How Did Anakin Skywalker Get His Scar In The Star Wars Universe?

This post contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Republic."

In "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) loses an arm in a vicious fight against Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). We don't see any visible scars on Anakin's face in the aftermath of the First Battle of Geonosis, but Anakin sports a prominent scar across his right eye in "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," although the prequel film doesn't reference or explain this at any point. Of course, this scar could've formed anytime offscreen, as a Jedi of Anakin's stature is constantly exposed to dangerous and unpredictable scenarios. While it's tempting to dismiss it as a cool visual element that adds layers to his character, Anakin's mythological and tragic status within the "Star Wars" franchise warrants a closer look at what might've happened.

For context, Anakin was extremely busy before his fall in "Revenge of the Sith." The "Clone Wars" animated series alone made an important addition to his character by introducing his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka's relationship with Anakin retroactively enriches our understanding of him, and we get more insight into his increasingly tense relationship with authority and the Jedi concept of restraint involving deep attachment to people. We also learn a lot more about his dynamic with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor in the prequel trilogy) and how Anakin feels about the expectations associated with the Chosen One that are thrust upon him. Then there are the countless battles Anakin fought during this time period, including the Battle of Christophsis, where he was tasked with breaking up a Separatist blockade and aiding in relief efforts.

To solve the scar problem, we have to look through the non-canon Legends, which seem to offer a possible explanation.

John Ostrander and Jan Duursema's comic, "Star Wars: Republic," is now considered a part of the Legends continuity, and its 71st issue features a duel between Anakin and Asajj Ventress. This duel takes place in 20 BBY, in the Underlevels of Coruscant. The events that lead up to this confrontation include the aftermath of the Battle of Rendili, when Anakin gives a testimony regarding Jedi Quinlan Vos to the Jedi Council. Soon after, Anakin goes to meet Padmé, but receives a holodisc from one of her handmaidens instead. Since their marriage is a secret at the time, Anakin heads to the Coruscant Underlevels to listen to Padmé's message. There, he's ambushed by Ventress, who had tailed Anakin while attempting to hunt down Vos and Obi-Wan.

Anakin has always been somewhat impulsive as a Jedi, even more so when his loved ones are threatened at any point. Once Ventress says she will kill Senator Amidala, Anakin charges forward in rage. Ventress is able to parry his strikes with ease, and even ragebaits him by saying that his attacks are pitiful and that he's not worth fighting. After Anakin gives chase, Ventress ambushes him and slashes Anakin's face, leaving the distinctive vertical scar across his eye. By this point, Anakin snaps and ends up torturing Ventress by holding her up with live electrical wires. The comic ends with Ventress falling into a pit (don't worry, she survives) and Anakin looking on.

By giving in to his rage during the duel with Ventress, Anakin inched closer to his imminent fall, with the scar symbolizing the price paid for his deep fear and attachment connected to Padmé. But sadly, this explanation isn't official canon.

According to Express, Pablo Hidalgo, a creative executive at Lucasfilm, overheard a conversation between George Lucas and visual effects supervisor John Knoll during the filming of "Revenge of the Sith." The discussion turned towards Anakin's scar, to which Lucas said that it was up to Howard Roffman (the President of Lucas Licensing at the time) to do the explaining. "That's one of those things that happens in the novels between the movies, I just put it there. [Roffman] has to explain how it got there," Lucas allegedly stated. Lucas also joked that "Anakin got it slipping in the bathtub," which is obviously a tongue-in-cheek way to explain something that takes place offscreen.

While the "Clone Wars" is considered canon, the episodes do not explain Anakin's scar at any point, and we see him sporting the injury when he makes his first animated appearance. This would mean he received the injury sometime in the early years of the Clone Wars, and the nature of this scar could be random or insignificant. In the present, "Star Wars" has branched into grittier territory with shows like "Andor," or leaned hard into the adventure-of-the-week format with titles like "The Mandalorian" or "Skeleton Crew." While there's still room to explore Anakin-adjacent storylines (like in the first season of "Ahsoka"), a sudden explanation for his Clone War-era scar would feel awkward from a storytelling perspective.

Keeping this in mind, it's safe to assume that Anakin's scar might never be explored in canon. It's probably best to chalk it up to a freak accident on the battlefield, be it a deflected blaster shot or a flying piece of shrapnel that managed to cut the Chosen One.