The Skywalker family has dominatedStar Warsfrom the very beginning, and these seven characters represent the entire Skywalker bloodline seen inStar Warsmovies and TV showsthus far. WhileAnakin Skywalker’sStar Warstimelinehas arguably had the most influence, the whole family has driven the franchise, even outside the Skywalker Saga.
There are also a few ‘honorary’ members of the Skywalker family tree, such as Ahsoka Tano, who was essentially a little sister to Anakin, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was both a brother and father figure to Anakin and had a lasting impact on Anakin, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia Organa.
It’s also true that, inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey adopted the last name Skywalker. While that is valid and part of theStar Warscanon,this list specifically represents the complete Skywalker bloodline that has been depicted inStar Warsmovies and TV shows.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Although the Skywalker family tree of course goes back further than we’ve seen on screen, as we only have a few generations represented in the movies and shows thus far,Shmi Skywalker is the first member of the Skywalker family tree in the Skywalker Saga. Shmi was introduced inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menaceas Anakin’s mother.
Anakin and Shmi were living together as slaves on Tatooine inThe Phantom Menace, but Tatooine is not actually where Shmi was from. Rather, she was born on an unknown planet to parents who have likewise never been named in the franchise. She and her parents were captured and forced into slavery by pirates, and their fates are unknown.
Sadly, Shmi met her own tragic end inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clonesafter she was abducted by Tusken Raiders, tortured, and eventually died in Anakin’s arms, which became adefining moment in Anakin’s fall to the dark side. Even with this death and Anakin’s turn, though, the impact Shmi had on Anakin was long-lasting.
Return of the Jedi
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ahsoka
Anakin Skywalker is easily one of the most important characters throughouttheStar Warstimeline, not only because he ultimately became one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sithand ruled the galaxy by Emperor Palpatine’s side, but also because he was massively influential in most of the biggest events seen inStar Warsso far.
Although the beginning of Anakin’s story is technically inThe Phantom Menace, he was introduced inA New Hopesolely as Darth Vader, the faceless villain. It wasn’t untilThe Empire Strikes Back’snow-famous twist that we learned he was actually Luke Skywalker’s biological father, Anakin.
One of the most significant roles Anakin has played inStar Warsto date is asthe Chosen One, who was prophesied to bring balance to the Force. There remains some debate about whether he ultimately fulfilled that prophecy, but he was nevertheless one of the most influential Jedi—and Sith—inStar Wars, and his bloodline remains critical.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Chronologically, the first addition to theStar Warsfamily tree who was not blood-related (again, from what we’ve seen in the movies and shows so far) was Padmé Amidala. Like Shmi, Padmé was introduced inThe Phantom Menace, although she came from a wildly different background as the teenage queen of Naboo.
Padmé proved to be fierce, empathetic, wise, and self-sacrificing, which are traits she maintained until her death inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Padmé’s role inStar Warsis interesting because she and Anakin did bring about significant suffering because they entered into a romantic relationship and hid it when they knew both things were wrong.
Yet, Padmé’s goodness as a character should not be undercut, even in light of that. Both with her own people on Naboo and for the larger galaxy when she became a senator and throughout the Clone Wars,Padmé was dedicated to peace, equality, and democracy, and she was willing to put her life on the line to achieve those things.
Grant Feely
Luke was technically the first Skywalker audiences were introduced to, as he was the sole character bearing the Skywalker last name inA New Hope. That ultimately changed, as both Darth Vader and Princess Leia were later revealed to be Skywalkers by blood, butit was Luke who truly defined what a Skywalker looked like inStar Wars.
Luke is also now known as one ofStar Wars’most powerful Jedi, which has only solidified the legacy of the Skywalker family inStar Wars. In fact, while it seems clear at this point that Anakin was indeed the Chosen One, some have even argued that it was really Luke, purely because of how pivotal he proved to be.
The sequel trilogy admittedly damaged Luke’s representation somewhat, at least in the eyes of some viewers, by depicting him as having lost hope, but nothing could really change the fact that Luke Skywalker is one of the greatest heroes in the entireStar Warsfranchise.
Ingvild Deila
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Leia Organa notably never accepted the Skywalker last name for herself, but that doesn’t make her any less a Skywalker by blood. In fact, as controversial as the show may have been,Obi-Wan Kenobiperfectly encapsulated the true nature of Leia’s identity.
Leia Organa notably never accepted the Skywalker last name for herself, but that doesn’t make her any less a Skywalker by blood.
In the show, her adoptive father, Bail Organa, told her she was an"Organa in every way,“and Obi-Wan validated the ways she was like her biological parents intheObi-Wan Kenobiending. Specifically, Obi-Wan told her that she was"passionate, fearless, forthright"like her biological father, Anakin, and"wise, discerning, kind-hearted"like her biological mother, Padmé.
Both of these aspects of Leia—her adoptive family and her biological family—are key to understanding her character, but it makes sense that Leia never used the Skywalker name. InA New Hope, she was tortured by Anakin/Darth Vader and watched as his Death Star blew up her planet, killing her parents and nearly everyone else she loved.
Alden Ehrenreich
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Like Padmé, Han Solo married into the Skywalker family, and we’ve unfortunately seen very little of his time as part of that family on-screen. When Han was introduced inA New Hope, he seemed like little more than a selfish, hot-shot pilot, but later in that movie and throughout the original trilogy, he was revealed to be so much more.
Han was actually incredibly compassionate, self-sacrificial, and honorable, and that hidden side of him is perhaps what Leia truly fell in love with. Unfortunately, nearly their entire romantic relationship happened betweenReturn of the JediandStar Wars:The Force Awakens, which is an era only minimally explored on-screen, and not at all explored with these characters.
Han and Leia were also separated at the beginning ofThe Force Awakens, which had evidently been going on since their son, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, had fallen to the dark side of the Force years earlier. Even so, Han was an essential member of the Skywalker family tree, and he should not be forgotten as part of that bloodline.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
The final member of the Skywalker bloodline was Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, who sadly died inThe Rise of Skywalkerafter he transferred his life force into Rey to bring her back to life. Despite being the son of two ofStar Wars’greatest heroes, Ben fell to the dark side and became Kylo Ren, following in his grandfather’s footsteps.
Also like his grandfather, Ben ultimately returned to the light side of the Force and was redeemed, but his life was cut considerably shorter than Anakin’s was, as he was only around 30 years old at the time of his death. The brevity of his life aside, Ben did play an important role in the Skywalker Saga.
This is particularly true giventhe Force Dyadhe shared with Rey. This is one ofStar Wars’rarest Force powers, which saw Rey and Kylo linked in an incredible way that allowed them to pull off feats like passing a lightsaber to one another through the Force. He was also instrumental in bringing down the First and Final Orders.
Sadly, as mentioned, Ben Solo died inThe Rise of Skywalker, which means the end of the Skywalker bloodline. Rey will theoretically carry on the last name inStar Wars, but in terms of blood, Ben Solo marks the end of the Skywalker family tree.
