Shmi Skywalker

Shmi Skywalker is a fictional slave and moisture farmer featured in the Star Wars multimedia franchise. Played by actress Pernilla August, she appeared in the 1999 prequel film, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, as well as the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization of the film as well as the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic book adaptation by Dark Horse Comics. The character also made a brief appearance in the 2002 sequel film, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and as such, also appeared in the novelization and comic book adaptations of those films as well.

Biography
Shmi Skywalker was a human woman and the mother of Anakin Skywalker. She was enslaved by Gardulla the Hutt on her homeworld of Tatooine where she was eventually sold to a junk dealer from Mos Espa named Watto. Shmi was the mother of Anakin Skywalker, who had been born into slavery. Conceiving Anakin came as quite a surprise to Shmi, as there was no father. As she had described it, "There was no father. I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can't explain what happened."

In 32 BBY, the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn came to Tatooine and recognized how strong Anakin was with The Force. He offered Shmi the opportunity to take him away, but first he had to help free him fron Watto's control. Shmi agreed, even though Ani's freedom meant that she might not ever see him again. Qui-Gon helped secure Anakin's freedom and Shmi tearfully kissed him farewell as he went off to learn the ways of the Jedi.

A few years later, a human male named Cliegg Lars bought Shmi from Watto and freed her from slavery. He fell in love with her and the two were married. In 22 BBY, the Lars family were ambushed by a group of Tusken Raiders who abducted Shmi and brought her to their camp where she was bound and tortured. Cliegg and some men spent weeks searching for her, but to no avail. Anakin Skywalker returned to Tatooine at this time. He was an adult now and a Jedi padawan. When he learned about what had happened, he tracked the Raiders down and found his mother. Her injuries were severe however and she died in his arms. Her last words were an expression of love to her son. Fueled by grief and rage, Anakin Skywalker slaughter every Tusken Raider in the camp, including women and children.

Notes & Trivia



 * Playing the role of Shmi Skywalker is actress Pernilla August's first work in the science fiction genre.


 * Pernilla August's association with Lucasfilm actually predates Star Wars by several years. In 1993, she played two different characters on two episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.


 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace gave Pernilla experience in playing the mother to an all-powerful chosen one. In the same year that she first played Shmi, she also played the lead role of Mary of Nazareth in the Mary, Mother of Jesus television movie.


 * Pernilla August can be seen on a "making of" featurette for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, where she is part of a read-through. She is seen asking George Lucas the correct pronunciation of her character's first name.


 * It has been suggested that Palpatine's mentor, Darth Plagueis had such control over The Force that he was able to create life itself. Speculation has abounded suggesting that Plagueis used this ability to conceive Anakin Skywalker with Shmi as an unsuspecting mother. The 2012 novel Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, establishes that the midichlorians, sensing the Sith's inherent malevolent intention, not only refused to do so, but in retaliation, conceived Anakin Skywalker in order to destroy the Sith once and for all.


 * Shmi Skywalker was fifty-two years old when she died in 22 BBY.