The newest Star Wars TV show revealed the one thing Anakin Skywalker hates more than sand. One of the most infamous moments in Star Wars history came in 2002's Attack of the Clones, as Hayden Christensen's iconic Jedi explained to Natalie Portman's Padmé Amidala how much he hates sand. The famous Tatooine native (a planet known for being entirely sand-covered), told the female senator from Naboo, "I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere," producing one of the most iconic lines of the entire franchise.
The latest Star Wars streaming show, LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past, revealed that there is actually one thing Anakin hates more than sand, however, in a clever tongue-in-cheek reference to the character's Episode II line.
In Pieces of the Past Episode 4 (aptly subtitled "Part 4"), the alternate reality Jedi Vader explains that yes, sand is the worst, but even higher on his list of pet peeves is...regret.
In an epic plea to his former lover, Pirate Padmé, the white-masked Anakin tells the mother of his children, "I'm sorry," adding that there is "one thing rougher [in the galaxy] than sand. Regret:"
"Padmé, I want to say I'm sorry. You know the thing I hate most in this galaxy is sand. But there is one thing rougher than sand. Regret. And I've been living with regret for a long time."
Seeing that Anakin in this galaxy has changed for the better, Padmé accepts this moment as an apology and agrees to bring the Skywalker family together once again.
This touching moment concludes with Leia and Luke joining the pair for a full Skywalker family hug, marking the first time the Skywalkers have appeared together on-screen.
The sand mention is one of many clever Easter eggs hidden in the brick-based Star Wars adventure, including Darth Maul singing to the tune of "Duel of the Fates," a water-covered Tatooine, and the debut of the oft-memed Sith master Jar-Jar Binks.
Anakin Skywalker returns in the new series after appearing in its first season in 2024. This other-worldly version of the iconic Jedi is one who never broke bad and wears a white set of Darth Vader.
He joins forces with Rebuild the Galaxy, Sig Greebling (played by Stranger Things' Gaten Matarazzo), on his quest to maintain the integrity of the series' central mismatched Star Wars galaxy.
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past is now streaming on Disney+. This four-part animated series follows a young hero, Sig Greebling, as he contends with the villainous Solitus (a threat from another world who plans to tear apart the very fabric of the Star Wars galaxy).
Gaten Matarazzo leads the series, joined by the likes of Tony Revolori, Bobby Moynihan, Mark Hamill, and Ahmed Best.
What's Next For Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars Galaxy?
Even though LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past is technically not canon, it would not be surprising if the prime canon Anakin Skywalker also hates regret a bit more than sand.
The character has plenty to regret, with his feeling of 'what could have been' being one of the driving forces of his evil pursuits as the Sith Lord Darth Vader in his later years.
Luckily, since Vader's demise in Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi, fans have seen the character reconcile with that in several projects.
Hayden Christensen's fan-favorite Jedi is seemingly set to address this looming regret even further in another upcoming Star Wars project, this time doing it firmly set within the Lucasian canon.
Anakin has been confirmed to appear in the upcoming Ahsoka Season 2, which will debut on Disney+. The Jedi master cameoed in the first season of the hit Star Wars streaming show, confronting an adult Ahsoka Tano (aka his former padawan learner that he abandoned during the events of Revenge of the Sith).
Season 2 is said to include even more Clone Wars flashbacks (perhaps via the multiversal World Between Worlds), allowing the character to explore further the regret he feels about how he handled his time with Ahsoka during the Clone Wars and several other aspects of his life.
Yes, this regret line was included as a joke in an out-of-canon LEGO Star Wars show, but it was firmly rooted in a tragic reality for the mainline canon version of the Anakin character.
