
Related: Sebastian Shaw Roles: Where You Know Return Of The Jedi's Darth Vader Initially kept in the dark about his character's true significance, Shaw was surprised to gain so many adoring young fans following Return of the Jedi's release. In addition to being a legend in British theater as an accomplished Thespian, and having a film career that goes back to the 1930s, Shaw was also a novelist. Sebastian Shaw was the first actor to portray Anakin Skywalker as the unmasked and redeemed Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, but prior to playing one of science fiction's most iconic villains, Shaw was already a highly accomplished stage and film actor. Sebastian Shaw's version will always have a special place in the hearts of those who grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy, but Christensen is now synonymous with Anakin. Meanwhile, it's important to note Christensen also played Darth Vader as part of Obi-Wan Kenobi 'scast. In the sequel trilogy, Christensen returned for a voiceover cameo as one of the Jedi Rey heard in The Rise of Skywalker, further cementing Lucas' polarizing change to Return of the Jedi. Whether audiences agree with this explanation for why Anakin's Force Ghost is young, these are the Force Ghost rules from George Lucas himself. The latter two never turned to the Dark Side, so they don't have a point to "go back to where we left it off" like Anakin. Lucas' reasoning also clarifies why Anakin's Force Ghost is young in Return of the Jedi, while Obi-Wan and Yoda are older.

This is why his Force Ghost in Return of the Jedi resembles the person he was before Palpatine twisted him. Although there were times Anakin tapped into the Dark Side to get the upper hand, he wasn't fully corrupted until Revenge of the Sith.

Rather than Vader, who has already committed numerous atrocities for Palpatine, Hayden Christensen's Anakin Force Ghost is modeled on the heroic Jedi Knight who fought in the Clone Wars. Though Vader turned back to the light and defeated the Emperor in Return of the Jedi, which means that Sebastian Shaw's Anakin Force Ghost should remain intact, Anakin had already been consumed by the Dark Side at that point.
