Owen Lars Owen Lars was a human male moisture farmer from the desert planet Tatooine . He was the son of Aika and Cliegg Lars , and he became the stepbrother of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker when Cliegg remarried to Anakin ' s mother Shmi Skywalker , a former slave . When Shmi was killed by Tusken Raider s and Cliegg passed away soon after , Lars was left responsible for his family ' s farm . Around that time , Lars married his girlfriend , Beru Whitesun , and they toiled to maintain the homestead . Three years later , Lars ' stepbrother betrayed the Jedi Order and became the Sith Lord Darth Vader . At that time , Lars and his wife were given custody of Skywalker ' s son , Luke , by Skywalker ' s Jedi Master , Obi - Wan Kenobi . The Jedi told Lars that Skywalker had been killed , and the farm er grew to resent Kenobi , believing he was responsible for his stepbrother ' s death . Fearing that the younger Skywalker would share a similar fate , Lars forbade Kenobi from seeing the boy , and he kept his nephew busy with work on the farm . Shortly after the start of the Galactic Civil War , Lars and Skywalker purchased the droid R2 - D2 , who , unbeknownst to them , possessed stolen plans for the Death Star , an Imperial superweapon capable of destroying planets . Seeking to retrieve the data , Imperial stormtrooper s tracked the droid to Lars ' homestead , where they interrogated and murdered him and his wife . When Skywalker found his family had been killed , he left Tatooine with Kenobi to train as a Jedi , joining the Alliance to Restore the Republic and destroying the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin . Biography . Early life and tragedy . Owen Lars was a human male born to the kind - heart ed moisture farmer Cliegg Lars and his wife , Aika , after they met on a bustling Core World . When Aika died , the father and son traveled to Cliegg ' s homeworld , the desert planet of Tatooine , where they lived on the Lars family ' s homestead near the township of Anchorhead . As a young man , Lars had a strong vision of who he wanted to become , believing that he should be rooted on Tatooine and focused on improving the homestead . Sometime after the year 32 BBY , Cliegg went to Mos Espa in search of a new farmhand , and he met Shmi Skywalker , a slave owned by the Toydarian junk dealer Watto . Cliegg fell in love with Shmi , so he purchased her , set her free , and married her . Lars loved his stepmother very much , but he saw her sadness whenever she thought of her son , Anakin Skywalker , who had left Tatooine to join the Jedi Order on Coruscant . Seeing his mother ' s sadness made Lars wonder how anyone could have left her behind . In the following years , the family lived quietly , and at some point , during a trip to Anchorhead , Lars met Beru Whitesun , a third - generation moisture farmer . The two fell in love and began dating . However , the peace was broken in 22 BBY , when one morning , Shmi was attacked and abducted by Tusken Raider s . Furious , Lars ' father rallied 29 other moisture farmers to help search for her . When the group returned , there were only four survivors , including Cliegg , who had lost a leg and was confined to a repulsorlift chair . As time passed , Lars and his father had little hope for Shmi ' s survival . A month later , Skywalker returned to Tatooine after a ten year absence to look for his mother . He found that she had been sold to Cliegg , so he , along with Senator Padmé Amidala , visited the homestead . Lars introduced himself and Whitesun to the visitors , and when Skywalker asked about Shmi , Cliegg introduced himself , inviting the Jedi inside to talk . Cliegg told the Jedi about Shmi ' s kidnapping , telling the Jedi that she was dead . Refusing to believe his stepfather , Skywalker borrowed Lars ' swoop and tracked the Tusken Raiders . The next day , Skywalker returned with Shmi ' s corpse . The Lars family buried Shmi outside their home and held a quiet funeral . Following the funeral , Skywalker and Amidala left , and Lars never saw them again . Lars ' father was determined to continue the life he worked hard to create , but the tragedy weakened Cliegg , and he died soon after of a broken heart , leaving his farm and traditions to Lars . Soon after , Lars and Whitesun married , and together they toiled to maintain the farm . In 19 BBY , Lars and his wife were contacted by Obi - Wan Kenobi , the Jedi Master who had trained Skywalker . The Jedi claimed that Skywalker had been killed , and he tasked the couple with protecting Skywalker ' s orphaned son , Luke . Although Lars was initially reluctant , Beru convinced him to adopt the child . When Kenobi arrived at the moisture farm , the Jedi presented Lars and Beru with the infant Skywalker , and the couple held their newly adopted child , watching the binary sunset of Tatooine . Although Kenobi had claimed Skywalker was dead , Lars ' stepbrother was alive . Skywalker had turned to the dark side of the Force , betraying the Jedi Order and becoming the Sith Lord Darth Vader . After delivering the child , Kenobi went into exile , changing his