I’ve heard varying opinions on which of the two actors they prefer to be Anakin’s Force Ghost at the end of Return of the Jedi. Personally, I don’t really care who it is. What about the rest of you? Do you prefer Sebastian Shaw, or Hayden Christensen? Which makes more sense to you? Please explain why.
Shaw. It’s Anakin as he should have been, at the apparent age he is in his unmasking. Anakin redeemed, rather than Anakin regressed.
I prefer Shaw because I usually watch the saga in Release Order, so at the end of RotJ, you the viewer haven’t seen Hayden yet, and a first-time viewer would be confused about who he is.
Also, Shaw looks more like a proud father. Hayden looks…off. George really should have shot some proper footage of Hayden for that moment, if he was so intent on changing it.
But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.
I prefer Hayden Christensen. Technically, it would make more sense for Anakin’s ghost to be played by Sebastian Shaw, for the reasons Hal has already explained. But I prefer Hayden for a matter of nostalgia and because of my great love for the Prequel Trilogy. I mean, seeing Hayden’s face makes me feel a lot of emotions, his face is the absolute representation of what Anakin is to me, and I can’t say the same thing about Sebastian Shaw. Hayden’s face is a face with which we Prequel fans and Anakin fans can identify ourselves with, and see it allows us to feel a lot of emotions that otherwise we wouldn’t be able to experience. So, from a certain point of view Shaw makes more sense, but I prefer Hayden. However, if one day we can find a good version of ghost Hayden that’s closer to his 40s (maybe taking fotage from Kenobi or whatever) then I think we should replace the original version. This way, Anakin’s ghost would be the redeemed Anakin like Shaw, but at the same time he would still be Hayden.
«This is where the fun begins!»
(Anakin Skywalker)
I prefer David Prowse.
“The Anarchists are right in everything; in the negation of the existing order and in the assertion that, without Authority there could not be worse violence than that of Authority under existing conditions. They are mistaken only in thinking that anarchy can be instituted by a violent revolution… There can be only one permanent revolution — a moral one: the regeneration of the inner man. How is this revolution to take place? Nobody knows how it will take place in humanity, but every man feels it clearly in himself. And yet in our world everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of changing himself.”
― Leo Tolstoy
At one point I read someone say they preferred Hayden because “it makes more sense, since he metaphorically died when he turned to the dark side”. I mean, that’s kind of true, but unfortunately I’m too stubborn to accept anything other than the original Shaw.
Ol’ George has the GOUT, I see.
Shaw.
I prefer Shaw because I usually watch the saga in Release Order, so at the end of RotJ, you the viewer haven’t seen Hayden yet, and a first-time viewer would be confused about who he is.
Also, Shaw looks more like a proud father. Hayden looks…off. George really should have shot some proper footage of Hayden for that moment, if he was so intent on changing it.
Do you think it could be a good lead-in to the prequel movies if someone were to see Hayden on their first viewing of the OT and ROTJ?
I prefer Shaw because I usually watch the saga in Release Order, so at the end of RotJ, you the viewer haven’t seen Hayden yet, and a first-time viewer would be confused about who he is.
Also, Shaw looks more like a proud father. Hayden looks…off. George really should have shot some proper footage of Hayden for that moment, if he was so intent on changing it.
Do you think it could be a good lead-in to the prequel movies if someone were to see Hayden on their first viewing of the OT and ROTJ?
No, not really. It would just be confusing to them, at that point. A first-time viewer might not even put together that the ghost on the left is Anakin unless they’re told so. When it’s Shaw, the viewer will at least recognize the actor’s face from earlier.
But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilae or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed towards a large-scale assault.
Personally I feel like Vader/Anakin shouldn’t have shown up as a Force ghost at the end of the movie at all.
But Luke would still have to react to something, and ROTJ is a story of forgiveness.
The answer is simple. Replace Anakin’s Force Ghost with that of the Emperor.
