Hayden Christensen Defends Anakin Hating Sand After Star Wars Meme

Hayden Christensen reacts to the popular Star Wars sand meme, saying that he understands why his character, Anakin Skywalker, hates sand.

Hayden Christensen Defends Anakin Hating Sand After Star Wars Meme

Hayden Christensen defends Anakin Skywalker’s hatred of sand in Star Wars. The actor returns to the galaxy far, far away with the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series where he will reunite with Ewan McGregor. But aside from his next outing as Darth Vader, Christensen is also looking back at his history in the franchise, mainly playing Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy.

It’s no secret that when the Star Wars prequel trilogy was released, there was an immense backlash from fans who were disappointed with the movies. Looking back, however, despite its flaws, it did enrich the franchise’s overall lore, tackling Darth Vader’s backstory. The public’s perception of those movies has mellowed out over the last several years, particularly in light of the controversies in Disney’s sequel trilogy. Aside from their impact on Star Wars, the prequels have also given birth to many memes that people have been regularly referencing for years. That includes Anakin’s dramatic monologue about sand in Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones. Anakin tells Padme that he hates sand because it is “coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.“

Now that Christensen is back in Star Wars through Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kino Plus finally asks him about his thoughts on his character’s viral moment in Attack of the Clones. The actor says that he understands why Anakin has an extreme hatred toward sand, as it reminds him of his traumatic experiences growing up on Tatooine. Read his full quote below:

“I understand Anakin’s contempt for sand. He grew up on a desert planet. It wasn’t the best experience for him. But yeah, I don’t mind it.”

Objectively, Christensen isn’t wrong here. Anakin’s rant about sand isn’t literal. Instead, it’s the idea that sand reminds him of his less-than-ideal experience on Tatooine, which is a desert planet. The fact that this particularly blunt moment in Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones has often been ridiculed online effectively summarizes the prequel movies’ main problem. George Lucas had a solid overarching narrative for the prequels, connecting them to the events of the original trilogy. Unfortunately, these storylines weren’t executed well, leading to many of the criticisms of the blockbusters.

Christensen’s upcoming return to Star Wars will see him as Darth Vader, who is still not in his prime but is starting to get settled in his new role. Although, it’s curious if Obi-Wan Kenobi will also show him as Anakin Skywalker through flashbacks. In any case, the character’s clear hatred of sand indirectly explains why he never returned to Tatooine after the Galactic Empire’s win in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. His personal judgment superceded logic, hence why Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker were able to hide on the desert planet for years.