name to " Ben " and keeping watch over the young Skywalker . However , Lars believed that Kenobi was responsible for his stepbrother ' s death , and fearing the Jedi Master would get his nephew killed , Lars forbade Kenobi from visiting . Raising Luke Skywalker . Around 11 BBY , Tatooine was plagued by the Great Drought , which halted water collection for moisture farmers . During the drought , Jabba Desilijic Tiure , the Hutt crime lord of Tatooine , declared a water tax , and he had his enforcers take the farmers ' harvests , sometimes by force . However , unknown to Lars , Kenobi was protecting the Lars homestead from Jabba ' s thugs , so the family was never forced to pay . Still , the drought continued to worsen , and one night , Skywalker left the moisture farm to steal water from the Hutt ' s thugs . When Lars and Beru realized that Skywalker was missing , they searched for the boy , but they were unable to find him . Kenobi , however , sensed that Skywalker was in danger , and the Jedi found and rescued the boy , bringing him back to the homestead . In the morning , Beru found Skywalker , and called for her husband . Lars rushed to Skywalker ' s side , asking if he was all right . Skywalker , was unharmed , but he was unable to recall any of the previous night ' s events . About a week later , the drought lifted , and the moisture vaporator s began collecting water again . In 10 BBY , a year after the Great Drought ' s end , Skywalker took interest in pilot ing his family ' s T - 16 skyhopper , and during one adventurous flight , Skywalker became overconfident in his abilities , wrecking the skyhopper in Beggar ' s Canyon . Lars grounded Skywalker , enraged that they were short a speeder and could not afford repairs . When Skywalker suggested entering a race at Anchorhead and using prize money , Lars rejected the idea , telling Skywalker that he would never fly again . In the following days , Lars and Skywalker went to a market to purchase an astromech droid and a droid capable of speaking Bocce . While Lars was looking at droids , Skywalker was approached by two Jawa s , who handed him a box filled with the parts needed to repair the skyhopper . Skywalker believed it was a gift from his uncle , and the boy thanked him and rushed off ; in actuality , the parts were from Kenobi , who believed that Skywalker needed more practice piloting . However , Lars immediately realized that Kenobi had interfered , also recalling the unusual absence of Tusken Raiders and Hutt thugs at the homestead . Furious , Lars visited Kenobi ' s home , bringing the skyhopper parts with him . Reasserting that he did not want Kenobi ' s help , Lars told the hermit to leave Skywalker alone , saying it was his own job to protect Skywalker , and that the Jedi was whom Skywalker needed protection from . Soon after , Lars purchased skyhoppper parts at Tosche Station , hoping to fix the speeder with Skywalker and amend their strained relationship . However , when Lars returned home , the farmer was attacked by Black Krrsantan , a Wookiee bounty hunter searching for the man who had defied Jabba ' s tax collectors the year before . Krrsantan took Lars to a clifftop near the Dune Sea , where the Wookiee cuffed and beat the farmer with an electric baton , hoping to elicit a scream . Lars begged Krrsantan to stop , saying that he could not understand the Wookiee ' s language and was unable to answer his questions . The bounty hunter continued to attack until Kenobi appeared atop the cliff , revealing himself to be the man marked for bounty . Krrsantan immediately attacked Kenobi , quickly snaring the Jedi in a stun net . While Krrsantan ' s back was turned , Lars charged , but the Wookiee knocked him back , sending the farmer over the cliff edge . Lars caught himself on a protrusion from the cliff , hanging on as Kenobi summoned his lightsaber , cutting the net and reengaging the Wookiee . Kenobi knocked the Wookiee over with the Force and turned his attention to rescuing Lars . However , Krrsantan quickly stood back up , grabbing a boulder and preparing to kill his target . Kenobi sliced the boulder in half , but one chunk fell and broke the rock which had been supporting Lars . The farmer began to fall , but he was saved by Kenobi , who held him through the Force . Kenobi struggled to concentrate on holding Lars and fending off the Wookiee , and the Jedi lost his grip on the farmer , who began to plummet toward the ground . As Lars fell , however , Skywalker — who had repaired the skyhopper and went in search of his captured uncle — arrived , catching him on one of the skyhopper ' s cannon s . Skywalker landed the skyhopper and apologized , and Lars embraced his nephew , looking up to see Kenobi standing victorious on the clifftop . After the event , Lars and Kenobi never spoke , and they both happily returned to their homes . Final days . In 0 BBY , shortly after the start of the Galactic Civil War , a company of Jawas came by the homestead to sell miscellaneous droids . Lars , requiring an astromech droid and a droid capable of programming moisture vaporators , settled on purchasing the astromech droid