The following contains spoilers for Avatar: The Way of Water, now playing in theaters.
It's safe to say, the Star Wars prequel trilogy isn't held in high regard by many fans. There were questionable characters, such as Jar Jar Binks, as well as iffy performances, with Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker receiving significant criticism.
Atop the list of narrative flaws is the concept of the midi-chlorians. In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, the midi-chlorian arc established Anakin as a virgin birth and the Chosen One meant to bring balance to the Force. Unfortunately, his being a messiah was quickly disregarded, passing the mantle down to Luke and Rey. However, Avatar: The Way of Water is placing its own take on this twist, which is shaping up to be even better in the third film regarding Sigourney Weaver's Jesus Christ-like character, Kiri.
Star Wars' Jesus Wasn't Handled Well
Star Wars has dropped the idea of the midi-chlorians since, with the comics and cartoons steering clear of what seemed to be divine intervention. Shmi got pregnant without a husband, explained to be the Force crafting Anakin as a special kid. Since then, it's become convoluted, with Marvel insinuating maybe Palpatine manipulated this before he became Emperor, as part of some elaborate scheme to find an apprentice.
The problem is, Palpatine tried to kill Vader, so he'd need a crystal ball to predict everything to come down the line, from Anakin as a pawn to Rey as a vessel. This is why the franchise has moved to make this virgin birth irrelevant. Admittedly, had Anakin unlocked mysterious power from the afterlife and helped Rey as a ghost when the dark side called, it'd have made sense. But as it stands, Anakin's immaculate conception holds little weight with no lasting impression.
Avatar 3 Has a Celestial Messiah
Avatar 2 remixes this with Kiri, who was born to Grace without a dad. The same way the Force bonded with Shmi is how Mother Nature (aka Pandora's Eywa) bonded with Grace's Na'vi avatar, impregnating her. Kiri has immense power, using her control of plants and animal life to dispel the humans in the sequel. She even comes off terrifying at times, nodding to her become a destroyer, but a relatable, understandable one as she just wants to protect the planet and its various tribes.
This makes Kiri Pandora's avatar, tapping into the light and the dark the way Anakin did. Come Avatar 3 and other sequels, Kiri has the option of following a Jedi-like path and trying to bring peace to both species via diplomacy or becoming a monster of sorts as she embarks on a proactive quest to save Pandora. This can lead to her losing herself, vengefully assaulting the Sky People and fire tribe (if they're antagonists) and ignoring the temperament and composure of Jake Sully's camp.
With Neteyam's death, Quaritch's murderous intent, Spider's betrayal and Earth's continued efforts to colonize Pandora, Kiri is at a breaking point, which explains why she'd want to use chaos to bring order. Ultimately, this sets her up to tip the franchise, holding godlike power as she chooses how to balance the scales. It's the definitive role Anakin was set up for but never got, which ties into James Cameron wanting to make his Star Wars, with a Vader that's basically an eco-terrorist trying to do right by her home. And who fans will inevitably root for as an instrument against oppressors.
Avatar: The Way of Water is out now, exclusively in theaters.