As one of the most enduringly popular and beloved franchises in the history of cinema, Star Wars has been the subject of many a fan theory over the years. Given the vast nature of the expanded universe that covers movies, TV shows, novels, comic books, video games and more, connections are constantly being made across the entire galaxy, and The Mandalorian continues to tie itself into the wider mythology 43 years after A New Hope was first released into theaters.

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Of course, one of the more popular lines of inquiry has focused on the parentage of Anakin Skywalker. The entire lineage of the family has been the driving force behind all three trilogies from the nine year-old kid we first meet in The Phantom Menace right through to the ultimate redemption of his number one fan and grandson Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker.

We were introduced to Anakin’s mother Shmi in The Phantom Menace, where she revealed to Qui-Gon Jinn that her son didn’t have a father. As well as hammering home the Chosen One’s Jesus metaphor, once Emperor Palpatine told the older version of the character the story of Darth Plagueis, fans began to wonder if Darth Sidious had harnessed that power and subtly revealed himself as Anakin’s father.

Well, The Star Wars Archives book confirms that this was indeed George Lucas’ original plan, but he ultimately decided against establishing it as official canon. It was going to be revealed, though, that by using the power of the Force to will Midi-chlorians into starting cell division inside Shmi’s womb, Palpatine would have been directly responsible for Anakin’s conception and birth, which is a very Prequel Trilogy explanation that thankfully wasn’t spelled out in great detail in the end.