R5 - D4 and the protocol droid C - 3PO , respectively . With the droids selected , Lars told Skywalker to clean them , despite the boy ' s plans of going to Tosche Station with his friends . However , Skywalker discovered that the R5 unit had a bad motivator , and he informed his uncle . At the suggestion of C - 3PO , Lars bought the astromech droid R2 - D2 in place of R5 - D4 . Later , while Skywalker was cleaning R2 - D2 , he discovered a holographic message for " Obi - Wan Kenobi . " Wondering if the droid was referring to Ben Kenobi , Skywalker asked his uncle during dinner . Lars replied that Kenobi was just a crazy old wizard , telling Skywalker to take the droid to Anchorhead and have its memory erased . When Skywalker asked about the possibility of " Obi - Wan " coming to look for the droid , Lars denied the thought , telling Skywalker that the man had died around the same time as his father . The mention of his father piqued Skywalker ' s interest , and he asked if the man had known his father . Lars told Skywalker to forget it , telling his nephew to take care of the droids by morning . Thinking the droids would provide extra help on the farm , Skywalker , who desired to enroll in the Imperial Academy like his friends , asked Lars if he could join that year . Fearing that Skywalker was too much like his father , Lars denied his nephew ' s wish , stating that his help was still needed and that he could enroll in the following year . Disappointed , Skywalker left , leaving Lars and Beru to discuss if and when to let him join . When the morning came , Lars could not find his nephew , so he asked his wife if she knew where he was . Beru believed that Skywalker was doing chores , but in actuality , Skywalker was searching for R2 - D2 , who had run off in search of Kenobi . Unknown to Lars , R2 - D2 was carrying stolen plans of the Death Star , the Galactic Empire ' s recently completed superweapon capable of destroying entire planets . Imperial stormtrooper s , desperate to reclaim the data , traced the droid to the Lars homestead , where they proceeded to interrogate Lars and Beru . Failing to acquire the plans , the stormtroopers killed the couple , burning the home and leaving . When Skywalker returned , finding his family murdered and home in ruins , he decided to leave Tatooine with Kenobi and train to become a Jedi Knight like his father . The pair traveled to the Mos Eisley spaceport , where they met Han Solo , a smuggler who agreed to take them to the planet Alderaan aboard the " Millennium Falcon " . Legacy . The deaths of Lars and Beru prompted Skywalker to leave Tatooine with Kenobi and join the Alliance to Restore the Republic . Upon joining the Rebels , Skywalker fought in the Battle of Yavin , destroying the Death Star and becoming a Rebellion hero . Despite the recent loss of his family , Skywalker did not grieve until soon after the battle , when his love interest , Nakari Kelen , was killed on the planet Omereth . Kelen ' s death provided Skywalker a moment to consider his losses , and he wept upon thinking of his aunt and uncle . Skywalker later returned to Tatooine to recover Kenobi ' s journal , which contained stories of the Jedi ' s few encounters with the Lars family . In the weeks after the Battle of Yavin , Darth Vader searched for the pilot responsible for destroying the Death Star , discovering that the pilot was the son he never knew he had . Vader , accompanied by Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra , revisited the abandoned homestead and followed Skywalker ' s trail . While assessing the destruction , Aphra speculated that Skywalker might have never left Tatooine , had his family been spared . Although Luke didn ' t like Lars ' moisture farm and didn ' t want to become a farmer , following the destruction of his Jedi students at the hands of his nephew Ben Solo , Luke temporarily became a farmer on the legendary planet of Ahch - To . Personality and traits . Lars was a male human with light skin and blue eye s , and he stood at a height of 1 . 7 meter s ( 5 feet , 7 inch es ) . He had dark brown hair in his youth , and it turned gray with age . The son of Cliegg , Lars was raised in the traditions of discipline and hard work . Wanting to teach those values to Skywalker , Lars was caring , but he was also gruff and strict . As such , Lars could be sometimes cranky , but he still taught Luke everything from fixing vaporators to flying airspeeder s . Ultimately , as a result , there was often tension between Lars and Skywalker , which forced Beru to mediate . Feeling great disdain towards the Jedi Order , Lars believed that Kenobi had warped Anakin ' s mind into leaving Shmi on Tatooine , an act he considered to be unimaginable . Lars also held Kenobi responsible for the deaths of Shmi and Anakin ( whom was believed to have died ) , believing that the Jedi ' s actions had torn the family apart . When Kenobi left Skywalker under Lars ' reluctant protection , the farmer told the Jedi to stay away from them , fearing that Kenobi would create similar consequences with the boy . Despite his feelings about Kenobi , Lars helped