Star Wars: Darth Vader Breakdown: He Is [Not] Your Father
Once a Jedi Master and hero of the Clone Wars, Darth Vader was a Sith Lord whose wrath was infamous across the galaxy.
He is one of the most famous villains in cinematic history, and for good reason. We’re still a little scared of him even now as he appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi and when he showed up in Rogue One. This week let’s talk about cinema’s most famous antagonist.
Go on, press play while you read. You know you want to.
The Rise of Darth Vader
It’s hard to say exactly when a Jedi dies and a Sith is born, but sometime around Obi-Wan Kenobi had the high ground and Anakin Skywalker fell into some of Mustafar’s finest lava. I’d say that’s when the Jedi went completely dormant. Emperor Palpatine arrived and took his apprentice back to Coruscant to recover. Vader was given a life-sustaining suit of armor with robotic limbs and cybernetics. After two nonstop days of reconstruction Anakin Skywalker was reborn as Darth Vader and fully rose to power as a Sith Lord.
Some of Darth Vader’s first actions as the Empire’s second in command was overseeing the destruction of the Lightsabers left in the Jedi Temple. Many belonged to Jedi who had been killed during Order 66. But Yoda’s Lightsaber was left behind and also destroyed here. From there, Vader was tasked with hunting down Jedi who had escaped Order 66 and collecting their kyber crystals.
Noooooooooooooooo!!!
The Emperor’s Chief Enforcer
After successfully taking and corrupting his first kyber crystal, Vader was given the control of the new Inquisitors. These Force users had been Jedi, but would now be Jedi hunting agents for the Empire. And it would be Vader’s job to make sure they were up to the task.
Regular members of the Imperial Navy did not appreciate Vader’s presence in the Empire. They resented his favor from the Emperor and feared his cruel and seemingly erratic treatment. On occasion a trooper would learn of Vader’s real identity and be killed for it. But he would also use violence on any occasion he was displeased.
Some tried to assassinate Vader, and these attempts were always unsuccessful. Darth Vader was finally named as the Emperor’s emissary, allowing him to speak as if the orders were coming from the Emperor himself. He then instated a policy punishing random officers for these assassination attempts. At this point, the officers were too afraid to question Darth Vader and let him do whatever he wanted at all time.
That’s one way to run a department.
Despite his almost unfettered power, Vader didn’t trust Emperor Palpatine in the slightest. He would hire his own agents to take on small jobs and collect information. One such agent was Doctor Aphra, who brought him the information about the birth of Luke Skywalker.
The Galactic Civil War
Darth Vader had a central role in many of the most important battles of the Galactic Civil War. He is seen defending the first Death Star, joining the Storm Troopers in the invasion of Echo Base on Hoth, and personally taking Han Solo into custody on Bespin. Here, he duels with Luke Skywalker for the first time and reveals that he is Luke’s father.
The two aren’t reunited until the Battle of Endor when Luke goes to meet with Vader in person on the Death Star II. After Luke refuses to join his father in the Empire, Emperor Palpatine tries to kill him with Force lightning. This awakens Anakin in Vader he and saves his son’s life, throwing the Emperor down the reactor shaft.
Darth Vader is gravely injured in this fight and dies after spending a few moments seeing his son with his own eyes.
Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader’s legacy live on both on and off of the screen. As a character he goes on to influence many characters like his future grandson, Kylo Ren. But he also remains one of the most famous movie villains of all time.
What is your favorite Darth Vader moment or scene? Have you read the Vader comics? Do you prefer him as Anakin or Darth Vader? Let us know in the comments!
May The Force Be With You, Adventurers!
