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Template:SW character Darth Vader (occasionally referred to as Lord Vader or simply Vader) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, and has a principal role in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Revenge of the Sith.

Through his role as the chief antagonist of the original three films, Vader has become an iconic villain, and was ranked third on American Film Institute's top 50 villains of all time list.

In A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, Vader is the epitome of pure evil — a mass murderer and war criminal who holds an entire galaxy under the sway of an evil empire, and, on a more personal scale, the killer of Luke Skywalker's father, Anakin Skywalker.

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In the Star Wars movies

Original trilogy

In the original Star Wars trilogy (consisting of A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi), Darth Vader is the primary antagonist: a dark, ruthless figure out to capture, torture, or kill the protagonists to prevent them from thwarting the Galactic Empire.

A New Hope

Darth Vader is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as a dark figure on a mission to retrieve the stolen plans of the Death Star and locate the hidden base of the Rebel Alliance. He boards the Tantive IV, capturing Princess Leia and bringing her to the Death Star. An elderly Obi-Wan, along with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, attempt to rescue Leia during their escape from the Death Star. Vader stops Obi-Wan on his way out and engages him in a lightsaber duel. As Obi-Wan sees that if he escapes with Luke and company it would be too late, he sacrifices himself by leaving himself open to Vader's attack and becomes a spirit in the Force in order to guide Luke.

By putting a homing beacon on the Millennium Falcon, Vader traces Luke, Han, and Leia to the rebel base at Yavin IV. During the Rebel attack on the Death Star, Vader pilots a distinctive TIE/Advanced fighter in pursuit of the Rebel X-Wing starfighters. Vader gets a lock on Luke's X-wing, noting that "the Force is strong with this one", but is distracted by Han Solo who is piloting the Millennium Falcon just in time to save Luke. His ship collides with Black 3, his remaining wingman, and is sent hurtling into space, ultimately sparing his life, as the Death Star is destroyed moments later.

Empire Strikes Back

In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Vader is now at the forefront of the continuing attempt to suppress the Rebellion, and has become even more casually ruthless, frequently executing Imperial officers for failing him. He has already learned about Luke Skywalker and is desperate to find him. He leads the imperial troops on a full military assault on the rebel base hidden at the ice world of Hoth and then pursues the escaping Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field. After hiding in the blind spot of a Star Destroyer, the Falcon sets course to Cloud City on Bespin, followed by Boba Fett, a bounty hunter hired by Vader. While on this pursuit, the Emperor contacts Vader via hologram, giving him a new mission to capture Luke Skywalker.

Vader uses his influence to make a deal with Lando Calrissian to kidnap Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and C3P0, creating a trap for Luke at Cloud City. Luke, who by now has been trained by Yoda, arrives and finds his way to the carbonite freezing facility, where Vader is planning to freeze him for transport to the Emperor. The two duel and Luke attempts an escape from Cloud City. Vader corners and defeats Luke, cutting off his right hand. He then reveals his true identity as Luke's father, trying to persuade Luke to join him so that they can destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son. Although shaken by this stunning claim, Luke refuses to join Vader and chooses death by throwing himself down a deep shaft. However, fate intervenes to allow him to survive and escape.

Return of the Jedi

In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Vader is charged with overseeing the completion of the second Death Star, with Moff Jerjerrod as his immediate subordinate. He meets with Palpatine onboard the half-constructed station to plan Luke's turn to the dark side.

By this time, Luke has nearly completed his Jedi training and has learned from a dying Yoda that Vader is indeed his father and that Leia is his sister. On a mission to the forest moon of Endor, he surrenders to Imperial troops and is brought to Vader. Aboard the Death Star, Luke resists the Emperor's appeals to his anger and fear for his friends but snaps when Vader telepathically probes his mind, learns of Leia's existence and threatens to turn her to the dark side instead. Enraged, Luke nearly kills Vader, finally severing his father's mechanical hand. However, he controls his anger at the last minute as he looks at Vader's mechanical hand and then at his own; he realizes that he is perilously close to suffering his father's fate. As the Emperor approaches, encouraging Luke to finish Vader and take his place, Luke throws down his lightsaber, refusing to perform the killing blow. Seeing that the young Jedi is a lost cause, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning. Luke writhes in agony under the Emperor's torture, begging his father for help. Unable to bear the sight of his son in pain, Vader turns on his master and throws him into a deep shaft, where he explodes in a fury of dark energies. However, Vader is mortally wounded by the Emperor's Force lightning.

