Say what you will about the Star Wars prequels, there's one thing that's abundantly clear from those three stories: if Anakin Skywalker's mom would have survived there might not have been a Darth Vader and the events in the classic trilogy may have never happened. Everything would have been shiny, happy, Ewoks dancing around and playing -- well, there wouldn't have been Stormtroopers so I don't know what they'd be using as drums. Does Endor have coconuts?
One of the most emotional moments in The Phantom Menace (besides the tears we all shed that it was the film we had all been waiting for and it was about diplomacy and trade embargoes, fun!) was a tender moment when Anakin's mother entrusts his care to a complete stranger that they had only met earlier that day. Despite the rough acting, there's an amazing John Williams cue that really builds the emotionality of the moment and stresses the importance of what the audience is viewing. This is the moment that Darth Vader is born. It's not when he kills a bunch of Tusken Raiders, it's not when he (I guess?) kills Padme(?), it's this moment when he has to say goodbye to his mom.
If you follow the sequence of events from that point forward, if he wouldn't have left his mother, she presumably would have been with him when she was sold and found love. Anakin would have been a teenaged kid (or he's like 30 in the movie but… whatever) so he might have been able to fend off the Tusken Raiders when they attacked. Oh, and that small detail that Anakin wouldn't have gone to learn how to use his Force abilities so that he could choke out some Admirals later down the line. If Anakin doesn't say goodbye to Shmi Skywalker in that emotional moment, they all might have lived happily ever after.
Moms are pretty darn important, no matter if you're on the verge of being one of the biggest Force-weilding strong-arms in the galaxy or if your mom is just a few states away. Think of where you might be without the guidance of your mom… you might just have become Darth Vader too.
