There may be a disturbing reason for Anakin Skywalker's absence in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, as it's possible his Force Ghost was imprisoned by Palpatine on the Sith redoubt of Exegol, only escaping in time to encourage Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker was destined to bring balance to the Force. He paid a fearsome price to do so, however, as he ultimately sacrificed his life to defeat Palpatine at the end of Return of the Jedi. This act redeemed him, with his redemption proven in the eyes of the Force itself when Anakin appeared as a Force Ghost.
Yet, the very fact Anakin Skywalker became a Force Ghost causes major problems with the sequel trilogy. After all, if Anakin could manifest his presence in the Force long after his death, why didn't he intervene in the sequels? Palpatine seduced his grandson Ben Solo to the dark side in part by pretending to be Darth Vader, and an appearance from Anakin Skywalker himself would surely have unsettled Kylo Ren. What's more, Anakin could have offered valuable advice to Rey, the girl destined to become the next "Skywalker." Yet, he did not do so, with Anakin's voice only heard at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Curiously, a recent excerpt for Adam Christopher's upcoming novel Shadow of the Sith suggests there was a time when Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost did indeed continue the battle against Palpatine after death. Naturally, this raises the questions of why this changed - and, surprisingly, tie-ins may have offered an intriguing possibility. Palpatine himself may have known about Anakin's Force Ghost, and trapped him on Exegol.
Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost Helped Luke On Exegol
Shadow of the Sith is set shortly before the sequel trilogy, and it tells the story of Luke Skywalker's quest to discover the Sith redoubt of Exegol. According to the excerpt, Luke had received visions warning him of the return of the Sith, and he'd linked these to the legendary Sith planet Exegol. Initially unable to locate Star Wars' Sith Wayfinder that would lead him to Exegol, Luke instead traveled to the Jedi Temple on the planet Tython, where he used the Force vergence there to transport his consciousness to Exegol in a remarkable mystical experience. Unfortunately Exegol is defended against such intrusions, and Luke found himself challenged by nine fearsome Sith spirits. Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost manifested to help him stand against the Sith, leaving his son reeling.
This brief appearance from Anakin Skywalker is actually quite significant. It confirms Anakin did not simply sit back in the netherworld of the Force, relaxing as the hard-won balance he had brought to the galaxy was lost once again. Rather, he continued to oppose Palpatine even after his death, helping Luke defeat these sinister Sith spirits. It's striking that his Force Ghost manifests on Exegol, the very stronghold of the Sith, where Palpatine's power was at its greatest - but also where the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, the very reason Palpatine could be resurrected there in the first place. Presumably, the Emperor learned his former apprentice's Force Ghost had paid Exegol a visit, because the nine Sith spirits fled rather than be destroyed by Anakin's light.
The Sith May Have Known How To Trap Force Ghosts
This raises a disturbing possibility; that Anakin's appearance on Exegol led the Emperor to take steps against him. In 2020, Lucasfilm published George Mann's Star Wars: Dark Legends, a collection of myths from the Star Wars galaxy - and they stressed each one had a grain of truth to it. One, "The Gilded Cage," actually suggested the Sith knew how to capture Force Ghosts. It tells a tale in which a group of Dathomiri Nightsisters attempted to trick the Sith Lord Darth Caldoth into waging war against what seems to be a Force Ghost, but he was prepared for their trick and performed a binding ritual to trap the Force Ghost. If there is indeed an element of truth to this legend, then the Sith know of the existence of Force Ghosts - and can take measures against them.
Indeed, it's quite possible Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost was more vulnerable than anywhere else. As noted, this is a Force vergence where the veil between life and death is thinner than anywhere else in the galaxy. This could potentially make it easier for Palpatine to perform Sith rituals that would summon — and trap — Anakin's Force Ghost. If that is indeed the case, it would certainly explain why Anakin Skywalker's Force Ghost didn't intervene during the sequel trilogy; because he's already tried to get involved before, and had been imprisoned for doing so.
How Anakin Skywalker Helped Rey In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Of course, Anakin Skywalker did make his presence known in one scene of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. When Rey was at her lowest ebb, apparently defeated by Palpatine, Anakin's was one of the Jedi voices who encouraged her. In fact, Anakin's was probably the most important of the voices Rey heard, because he directly linked her challenge - to defeat her grandfather - to his own victory on the Second Death Star all those years ago. "Bring back the balance, Rey, as I did," Anakin told her.
This scene doesn't necessarily disprove the theory that Anakin Skywalker was imprisoned on Exegol, however. For one thing, the final battle happened on Exegol itself; thus it's quite possible Rey was now stood in the one place where Anakin's Force Ghost could still manifest. What's more, it is important to note this was at a moment when Palpatine was thoroughly distracted, absolutely convinced he had won after he drained the power of Rey and Kylo Ren's Force Dyad to rejuvenate himself. Nothing is known of the nature of the Sith rituals that bind Force Ghosts; they may well require constant effort on the part of the Sith. If that is indeed the case, then at this moment Palpatine - convinced he had won, believing he had nothing more to fear - would naturally have relaxed, unaware his granddaughter Rey could turn the tables so easily. Palpatine's overconfidence was always his greatest weakness, and it would be so very appropriate if the greatest villain of Star Wars really lost because of it.