May the fourth be with you...and your Will

Anakin’s Mother is Shmi, and she maintains that Anakin has no father – rather he is a product of ‘The Force.’ Well, ok. So that’s unlikely to stand up in a UK court, so here’s a potential complication. In the UK we would accept there is an unknown father?

In England, Wales & Scotland:

When Anakin’s birth certificate is checked (there is no evidence that slaves would have been legally registered in Tatooine,) and there is no Father listed, then Shmi would inherit the full estate. Unless, the father can prove that he is the father and the onus would be on him to do so.

Anakin marries Padme, the ex-Queen of Naboo, and now Senator of Naboo. She falls pregnant, but by this time Anakin has turned to the Dark Side to become Darth Vader. Darth Vader kills Anakin “from a certain point of view”. Darth Vader doesn’t know (until much later) than he has twin children; Luke and Leia. In any case, Anakin has a deceased mother and surviving wife, but no Will.

In England & Wales:

Let’s look at this before the twins are born: Padme inherits the whole estate

However, if the twins are already born: Padme would inherit possessions (bearing in mind that the Jedi believe there are no possessions beyond their light sabre…) and property, the first £270k and half of the estate. The children would then inherit the remaining half of the estate shared between them.

In Scotland:

Let’s look at this before the twins are born: Padme inherits the whole estate. Had Shmi still been living; Padme would get the marital home up to the value of £473k. She also gets the furniture and household items up to £29k, then a further £89k in cash and ½ of the rest of the estate. Shmi would inherit the remaining ½ of the estate.

However, if the twins are already born: Padme gets the marital home up to the value of £473k or a lump sum up to £473k. She also gets all the furniture and household items up to £29k, then a further £50k in cash and ⅓ of the rest of the estate. The children would then inherit the other ⅔ of the estate split between them.

Padme dies in child birth, Anakin is now Darth Vader, and Luke and Leia are separated on the instruction of Obi-Wan and Yoda to protect them from Anakin (now Darth Vader). In this instance, Padme dies with no Will and nobody, bar Obi-Wan and Yoda know about the children.

In England and Wales:

If we take the view that, technically, Darth Vader is the surviving spouse he therefore would receive Padme’s full estate.

However, if we take the view that Anakin has been “killed” by Darth Vader and no one knows about the children, the question then is does Padme have living parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts or uncles? If not, then her estate passes to the Crown, let’s say of Naboo.

In Scotland:

If Darth Vader is considered the surviving spouse then, like in England and Wales, he would receive everything.

If Darth Vader is the surviving spouse, but Padme’s parents are still alive then Darth would receive interest in Padme’s home up to a maximum value of £473k, household contents up to £29k, then a further £89k in cash and half of Padme’s estate. The remaining half would go to Padme’s parents, or, if Padme had siblings, then the a quarter goes to the parents and the other quarter between her siblings or their descendants.