Moments from death, Anakin begs his son to remove the hideous mask that had covered his face for 23 years. Luke complies and, for the first time, father and son look into each other's eyes. Freed from the mask, Anakin is a sad, withered man in his mid-40s, his skin ghostly pale from not having seen natural light for more than two decades. The ravages of time, injury and the dark side have prematurely aged him, and he appears many decades older than he truly is. Through sunken eyes, he looks up at his son and back at a lifetime of regret. In his dying breaths, Anakin Skywalker is redeemed, finally admitting to Luke that the good within him was not destroyed after all. Luke escapes with his father's body as the Death Star explodes, destroyed by the Rebel Alliance.

That night, Luke burns his father's Sith armor (and whatever remains inside ) in the manner of a Jedi's funeral. During the victory celebration on the forest moon of Endor, Luke is able to see the redeemed spirit of Anakin Skywalker, standing once again with Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Prequel trilogy

Following up on the revelation in Empire Strikes Back that Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, the Star Wars prequel trilogy (consisting of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith) focus on his life before he became Darth Vader, both his heroic rise and tragic fall.

In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Anakin is still a boy, living with on Tatooine with his mother (by apparent virgin conception) Shmi Skywalker as a slave to the trader Watto. He is discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn, convinced that Anakin was the Chosen One foretold by the prophecy to bring balance to the Force. Qui-Gon wins Anakin's freedom to take him on as an apprentice Jedi (a "padawan learner"), and, while Qui-Gon is killed before this apprenticeship can begin, Anakin is apprenticed to Obi-Wan Kenobi, former apprentice of Qui-Gon.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is set ten years later, and sees Anakin assigned to protect Senator Padmé Amidala, with whom he has fallen in love. After suffering visions of his mother dying in agony, he travels to Tatooine and discovers that his mother has been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. After she dies in his arms, he slaughters the entire camp, including the innocent and the helpless. Despite this butchery, he is forgiven by Padmé, and the two are married at some point between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Revenge of the Sith

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which is set three years after Attack of the Clones, and Padmé and Anakin have been married and the Clone Wars have begun. The beginning of the movie sees Anakin and Obi-Wan in the middle of an attempt to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from General Grievous's flagship. Just as they discover Palpatine, however, the two are confronted by Count Dooku, who incapacitates Obi-Wan and confronts Anakin. Anakin overpowers and disarms Dooku, then, at Palpatine's insistence, gives in to his anger and kills his helpless foe. Anakin is instantly remorseful, but Palpatine reassures Anakin that Dooku "was too dangerous to be kept alive".

Back on Coruscant, Padmé tells him she is pregnant. Though initially overjoyed, Anakin is plagued by prophetic visions of her death in childbirth — much like the one he had of his mother just before she died. Palpatine had become a close friend and mentor to Anakin over the years. Palpatine eventually makes Anakin his representative on the Jedi Council. The suspicious Council accepts him, but denies him the rank of Jedi Master, and orders him to spy on Palpatine. Angered by the perceived snub and instructions to commit treason, Anakin loses all faith in the Council. Ultimately, the Chancellor offers him the chance to learn the dark side of the Force, which he claims holds the power to prevent death. Anakin realizes that Palpatine is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious that the Council had been hunting for since the beginning of the war, and reports Palpatine's secret to Mace Windu. As Windu goes to confront Palpatine, Anakin broods over an inescapable thought: without Palpatine, he will lose the chance to save his wife.

