Skywalker is one of the most famous surnames in movie history. Even non-Star Warsfans know the name without watching a single minute of the franchise.The Skywalkers are prominent characters inEpisodes I - IX, which has been dubbed “the Skywalker Saga”. They possess a particularly strong connection with the Force; as Luke always reminds us, “The Force is strong with my family.” The Skywalkers play a major role in galactic events across generations, involved with both the creation and destruction of the Galactic Empire.
Their legendary stories go beyond Disney’s official canon.Star WarsLegends, an expanded universe that was deemed non-canonical once Disney took the reins, encompasses hundreds of books, graphic novels, spin-off films, and TV shows that introduce other members of the Skywalker family. Let’s take a look at the Skywalker family tree and trace their roots through the galaxy’s history.
Shmi Skywalker
Main Canon Character
In both canon and non-canon timelines,Shmi(Pernilla August) is the earliest known ancestor of the Skywalker family. A slave on Tatooine, she conceives a son, Anakin, through mysterious means. InEpisode I: The Phantom Menace,she hands her son over to Qui-Gon Jinn (Lian Neeson) to receive Jedi training and lead a better life. Who were her parents? What Skywalkers came before her? Maybe one day, Disney will come out with a story that delves more into her lineage.
Shimi is also important as she is the sole Skywalker, as her son Anakin Skywalker was an immaculate conception. InThe Phantom Menace,Qui-Gon asks Shmi about Anakin’s father after discovering the boy’s unusually high power and connection to the Force. “There was no father,” Shmi replies. “I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can’t explain what happened.”
It’s an answer that made mostStar Warsfans scratch their heads.It’s widely believedthat Anakin was conceived by midi-chlorine, microscopic and intelligent life forms that reside within all living things and interact with the Force. In other words, Shmi became pregnant through the will of the Force – so, in a way, the Force is like Anakin’s biological father.
Anakin Skywalker
Here he is. The man, the myth, the legend.Anakin Skywalkeris arguably the most iconic member of the Skywalker family. Born through the will of the Force, Anakin (Hayden Christensen) is a skilled Jedi Knight who possesses an immense power that would become the staple of his family. He’s regarded as the prophesied Chosen One, the figure who would restore balance to the Force, thoughsome fans debate if that’s really the case.
Fueled by arrogance and rage, Anakin is corrupted by the evil Darth Sidious, who leads him down the path to the Dark Side. He ceases to be Anakin and transforms into Darth Vader, the Emperor’s right-hand man and a primary antagonist in the Skywalker saga. He plays a prominent role in establishing the Galactic Empire and wiping out the Jedi Order. Anakin’s tragic fall is the backbone of the Skywalker saga and a legendary tale in theStar Warsmythos.
Padmé Amidala
Padmé Amidala(Natalie Portman)is a major character in theStar Warsprequel trilogy. She was the Queen of Naboo and later its senator. She’s a strong leader, a prominent figure in the Republic, and a vocal supporter of democracy. She falls in love with and marries Anakin Skywalker. Because of Anakin’s Jedi vows, the pair are forced to keep their relationship a secret.
Their tragic romance leads to Padmé’s untimely demise – though not before she births two very important members of the Skywalker family.
Lars Family
Cliegg, Owen, and Beru Lars - Main Canon Characters
A few years after Anakin left Tatooine, in betweenEpisodes IandII,Shmi was sold to Cliegg Lars where he freed her. The two fell in love and wound up marrying, which makes Cliegg the stepfather of Anakin. Clieg has only one biological son, Owen, who marries a woman named Beru. Although they’re minor characters and not blood-related, the Lars family becomes an important branch in the Skywalker family tree as Owen and Beru are left to care for Luke Skywalker by Obi-Wan Kenobi after Padme’s death at the hands of Anakin.
They defend Luke when the Sith Inquisitor Reva comes for Luke but are not so lucky when Stormtroopers come knocking at their door looking for R2D2 and C-3PO and are killed, and their bodies are left burned. It is their death that inspires Luke Skywalker to join Obi-Wan Kenobi on his journey.
