Star Wars - Episode I Journal - Anakin Skywalker

by Todd Strasser

  Table of Contents

  Introduction, Naboo

  First Entry, I Meet an Angel

  Second Entry, Magnet for Trouble

  Third Entry, Jedi Secrets

  Fourth Entry, We Prepare for the Race

  Fifth Entry, The Race of My Life

  Sixth Entry, The Biggest Surprise

  Seventh Entry, A Difficult Decision

  Eighth Entry, The Queen

  Ninth Entry, The Future is Uncertain

  Tenth Entry, Past and Future

  Eleventh Entry, Another Surprise

  Twelfth Entry, A Greater Enemy Appears

  Thirteenth Entry, The Battle

  Fourteenth Entry, A Bitter Triumph

  Time to Go

  Introduction

  Naboo

  The battle is over. There is peace again on Naboo. Through my window I am watching the people of Theed clear away the rubble. Wrecked Trade Federation tanks and the burned battle droids are being towed off. Shattered statues are being put back together. The job of rebuilding this beautiful city will be hard, but the people of Naboo don’t seem to mind. I think they are thankful that they are alive.

  I am thankful to be alive, too. I could have been killed many times. I should be happy, but I’m not. A great man gave his life so that these people could live. I will never forget him.

  That is why I am writing this journal. So much has happened… I’m afraid it’s too much for me to fully remember. Yet I sense even greater and more important things are coming soon.

  The air here on Naboo is damp and warm. As I sit beside the window, the sun feels good on my skin. It is so different from the place I come from.

  I am only here for a while. I’m not sure what will happen when I leave, but until then, I will work on this journal.

  My name is Anakin Skywalker.

  I am nine years old.

  First Entry

  I Meet an Angel

  Something strange happened to me. I was working in the junk heap behind the shop when Watto yelled at me to come inside. He is always yelling at me from under his long snout. He hovers around the shop on stubby blue wings that make a humming noise. He is my master and I am his slave. So I have to listen.

  “Come into the store,” Watto yelled. His store is just a dusty junk shop. Like most of the buildings here in Mos Espa, it is domed and made with thick walls to keep the heat out.

  I usually work in the junkyard in the back. My job is to look for parts in the small mountain of busted-up space vehicles Watto has collected. Sometimes I hate the work, but it’s taught me a lot. I doubt there are many nine-year-old Humans around Tatooine who know half as much about mechanical stuff as me.

  I normally don’t mind getting out from under Tatooine’s two suns. Around midday they can really roast you. But just when Watto called me I was pulling a cooling unit out of a Podracer. I’d been looking for a cooling unit like it for weeks. I wanted to give it to my friend Jira, the old lady who owns the fruit stand in the marketplace.

  I ran into the store. If there are customers, Watto always yells more. It’s his way of showing off and proving to people what an important junk dealer he is. A small group of people and an astromech droid were inside. That was pretty unusual.

  One of the people was an older man who looked like a farmer. He was tall and had a beard, long dark hair, and strange eyes. Right away I noticed he was different. He didn’t have the scarred, calloused hands moisture farmers usually have.

  There was also a creature who looked like a cross between many species. He stood upright on two legs like a Human. He had a mouth shaped like a bill, and a frog’s big eyes rising out of his head. He was not really that unusual compared to some of the creatures who pass through Mos Espa. But I’d never met anyone like him before.

  Tagging along with them was a small, blue, dome-topped R-2 astromech droid.

  And finally, there was her. At first I didn’t notice anything unusual because she was small and dressed in rough peasant clothes. But on second glance I noticed that, like the older man, something wasn’t quite right about her. She was older than me, but not old. She may have been wearing coarse clothes, but there was something delicate about her. Her long, braided brown hair shimmered. There was a glint in her brown eyes and her skin was too perfect for a farm girl.

  My heart started to beat a little harder, and I felt strangely drawn to her. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I looked closer and instantly knew that she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. In fact, I was certain that I was in the presence of an angel, even though I’d never met one before.

