I see from your IP address you’ve moved from California to St. Louis, MO. You musta moved Skywalker ranch to be closer to the Provel cheese. Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Force be with you too!

When Luke speaks to Leia about their real mother, Leia is indeed speaking of their real mother, Padmé. Remember, Leia is born with the Force too.

In the case of how Darth Vader discovers Luke Skywalker, you’re absolutely correct. It is never explicitly mentioned in the films, though your theory about spies alerting Vader of Luke’s presence in the Rebellion may not be too far from the truth.

Also, while Chancellor Palpatine told the story of Darth Plagueis to Anakin, I never actually implied that Palpatine or Plagueis formed Anakin’s life to Shmi Skywaker. Anakin’s birth to Shmi was done by the will of the Force.

I hope that answers some of your questions or future Star Wars TV shows or movies will.

May the Force be with You… always,
George

Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side is so poorly handled it’s embarrassing — it’s the crux of the 6 episode story and it feels like it was thrown in with no thought. The motivating factors are not compelling at all.

I could go on and on, but this guy nailed most of my complaints about the prequels: http://www.chefelf.com/starwars/ep1.php — and a pretty funny read as well.