The pivotal arc in the Star Wars universe, the Skywalker Saga (a nine-film epic that began with 1977’s A New Hope) is so named for the powerful Force-wielding family at the heart of the story. Though the Saga ended in 2019, coming to a close with Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the story that unfolded across three trilogies left a legacy that cannot be understated. It was a chronicle of love and loss, corruption and goodness, and undoing and redemption, an inventive space opera rooted in incredibly human themes.
With that being said, the story is also told in a nonlinear fashion that can make things a little confusing for those less diehard fans. While our timeline explainer might help with clearing up some of the chronology, there’s an additional thorn: the overlapping family ties and relationships that are of tremendous importance to the Saga’s plot. If you find yourself in need of a guide to who’s who in the Skywalker clan, look no further. We’ve gathered this handy Skywalker family tree that explains ties familial, friendly, and of the Force.
Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for the Star Wars franchise. Please note that this guide is based on the current canon as defined by Lucasfilm.
Prophesied “Chosen One,” formerly enslaved as a child on Tatooine, where he was freed by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn; later went on to train as a Jedi and serve in the Clone Wars before being corrupted by the power of the Dark Side and taking on the identity of Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Anakin’s mother is Shmi Skywalker Lars, also a slave on Tatooine. Shmi dies at the hands of a clan of Tusken Raiders, her murder pushing Anakin further toward the Dark Side.
Shmi marries Cliegg Lars, a moisture farmer who freed her from slavery, years after Anakin’s departure from Tatooine. Cliegg has one son from a previous marriage, Owen; so, Anakin’s stepbrother is Owen Lars.
Anakin has no father. It is theorized that he was sired by the Force itself through midi-chlorians, microscopic life-forms overabundant in Force-sensitive individuals, but even Shmi herself is unable to explain her son’s conception.
In his youth, Anakin built C-3PO, a protocol droid fluent in more than six million forms of communication.
Though not of blood relation, as an apprentice, Anakin’s Master is Obi-Wan Kenobi; Qui-Gon, who was initially set to train young Skywalker, dies in a lightsaber duel with Darth Maul at the end of .
