Summary
These 12Star Warscharacters have the very worst issues with their fathers.Star Warsmovies and TV showshave long been associated with bad fathers. After all, in addition to being one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith, Darth Vader is also an infamously bad father.
However, not every negative father-and-child relationship inStar Warsis due to an evil dad. Rather, manyStar Warscharacters have fathers who were trying their best but, for myriad reasons, were disappointing or downright harmful to their children. Of all the characters inStar Wars,these 12 had the biggest issues with their dads.
The Complete Star Wars Skywalker Family Tree
The Skywalker family is one of the most iconic and powerful families in Star Wars, but what does their family tree actually look like in canon?
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is surely theStar Warscharacter with the most prominent father issues. After all,the moment Luke discovers the true identity of his father is the single most famous scene in the entire franchise. The issues with Anakin’s parenthood began almost immediately, as he and Luke’s mother, Padmé, were in a secret romance when Luke and his twin sister Leia were conceived. While that may have been problematic enough, Anakin then went on to murder countless Jedi, including children, and he nearly choked the twins' mother to death.
Luke Skywalker is surely theStar Warscharacter with the most prominent father issues.
Luckily, Anakin didn’t end hisStar Warsstory as a bad father. InReturn of the Jedi, it is actually Anakin’s love for his son that remarkably turns him back to the light side of the Force after years of evil deeds that no one could stop Vader from committing. In truth,Anakin/Vader’s story is one of redemption and hope, but that doesn’t mean Luke simply got over the fact that his father was an evil dictator for nearly 20 years.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
There is still plenty of debate inStar Warsabout how Anakin was conceived and with whom, particularly as those questions pertain tothe Chosen One prophecy. While many questions remain up in the air regarding Anakin’s parentage and how his conception can be explained, it is clear that Anakin didn’t have a father when he was growing up on Tatooine. Likely for this reason, Anakin constantly sought father figures, and it often created significant trouble for him.
Anakin constantly sought father figures, and it often created significant trouble for him.
Anakin first found a father figure in Qui-Gon Jinn, who rescued him from slavery and helped him to become a Jedi. Sadly, Qui-Gon died very soon after, which was a loss that never really left Anakin, especially because it was so closely linked to leaving his mother behind too. Anakin then became Obi-Wan’s Padawan and, although he did see Obi-Wan as a father figure, the two never truly had a healthy dynamic. Unlike the support Anakin found with Qui-Gon, he felt Obi-Wan was overly critical of him.
Anakin’s worst father figure was Palpatine, who used Anakin’s vulnerabilities against him to turn him to the dark side of the Force. Because Anakin had lost so many parental figures and found Obi-Wan’s support lacking, he turned fully to Palpatine as the mentor he could trust. Unfortunately, that was the worst possible choice he could have made.
Leia Organa
Leia arguably had more reason to hate Darth Vader than anyone else. Not only was Vader the reason Leia’s biological mother was dead, but he also blew up her adoptive parents and everyone else on her home planet Alderaan right in front of her. Not knowing she was his daughter, Vader also interrogated Princess Leia and held her hostage on his ship.
Leia arguably had more reason to hate Darth Vader than anyone else.
In light of that,it’s unsurprising that Leia seemingly never forgave Vader. While Luke was able to see his father’s redemption, Leia did not share that perspective. Interestingly, in Legends, Leia named one of her children Anakin, signaling true forgiveness and even a connection. Notably, that is not the case inStar Warscanon. This is truly crushing, as Anakin and Leia’s similarities are clear, and, had things been different, they would have been an incredible father-and-daughter team.
Jyn Erso
Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyis truly one ofStar Wars’saddest stories, and not only because almost all the heroes die at the end. The movie opens in flashback, with a much younger Jyn Erso hiding as her father is taken in by Imperials who, devastatingly, also shoot and kill her mother. Despite seeing her father taken by the Empire, she comes to believe that her father, Galen, may have truly aligned himself with the Empire, particularly because the adult Rebels around her insist this is so.
She grows up with resentment towards Galen, not only for that reason but also because she feels abandoned by him. In fact,Jyn really has two father figures whom she feels failed her: Galen Erso and Saw Gerrera. Although Saw technically raised her after Galen was taken by the Empire, he also abandoned her at 16, leaving her with no one. In the end, Jyn was proven wrong about Galen, as he had actually built a weakness in the Death Star to help the Rebels and had never given up on Jyn. Sadly, that revelation only came just before her death.
Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren’s hatred for Han Solo was confusing inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, as it wasn’t clear what Han had done for his son to hate him so much. This also seemed largely incongruent with the Han Solo depicted in the originalStar Warstrilogy. Yes, Han had been cocky, sarcastic, and a little aloof, but it didn’t seem as though he would have been that terrible a father. However, Ben’s gripes with Han weren’t so much about Han being an actively terrible father.
