It is said by Yoda that the Force runs strong in the Skywalker family; Luke had it, Leia had it and their father Anakin had it. But we do not see any sign that Shmi (Anakin's mother) had the Force whatsoever. If Anakin's birth really was the result of a random convergence then why would the Force collect around a woman with little to no Force sensitivity? I believe it is far more practical that the Force was directed to her by a specific person, or at the very least a man, strong in the Force, caused Shmi to forget a one time sexual encounter.
Who in all the movies do we know to have an uncanny and consistent interest in Anakin and in Anakin's children? That man would be the most likely paternal candidate. None of the Jedi fit that description, none of the Jedi Council knew of Anakin till Qui Gon brought him before them, (that and the fact that only one Jedi in the council was even human at the time of this movie). It is obvious that Qui Gon himself is not the father and it is unlikely that Mace Windu is either. Despite the Jedi's questionable morality when it comes to Mind Control I still doubt that a Jedi would use the Force Mind Tricks to push a woman into an unwelcome sexual encounter. Little is officially known about Master Sifo Dyas, the Jedi Master who originally commissioned the Grand Army of the Republic, so I cannot truly say if he was emotionally capable of being Anakin's father (I am not including any information from the Clone Wars TV show) and it may be possible that he might in fact be Anakin's father. It would not be entirely out of the realm of reason to suspect that the man who conspired to create a Clone Army for the defense of the Republic might have also wanted to produce a powerful Jedi, in fulfillment of the vague prophecy regarding the Chosen One. However, there are others who use the Force beyond the Jedi.
Yes, I do refer to the Sith. I believe that Darth Sidious is in fact Anakin's father and by default Luke and Leia's grandfather. The then Senator Palpatine had plenty of excuse for being off Naboo and even away from Coruscant on "official business" so it is not unreasonable to conclude that his travels might have taken him to Tattoine where he would have found Shmi. Why she would have been selected over any other woman I don't know and have absolutely no theories on at this time. But Palpatine shows remarkable concern and interest in Anakin from the very first time he is brought to Coruscant and Naboo and becomes a second mentor through Anakin's entire life. Palpatine dressed Anakin to be his apprentice from childhood, and I believe even prior to his birth.
I'm basing my theory partly on an examination of Darth Sidious's interactions with his previous apprentices. With Darth Maul he appears to be strictly professional, giving instructions and praise in monotone fashion; with Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) his behavior is quite different, he openly praises his apprentice with a mild exuberance which he never displayed to Darth Maul. However Palpatine was merely using Dooku as a pawn, a temporary apprentice if you will while waiting for Anakin to mature and be nurtured into becoming the Sith Palpatine wants him to be. You might say that Darth Sidious's praise was manipulative in regards to Dooku in order to prevent any suspicion of treachery. But with Anakin his manipulation and nurture were very much more paternal. Telling him stories, being a mentor, friend and I'm sure at times a shoulder to cry on. It seems that there may have been some genuine feeling for Anakin on the part of the evil Palpatine, feeling that was not present for his previous apprentices.
If Darth Sidious is in fact Anakin's father it might explain the strong tendency towards fear, anger and hate displayed by both Anakin and Luke. It would also explain how both Anakin and Luke are so powerful in the Force. We see in Episode 3 that Darth Sidious is equal to if not slightly superior to Yoda himself, the greatest of the Jedi. In Episode 1 we are specifically told that Anakin has a higher midochlorian count than Yoda himself. If Anakin was supposed to be superior in the Force than Yoda than it might be that his father was superior in the Force to Yoda as well, A.K.A. Darth Sidious. Biological relation would also give an explanation for Emperor Palpatine's profound interest in Luke Skywalker, just as it proved to be for Darth Vader's interest in Luke and eventually Leia.
