Summary

• George Lucas changed Anakin's Force Ghost from Sebastian Shaw to Hayden Christensen in Return of the Jedi.
• Lucas attributed Christensen's young Force Ghost to Anakin having metaphorically died as Darth Vader.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi used James Earl Jones' voice with Christensen's acting to portray young Vader.

George Lucas has made many changes to the Return of the Jedi. In both the 1983 theatrical cut and the 1997 special edition, Sebastian Shaw's version of Anakin's Force Ghost is seen with the spirits of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, watching over Luke Skywalker as he reflects on his journey. The implication is that Luke sees his father and mentors as he re them, or the age they were when they died. Indeed, when Luke finally met Anakin, Anakin was an older man.

For the 2004 DVD release of the original trilogy, Lucas changed Return of the Jedi's ending so that instead of Shaw, how Jedi Force Ghosts work in Star Wars.

Why Did Anakin's Force Ghost Change?

In an event where George Lucas and Hayden Christensen interviewed each other and answered fan queries, Lucas explained that the reason why Anakin's Force Ghost is young is that he metaphorically died after becoming Vader — an idea reinforced by Vader himself during Obi-Wan Kenobi. This was a notable revelation of how Force Ghosts work. When Anakin was redeemed upon saving Luke in Return of the Jedi, his "...inner person would go back to where we left it off." Additionally, Lucas thought replacing the original Anakin Force Ghost with Christensen would help connect the prequels and originals, bringing it full circle.

Though Vader turned back to the light and defeated Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi, Anakin had already been consumed by the Dark Side. Rather than Vader, Christensen's Anakin Force Ghost is modeled on the heroic Jedi Knight who fought in the Clone Wars. Although Anakin sometimes tapped into the Dark Side, he wasn't fully corrupted until Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Lucas' reasoning also clarifies why Obi-Wan and Yoda are older, as they never turned to the Dark Side and don't have a point to "...go back to where we left it off..." like Anakin.

Whether audiences agree with this explanation for why Anakin's Force Ghost is young, these are the Force Ghost rules from George Lucas himself. In the sequel trilogy, Christensen returned for a voiceover cameo as one of the Jedi Rey heard on Exegol, further cementing Lucas' polarizing change to Return of the Jedi. 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.

Who Was Sebastian Shaw, The Original Anakin Force Ghost?

Sebastian Shaw was the first actor to portray the unmasked Anakin Skywalker following the redemption of Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. Before playing one of science fiction's most iconic villains, Shaw was an accomplished stage and film actor. 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. Initially kept in the dark about his character's significance, Shaw was surprised to gain so many adoring young fans following Return of the Jedi's release.

Indeed, Shaw's appearance in Return of the Jedi was a historic moment that essentially laid the groundwork for all other versions of the character, especially Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. That said, given Sebastian Shaw's professional achievements, and the fact that he's still in Return of the Jedi as unmasked Vader, Christensen replacing him as the original Anakin Force Ghost wasn't that much of a loss for the actor himself, and in no way dented his wider legacy.

Sebastian Shaw's appearance as the unmasked Darth Vader was altered slightly to make him look more like Hayden Christensen.

Who Voices Darth Vader In Obi-Wan Kenobi?

To bring a young, pre-original-trilogy Darth Vader to life in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the show combined Christensen's onscreen performance with the iconic voice of James Earl Jones — Vader's original voice actor. Where George Lucas' replacement of Sebastian Shaw's likeness with the new Anakin wasn't well-received because of the canon explanation, Obi-Wan Kenobi embraced both old and new aspects of Vader to bring life to the character, allowing Christensen to redeem himself a little in the eyes of those who hated the prequels.

Combining Jones' and Christensen's performances to create young Vader at an earlier point in the Star Wars canon timeline was the best possible creative choice for the character. Alongside the various Obi-Wan Kenobi easter eggs and Christensen's performance as Anakin's Force Ghost in Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi's Darth Vader further s Lucas' vision of having more direct connections across canonical Star Wars media. Moreover, all this could mean that Obi-Wan Kenobi isn't the last that viewers will see of James Earl Jones and Hayden Christensen's collaborative Darth Vader.

Hayden Christensen also returned as Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost in Ahsoka season 1.

Other Controversial Changes In The Star Wars Remasters

Replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen in Return of the Jedi isn’t the only change to the original Star Wars trilogy that divided fans. Perhaps the most infamous and egregious Special Edition change is Greedo shooting at Han Solo first in the first Star Wars film, retroactively titled A New Hope (something that Lucasfilm has largely backtracked on in subsequent re-edits over the years). Other misguided changes include an embarrassing musical number, “Jedi Rocks," in Jabba’s palace, an unconvincing CGI Jabba talking with Han in A New Hope, and Vader screaming “Nooo!” when dispatching the Emperor.

These inclusions aren't just distracting — they sometimes change details that harm the original story. Still, not every change Lucas made to the original Star Wars trilogy was harmful. Some of the subtler updated effects (such as the compositing in the Rancor scene or adding windows to Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back) have worked beautifully. John Williams' rewritten score for Return of the Jedi’s victory celebration is a vast improvement from “Yub Nub.” Replacing Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost ranks among George Lucas' controversial decisions, but some changes prove that the Star Wars special editions do have merit.