him fight the Wookiee Krrsantan , which the Jedi viewed as an act of bravery . To keep Skywalker out of trouble , Lars kept his nephew ' s Jedi lineage a secret , claiming that Skywalker ' s father was simply a navigator on a spice freighter . When Luke desired to leave Tatooine , Lars found it difficult to ignore his gruff , protective attitude , which had become a habit over the years . Equipment . In his youth , Lars owned a red swoop bike , which Anakin used while searching for Shmi . Later in life , Lars acquired an inexpensive V - 35 Courier , and he allowed Skywalker to pilot a T - 16 skyhopper and an old , battered X - 34 landspeeder in which he kept a blaster rifle . In his work , Lars used an SX - 14 Field Hover - Ute , and he constantly maintained numerous GX - 8 water vaporator s throughout the farm . To conserve power and solar radiation , Lars would shut the farm down each night , only leaving on perimeter sensor s to warn him of approaching Tusken Raiders or dangerous fauna . To assist in Lars ' work , he owned an R5 astromech droid , a WED 15 " Septoid 2 " Treadwell droid , and a centuries - old EG - 6 power droid among others , which were destroyed when the Galactic Empire razed the home . Lars dressed in rough clothing made in Anchorhead , also wearing a tool pouch and a simple overcoat to provide warmth on cold desert evenings . Behind the scenes . Creation and portrayal . Owen Lars first appeared in , which was written and directed by George Lucas and released in theaters on May 25 , 1977 . In " A New Hope " , Lars was portrayed by Phil Brown and credited as " Uncle Owen . " Historically , Lars was first mentioned in the of " A New Hope " , in which he and Beru were anthropologists working on Yavin . In the film ' s second draft , titled " " , Lars and Beru were rewritten to be the guardians of twin s Biggs and Windy Starkiller , and it was in this draft that Lars and Beru became the uncle and aunt of Luke Skywalker . In the second draft , Lars was also a Jedi , and it was not until the third draft , " " , that Lars became a farmer . Lars ' origins as an anthropologist were a self - reference by Lucas , who had intended to study anthropology at before he switched to cinematography . Later , the screenplay for also revealed that Lars and Ben Kenobi were brothers , although the idea was removed from the script ' s final cut . In 2002 , a younger Lars , portrayed by Joel Edgerton , appeared in the film , the second installment of the " Star Wars " prequel trilogy . Canon ically , " Attack of the Clones " is the first time Lars ' name is mentioned in full . In 2005 , Edgerton returned to the role for the prequel trilogy ' s conclusion , . In 2014 , Edgerton also expressed enthusiasm in reprising the role for a rumored Obi - Wan Kenobi " Anthology " film . Other than Brown and Edgerton , Lars has been portrayed by Charles Howerton , who voiced the character in the young readers book " " , and Michael Donovan , who voiced Lars in " Mission to Mos Eisley , an episode of the non - canon television show " " . Other appearances . In 2015 , a webcomic by Hong Jac Ga simply titled " Star Wars " adapted the original trilogy , beginning with the events leading into " A New Hope " . The comic features Lars in its first four chapters : " An Old Friend , " " Meeting the Droids , " " Beginning of an Adventure , " and " Only Hope . " Chapters one and two involve an original story set during Skywalker ' s childhood , beginning in 12 BBY and jumping forward to 6 BBY . The third , fourth chapters adapt early scenes from " A New Hope " . Due to cultural leeway , the comic is canonically in a " grey area . " The story begins when Skywalker is seven years old , and Lars finds him alone , planning to watch a meteor shower . Fearing that Skywalker could have been attacked by Tusken Raiders , Lars scolds Skywalker and then argues with Beru , saying he ' ll keep the boy occupied with more chores . The following morning , Lars tells Skywalker that he cannot protect him all the time , and that he will teach him the safety basics of the farm . Then , to Beru and Skywalker ' s surprise , Lars says he will show him how to use a blaster rifle . Although Beru feels Skywalker is too young , Lars teaches his excited nephew . Six years later , Lars is proud of Skywalker ' s hard work , and Beru compares the boy to his father . Refusing to discuss Skywalker ' s father any further , Lars tells Beru that the boy is like a son to him . Lars states that he does not want Skywalker to experience war in his lifetime , so he will not let him join the Imperial Acadmey . Later that day , Skywalker and his friend Windy get lost in a sandstorm , and they encounter a krayt dragon . The two boys are saved by Kenobi , who takes them back home . Lars thanks Kenobi for bringing Skywalker back safely , but tells the Jedi to stay away from the boy . In return , Kenobi says he is observing Skywalker , claiming that the Force is strong in him , and that he will leave the farm one day . Lars responds by saying that the Jedi went extinct with the Galactic Republic , warning Kenobi to never visit the homestead again .