  Second Entry

  Magnet for Trouble

  Tatooine is probably the last place in the galaxy you’d expect to find an angel. It is a hot, dusty planet. And people don’t follow the laws of the Galactic Republic here. Tatooine is run by the Hutts, who are known throughout the universe as gangsters and cold-blooded killers. Our planet is populated by misfits and criminals who have nowhere left to go. I think it is one of the few places in the galaxy where you can buy and sell slaves, like my mom and me.

  A bunch of hyperspace trading routes meet here on Tatooine. This means we get visitors not only from our galaxy, but other galaxies as well. A lot of strange types come into Watto’s junk shop looking for parts. We get bounty hunters, hired blasters, spice pirates, and all sorts of deep-space pilots traveling to and from places you’ve never heard of before and will probably never hear of again.

  It was an old deep-space pilot who told me about the angels. He said they lived on the moons of Iego and were the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They were also supposed to be good and kind—two words you don’t hear much on Tatooine.

  Watto took the older man and the astromech droid out back to look for parts. That left me with the frog man and the angel. Of course, I didn’t know for sure that she was an angel. I only suspected it. So I just sat on the counter and pretended to clean a transmitter cell.

  The angel was sweating and she dabbed her forehead with a cloth. I had a feeling she wasn’t used to the kind of heat we lived with on Tatooine.

  She must have known I was staring at her because after a while she gave me a funny smile. That’s when I asked her if she was an angel.

  She looked surprised, then said she’d never heard of angels. I think she was telling the truth. So I told her maybe she was one and didn’t know it.

  We started to talk, and the next thing I knew, I was telling her that I was a pilot, and how Watto had won my mom and me from Gardulla the Hutt on a bet.

  She seemed surprised to hear I was a slave.

  Meanwhile, the frog man couldn’t keep still. He poked through the bins and shelves. It seemed as if he had to touch everything in the shop! Finally he accidentally activated a small pit droid. The droid started marching, knocking things over, and dragging the frog man around the store.

  It was a funny sight, and the angel girl and I laughed together. She had an easy laugh, and I knew I didn’t want her to go away.

  By the time Watto came back with the man and the astromech droid, I’d found out that the angel girl’s name was Padmé. She knew my name was Anakin Skywalker. I was sad that the man was in a hurry to leave. I knew we had a lot of parts, so that must have meant that the man and Watto couldn’t strike a deal.

  Padmé and I said good-bye and she left with the others. Watto hovered around the shop complaining about how the outlanders always try to rip him off. His wings beat through the air so fast they were nothing more than a blue blur. But the good news was that all I had to do was clean some racks—then I could go home!

&nbs
p; * * *

  Of course, I didn’t go home right away. Padmé may have left Watto’s shop, but that didn’t mean she was gone for good. As long as she was on Tatooine, I would find her.

  The outlanders weren’t hard to find, thanks to the frog man. You could tell he was a magnet for trouble. I found him in the market. He was lucky I did, because a Dug named Sebulba was about to squash him.

  Sebulba was my archrival at Podracing. He’s mean and ugly, with big eyes, long arms, and braids hanging down the sides of his head. Frankly, I don’t care about looks. Once you’ve lived on Tatooine for a while, you’ve seen everything. But I do care about cheaters, and Sebulba was the worst.

  Anything goes in Podracing. The only thing that matters is who crosses the finish line first. But some of us actually think it’s wrong to mess with each other’s Podracers. You should win by being the best and fastest pilot, not by knocking your opponent’s Pod into a canyon wall on purpose.

  But like I said, when it comes to cheaters, Sebulba is the worst in the galaxy. I wouldn’t care that much except that in our last race I was winning… until he flashed me with his vent ports and practically got me killed.

  Anyway, I found Sebulba standing over the frog man in the market. The frog man was squirming and trying to get away. But Sebulba wasn’t about to let him. I hate to think about what would have happened if I’d gotten there a minute later.

