San Francisco ? The premise of the latest Star Wars film doesn’t surprise Andy Mecca, president of the California Mentor Foundation.

He has his own theory about why young Anakin Skywalker eventually becomes the evil Darth Vader: His mentor disappears.

Director George Lucas signs autographs for families of the California Mentor Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the Regency Center before the charity fund-raiser premiere of the film Star

Debuting as a charity fund-raiser Sunday, “Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones,” will rake in $400,000 for Mecca’s foundation and thousands more for charities that help children in 11 cities nationwide.

At the San Francisco event, nearly 800 people paid $500 a ticket to see the movie days before its opening Thursday.

“Mentors are very important to the Jedi program,” said series creator George Lucas, referring to the order of knights portrayed in the films.

He spoke before the San Francisco showing as characters such as storm troopers and a hairy Chewbacca paraded outside the theater.

“I think mentoring is a very important part of bringing our youth into the future,” he said. “They need someone to help them through their formative years.”

Mecca’s group provides grants for mentoring organizations throughout California. He said millions of children have no mentors, making them more likely to join gangs, have unwanted pregnancies or abuse drugs.

Mecca said he believes the story of Anakin a poor young slave boy with high ambitions and a single mother will resonate with at-risk youth.