Anakin arrives to find Windu holding his lightsaber on a disarmed and seemingly helpless Palpatine, Windu ready to kill him. Anakin pleads with Windu to spare Palpatine's life under the pretext of due process; Windu refuses, saying that Palpatine is too dangerous to be kept alive. Windu prepares to deliver the final blow, but Anakin then severs Windu's sword hand with his own lightsaber. As Windu screams in agony, Palpatine springs to life and hurls another torrent of lightning at the Jedi Master, electrocuting him before throwing him out the window to his death. Anakin then pledges himself to the dark side, and is given the Sith title and name Darth Vader.

Vader's first task as a Sith Lord is to assault the Jedi Temple with the 501st Legion and to kill everyone inside, even the youngling children. He does this without question, slaughtering venerable Jedi and children alike. He is then sent to Mustafar to assassinate Nute Gunray and other Separatist leaders. After completing this task, he is met by Padmé, who pleads with him to flee Palpatine's grasp with her. He refuses, saying that he can overthrow Palpatine and the two of them can rule the galaxy together. Obi-Wan, who had hidden himself on Padmé's ship, suddenly emerges and confronts Vader. Suspecting betrayal, Vader angrily uses the Force to choke Padmé, leaving her unconscious on the landing platform. The former partners and friends then engage in a ferocious lightsaber duel throughout the mining complex and onto the banks of a lava river. Vader tries to further pursue his master with a Force jump despite Obi-Wan's superior positioning. Obi-Wan does not hesistate to take advantage of Vader's critical mistake and severs his remaining limbs in midair, leaving him for dead on the hot sands. As Vader tries to drag himself up the bank and away from the lava river,his clothing catches fire, and he is severely burned. He suffers nearly fatal burns and extensive lung and throat damage from inhaling superheated air. Miraculously, Vader manages to crawl up the bank away from the lava river and lingers on until rescued by Palpatine, who sensed Vader's impending defeat after his own duel with Yoda.

Palpatine revives Vader with extensive cybernetic enhancements, including a respirator, black body armor, and a fearsome breathing mask that alters his weakened voice so that it sounds low pitched and mechanical. Palpatine then tells Vader that, in his anger, he had killed his own wife (in fact, Padmé died in childbirth on Polis Massa after delivering healthy twins). In a state of shock, Vader unleashes a violent tornado of rage with the Force, breaks his bindings on the operating table and struggles to walk under the sheer weight of his new legs. Overwhelmed with grief by the belief that he had killed his wife (and, presumably, her unborn child), the only thing that remains in his life is his service to his master, the new Emperor of the galaxy.

Although Vader remains a formidable warrior (second only to Palpatine in his dark side power), the grave injuries he sustains during the duel with Obi-Wan greatly reduce his power with the Force; as Vader, he is a mere shadow of his former Jedi self. Lucas claims that had Vader not been dismembered, he would have been twice as powerful as Palpatine, but that he is only 80% as powerful post-Mustafar.

The events of Revenge of the Sith also had a significant effect on Anakin's identity. Yoda and Obi-Wan both asserted at various times that Anakin Skywalker was destroyed and consumed by Vader when he turned to the dark side. The novelization of Revenge of the Sith, on the other hand, clearly makes the point that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. While Lucas justified his replacement of Sebastian Shaw with Christensen in the finale of the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi with an explanation that upon his redemption Anakin reverted to his inner, uncorrupted self, Star Wars seems to also approach the question with the implication that there is no simple answer to it; as Obi-Wan tells Luke during his explanation of Vader's identity, "Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly upon our own point of view."

Vader in the Expanded Universe

In stories set immediately following Revenge of the Sith, Vader then systematically travels around the galaxy seeking to destroy the Jedi who survived the Jedi Purge. It is during this time (as chronicled in the book Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno) that he completes his transformation, purging any traces of Anakin Skywalker and becoming completely consumed by Darth Vader.

