In the current issue of Insider, MacDermott is asked about Anakin's father and he answers to the effect that there are enough clues for fans to connect the dots...
here's my theory.
The very name Anakin literally means "New Family" (ana=new kin-family).
In "The Phantom Menace" Shmi tells Qui-Gon that there was no father, Anakin was basically an immaculate conception. In "Revenge of the Sith" Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plaguis The Wise and how he was able to use the Force itself (via the midichlorians) to create life. Well his apprentice, Palpatine, is taught this then kills his master. So Palpatine had the ability to create life itself through the Force.
I believe that Palpatine used the Force (via the midichlorians) to essentially conceive Anakin to a slave in a remote backwater world, knowing full well that one day he would be a powerful tool in his plot to seize control of the galaxy. Palpatine loves saying "It is all going as I have foreseen"...so I don't think that he left too much to chance.
Also...in the novelization of "Revenge of the Sith", right before his fall, Anakin tells Palpatine that he is the Chosen One, and Palpatine responds with "Yes, chosen by me!" I believe that Palpatine, being the consummate manipulator that he was, would never have let Anakin exist unless it directly served his ends.
Here's a quote from another fan that I ran this by:
"in TPM when Jinn is recieving the results from Anakins Midichlorian count he is then amazed at the results telling Obi evrything about " NO Jedi has counts this high " soon afterwards when Obi ask " what does this mean ?" Jinn responds " I don't know " then turns to see Shmi standing in the doorway. Notice the music at THAT moment...... it is the SITH music. just for that brief moment."
If this theory is correct, then it is ironic that Palpatine created the very being who later destroys him.
If this is indeed what Lucas intended, it ties neatly into the archetypical myth of good versus evil...with evil sowing the seeds of its own eventual downfall.
Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms?