the mystical construct, using that to his advantage to come back from death and guide Yoda to do the same.

But Qui-Gon is also shown to be slightly disobedient to the Jedi code during his time in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, arguing against the wishes of the council to train the boy himself while Obi-Wan Kenobi, his main Padawan, makes the leap to be a Jedi Knight.

Of course, like many theories, this one dwells too much in events that were not shown in the films or in the books, but instead could rest between the lines in order to bridge gaps in continuity. That’s a slippery slope, because it can end up taking away from the narrative that the storytellers intended.

That said, it’s still fun to imagine a Star Wars galaxy where Qui-Gon survived, and how that might have impacted the outcome of the war with the Trade Federation, Order 66, the creation of Darth Vader, and the rise of the Empire.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres in theaters on December 20th.