After Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon meet Anakin, they quickly agree to save him from slavery. But why didn’t they free Anakin’s Mom?
They didn’t free Anakin’s Mom because she wasn’t part of the deal. Qui-Gon made a special bet with Watto for Anakin. He also realizes that Anakin is the chosen one, and training him as a Jedi would mean that emotional attachments aren’t allowed.
Anakin was only freed because of a bet. Giving two slaves away was not something that Anakin’s owner, Watto, was willing to do.
Why Qui-Gon didn’t free Anakin’s Mom
In the first of the Prequel films, Qui-Gon frees Anakin from slavery after meeting him on Tatooine.
However, some fans have wondered why Qui-Gon didn’t also free Anakin’s mother, Shmi Skywalker.
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It’s important to note that Qui-Gon was only able to free Anakin because he won a bet against the kid’s owner, Watto. The owner was not keen to give up any of his slaves, so convincing him to let Anakin go in a bet was difficult enough. Also, Qui-Gon didn’t have enough credits on hand to buy Shmi’s freedom as well.
Also, Qui-Gon immediately believes that Anakin is the Chosen One, AKA the person who will bring balance to the Force. It was his top priority to train Anakin as a Jedi and make sure that destiny is properly fulfilled. While it’s sad Anakin had to leave his Mom behind, Qui-Gon saw it as a necessary evil.
Other Reasons
It’s also worth noting that to become a Jedi, you must be free of all emotional attachments. Bringing Anakin’s mother along could jeopardize his training.
Slavery was also a common practice on Tatooine, and freeing one slave could have put Qui-Gon and his companions in danger. If Qui-Gon had attempted to free Shmi as well, it’s possible that he would have been caught and punished by the local authorities or other slave owners.
In Attack of the Clones, Anakin returns to free his mother from slavery. However, he’s too late, and Shmi tragically dies at the hands of Tusken Raiders.
In conclusion, Qui-Gon decides to leave Anakin’s Mom behind because she’s not a priority. His main priority is to train the Chosen One, which he was only able to free because of a risky bet with Watto. The mother was not part of the bet, and Jedi aren’t allowed to develop emotional attachments anyway.
So that’s the answer. They didn’t free Anakin’s Mom because she wasn’t part of the deal.