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker(Mark Hamill) is another iconic member of the Skywalker family. If you grew up with the original trilogy, then Luke was the original Skywalker – and until that famous twist ending inThe Empire Strikes Back,he was the only Skywalker in the franchise.He’s the original hero ofStar Wars,who went from being a frustrated youth stuck on a desert planet to being one of the saviors of the galaxy. To protect him from the Empire, Luke was raised by Owen and Beru Lars on Anakin’s home planet of Tatooine. After their deaths, he joins Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) on a mission to save Princess Leia and becomes a key player in the rebellion against the Empire.
Luke follows in his father’s footsteps and becomes a powerful Jedi Knight. He helps to redeem his father, Darth Vader, and destroy the Empire. He eventually rebuilds the Jedi Order, but that is cut short by his own actions when through his hubris, bought into the mighty Skywalker bloodline and trains his nephew, Ben Solo, and out of fear for a brief moment, thinks of ending his nephew to save the galaxy. While it quickly passed, his nephew saw what his uncle thought of him and led Luke to exile himself on the island of Ach-To until the galaxy needed him once more.
Leia Organa
Leia Organa(Carrie Fisher) is one of two children born to Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, one half of a set of twins. to protect her from the Empire, she’s secretly adopted by the Organa family and is raised as a Princess of Alderaan. Armed with the fierceness of her father and the political savvy of her mother,Leia is a dominant figureand significant leader in the rebellion against the Empire.
She does exhibit strength with the Force, though she doesn’t fully explore that connection. She falls in love with the smuggler-turned-general, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), adding yet another important branch to the Skywalker family tree.
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Organa family
Bail and Breha Organa - Main Canon CharactersWinter Celchu - Legends Character
SenatorBail Organaand his wife, Queen Breha, adopted Leia Skywalker inEpisode III: Revenge of the Sithand bestowed her with the surname Organa. They raised and loved Leia like their own blood. Bail and Breha had no biological children of their own, though they did adopt another girl within theLegendsuniverse: Winter Celchu. Leia and Winter two grew up together on Alderaan and developed a sisterly bond. Both the Orgena’s meet their tragic end in A New Hope when the Death Star destroys their home planet of Alderaan.
Han Solo(arguably Harrison Ford’s most iconic role) is the bad boy ofStar Wars,everyone’s favorite stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf-herder. Han goes from a selfish loner (aside from his faithful companion Chewbacca) to a galactic hero after he agrees to smuggle Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to Alderaan. Their adventure introduces him to the Rebel Alliance, where he becomes a prominent figure – and also to Princess Leia. After a bit of will-they-or-won’t-they, Han and Leia fall in love and establish a new generation of Skywalkers.
Within Disney’s canon, Leia and Han have only one child:Ben Solo(Adam Driver). He is the last of the Skywalker bloodline. Like all Skywalkers, Ben possesses an affinity for the Force. He’s trained by his maternal uncle, Luke. But despite the Jedi’s best efforts,Ben is turned to the Dark Sidethrough the manipulation of Darth Sidious and Supreme Leader Snoke of the First Order.
He becomes Kylo Ren and tries to emulate his powerful grandfather, Darth Vader. He becomes one of the main antagonists of Disney’s sequel trilogy. Despite committing some truly wicked acts, Ben is full of inner conflict and struggles between the light and the dark sides of the Force.
Rey Skywalker
Rey (Daisy Ridley) is the heroine of the sequel trilogy. She’s a Force-sensitive human from a desert planet who gets involved with galactic affairs. She’s the granddaughter of Darth Sidious, though her lineage is a mystery for most of the series. She’s exceptionally strong with the Force, frightening even Luke with her immense power. He trains her in the ways of the Force, helping her to become the first Jedi of a new generation. She also develops a close bond with Leia and Han and a romantic relationship with Ben Solo, which inspires his return to the light.
