The answer can be found in an unexpected place – the 2004 DVD edition of RotJ, in which George Lucas replaced the image of Sebastian Shaw as Anakin’s Force ghost with that of Hayden Christensen. It was a controversial change, but if we are to understand Lucas’s intent, we must accept this as the final version.

Anakin’s spirit appears as the man he was before he turned to the dark side. This implies is that there is a truth to Obi-Wan’s “certain point of view” – Anakin Skywalker was destroyed by Darth Vader. Luke’s achievement, then, is in saving Anakin – the good man who has been buried deep down within Vader for decades. Anakin even talks in these terms himself – as he lies dying, Luke says “I’ve got to save you,” and Anakin replies, “You already have, Luke.” This is the kind of redemption Star Wars is interested in: not repaying a debt to society, but something more mythic – the saving of a soul.

Luke achieves this through an unconditional compassion for his father. He is prepared to forgive all of Anakin’s evil deeds, and to die in the attempt to save him. It is through this that Anakin’s own compassion – a selfless love – awakens, and he sacrifices himself. We sometimes underestimate what a challenging idea this is for an audience: our usual response to villains, even if we find them entertaining or sympathetic, is to want them defeated, brought to justice or even killed. Star Wars tells us that this is not the Jedi way. The way to achieve victory, and to become a true Jedi, is not to fight, to defeat, or to destroy – indeed, the Jedi usually fail when they fight. Instead, the forces of good win when our hero refuses to act – when he is passive and compassionate, and prepared to forgive, and through that, becomes a vessel for the triumph of the light side. Far from being the swashbuckling action hero he is often taken to be, Luke Skywalker and the values he represents are unique in popular culture, and he challenges us to question our own response to a villain.