A new book titled From A Certain Point of View: Return Of The Jedi will explain what exactly happened in the final moments of Anakin Skywalker’s life after he saved Luke, and threw Sidious to his death, before succumbing to his own injuries. Like the previous versions, covering events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, this book will contain 40 stories set during the events of The Return Of The Jedi, told from the perspectives of various characters.
Anakin was redeemed and Darth Vader ceased to exist the moment he took decisive action to save Luke from being killed via a force lightening attack from Palpatine. The memorable turning point came in Return of The Jedi, and Vader’s suit was at that point the only thing keeping him alive after burns destroyed his lungs at the end of his duel with Obi Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith. The force lightening did the rest, as Vader’s breathing apparatus was literally fried.
As a final wish, he asked Luke to remove his helmet so he could see him with his own eyes. This only sped up his own demise, and he passed away, albeit peacefully right after he saw Luke. Later on in the film, everyone got to see Anakin in his Episode III appearance, wearing a lighter colored Jedi robe and standing with Obi Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda. This is one of the most satisfying endings of any Star Wars films as beloved Master Kenobi and his friend and brother Anakin Skywalker reunited in the afterlife. Now, thanks to Mike Chen’s story about Anakin, covering events of Return of The Jedi, fans will likely find out what Anakin’s final moments were like and how exactly he managed to become a force ghost, despite never learning how to.
In comparison, Qui Gon Jinn acquired this knowledge and passed it onto his own apprentice, Obi Wan. Could Obi Wan have passed it onto Anakin in his last moments, or did Anakin manage to retain his consciousness because of other reasons? It could be because he was The Chosen One, or it could be because Obi Wan had one final lesson to give his apprentice, after which the two could reunite on the other side. Another great thing would be to be able to read about their reunion as brothers in the force because it has the potential to be a tearjerker.
From A Certain Point Of View: Return of the Jedi is releasing as part of celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the film, and similar anthology books were released on the 40th anniversaries of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back as well. It will released on September 5th, 2023 and it is available for pre-ordering now.