Before he became Darth Vader, he was just a regular guy named Anakin Skywalker. While regular might be something of a stretch, he’s much more of a human than he ever was as Darth Vader. In his final moments before dying, Darth Vader asks his son, Luke, to remove his helmet so he may look upon his son one time with his own eyes. While Anakin wears the helmet of Darth Vader, he eschews all human bonds and tries to avoid anything that would make him feel human again.
Before the events of Episode III — Revenge of the Sith that made him into Darth Vader, Anakin was a man with many relationships and close bonds. He had family, friends, and even was starting a family of his own in the Star Wars universe before everything went south. Tragically, he loses all these genuine bonds in becoming Darth Vader.
10 C-3PO
When Anakin Skywalker was a young boy, the only person he had in this world was his mother. As Anakin was believed to have been conceived by midi-chlorians, and Shmi had no more knowledge of what to do with him or who he was, she was a single mother. More than that, Shmi was a slave, and Anakin was also born into slavery.
The two of them were owned by Gardulla the Hutt, at first, before Toydarian Watto came into ownership of them when Anakin was only a toddler. Anakin wanted so badly to help his mother that he created C-3PO himself, a protocol droid that was meant to help Shmi with her duties around the house. C-3PO may not be fans’ favorite character, but this droid helped Anakin through his entire life; without C-3PO, Anakin and Shmi may never have survived.
9 Sheev Palpatine
Though the bond between Emperor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, and Darth Vader is deep & always growing, the bond already existed between Sheev Palpatine and Anakin. Sheev is trying to manipulate Anakin, but he also sees a darkness in Anakin that nobody else seems willing to acknowledge.
The one person Anakin feels most like himself around is Sheev Palpatine, as he’s the only one who can see the pieces of Anakin he tries to keep secret. He doesn’t fully understand all of Anakin, as it seems nobody can fully grasp all he keeps inside, but Palpatine fosters a close bond between the two of them that is impossible to deny.
8 Mace Windu
As Anakin was growing in his Jedi abilities and striving to take his place amongst the Jedi Council, Mace Windu was one of the Jedi keeping his eyes on Anakin. While the young Anakin’s skills grew, Mace Windu grew encouraged by his abilities. However, upon watching Sheev Palpatine and Anakin grow close, Mace Windu was one of the only Jedi who knew that something was about to go horribly wrong. All Mace Windu wanted for Anakin Skywalker was to keep him on the right path, but everything went sideways. In the end, Mace Windu tries to help Anakin, but it’s Anakin and Palpatine together that lead to Mace Windu’s death.
7 Qui-Gon Jinn
When Anakin was only just a boy, Qui-Gon Jinn came to him, and it was Qui-Gon who was able to put Anakin at ease. Seeing Qui-Gon Jinn’s lightsaber, Anakin knew that he was with the Jedi at last, and he knew he was safe. It was Qui-Gon who saved Anakin; it was Qui-Gon who became his first and closest friend off of Tatooine, and the two of them were nearly like father and son.
Qui-Gon is always concerned for Anakin, and Anakin never wants to give Qui-Gon a reason to feel disappointment in him. When Qui-Gon passes away, Anakin mourns his loss, wondering what would have happened if Qui-Gon had been his mentor instead of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin clearly has a close connection with Qui-Gon. Even more important, Qui-Gon’s spirit is one of the only people that truly believed Anakin would always have goodness in him.
6 Leia Organa
Anakin’s own daughter, he has no idea who Leia is, but she is undoubtedly already one of his closest bonds. Later on, the two of them would be enemies as Princess Leia Organa and Darth Vader, but Leia is absolutely her father’s daughter. She is headstrong, determined, and Force-sensitive — just like her father. She inherits traits from her mother, too, and being a strong politician makes it clear that she is Padme’s daughter as much as she is Anakin’s. In spite of the fact that Anakin never truly gets to know his daughter while he is Anakin, their bond is impossible to deny, and his influence on her persists throughout her life.
5 Luke Skywalker
While Leia lives with Bail Organa and her adoption and upbringing largely sever her connection with Anakin, Luke grows up in his father’s shadow, whether he knows it or not. Luke is also seen as the next phase of Anakin, as the one who will truly be restoring balance, when it became clear that would no longer be Anakin. The Skywalker Saga is focused entirely on the Skywalkers, as the name suggests, but it focuses on Anakin and Luke specifically. The entire Star Wars universe is essentially fueled by the bond between Anakin and Luke, which has existed since Luke was conceived and continued even past his death.
4 Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano is a fan favorite character, and Anakin is her Jedi Master. A young Padawan, Ahsoka Tano seeks to be trained by Anakin, despite the fact that darkness grows inside of him. The two of them are undoubtedly best friends; Ahsoka is not only Anakin’s apprentice, but one of his best friends, and the two of them would do anything for one another. Anakin taught Ahsoka everything he knew, and considered her as close to him family-wise as Padme and Shmi were.
Above all else, Anakin trusted Ahsoka, something not many people could say about Anakin Skywalker. Though Ahsoka eventually leaves the Jedi Order, the two of them have one last peaceful parting before Anakin fully turned Dark. While it’s unclear what, exactly, Ahsoka’s response was to Anakin’s later redemption at Luke’s hands, fans hope that Ahsoka knowing Anakin was redeemed before death gave her peace.
3 Obi-Wan Kenobi
Closer than brothers, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have been pretty much inseparable since they first met. Obi-Wan is not only Anakin’s mentor, but arguably one of the only people that Anakin feels he can truly trust in his life. Throughout his childhood and adulthood, Obi-Wan is always supporting Anakin, even when Anakin thinks he isn’t. Even when Anakin turns on Obi-Wan, it is always Obi-Wan who is trying to help him. When Anakin eventually turns to the Dark Side, Obi-Wan is so devastated he gives up his entire life and goes into self-imposed exile in order to safely raise up Luke Skywalker, Anakin’s son. Obi-Wan’s entire life became Anakin Skywalker.
2 Padmé Amidala
Anakin’s wife and one of the first people Anakin truly loved apart from his mother, Padmé Amidala was a senator, a queen, and one of Darth Vader's earliest victims. The two of them were once deeply in love, sharing a bond known only to so few people. It seemed to Padmé Amidala that everything would be perfect, but as Anakin grew darker, her life began to fall apart. Anakin destroyed Padmé’s life and, in the end, was the reason she passed away. He loved her more than anything, and losing her made his mind truly snap.
1 Shmi Skywalker
Above all else, for Anakin Skywalker, there is Shmi Skywalker. Shmi, Anakin’s mother, has always been the one Anakin loved the most. They were deeply bonded from the moment Anakin was born. As he technically has no father, Shmi was the only person Anakin had in the world, and he worshiped his mother. She was eternally beloved to him, and it was only once she was freed from slavery that Anakin was even willing to consider leaving her. When Anakin was an adult, Shmi was attacked by the Sand People, and died just as he came to her side to say goodbye. This forever warped Anakin’s mind and the way he would form relationships; his desperation to keep others alive, after the loss he felt losing Shmi, would eventually drive him to the Dark Side.