In the young adult series The Last of The Jedi, Boba Fett, at the age of fourteen, is hired by Imperial leader Inquisitor Malorum to investigate Padmé Amidala's death at Vader's request. Vader is expected to at least make cameo appearances in the upcoming Star Wars live-action TV series, which is slated for either a 2007 or 2008 release and will run 100 episodes.

In the comic book Vader's Quest, he hires bounty hunters to bring him information about the author of the destruction of the Death Star, ultimately meeting his son Luke for the very first time. Later on, in the Alan Dean Foster novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (which takes place shortly after the events in A New Hope), Vader meets Luke for the second time and combats him in a lightsaber duel for the first time on the planet Mimban. On Mimban, Vader suffers massive injuries when he falls into a pit. The extent as to which these new injuries may have worsened his condition (if at all) is somewhat disputed among the Star Wars fanbase.

In The Star Wars Holiday Special, Vader searches for the Rebels responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, almost thwarting Han and Chewbacca's goal of reaching Kashyyyk in order for Chewie to reach his family for Life Day.

Vader also has a prominent role in the 1996 novel/comic/video game Shadows of the Empire, which takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In the story, Prince Xizor, leader of the crime organization Black Sun, plots to overthrow Vader and take his place as the Emperor's second in command. The story also gives more insight into Vader's thoughts and ambitions as it reveals that he knows there is some good left in him and that he wishes to heal his body through the Force in an attempt to return his physical appearance to that of his former self, Anakin Skywalker.

Vader also makes occasional appearances in Dark Horse's Star Wars comic books set between the movies, especially Star Wars: Empire.

In the Thrawn trilogy, it is explained that Darth Vader was the first representative of the Empire to find the Noghri, a race with exceptional combat skills, whom he manipulated into serving as his personal commandos and revering him as their master. Later, Vader transferred their services to Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Leia Organa Solo, who was initially horrified to learn that Vader was her father, eventually forgave him after learning her family's full history and named her youngest son Anakin in remembrance of her father's redemption.

In the novel The Unifying Force of the New Jedi Order series, set 30 years after the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope, Anakin's voice would speak to his grandson, Jacen Solo, telling him to "Stand firm" in his battle with the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong.

In Star Wars Visionaries, Darth Sidious said that a Geonosian Bionic technology that was used on General Grievous to save his life might be useful in the years to come. Possibly, the Empire adapted the technology to save Darth Vader.

Even taking the Expanded Universe into account, Darth Vader appears to have been one of the last Sith Lords to use the title "Darth".

Possible interpretations of the Jedi prophecy

The Jedi Prophecy is a frequent source of debate among fans. In particular, Anakin's status as the Chosen One is regularly disputed. His role in the destruction of the Jedi was an ancillary one, as much of the plan was already underway long before his fall from grace. Still, Anakin's pivotal role is indisputable, ranging from his intervention in Windu and Sidious' duel in the Chancellor's office to the enormous influence that his progeny wield in the original trilogy as well as the Expanded Universe.

Many fans argue that Anakin fulfilled the Jedi Prophecy by bringing a new "balance" to the Force by nearly eliminating the Jedi. In this viewpoint, the Jedi and the Sith metaphorically represent two opposing weights on a scale, with an excess of either disrupting the balance of the Force. Adherents of this view find it particularly noteworthy that, by the end of Episode III, there is a precisely equal number of Jedi and Sith: Yoda and Obi-Wan, Sidious and Vader. Frequently cited as evidence for this interpretation is Yoda's warning to Obi-Wan that the prophecy "misread, could have been." In the Episode III DVD featurette "The Chosen One," Lucas summarizes as follows: "The Prophecy is that Anakin will bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. He becomes Darth Vader; Darth Vader does become the hero, Darth Vader does destroy the Sith; meaning himself and the Emperor. He does it because he is redeemed by his son." Lucas gave a similar explanation in the final VHS release of the original trilogy in November 2000: " Episodes IV, V and VI,...Anakin's offspring redeem him, and allow him to fulfill the Prophecy, and bring balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith, and getting rid of evil in the universe."

