Star Wars: The Force Awakens: How Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker was going to be in the sequel

Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan was briefly heard in the sequel

For obvious reasons, Star Wars: The Force Awakens almost completely ignores the events and characters of the prequel trilogy, though referencing elements more overtly was considered.

Specifically, there was an idea to have Christensen return as a Force ghost, presumably either as Darth Vader in a Kylo Ren vision or as Anakin to serve as a warning to Rey.

In a new The Force Awakens coffee table book, artist Iain McCaig explains:

“When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.’ That inspired me to propose, for the first time, that Anakin’s ghost could come back […] If we see Anakin Skywalker, because he does flow back and forth between Darth Vader and Anakin, let’s see him as a character with a dark and light side. The reason Luke is this whole new entity is because he was the first to acknowledge his own dark side — that it was not separate from him.”

Concept art for Anakin's Force ghost (Picture: Screencrush) (Concept art for Anakin's Force ghost (Picture: Screencrush))

Concept art for Anakin's Force ghost (Picture: Screencrush)

Speaking of shadows, a title involving them was originally considered for TFA, it emerged this week.

Concept art for how Anakin’s Force ghost may have looked was included in the book - reproduced above.

Ultimately, it was only Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi who returned from the prequels, briefly heard telling the new heroine “Rey…these are your first steps.”

The next instalment in the new trilogy, Star Wars 8, will hit cinemas in 2017.