Well, we know that Anakin didn't die. But did Owen? I think not.

After reading some thoughts by viagoangel2 which pointed out Anakin's bad manners, particularly in the scene from Episode II, where he fails to introduce Padme to the Lars clan, I realized that this was an appropriate detail that helps tie into Episode IV. Some feel this was an error made by the filmmakers, others delve deeper into Anakin and Padme's relationship.

Sometimes I feel like I'm right along side Darth Rex0 on the Captain Obvious ship, but in actuality, it seems a lot of my perspectives differ somewhat from the larger fanship. Since no one shared the same idea I have in the above mentioned entry, I'll just jot it down here (also the comments are closed there)...

In Episode I we find young Anakin already steeped in a life of hardship and attachments. When the opportunity arose for him to leave that life behind and pursue a life of adventure any 9 year old kid might dream of, he jumped at the chance - his decision. He had a little hesitation to leave his mother, but settled on hopes he would soon have the ability to free her. Full of preconceptions was he, and perhaps a little guilt - a seed which would soon begin to sprout into anger and self-hatred.

Consider that when Anakin returns to Tatooine in Episode II, Padme insisted on tagging along. On the one hand she was "joining forces" with Anakin, essentially proving to him that she was on his side. In another sense, she was taking the upper hand on the situation by planning it all out, right down to the excuse they would use.

In between the tormenting visions of his mother's suffering, Anakin's waking hours were filled with more torments by Padme's pleather outfit and her persistence in leading him on just to shoot down his attraction to her.

Poor guy was a bit off his game, but he was a Jedi... almost. He should have known better. Padme was no angel in all of this. Should she have known better?

That's all besides the point for me though. Anakin was distraught, edgy, confused, angry and overall an unpleasant jerky kid to be around. When Anakin returned to Tatooine to save Shmi, he was at one of the lowest points in his life thus far.

This was also the first and last time Owen and Anakin were to meet. Add to that the atrocity of the situation: a beloved mother, stepmother and wife had met her demise. Her family was left in the wake of her death and an entire village of Sandpeople had been slaughtered by Anakin to boot. Cliegg, who had already accepted Shmi's death, had suffered horrible injuries in the process of trying to save her from the Sandpeople before Anakin showed up.

Not a happy shiny feel good situation overall.

Fast forward 20 some odd years to Episode IV:

Luke's just not a farmer, Owen. He has too much of his father in him.

That's what I'm afraid of.

If the tragedy on Tatooine in Episode II wasn't enough to convince you that Owen had some bad feelings about Anakin, his recklessness, rudeness (not introducing Padme is one small example) and negligent abuse of power, just from that experience, consider the circ-umstances that brought a newborn Luke to Owen and Beru by the end of Episode III.

While I don't beleive for a second that Owen and Beru were privy to the full story, that Anakin had turned into the evil menace Darth Vader, even isolated moisture farmers, such as they were, could deduce the brevity of the situation: that the mother and father were dead, and probably as a result of being in the middle of the galactic turmoil that had occured. The secret of Anakin's true fate had to be buried.

No, my father didn't fight in the wars. He was a navigator on a spice freighter.

That's what your uncle told you. He didn't hold with your father's ideals. Thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved.

Owen grew to love Luke, and didn't want to see him end up dead like his father. Whether or not Owen had any distaste for Anakin at all, the fate of Anakin (and the tormented life he led) was undeniable to Owen.

I admit I never paid too much attention to that one subtle detail of Anakin so rudely neglecting to introduce Padme to everyone in Episode II (so thanks for pointing it out viagoangel2). The overall feeling of that whole Episode II scene, Shmi's death and Anakin on the Lars homestead, then Anakin's fate as revealed to Owen and Beru in Episode III, are a direct connection to Owen's reference to Luke's father in Episode IV, for me. Anakin's "rudeness", his ignorance and naivity to what his own emotions were doing to him, is an added touch. It's not a huge pointer or a clear answer, but it fits into the greater scheme of the entire saga and helps tie it all together. George Lucas is good like that.