It is presumed that the Chosen One of the Jedi prophecy must be of virgin birth (as Anakin was), since Yoda for instance, despite his historical number of midi-chlorians, is never regarded as a candidate for the prophecy. However, the exact text of the prophecy is never revealed in the films, so it may not be possible to conclude that the Chosen One must be born of a virgin. One possible piece of evidence supporting this theory comes from an early draft of A New Hope. A quote was originally to precede the "A Long Time Ago" text:

...and in a time of greatest despair,

there shall come a savior, and he shall

be known as the Son of the Suns.

Journal of the Whills 3:127

This gives a clue to Anakin's residence on Tatooine, which has twin suns. Indeed, at the conclusion of Episode I and Episode VI, a voice in the cheering crowd can be heard to cry out "The Son of Suns!", thus giving weight to this being a possible portion of the prophecy.

Also, Vader's story goes hand in hand with the old "Sithari" prophecy, which was briefly mentioned in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, in which it is said that one Sith would destroy the Jedi, then lead the Sith to greatness, but, at the same time, ensure their utter destruction.

Talents and powers

Darth Vader is a brilliant strategist and one of the greatest pilots in the galaxy. Vader still possesses his former persona's amazing engineering skills, having overseen the design of the TIE/Advanced fighter and the construction of the second Death Star. His talent with the lightsaber is legendary. All of these skills, however, are secondary to his incredible mastery of the Force. He was born with the highest known midi-chlorian count in the history of the galaxy, surpassing that of both Yoda and the Emperor. Even after his injuries on Mustafar cost him a measure of Force-aptitude, he remained incredibly powerful. The loss of his natural hands are the reason he cannot create Force lightning, as Dooku and Palpatine could. (Note: In the Star Wars comic book Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Darth Vader can be seen using Force lightning. )

His signature method of imposing terror is using the Force to choke people. This may echo Vader's own frustration at his injuries.

Vader also has great physical strength, which he demonstrates in his first and last appearances in the original trilogy: lifting a Rebel captain by the throat with one hand in A New Hope, and picking up the Emperor and hurling him to his death in Return of the Jedi. The Expanded Universe has shown him punching through the skulls of savage animals and bludgeoning opposing Jedi to their knees with one blow.

Anakin was trained in Form V lightsaber combat by Obi-Wan, one of the greatest swordsmen in the galaxy, and quickly developed incredible skill in the form, which he retained after his fall to the dark side.

In battle, Darth Vader lacked the mobility and ease he once had, but his bionic suit gave him sheer strength. His blows were forceful even when using only one arm to fight. He was calm when fighting, rarely using acrobatics. He struck to kill and used psychology and his appearance to intimidate his foes. When striking with both hands on the grip of his lightsaber, he was able to pound his enemies with an onslaught of strong but somewhat slow strikes. This fighting style contrasted with Anakin's style before his disfigurement, which utilized more speed and acrobatics. This is a fairly accepted explanation for the less-elaborate saber fighting in the original trilogy as compared to the prequel trilogy. Luke's less-developed saber skills were ostensibly a result of his minimal training. While most Padawans were trained from early ages for at least a good 15 years, Luke started his training very late. However, the most widely accepted explanation for the slower combat of the original trilogy is the lack of "film magic" in the 1970s, considering Obi-Wan also fought slowly in A New Hope, despite Count Dooku fighting with intense speed in the prequels.

Armor and cybernetic enhancements

Even before his transformation into Vader, Anakin was a cyborg: he had a prosthetic hand installed after his natural right forearm was severed while dueling with Count Dooku on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones (before the release of Attack of the Clones, the 1994 Expanded Universe novel The Last Command by Timothy Zahn claimed that Vader's hand had been amputated by Emperor Palpatine as punishment for the destruction of the first Death Star). As a result of his later disfigurement on Mustafar, Vader was substantially augmented with cybernetic implants: he must wear his armor at all times when he is not meditating in his pressurized containment-chamber. A towering figure, the suited Darth Vader is nearly 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters) tall. This transformation is apparently essential to Obi-Wan's judgment, cemented after the fight on Mustafar and expressed to Luke in Return of the Jedi, that Vader is "more machine now than man, twisted and evil."

