For years, Star Wars fans have argued about who the strongest Jedi really is. Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Ezra Bridger, and even Galen Marek are names that often come up in those debates. But in the end, the answer usually depends on the era, the story, and the person being asked.
Jon Favreau, who helped shape the modern small-screen side of Star Wars through The Mandalorian, was once asked to weigh in on a more specific version of that debate: prime Anakin Skywalker vs. prime Luke Skywalker.
His answer was Anakin.
“I think it has to be Anakin, right? I mean it has to be,” Favreau told The Cyber Nerds. He admitted that both characters have different phases, and that fans never fully got to see what prime Luke was capable of. The closest glimpse came in The Mandalorian, when Luke arrived to rescue Grogu and effortlessly cut through the dark troopers.
Favreau pointed that out too, saying, “We saw a little bit of prime Luke with what we did. We alluded to it, but who knows what he’s been off to?”
But when it came to Anakin, Favreau felt the answer was clearer. He explained that Anakin faced far more challenges and was in his prime during a much more dynamic period of Star Wars history. That makes sense with what we see across the prequel era and the Clone Wars. Anakin was constantly fighting, leading troops, surviving major battles, and being tested again and again before he finally became Darth Vader.