Skywalker family

The Skywalker family is a fictional family in the Star Wars series. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force. The Skywalkers are the central characters of the saga: Luke Skywalker is the main protagonist of the original trilogy and his father Anakin is the main protagonist of the prequel trilogy.

History
In terms of the series' internal chronology, the Skywalkers first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. In this film, Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn discovers Shmi Skywalker and her son Anakin as slaves on the planet Tatooine. Qui-Gon finds that Anakin has a higher midi-chlorian count than any other Jedi; midi-chlorians are explained as being microscopic organisms which connect living things to the Force. Shmi informs Qui-Gon that Anakin had no father, leading Qui-Gon to deduce that Anakin was conceived by the midi-chlorians, an example of a miraculous birth. As the film progresses, Anakin leaves Tatooine to begin his Jedi training.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones reveals that, after Anakin left Tatooine, Shmi married Cliegg Lars, becoming the stepmother of Owen. Owen later married Beru Whitesun. As a Jedi Knight, Anakin secretly married Padmé Amidala, who gave birth to twins, Luke and Leia.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith reveals that Luke was raised on Tatooine by his aunt and uncle (Beru and Owen Lars), while Leia was raised by Senator Bail Organa and Queen Breha Organa on Alderaan.

In the Expanded Universe, Luke, following his sister's marriage with Han Solo and the birth of the Solo children (Anakin, Jacen, and Jaina), married Mara Jade, who had a son named Ben.

According to an ongoing comic book series from Dark Horse called Star Wars: Legacy, which takes place 125 years after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Cade Skywalker, son of Kol Skywalker and a direct descendant of Luke Skywalker, is the last surviving Skywalker of his time. It is shown that he has completely abandoned the Jedi way after the New Sith Order attacked the Jedi Academy on Ossus, although he still encounters other Jedi, as well as the ghost of Luke Skywalker.

Shmi Skywalker Lars
Shmi Skywalker is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, portrayed by Pernilla August. She appears in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.

She is the mother of Anakin Skywalker and paternal grandmother to Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. Her first name is derived from Lakshmi, a Hindu goddess. Also, "shmi" is a Hebrew word meaning "my name."

In The Phantom Menace, she and her son are introduced as slaves of junk merchant Watto on the desert world Tatooine. She welcomes Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) into their home, and tells him that Anakin has no father; she simply became pregnant with him.

Qui-Gon helps Anakin win his freedom, but cannot get Shmi out of slavery. She allows Anakin to leave with Qui-Gon, assuring her heartbroken son that they will meet again.

In Attack of the Clones, Anakin (Hayden Christensen), now a teenaged Jedi apprentice, senses through the Force that she is in pain. He travels to Tatooine to find her, and, upon arriving, learns that she had been freed by and married to moisture farmer Cliegg Lars (Jack Thompson), but had recently been abducted by Tusken Raiders. He finds her inside one of their encampments, but it is too late — beaten and tortured beyond help, she dies in his arms. Enraged, Anakin slaughters every single Tusken in the camp, including the women,children, and every Bantha mount. His mother's death ignites in Anakin a strong phobia of loss, and sets him on the path to becoming Darth Vader.

In the Expanded Universe book Tatooine Ghost, Shmi's granddaughter, Leia, is given Shmi's old journal, which describes Anakin's childhood. Leia learns, through Shmi's love for Anakin, to forgive her father for his role in the destruction of Alderaan and for torturing her aboard the Death Star, as depicted in A New Hope.

Ben Skywalker
Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker's son. Jedi Knight. Former student of Jacen Solo, his cousin. In Fate of the Jedi: Outcast, he voluntarily accompanies his father into exile. He proves himself as both a fighter and as an investigator.

The character was voted the 40th top Star Wars character by IGN and the top 6th Star Wars Expanded Universe character by UGO Networks.

Nat Skywalker
One of the sons of Ben Skywalker (who dies before puberty). He is a minor character in Star Wars: Legacy. Nat is a former Jedi master and the older brother of Kol.

Kol Skywalker
One of the sons of Ben Skywalker. He is a minor character in Star Wars: Legacy. Kol is a Jedi master and the father of Cade Skywalker.

Cade Skywalker
Descendants of Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker, Ben Skywalker and Kol Skywalker. He is a protagonist of the Star Wars: Legacy comic series.

The character was voted the 84th top Star Wars character by IGN.