Did Anakin Disapear?

[Jedi Master Carr]

I was just wondering what everybody elses' opinion is on this issue. Personally I feel he did not disapear. We do not see it in the movie and why have it happen off screen it makes no sense. And it definetly makes no sense that Luke would drag Vader's armor down to the planet and burn it what would be the purpose. This stupid theory began by Kevin Anderson in the late 90's, Lucas has never said a word on it. I think the reason why it was started is that people are trying to come up with an explanation of why Anakin reapeared at the end of the ROTJ. But it is simple he didn't disapear, because he never learned how to do it. We all saw how surprised he was when Obi-Wan vanished he couldn't figure out what happened to him. Most likely either Obi-Wan and Yoda used their abilities to bring Anakin's spirt back to show Luke that he was back to the light or else any Jedi can reappear. I guess we will have to wait to see if Qui-Gon will make an appearance in EP 2

[Boba Fart]

Good Question - I wonder if we will see any Sith re-appear after their death. That would be pretty cool to have Lord Maul come back for a brief cameo, perhaps to help Lord Sideous in converting Anakin.

[Doc Milo]

I don't know if George Lucas himself has said anything on the subject, but I do know that LucasFilm has an official position. The question, at some point in 1999 I believe, was asked why Qui-Gon didn't disappear. As part of the answer (which was basically we'll know more in the upcoming episodes) Steve Sansweet mentions that Vader did, indeed, disappear.

Now, I had always taken the position that he did not, based on the descriptions in the script and in the novelization (descriptions like, "Luke dragged the corpse..." etc...) And like JMC said, why drag the empty armor to the surface of Endor? And what purpose does it serve to have had him disappear and not show it?

But according to the Ask the Jedi Council section on Starwars.com, the official position is that Anakin did, indeed, disappear after death. I believe it also says something similar on the Behind the Magic CD-ROM. I just looked through the archives, and they only go back to 2000, and this question was sometime in 1999 -- so I can't provide the actual quote.

Maybe I'll submit an Ask the Jedi Council question, bringing up those concerns about why Luke would drag the empty suit of armor, to see if I get an answer.

[Starquest aka AndyR]

The reason that luke burned the armor was because that was still the "body" of his father. Remember that "he is more machine that man now" and the machine part or anakin wouldn't dissappear with him. Of course there is the matter of him not dissappearing when he looks on luke with his own eyes... dont know how to fudge out of that one.

[Darth McBain]

I wonder if, when you disappear, you can reappear wearing whatever you want. At the end, Anakin reappeared wearing brownish robes, not anything remotely like he was wearing when he died. He also looked quite a bit younger than when he died. I would think that you could only reappear as you were when you died, but maybe you can alter it somewhat...

[Starquest aka AndyR]

probably the same logic as from the matrix... it is the mental projection of yourself that appears. The plugs in your ams and head are gone//the large mechanical suit and breathing apparatus is gone.

[Doc Milo]

"Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter." ~Yoda (ESB)

I don't think there is any limit on how the Jedi ghost appears. That is their true nature. The matter is a physical manifestation of their spirit. Their spirit is their true self. So I don't believe that the clothes they wore, or their physical appearence in any way, is connected to how they appear as a ghost. Their spirit would be set free, unlimited by the matter of the body.

[Darth23]

Unless they were wearing polyester when they died.

[Doc Milo]

Of course, Darth23, that goes without saying

[Darth Turbogeek]

But.... in ROTJ, Anakin is shown dying and remaining? Huh? Where does he disappear?

[Jedieb]

I like the idea of Yoda and Obi-Wan bringing Anakin back to the spirit world to make a brief appearance before Luke. I do not believe that Anakin disappeared. He died right before our eyes and we never saw him disappear. I don't think Vader knew of the technique that Obi-Wan and Anakin did. The official site and Sansweet can say what they want, but we won't know the answer until we see it up on film. We've seen how fluid the SW movies are, a first draft rarely resembles what we finally see on screen. Unless the answer has been story boarded and filmed, then the secret of the "disappearing" technique still isn't known. Lucas could refine and change that idea a dozen times before he finally settles on what it is.

[Starquest aka AndyR]

more fuel for the fire...
I found this paragraph on the official site under the luke biography:
Luke took his father's crippled body to the Death Star hangar bay. In his final moments of life, Vader ceased to be, and Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, returned. Luke removed Vader's mask so that Anakin could see his son with his own eyes before becoming one with the Force. Luke then commandeered an Imperial shuttle and flew to Endor. He built a funeral pyre to commemorate the Jedi, and to destroy the Dark Lord's empty armor. He returned to the victorious Rebel Alliance, and could see the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin that night at the Ewok celebration.


In there it clearly states that the armor was empty when it was burned.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Is it written by Stephen Sansweet because he believes in this dumb theory. I have no clue why he does Lucas has never stated it. The first person that did as I said was Kevin Anderson in some magazine and I think Sansweet has become influenced by Anderson. I still will not believe it we never saw it in ROTJ and also I agree with Jedieb how did Anakin know to do it, in ANH he was shocked to see Obi-Wan disapear and we now know that all jedi do not disappear. I personally think that is why Anderson started it, he thought that all jedi disappear but that was a bad assumption on his part. Something that is interesting to point out and may support our theory that Yoda and Obi-Wan brought Anakin back to show Luke he was okay is in the EU. In the books Anakin never really comes back to see Luke, once in Truce of Bakura he appears before Leia for a few seconds but he doesn't seem to have much power which may show he didn't disappear and unlike Obi-Wan cannot come back for any large lenght of time.

[Doc Milo]

Another question to ponder is: Does disappearing have anything to do with the ability to come back as a spirit?

[87FOXGT]

i dont remember where i saw this but a while ago on a sw site i saw freeze frames from ROTJ where vader actually disappears right in front lof lukes eyes after he takes off his helmet. It showed one frame where he passed away and then a few more frames after as he faded away like yoda did. Supposedly this was gonna be the original ending for ROTJ but lucas for some reason changed his mind. The question everyone wants to know however, is why????