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Darth Vader |
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 Darth Vader
Vader's "biography"
After Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side of the Force, he became Darth Vader, brutal apprentice to Palpatine, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, he kills (in fact helps force the ascension of) the now-elderly Obi-Wan Kenobi in a lightsaber battle, whilst Luke Skywalker and his motley crew t Princess Leia to escape with the plans to the Death Star. He then appears again piloting a distinctive TIE Advanced starfighter and almost prevents Luke's successful starfighter attack on the Death Star.
Vader confronts Luke in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back on Cloud City, and tells Luke that he, Vader, is his father. Vader tells Luke to join him so that they can destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son. Luke however refuses to join Vader and escapes. For those interested in the saga, this represented a significant change in direction, as the ultimate symbols of good and evil were now understood to have a deeper connection that would demand some final resolution.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi sees Vader attempt to persuade Luke to join him. When this fails, Vader takes him to Emperor Palpatine himself. Luke reluctantly fights an extended lightsaber battle with Vader, all the while attempting to persuade Vader to renounce the dark side of the Force. Finally, Vader telepathically examines Luke's mind and realises that Leia is Luke's sister (and thus his daughter), and threatens to turn her to the dark side if he should fail with Luke. Realizing the threat to his sister, Luke's rage is finally unleashed, and he attacks Lord Vader with the dark side of the force, driving him back with a whirlwind of blows. Severing Vader's right hand, Luke's fury is suddenly cut short -- as he stares at his own cybernetic hand, he realizes with a visceral horror that he has already begun transforming into Vader's successor! As the Emperor approaches, he throws down his Lightsaber, abandoning this path, and his new powers. Gravely disappointed, Palpatine draws on pure darkness, in the form of blue lightning, to destroy the unturnable Luke.
The scene that follows is perhaps the most dramatic in all of Star Wars. As Luke writhes in agony, Vader turns and with his remaining hand, lifts the Emperor and throws him into a bottomless pit where he explodes in a fury of dark energies. The shock of this nearly kills Vader. In his final moments, he pleads with Luke to remove his mask, and in his dying breath, finds redemption in the light side of the Force. Luke escapes with his body, which he burns that night on the forest moon of Endor.
Behind the Scenes
Darth Vader wasn't originally going to be a suited cyborg. This was created when the concept artist drew the opening scene where the Rebel ship was being boarded. It was initially imagined that Darth Vader would fly through space to enter the ship, necessitating a suit and breathing mask. This was later made permanent and incorporated in the story.
It is also worth noting that "Vader" is the Dutch word for "father", and it may be tempting to read the character name "Darth Vader" as "Dark Father", a word-play that may well be the root of the Sith title. However judging by the origin of the other Sith names, Vader may also possibly be a derivative of the word invader. This issue is matter of a long debate in the official Star Wars Forums.
Vader's leitmotif is The Imperial March.
Darth Vader in the Expanded Universe
According to the Alan Dean Foster novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (which takes place shortly after the events in A New Hope), Vader first faces Luke in combat on the planet Mimban, where he discovers that it was Luke (whom Vader already knows is his son, though it is not mentioned in the book) that destroyed the Death Star, and both enter lightsaber combat. Luke puts up a valiant fight, but is no match for Vader, though he does manage to cut off the Dark Lord's mechanical arm. Vader's victory is near, but he trips over his own severed arm and falls into a well, though he soon escapes Mimban and recovers from his duel. It has been adapted as a comic book by Dark Horse Comics.
Vader also had a prominent role in the 1996 novel/comic/video game Shadows of the Empire, which took place between Empire and Jedi. He also makes occasional appearances in Dark Horse's Star Wars comic books set between the movies (Mainly "Star Wars: Empire").
Darth Vader as a Cultural Figure
Due to his central role, Vader has entered the public consciousness as the quintessential frightening villain. He has been parodied by such figures as "Dark Helmet" from Spaceballs, and his name has become a synonym for frightening evil; for example, political strategist Lee Atwater was known as "the Darth Vader of the Republican Party". During a major renovation, Washington National Cathedral held a competition for children to design new gargoyles for the west towers. One winner was a design featuring Darth Vader (see external links).
In the U.S., many Democrats blame Ralph Nader's third-party candidacy for Al Gore's loss in the 2000 presidential election. During the vicious campaigning prior to the 2004 presidential election, several journalists referred to Nader as "Darth Nader."
Controversial figure Edward Teller, father of the Hydrogen Bomb and supporter of the Strategic Defense Initiative, has often been compared to Vader.
Darth Vader's head gear appears to be modelled on a Japanese kabuto (兜), which is consistant with the samurai-like order of the Jedi and kendo-like lightsaber duels.
Many people say that Darth Vader is loosely inspired by the Marvel Universe villain Doctor Doom. Considered the greatest comic-book villain of all time, he is similiar to Vader. Both have a commanding presence, both are physically deformed thanks to tragic accidents, and both were, in a way, good once.
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