  I warned the Dug to back off. He wanted to know why, and I told him that the frog man was connected to the Hutts. Dugs aren’t the smartest creatures in the universe, but they know that messing with anyone connected to the Hutts can mean instant death.

  Sebulba was mad, but he turned away from the frog man. He told me that the next time we raced he’d make sure I didn’t live to see the finish line. I reminded him that if he killed me, he’d have to pay Watto for me.

  Sebulba left, and I helped the frog man to his feet. That’s when Padmé arrived with the older guy and the astromech droid unit.

  They asked what had happened. I told them that Sebulba had picked a fight with the frog man and that I’d broken it up.

  I guess the older man was surprised that I’d done that, because he gave me a strange look. As if he thought he saw something, but wasn’t sure. It wouldn’t be the last time he’d look at me that way. But it would be a while until I knew what it meant.

  Third Entry

  Jedi Secrets

  We started to walk through the market. As usual, it was crowded with beings of every size and shape. Plus speeders, droids, and wagons pulled by eopies and giant, tame banthas. The man was still looking for the hyperdrive parts he needed for a J-type 327 Nubian. I was just glad to be with Padmé again. In a selfish way I hoped the man would have a lot of trouble finding the parts. Once he had that hyperdrive working, they’d all be going far, far away.

  My friend Jira was up ahead. Her fruit stand was really just a ragged, sun-bleached awning stretched over a frame of poles. The awning provided shade for the fruit she sold. I thought since Padmé and the others were strangers here, they might like to try some local food. Tatooine doesn’t offer much, but we do have some interesting fruit.

  Jira is old and bent, and has gray hair. Her clothes are patched and ragged, but they’re always clean. The heat of the twin suns is hard on her. When I told her about the cooling unit I’d found in Watto’s junk heap, she was really happy. Then I asked to buy four pallies. Pallies are sweet, juicy fruits grown at underground farms on Tatooine. I was pretty certain the strangers would like them.

  As I took some truguts out of my pocket to pay for the fruit, one of the coins fell to the ground. The man bent down to pick it up, and I saw something amazing.

  Under those farmer clothes was a lightsaber!

  The kind only Jedi Knights carried.

  I knew he wasn’t a moisture farmer!

  Now it was my turn to give him a funny look. But I made sure he didn’t notice it. What would a Jedi Knight be doing here on Tatooine?

  A gust of wind rippled the awning over Jira’s fruit stand, and the old lady said she could feel a storm coming. Sandstorms happen a lot on Tatooine. They arrive fast and don’t give much warning. They can be very dangerous. Already, sand and dust had begun to blow down the street, and some of the shop owners around us were starting to close their doors and take down their stands.

  The Jedi Knight disguised as a farmer wanted to head back to his ship. But when I heard that they’d landed on the outskirts of Mos Espa, I knew they didn’t have enough time to make it back safely. They’d be better off coming to my house and waiting until the storm passed.

  I was glad when they accepted my offer. Not only would it give me more time with Padmé, I might find out what they were doing out here on Tatooine. After all, Mos Espa was a spaceport. It usually had plenty of available hangar space.

  So why did they land in the desert?

  Mom was surprised when she saw all the strangers in our hovel. But once I explained about the sandstorm she welcomed them to dinner. I introduced her to the others and learned that the Jedi Knight’s name was Qui-Gon Jinn. The frog man’s name was Jar Jar Binks, and the astromech droid was Artoo-Detoo.

  Our home had one main room, plus two smaller rooms, where Mom and I each slept. What made it special was that my room was also a workshop. That’s where I took Padmé as soon as everyone was introduced. I wanted to show her my latest project—a protocol droid to help Mom around the house.

  My droid was named See-Threepio. He wasn’t quite finished, but most of the circuitry and mechanics were done. He had arms, legs, and a head like a Human, but I didn’t have the money or the parts for his outer shell. One day I hoped to cover him in gold chromium plating.

