The Star Wars prequels are viewed differently now than when they first came out, and initially, they really divided fans. This wasn’t unexpected, though. There was massive excitement leading up to The Phantom Menace, and it would have been incredibly difficult for any movie to live up to such high hopes. While people enjoyed things like John Williams’ music, the character of Darth Maul, and the special effects, the film also received a lot of criticism. Many viewers weren’t happy with certain choices, particularly how Anakin Skywalker was portrayed.
Jake Lloyd performed well as young Anakin Skywalker, and it’s clear George Lucas intended to show Anakin’s early goodness as a contrast to his future tragedy. While Star Wars had featured young heroes before (Luke Skywalker was 19 in A New Hope), making Anakin so young proved to be a questionable choice for some viewers. Many believe the prequel trilogy would have been stronger if Lucas had initially kept Anakin a bit older.
Making Anakin a Teenager Would Have Improved The Phantom Menace (and the Prequels)
During the making of The Phantom Menace, George Lucas initially thought Anakin should be 12 years old. He later changed the character’s age to 9 because he believed it would make Anakin’s departure from his mother, Shmi, on Tatooine more emotionally impactful. The idea was that a younger Anakin, being an elementary school-aged child, would be more deeply affected by leaving his mother. While the scene where Anakin faces the Jedi Council does highlight his fear of losing Shmi, this alone doesn’t fully explain the change. Even if Anakin had been a teenager, his strong connection with Shmi, forged through their shared experiences as slaves, would still have been significant.
If Anakin had been portrayed as a teenager in The Phantom Menace, some of the story’s problems could have been fixed. Especially, his relationship with Padmé would have felt more believable. Instead of appearing as a young boy with a simple crush—which later became a teasing dynamic in Attack of the Clones—their connection could have explored the feelings of young adults connecting as equals. This would have shown Padmé appreciating having a close confidant her own age (she was only 14 in The Phantom Menace), building a stronger emotional foundation for the entire prequel trilogy. While their age difference wasn’t as noticeable in later films, the gap between a 9-year-old and a 14-year-old felt awkward.
The fact that Anakin was considered too old to begin Jedi training at age nine reveals a disturbing truth about the Jedi Order. It suggests they took children away from their families at incredibly young ages – even as babies, as Obi-Wan doesn’t even recall if he had a brother – and raised them to be Jedi. This is a troubling idea, especially considering the Jedi are presented as the heroes of the story. While the prequel films aimed to show the Jedi’s flaws, implying they raised children from infancy wasn’t essential to that point. The storyline would have been more believable if Anakin were older, like a teenager, and it wouldn’t have changed the message about the Jedi’s arrogance.
If Anakin had been a few years older, he would have felt more like an active participant in the story, particularly after leaving Tatooine and arriving on Coruscant. After winning the podrace, he doesn’t really have much to do until he unexpectedly gets involved in the space battle. Because he’s so young in The Phantom Menace, his role feels forced, rather than a natural progression of his character arc. During the Battle of Naboo, he’s told to hide because it’s too dangerous for him. Considering that 14-year-old Padmé is able to negotiate a peace treaty and lead her people, a teenage Anakin could have played a more significant role, showing the potential for the strong leadership he later demonstrates in the Clone Wars.
How a Teenage Anakin Would Have Changed Star Wars Canon
As a fan, I’ve always thought about what if they’d made Anakin a bit older in The Phantom Menace. It would have definitely changed things, but honestly, I don’t think it would have been a huge deal. The biggest impact would be how much time passes between that film and Attack of the Clones. Currently, the timeline says ten years, but if Anakin started a little older, that jump would probably be closer to five or six. But the story of Attack of the Clones itself? It could stay pretty much the same! The only part that really relies on the time jump is Anakin and Padmé getting back together, and whether they’d been apart for ten years or just a few wouldn’t change the core of their relationship.
It’s more interesting to consider how this could have changed the actors chosen for the films. Since Jake Lloyd was too young to play a teenage Anakin Skywalker, an older actor would have been needed for The Phantom Menace. As it happened, Anakin was later recast with Hayden Christensen in Attack of the Clones. However, if Anakin had been a teenager from the beginning, the same actor could have played him throughout all three prequel movies. Natalie Portman, who was 16 during the filming of The Phantom Menace, continued to play Padmé in all the films. Lucas might have been able to find a 16-year-old actor to play a slightly younger version of Anakin in Episode I and then continue in the role for the sequels, potentially meaning Hayden Christensen wouldn’t have been involved.
Hayden Christensen is now a beloved part of the Star Wars prequels, and it’s hard to imagine those films without him. However, some argue the trilogy could have been even stronger if a single actor had played Anakin Skywalker throughout. When Attack of the Clones begins, Anakin is noticeably older, making him feel almost like a different character. Unlike Luke Skywalker or Rey, we didn’t really see a smooth, natural progression of Anakin’s character. Having the same actor for all three films might have created a more compelling character arc, letting the audience connect with the performer and witness Anakin’s complete journey over several years.
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2026-04-05 20:43