You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)
I am reading “Shadow of the Sith” now, and one thing I noticed is that when Luke sees Anakin’s Force Ghost flickering out after he used his energy to bring him out of Exegol, the Sebastian Shaw version is briefly seen. It seems like the author is compensating for those who still wish that Shaw was the one seen at end of ROTJ, while still having the Hayden Christensen version work at the same time. Clever.
I like the idea that Anakin picks his ghost form depending on whatever he feels like that day. Maybe he even has his legends tattoos in some forms?
Shaw all day. Luke is seeing his father, it’s jarring to have him look younger than Luke himself, jarring that Anakin doesn’t match the ghosts he’s with (clearly the age they were at their death), jarring that Hayden looks pasted into 20 year old footage, and jarring that Hayden kind of sinister in general.
Like most SE changes, it’s more distracting and pointless than it is worth.
I kinda wish for an ROTJ fanedit that includes Luke meditating, learning about Anakin’s name and appearance. Maybe set it during the deleted cave scene? That’d make a good version of the Hayden ghost make sense.
Personally I feel like Vader/Anakin shouldn’t have shown up as a Force ghost at the end of the movie at all.
Agreed. Star Wars (1977) and ESB both make it clear that Vader doesn’t know about Force Ghosts, so it doesn’t make sense for him to become one.
Anyway, Shaw.
My head says Shaw, my heart says Hayden. I was a prequel kid and grew up with the 2004 DVDs. I honestly teared up a little bit the first time I saw Hayden in ROTJ because it felt like a full circle moment.
But, ultimately, the films are more effective when watching in release order, and in that case, Shaw makes more sense.
Shaw plays the version of the character who committed all the crimes against the galaxy that Vader committed. Hayden plays the version that didn’t. At least, that’s Lucas’s intention behind the SE change. But it’s more powerful to have the version of Anakin who had been evil for 22 years as a ghost, as a confirmation of his redemption. After all, Obi-Wan’s the one who believes Anakin truly died back on Mustafar, and he’s wrong. Luke proves him wrong.
Reading R + L ≠ J theories
HANDS DOWN SHAW…
I heard all the reasons about Hayden and the Redeeming nonsense created his ghost to become young again lol,
crap…
Plus I don’t know why Haydens Ghost looks Directly at the Camera like a Pervert, What’s all that About??.
I heard all the reasons about Hayden and the Redeeming nonsense created his ghost to become young again lol,
crap…
Shaw is a bad choice as well to be honest, since Anakin/Vader died at 45 and Shaw was an 80 year-old man.
«This is where the fun begins!»
(Anakin Skywalker)
I heard all the reasons about Hayden and the Redeeming nonsense created his ghost to become young again lol,
crap…Shaw is a bad choice as well to be honest, since Anakin/Vader died at 45
Anakin/Vader only died at 45 after the prequels made him so young. Shaw was a perfectly fine choice in 1983.
Reading R + L ≠ J theories
I don’t like that some PT fans refuse to see the OT within their temporal context of 1977-83.
I like Hayden, simply because he’s recognizable from the Prequels and he’s the one I grew up with.
“No one is born ugly, we just live in a judgmental society.”- Kim Namjoon
I don’t like that some PT fans refuse to see the OT within their temporal context of 1977-83.
I agree
Reading R + L ≠ J theories
I heard all the reasons about Hayden and the Redeeming nonsense created his ghost to become young again lol,
crap…Shaw is a bad choice as well to be honest, since Anakin/Vader died at 45
Anakin/Vader only died at 45 after the prequels made him so young. Shaw was a perfectly fine choice in 1983.
Yes, but we’re no longer in 1983. Like it or not, there are other films now, and we must see things in a more united context. Ghost Shaw worked well in 1983, but It doesn’t anymore. Personally, as I said in my previous post, I’m in favor of replacing the current 20-years old ghost Hayden with a version of Hayden himself that’s closer to his 40s.
«This is where the fun begins!»
(Anakin Skywalker)