I do want to switch gears however and discuss the Jedi prophecy of the "Chosen One" who was said to be Anakin Skywalker. It is said in the movies that a "Chosen One" would "bring balance to the Force". It is interesting that Qui Gon and Obi Wan assumed that the prophecy meant that this "Chosen One" would destroy the Sith and grant the Jedi the safety of unchallenged power in the Force (no Sith to rival them or be in conflict with). However Yoda and Mace Windu took a different and more cautious approach to the prophecy that caused them to mistrust Anakin. We obviously see Anakin becoming Darth Vader and helping Darth Sidious destroy the Jedi across the galaxy, minus two. The number two is obviously very important in regards to both the Sith and the Jedi. Yoda explains in Episode 1 that there are always two Sith, no more, no less. The Jedi however were blessed with an entire order and dozens if not hundreds of adherents at any given time. They also had the love, fear and adoration of thousands of star systems across the galaxy. The Force was out of balance with "good" being far more powerful than "evil". Now you might not see that as a problem but the definition of "balance" is that both sides must be equal in power and influence. With the Jedi being so powerful in comparison to the Sith (with numbers and political influence) there was no chance that the Force could be in balance. Logically we must expect that if the Sith could only have two adherents at a time then for balance in the Force to be found the Jedi must also be held to two adherents at any given time.
The prophecy stated that Anakin would "bring balance to the Force". In essence he still fulfilled that prophecy by destroying the Jedi and reducing their number to two (Yoda and Obi Wan) and keeping the Sith to two (Sidious and himself). Luke maintained that balance, after Anakin (as Darth Vader) killed Obi Wan in Episode 4, when he became a Jedi keeping the numbers in balance at two and two. However this balance was incomplete, the Jedi had been reduced not only in numbers but also in power while the Sith remained the same in numbers but skyrocketed in power overtaking the balance. Vader and Luke partially repaired this balance when they destroyed the Emperor and ended the power of both Sith and Jedi (Luke was not fully a Jedi). I haven't yet seen the brand new Episode 7 (I know I know, I'm working on it) and I'm not sure what this movie reveals about the nature of the Force or its balance. Personally, I believe that the Knights of Ren may represent the true balance of the Force. They are neither Jedi or Sith and they seem (from previews and other articles) to have a more complex view of the Force with elements of both good and bad. I imagine a system where the Knights of Ren organize force users as a group or order (much like the Jedi did) but that there would be one master for each Jedi and Sith who would then choose a volunteer from among the Knights to be an apprentice. Thus keeping the balance between "good" and "evil" with the majority of force using persons being neutral. There are many problems inherent to both the Sith and the Jedi that such an arrangement would solve but that would be a discussion for another time.
But back to Darth Vader. I also want to comment on Ben Kenobi's story about Darth Vader betraying and murdering Anakin Skywalker as well as the fact that even the Emperor and Vader himself refer to Anakin as if he was a different person from Vader for a considerable portion of the original trilogy. It is explained that Anakin was corrupted and twisted by the Dark Side of the Force and became Darth Vader. The murder part admittedly was figurative but it reminds me of how psychologists refer to what is currently called Dis-associative Identity Disorder (traditionally Multiple Personality Disorder). When one personality supersedes another permanently it is often considered the "death" of that personality; the situations of Eve White, Sybil and the TV show "United States of Tara" are suitable examples. I believe that Darth Vader is in fact an alternate personality to Anakin Skywalker and that Anakin's death and betrayal may in fact be more real than previously understood. I find this theory appealing in part because I do not believe that Darth Vader's "repentance" at the conclusion of Episode 6 is sufficient to cleanse his hands from all the blood he had murdered over the years. The simple act of saving his son's life and murdering the Emperor could not be sufficient a repentance to justify a complete forgiveness. Nevertheless the appearance of Anakin's spirit along side those of Yoda and Obi Wan in the concluding scene of Episode 6 suggests a complete forgiveness for the former Jedi, former Sith and known mass murderer (including the murder of many children). The only way I can justify such a complete forgiveness in comparison to such a small atonement is that Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are in fact different minds and personalities.
I hope you have found this rather lengthy article enlightening and enjoyable! I probably think too much about this since it's just a fiction story but I have fun with it. Happy New Year!
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