Rather,Ben felt neglected by his parentsbecause they were so busy (Leia was helping build the New Republic, and Han never gave up smuggling) and because they sent him to train at his Uncle Luke’s Jedi Temple. Although neither Leia nor Han meant to reject or abandon Ben, he perceived it that way, and it built up a resentment that—in combination with Snoke and Palpatine’s manipulations—drove him to the dark. Thankfully, before Ben died inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ben and Han did get a final touching moment, even if Han was only a memory.
Boba Fett
It’s easy to overlook Boba Fett’s tragic backstory because he is such a hardened bounty hunter in the original trilogy, butBoba Fett has one of the saddest father stories in the franchise. Prior to Omega’s introduction inStar Wars: The Bad Batch, Boba Fett was thought to be the only unaltered clone of Jango Fett, meaning he was not made more docile nor did he age quicker than a typical human. This was a curious request from Jango Fett, who had asked for such a clone as a condition of his agreement to serve as the clone sample.
Evidently, Jango Fett wanted a son, as he raised Boba Fett with a traditional father-and-son dynamic, which certainly no other clone experienced. Sadly, this made Jango Fett’s demise all the more tragic. During the Battle of Geonosis inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Jedi Master Mace Windu cut Jango Fett’s head clean off. Disturbingly, Boba Fett later found and held it. This also sent Boba Fett on a warpath inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, during which he sought to kill Mace Windu.
Han Solo
Han Solo is one of manyStar Warscharacters who grew up without parents, andSolo: A Star Wars Storyrevealed that this history is in fact how he ended up with his name. In the movie, Han Solo had no family name to give, telling an Imperial officer that he didn’t have any"people.“In response, the officer assigned him the last name ‘Solo’ because he was alone.
Interestingly, although absent,Han Solo’s father is in fact known inStar Wars. Han’s father, Ovan, was an engineer on Corellia, who raised Han in his early years. However, like many characters on this list, Han’s father eventually abandoned him. This is a compelling aspect of Han’s character not only because it means he had father issues of his own but also because it adds even sadder context to his relationship with Ben. Undoubtedly, Han wanted to avoid repeating those patterns with his own son, but Ben felt as though he did perpetuate them.
Rey Skywalker
The mystery of Rey’s parentage dominated theStar Warssequel trilogy, and it wasn’t untilThe Rise of Skywalkerthat the truth was finally revealed. InStar Wars: The Last Jedi, it seemed as though Rey’s plotline was going to be entirely unique and rather brutal. Kylo Ren told Rey that he had uncovered the identity of Rey’s parents, and they were just junk traders who had sold her for drinking money.
Clearly, Rey was gutted, but this ended up not being true in light ofThe Rise of Skywalker’sPalpatine twist. Rather than the child of ‘nobodies,’ Rey was really related to Emperor Palpatine; Rey’s father had been a failed Palpatine clone, and he and Rey’s mother had died on the run when Palpatine was trying to get ahold of Rey. While nice for Rey to know that her parents had loved her, this discovery opened up an entirely new can of worms. Moreover, knowing the truth couldn’t exactly undo nearly two decades of waiting for parents who never returned.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
It isn’t exactly true that Rey is Palpatine’s granddaughter, although that description is frequently used. Dathan wasn’t Palpatine’s biological son but rather a clone of him. However, using that logic, given how pervasive the notion is,Dathan had the single worst dad in all ofStar Wars.Luke Skywalker may have been devastated to learn that the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader was his true father, but it can’t get much worse than having a father who was the ‘big bad’ for multiple eras intheStar Warstimeline.
Even outside of Palpatine being evil, he was also absolutely terrible to Dathan. Because Dathan didn’t have the Force, which was the intention of Palpatine creating such clones, he was seen as a failed experiment (not a child of Palpatine or even really a human being), and Palpatine treated him as such. Dathan’s father also had him killed and tried to kidnap his daughter, so he truly does hold the title of worstStar Warsdad.
Sabine Wren
Star Wars Rebelswas truly a show about found family, as the members of the Ghost crew made clear. Kanan, Hera, Zeb, Chopper, Ezra, and Sabine really did form a family unit together, which was certainly what Sabine needed in light of her complicated history with family. Sabine had essentially been cast out by her parents and by her people, as she had spoken out against the Empire.
Disappointingly, Sabine’s brother and her parents sided with the Empire over her, which led to her running away and joining theRebelsfamily. This became more complicated over time, as Sabine was also a Mandalorian, and she had suffered a severe disconnect from her culture. In the end, Sabine’s family did ameliorate some of the damage done and reach a better place with one another, although their brutal rejection of her when she tried to stand up for what was right had a lasting impact.
