Anakin Skywalker

Daily writing prompt

Emperor Palpatine has announced open elections for a new Emperor — and he’s nominated Darth Vader. You get to nominate one challenger.

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So, isn’t Anakin Skywalker the same person as Darth Vader? Yes and no. He is the same person, but at the close of The Empire Strikes Back, he had a dramatic conversion from the dark side. You didn’t see much of his good side because he died immediately after. And in later prequels, you’d see him in earlier years. He seemed fine as a child, but you saw how he was lured over to the dark side.

So, I could choose several characters as a new Emperor, but it was such a joy to see such an iconic evil person change that I’d like to see him as emperor – the good version of him.

When I think of notable evil characters in real life, I’d love to see more of them change. You do get changes sometimes, but it can be a little ambiguous. When I asked Microsoft Copilot if any nasty leaders became good over the last 100 years, it said “If by “becoming good” we mean genuinely moral, democratic, and accountable, the answer is almost never. Yet in Ireland, I’ve met people who were engaged in terrorism in both the loyalist and republican side who repented and became Christians. That meant a lot to me. And many laid down their arms even if they didn’t have spiritual conversions. I hope and pray that we’ll see more positive change throughout the world.

In spiritual terms, I think of the Apostle Paul, who was called Saul of Tarsus before his conversion. To the early church, he was similar to Darth Vader. He had some involvement in the murder of Stephen, the first Christian martyr and he later spoke of his involvement in the persecution of others:

Acts 22:4
⁴ I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,

Acts 26:10
¹⁰ And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

Acts 9:1-4
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

And he went on to become the Apostle Paul, probably the most influential of all the apostles. Not everyone has such a dramatic “Damascus road” conversion. And it could well be that it wasn’t as sudden as we think. Saul was deeply religious. He thought that he was serving God by persecuting Christians. But as soon as He discovered God’s true will, he instantly responded to the instructions of Jesus.

And all of us are sinful, so there’s an element of Darth Vader in all of us. And we needn’t wait until we’re near death to go over to the good side.

Here are a few hymns about conversions:

People don’t instantly become perfect when they commit their lives to Christ. For many, it’s “two steps forward and one step back”, particularly celebrities who often need to cope with pressures and temptations that we ordinary folk know little of. But the crucial thing is to become a disciple of Christ, a learner. All the apostles let Jesus down when he died on the cross. They deserted him and Peter, the most zealous, denied him three times. Yet, knowing this, Jesus assured them that he was going to prepare a place in heaven for them. For all their flaws, they belonged to Him:

John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 

And, of course, within weeks they were back announcing the news of the resurrection, and they were happy to live and die for Him.

Ultimately, it won’t be Anakin or any fantasy character ruling. It’ll be Jesus ruling the new heaven and new earth. and his reign has already begun. But how many recognize his kingship?