prophecy of the Chosen One has long been one of the greatest mysteries in the entire Star Wars saga. According to the prequel trilogy, Anakin Skywalker was born to restore balance to the Force. But what does that actually mean?
Lucasfilm has only recently seen fit to reveal the text of the Prophecy of the Chosen One. Claudia Gray's novel Master & Apprentice includes several prophecies, all of which are honored by the Jedi even as they appear to predate their order. "A Chosen One shall come," this specific prophecy declares, "born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored." It's not hard to see why Qui-Gon Jinn assumed Anakin Skywalker fit the bill, but notice that the prophecy doesn't explain what it means by "balance." The Jedi assumed that it meant Anakin was destined to destroy the Sith, and according to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, they were right.
During the climatic battle of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey reaches out for help through the Force, and hears the prophecy of the Chosen One. "The fulfillment of an ancient prophecy foretold the end of the Sith," he observed, "but it never predicted the end of darkness."
At first glance, this appears to diminish Anakin Skywalker's contribution to the saga that is named after him, simply because the balance he won was short-lived. But it's important to that Star Wars has been quite reluctant to define the word "balance." The closest even tie-ins have come was in Guardians of the Whills, which included a quote ascribed to an "Ascendant of Mau."
"The moment between breaths
Is the balance of the Force.
Between life and death,
Rest and action,
Serenity and ion,
Hope and despair."
According to this, balance is a fleeting thing, as ephemeral as "the moment between breaths." Thus balance - best understood as a separate and distinct aspect of the Force from both light and dark - can only ever be a temporary state of affairs.
In any event, it should hardly be a surprise that the Sith would attempt to overturn the will of the Force; their entire philosophy rests upon the idea of bending the Force to their own will. Thus, although the Prophecy of the Chosen One was fulfilled in Anakin Skywalker, the Sith found a loophole. Anakin successfully killed the Emperor, but the Sith brought him back. Fortunately, Palpatine's own granddaughter - the spiritual heir to the Skywalker legacy - was able to repeat what Anakin had done. In destroying the Emperor, Rey has restored the balance that Anakin won in Return of the Jedi.
