A newly released book titled Star Wars: Timelines explores the many events of the massively popular franchise, including everything that’s ever happened to Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader).
The Chosen One has been through a great deal. While he started out as an innocent child, he grew to become a fierce Jedi Knight and then fell to the depths of being a Sith Lord.
For those looking to be refreshed on the details of Anakin’s eventful life, here’s a concise list of some of the most important happenings in the former Jedi’s busy life.
Anakin Skywalker & Darth Vader Timeline
Anakin Skywalker Is Born - 41 BBY
Miraculously, Anakin Skywalker is born to Shmi Skywalker, though without a father.
It’s believed that his supernatural birth is proof he’s truly the prophesied ‘Chosen One’.
Podracing Champion - 32 BBY
Anakin took part in a Podracing event in order to get a new hyperdrive for Queen Amidala’s ship.
He managed to not only win the event but also get his freedom, thanks to Qui-Gon Jinn.
Taking on the Separatists and Becoming a Padawan - 32 BBY
During the Battle of Naboo, Anakin accidentally destroyed the Federation Droid Control Ship. This is the winning move for the planet against its droid attackers.
Darth Maul kills Qui-Gon Jinn, and Obi-Wan Kenobi takes in Anakin as his apprentice.
Falling For Padme Amidala - 22 BBY
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi thwart an assassination attempt on Padme Amidala’s life.
The two are then assigned to protect her. However, the unexpected happened: Anakin quickly fell in love with the Senator.
Fueling The Dark Side - 22 BBY
After seeing disturbing visions of his mother, who was enslaved by Tusken Raiders, Anakin returned to Tatooine.
He found his mother, who died in his arms shortly after the two were reunited. In revenge, Anakin slaughtered every single Tusken in the camp, which included both women and children.
The Clone Wars Begins - 22 BBY
A battle on Geonosis marked the start of the Clone Wars. Anakin took part in the conflict alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala.
In a duel against Count Dooku, Anakin is seriously wounded, losing his arm as a result. Master Yoda saved both Obi-Wan and Anakin.
A Secret Wedding - 22 BBY
Not long after the Battle of Geonosis, Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala are secretly married on Naboo.
R2-D2 and C-3PO had the privilege of attending.
Rescuing Obi-Wan Kenobi - 22 BBY
After Obi-Wan Kenobi is captured on Cato Neimoidia and accused of being a Republic assassin, Anakin must quickly race to save his master from being sentenced to death.
Ahsoka Tano Gets Assigned - 22 BBY
Not long after Anakin Skywalker becomes a Jedi Knight, he is assigned a padawan: Ahsoka Tano.
While he’s averse to the idea at first, the two quickly start to gel together, proving to be one of the Jedi Order’s strongest duos.
Padawan Lost - 19 BBY
Anakin’s padawan, Ahsoka Tano, is framed for murder and swiftly expelled from the Jedi Order.
While Anakin helped to clear her name, when offered the chance to rejoin the Order, Ahsoka refused—a decision that devastated her master.
A Mission Alongside Thrawn - 19 BBY
After Padme’s ship is found abandoned on Batuu, Anakin Skywalker besets on a mission to find out what happened to her.
On his way there, he runs into Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet officer Thrawn. The two work together to uncover the mystery of her appearance while also stumbling into secret Separatist plans.
Padme’s Pregnancy - 19 BBY
Padme told Anakin for the first time that she is pregnant.
While the Jedi Knight is excited at first, he then begins to have dreams of Padme dying during childbirth.
Betraying the Jedi Order - 19 BBY
Thanks to subtle coaching over the years from Chancellor Palpatine, and Anakin’s current fears at the time, the future Emperor takes advantage of the Chosen One. He told Anakin stories of Darth Plagueis, a Sith Lord who was able to use the Force to create life and save people from dying.
With further manipulation, Anakin finally snaps and is fully embraced by the dark side. He then leads an assault on the Jedi Temple as Emperor Palpatine calls for Order 66.
The High Ground - 19 BBY
Shortly after killing the Separatist leadership on Mustafar, Anakin came face-to-face with Obi-Wan Kenobi. The two had an intense duel, but Kenobi gets the high ground, giving the Jedi Master a concise win—one that severely maims Anakin Skywalker.
Padme gave birth to two children, though, as Anakin’s dreams foretold, she doesn’t live past childbirth.
Darth Vader - 19 BBY
Emperor Palpatine found Anakin’s dismembered body on Mustafar. He took his remains and saved his life, crafting a suit of armor to help maintain the former Jedi’s health.