  The funny thing was that the little blue dome droid Artoo-Detoo had followed us into my room. When he saw See-Threepio he started to beep and whistle.

  See-Threepio blinked and spoke, “I beg your pardon… what do you mean I’m naked?” Artoo-Detoo beeped again. I started to laugh. “Oh, my goodness!” See-Threepio gasped. “How embarrassing! Am I really naked?”

  Padmé grinned. I quickly explained to my protocol droid that he was only “sort of” naked and that I’d fix that problem soon.

  I wanted to show Padmé the Podracer I was building, but it was outside in the storm, covered by a tarp. We went back into the main room instead.

  We started to eat and talk. Padmé asked why, if we were slaves, we didn’t go to a planet where we could be free? I had to explain about the transmitters that were hidden in our bodies and how we could be blown up if we tried to escape.

  Padmé looked shocked. I knew then that she’d never encountered anything like life on Tatooine before. And it made me wonder. Where in the galaxy had she come from?

  No one seemed to know what to say next. I figured Padmé was feeling sorry for Mom and me. And I don’t like anyone feeling sorry for me. So I started talking about Podracing and how I was the only Human on Tatooine who could do it.

  I could tell that Mom thought I was bragging, but I was just stating a well-known fact.

  Qui-Gon said they had Podracing on Malastare. He knew it was very fast and dangerous.

  And then he said that if I raced Pods, I must have Jedi reflexes.

  I felt a chill. Jedi reflexes? I knew I was fast. But here was a real, live Jedi Knight hinting that I might be one of his kind! All of a sudden I felt the urge to tell him that I knew his secret.

  But I hesitated. After all, he was dressed like a farmer. What if he didn’t want anyone to know?

  Everyone has secrets. Sometimes, if you spend enough time with someone, you can figure them out. That’s how I knew Qui-Gon wasn’t a moisture farmer and Padmé wasn’t a farm girl.

  I also had a secret. But mine was private. It had to do with the dreams I had. My dreams were different from the dreams of other kids I knew. Take my friends Kitster and Seek, for instance. They both wanted to be pilots like me. But they dreamed of leaving Tatooine forever and never coming back. />
  I dreamed about leaving, too. But I would come back. As a Jedi Knight. I dreamed about leading a slave rebellion here on Tatooine. I dreamed of holding a lightsaber, and of driving every last Hutt, criminal, and bounty hunter off this planet.

  But I had another secret as well. A dark secret. It was about the way my dreams always ended. It was a secret that frightened me, one I could never tell.

  I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. I wasn’t sure if I should say this, but I had to know.

  “Qui-Gon,” I said, “you must know what you’re talking about, because you are a Jedi.”

  My mother gasped. The others around the table went silent.

  Qui-Gon was quiet for a moment. Then he raised an eyebrow and asked why I thought that.

  I said it was because I’d seen his laser sword.

  “Maybe I killed a Jedi and took his lightsaber,” he said.

  I shook my head and said that couldn’t be true. Everyone knew that Jedi Knights couldn’t be killed.

  Qui-Gon sighed. He gave me a look that would come back to haunt me.

  “I wish that were so,” he said.

  I know now that I should have paid more attention to his words. But I was eager to tell him about my dream of becoming a Jedi and freeing the slaves on Tatooine.

  Surely he, a Jedi Knight, would understand. I asked him if maybe that was why he’d come to our planet.

  Qui-Gon slowly shook his head. And then he said that in fact they hadn’t meant to come here at all.

  For a moment I felt disappointed… until Qui-Gon explained that they were on their way to Coruscant.

  Of all the places in the galaxy I wanted to visit, Coruscant was at the top of my list. From what I’d heard from spice pirates and deep-space pilots, it sounded like the exact opposite of Tatooine. Tatooine was a forgotten wasteland on the Outer Rim. Coruscant was the center of the galaxy. Tatooine was a near-empty desert. Coruscant was covered by an unending multileveled city. It was the capital of the Galactic Republic, and the home of the Jedi.