- "I didn't know that Anakin ever missed his real arm. To him, the new one seemed so much better, so much more powerful…"
- ―Siri Tachi
The mechno-arm was the custom-made prosthetic limb constructed for Anakin Skywalker after his right arm was severed by Count Dooku on Geonosis in 22 BBY. This prosthetic replacement was far stronger than the original.
History[]
On Geonosis, Anakin's right arm was severed at the elbow by Dooku's lightsaber. Anakin survived his encounter with the Sith Lord, and returned to Coruscant to recuperate and oversee the creation of a prosthetic limb. This robotic appendage lacked the synthskin applied to some models, and had a skeletal, droid-like appearance; it was designed to be a sturdy replacement, not a cosmetic disguise. Anakin's new arm connected to the remainder of his limb via a synth-net neural interface, a complicated piece of technology that allowed Anakin to register feeling in his mechno-arm.
Anakin's metal mechno-arm was an advanced version, featuring golden, electrostatic fingertips that simulated a sense of touch. Data collected by the fingertips was transmitted through sensory impulse lines running down the fingers and into an interface module at the wrist. This module served as the junction between Anakin's robotic hand and living flesh. The arm's servos and sensors were controlled by a power cell near the thumb. The mechno-hand's motorized knuckles provide Anakin with a crushing strength far beyond the Human norm.
During the Clone Wars, many of the Jedi Council believed that Anakin lost some of his Humanity because of his prosthetic replacement. Anakin, however, was well at ease with his mechno-arm, and tinkered with it as he did his starfighter. He added strengthened alloy ligaments and armored shielding to bulk up his spindly robotic arm, giving the appearance of a well-muscled arm to match the rest of his toned body, and covered it with a glove. During the skirmish on Nelvaan, Anakin's mechno-arm was destroyed after his Force Grip destroyed the crystal from the Siphon generator used to power the Separatist base on the world. He had a replacement, which R2 quickly attached to Anakin.
Anakin nearly lost his mechno-arm after his fall into darkness and his transformation to Darth Vader. At the climax of his epic duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, Vader lost both legs and his remaining biological arm to Kenobi's blade, and was left to die on a black sand bank. Darth Sidious saved him, however, and set his medical droids to work on the wounded Sith apprentice. Now known as Darth Vader, the Dark Lord was given an upgraded prosthetic arm which was heavier, but even more powerful than the last. A month later, this arm was severed by Jedi Master Tsui Choi when Vader confronted several Jedi in the Conclave on Kessel. It was replaced with another artificial arm. This arm was then severed by Starkiller's clone, who used his former master's blade on him during the Battle of Kamino in 1 BBY. Sometime after his escape from Dantooine he got it replaced again. During a battle with his son Luke Skywalker at the Temple of Pomojema on Circarpous IV, also known as Mimban, Vader lost his mechanical arm again, but it was replaced. Years later, after his many failures at defeating the Rebel Alliance, this arm would be destroyed by Darth Sidious as punishment. It was soon replaced, and this arm would have its hand severed at the wrist once again by Luke.
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
Sources[]
- The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game — The Shadow Syndicate (Card: Cybernetic Arm) (backup link)
- Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game — The Nightsister's Revenge (Card: Cybernetic Arm) (backup link)