It’s at this point that Anakin truly became the infamous Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Vader Finds Ahsoka’s Clone Memorial - 17 BBY
Darth Vader discovers the crash site of an old Republic cruiser. At the location, there are dozens of spikes with clone helmets on them in remembrance.
On the ground in front of it all, Vader found Ahsoka Tano’s rusted lightsabers. The Sith Lord took this to mean that his former padawan was no more.
Mustafar Established - 14 BBY
Darth Vader established Mustafar as his home base. The planet is rumored to hold the key to eternal life, something Vader is hoping to utilize to revive his late wife, Padme Amidala.
Fortress Vader was built on top of a former Sith temple.
Attack on Fortress Vader - 12 BBY
An army of Mustafarians led an attack on Fortress Vader after Darth Vader caused the planet to scream as he built his new castle.
The locals proved to be quite formidable opponents, driving Vader close to defeat. The entire Fortress Vader Imperial garrison was even wiped out. After using the energies of the dark side housed under his new fortress, the Sith Lord destroyed the rest of the army.
Running Into Obi-Wan And Thwarting Reva - 9 BBY
Vader encountered Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time since Mustufar on the planet Mapuzo.
Around the same time, Vader learns that Reva, one of his Inquisitors, is looking to assassinate him in revenge for slaughtering her fellow younglings during Order 66. While her attempt was unsuccessful, Vader felt she wasn’t worth the effort to kill.
Not long after that, Vader and Obi-Wan have a fateful duel on a barren moon. Vader is defeated, with half of his mask badly damaged.
Fighting Ahsoka Tano - 3 BBY
Not long after running into Jedis Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger, Darth Vader learned that Ahsoka Tano was alive.
The two eventually come face-to-face on Malachor, where Vader believed himself to have defeated her. He doesn’t realize that thanks to Ezra and The World Between Worlds, Ahsoka still lived.
Searching for the Grysks - 2 BBY
Emperor Palpatine sent Thrawn and Darth Vader on a mission to investigate a disturbance in the force.
The two ended up stumbling into the Grysk, a highly dangerous race local to the unknown regions that could prove to be a great threat to both the Chiss and the Empire.
Killing Obi-Wan Kenobi - 0
After the Death Star tractor beamed in the Millennium Falcon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker get stranded in Imperial territory. It’s here where the group first met Leia Organa.
In order to escape the Death Star, Obi-Wan fought Darth Vader in a duel to give everyone the extra time needed to make it out alive. Vader struck down Kenobi, who became one with the force.
Not long after, Vader unsuccessfully defended the Death Star from the Rebels. After its destruction, the Sith Lord hired Boba Fett to identify the person who fired the destructive shot.
The answer wassn’t what he expected: Luke Skywalker, his own son.
Trapping Luke Skywalker - 3 ABY
Darth Vader set a trap for Luke Skywalker in Cloud City, one the Jedi-to-be swiftly ran into.
The Sith Lord unsuccessfully tried to sway his son to the dark side of the force, but Luke’s resilience was stronger than anticipated. Vader took the moment to inform the young hero of his parentage, something the Rebel wasn’t all too pleased to hear.
Then, as if to carry on the family tradition, Vader sliced off Luke’s arm—though, Skywalker still escaped in the end.
Darth Vader Redeemed - 4 ABY
Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker have their final duel aboard the Death Star II. This time around, Luke defeated the Sith Lord, who just found out that Leia Organa was his daughter.
Luke refused to kill Vader, which Emperor Palpatine did not like. The Sith started to fry Luke with force lightning, but Vader betrayed his former master, throwing him down the reactor shaft.
While the former villain became somewhat redeemed, he was mortally wounded. While he got one more small moment with his son, Anakin Skywalker quickly became one with the force.
Anakin Skywalker, the Fallen Hero
While Anakin Skywalker might be dead, his time in the Star Wars universe isn’t over just yet. In fact, fans already know where they’ll see him next.
It’s been confirmed for a while now that Hayden Christensen’s character will be returning in some fashion to Ahsoka. It’s unclear how this would be handled, but fans should probably expect a combination of force ghost shenanigans and flashbacks.
His Darth Vader persona could easily pop up again if Lucasfilm decided to make a second season for Obi-Wan Kenobi. While the first run of episodes wasn’t as loved as the company probably hoped for, it’s hard to imagine fans ever not wanting to see more of the terrifying Sith Lord.
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