In Lucas' eyes, however, at that point Anakin had already been consumed by the dark side and committed numerous atrocities in the name of the Empire. Christensen's Anakin Force ghost is clearly modeled on a pre-turn Skywalker, when he was still a heroic Jedi Knight fighting in the Clone Wars.

Anakin's presence in the sequel trilogy is a reminder that he did become a Force ghost alongside his former masters, and though he could have physically appeared in the sequels, his ghost has not been seen since Return of the Jedi.