In the fictional Star Wars universe, the Skywalker family is a Force-sensitive family starte by Shmi Skywalker on Tatooine. Shmi's son, Anakin Skywalker, was apparently conceived by the midi-chlorians and born with the help of The Force, though her surname seems to imply the family has long been strong with the force. The ability to influence the midi-chlorians to create life may have been discovered by Darth Plagueis, a Sith Lord, lending a clue to Anakin's origins. Many fans speculate that either Plagueis or his apprentice, Palpatine, may have been responsible for Anakin's conception and therefore would be his "father" based on the legend that Palpatine told to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith. The film seems to be deliberately ambiguous on this point.