Some of the more fascinating parts of Star Wars that often get overlooked are the technological achievements in the franchise. Things like interplanetary travel, laser-based weapons, and cloning have all become standard parts of any sci-fi universe, despite them being nothing more than fiction in real life. However, some of that innovation can end up in the wrong hands, and Anakin Skywalker’s childhood in The Phantom Menace is a perfect example.
After escaping the Trade Federation’s blockade in the film, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan land on Tatooine to acquire parts for Queen Amidala's ship. It's there that the pair encounters Anakin Skywalker, a boy who Qui-Gon believes could be the Chosen One. The problem, however, is that Anakin and his mother are enslaved individuals under the control of a local Toydarian junk dealer named Watto.
Because of the technology in Star Wars, enslaved individuals have no chance of running away. As the 2017 canon book Darth Vader: Sith Lord explains, “Anakin grew up with a transmitter implanted in his body. The transmitter allowed his master to track his whereabouts at all times.” That makes sneaking away from work or escaping an actual impossibility, but it was just a part of the culture of Tatooine.
That Anakin and other enslaved individuals had the transmitters inside of them actually came up in The Phantom Menace during a short conversation at the Skywalker home. Anakin, Shmi, Padme, Qui-Gon and Jar Jar are all sitting around the dinner table when the topic comes up, although the conversation is so brief that it’s easy to miss. However, it’s worth paying attention to because the interaction provides an extra detail that Darth Vader: Sith Lord omits: The transmitter is also an explosive.
Shmi begins by telling Qui-Gon that “All slaves have transmitters placed inside their bodies somewhere,” and Anakin follows that up by saying, “I've been working on a scanner to try and locate them, but no luck.” Shmi then continues by saying, “Any attempt to escape...” before Anakin cuts her off and finishes the sentence, explaining, “…and they blow you up. Boom!” Being a slave was bad enough for Anakin, but knowing that his master could blow up him at any time with the push of a button had to add a sense of helplessness to his existence.
Anakin was a loose cannon while he was a Jedi Knight, and being a literal ticking time bomb as a child likely helped form that attitude. And his time being enslaved was likely all he remembered when he thought about his mother because, while he escaped that life, she had to stay behind.