At the end ofEpisode IX: The Rise of Skywalker,after finally ridding the galaxy of Darth Sidious, Rey denounces her bloodline and takes Skywalker as her new surname. She has rejected the Palpatine lineage and has chosen an identity of her own, one that means something to her. While the Skywalker bloodline might be over, the idea of them lives on. There is something rather nice knowing that a name does not need bloodline to continue on, but has a legacy that last far beyond that. Rey is now the face of the Skywalker family and will be the one who continues their family tree. Perhaps we’ll even see some of this inthe upcoming film that captures the next chapter of Rey’s story.
Other Solo children
Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin Solo - Legends Characters
For years, before Dinsey purchased Lucasfilm and decided to create a new set of adventures post-Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm publishing and video games crafted their own stories for what the story was after The Death Star II blew up. Worth noting is that this was never seen as canon even before Disney and George Lucas would make changes as he saw fit. So this was always all nebulous at best. Yet many other Skywalkers were introduced in this period of the franchise’s history that fans came to know and love.
In the sequel trilogy, Han and Leia only have one kid, Ben Solo who grows to become Kylo Ren. TheLegendsuniverse, however, tells a very different story. Han and Leia remain a happily married couple, stronger than ever, despite numerous challenges. They also have three children, none of whom are named Ben:Jaina,Jacen, andAnakin. Jaina becomes a Jedi Master. Her twin, Jacen, falls to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Caedus, a likely inspiration for Kylo Ren’s own story. Anakin also becomes a Jedi warrior – and tragically ends up sacrificing himself in order to save his loved ones.
Mara Jade Skywalker
Legends Character
The Last Jedishowed that Luke Skywalker did not have any children and never married, but in the original Legends timeline, that was a different story. Luke had his own family. He meetsMara Jade, a fierce, red-headed, Force-sensitive human. Sensing her potential, Darth Sidious took Jade from her parents and had her trained in the ways of the Force. She became an “Emperor’s Hand,” one of Palpatine’s personal assassins. After her master’s death, Mara vowed to exact revenge on Luke.
Mara and Luke are later forced to work together many times to survive. They develop respect for each other, and over time, that respect blossoms into feelings of love. Leave it to Luke Skywalker to bring his greatest enemies into the light. Unlike the Luke of Disney canon,LegendsLuke tosses his Jedi vows aside and marries her. She then becomes Mara Jade Skywalker. She becomes a Jedi Master herself and is a significant piece of Luke’s New Jedi Order, which he sadly failed to establish in the sequel trilogy.
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Ben Skywalker
Ben Skywalkeris the only child of Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker inStar Wars Legends,named after Luke’s former master, Ben Kenobi. He spent a portion of his life being raised by Han and Leia since Luke and Mara were active combatants in the Yuuzhan Vong War. Take one guess what Ben grows up to be. Yep, a Jedi Master. And how can he not? He’s the grandson of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and the son of Jedi legend Luke Skywalker.
Ben becomes a powerful Jedi in his own right and aids his father in battling the Sith, a far cry from the Ben we got in the sequel trilogy. He clearly has children since the Skywalker bloodline continues beyond Ben. What isn’t clear, though, is who birthed those children. Some fans like to believe that it’s Vestara, a Sith apprentice who converts to the light after forming a romantic relationship with Ben. Classic Skywalker. This means that the official canon of the Star Wars franchises merges elements from Luke and Leia’s children to make a new composite character. Ben Solo, aka Kylo Ren, has the name of Luke and Mara Jade’s kid from Legends but is the son of Leia and Han Solo.
Future Skywalker Generations
Kol, Cade, and Nat Skywalker - Legends Characters
The Skywalker family tree gets a little murky after Ben Skywalker. TheLegendsuniverse jumps ahead into the future, skipping over Ben’s children, and follows future descendants of the Skywalker family.
The Skywalker Saga is over, yet it will continue on in new films focused on Rey Skywalker. Yet while fans love the Skywalkers, hopefully, films likeThe Mandlaorian & Grogu, James Mangold’s first Jedi movie, andtelevision shows likeThe Acolyotewill move the franchise beyond the Skywalkers.
Stream allStar Warsfilms and television serieson Disney+.
Are you curious to see where each of the Skywalker Jedi ranks amongst the most powerful in the franchise? Check out our video to see how Anakin, Luke, and Rey stack up against Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Qui-Gon Jinn.