Vader's armor is built around a plastoid girdle that protects his organic and synthetic internal organs. More visible durasteel plates cover his shoulders, upper body and shins. He wears a suit of quilted, flexible, blast-dampening, multi-ply padding, and a cloak of armor weave. His gloves and hands are made with a unique micronized iron that can deflect anything short of a lightsaber blow. His famous mask and helmet, resembling the head of an ancient Sith droid, contain various vision- and auditory-enhancing equipment, as well as the respirator that causes the Dark Lord's ominous breathing sound.

Vader's life support system includes a chest-worn, computerized control panel unit that regulates his respiratory functions. Three slot-like dataports offered diagnostic checks of his pulmonary, respiratory and neural systems. Upon closer examination, the chestplate has Hebrew lettering which has been translated as, "His deeds will not be forgiven, until he merits." On his belt, Vader wears two small system function boxes. The one on his right featured a temperature regulation system. On his left, he wears a respiratory sensor matrix. The center buckle features an audio enhancement unit built into the electromagnetic clasp. The armor also enables him to breathe in vacuum while protecting him from the coldness of space.

There is also a story which tells that Vaders penis was removed and replaced by a cybenetic super dildo, the so called "Darth Dick". This cybernetic sexmachine was about 14 inches long.

Portrayals

During filming of A New Hope, David Prowse played the role of Darth Vader. However, to his dismay, when filming was finished James Earl Jones was hired to read Vader's lines over Prowse's acting performance. (David Prowse was given the choice over the roles of Chewbacca and Darth Vader. He chose Darth Vader because he said "people would remember him". He didn't know at the time that the role would entail a mask.) Despite this, Prowse wore the Vader suit and Jones was Vader's voice for the later two films Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

The character of Darth Vader was also played by several stunt doubles, most notably fencing instructor Bob Anderson, who handled all of Vader's fight sequences in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Mark Hamill (who portrayed Luke in the original trilogy) noted in a 1983 interview in Starlog #72: "Bob Anderson was the man who actually did Vader’s fighting. It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told George I didn’t think it was fair any more. Bob worked so hard that he deserves some recognition. It’s ridiculous to preserve the myth that it’s all done by one man."

In 1978, Jones returned as the voice of Vader (footage of Prowse in the suit is actually unused footage from A New Hope) in The Star Wars Holiday Special, as well as to shoot new footage that was released with the Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game, when it was released in 1996. Industrial Light & Magic employee C. Andrew Nelson has also portrayed Vader at a number of events for Lucasfilm, as well as the videogame Rebel Assault II, and in new footage filmed for the Special Edition releases of the original three Star Wars films in 1997.

For Revenge of the Sith, Hayden Christensen (who had played the role of Anakin Skywalker) wore the Vader suit for Revenge of the Sith, instead of Prowse. However, as he is shorter than Prowse, he had to see through Vader's mouth. While the body actor had changed, James Earl Jones still served as the voice of Vader.

Behind the scenes

The character of Darth Vader was not originally planned to be a suited cyborg. The current image of Vader was created when concept artist Ralph McQuarrie drew the opening scene where the Rebel ship Tantive IV 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.

Vader's leitmotif is The Imperial March. The iconic breathing sound of his respirator was created by sound designer Ben Burtt, who created the sound by simply recording himself breathing into an old Dacor scuba regulator.

In a 2005 interview, George Lucas was asked the origins of the name "Darth Vader", and replied: "Darth is a variation of dark. And Vader is a variation of father. So it's basically Dark Father." (Rolling Stone, June 2, 2005). "Vader" is the Dutch word for "father" (the Dutch word is instead pronounced "fah-der"), and the German word for "father" (Vater) is similar. However, in the earliest scripts for Star Wars, the name "Darth Vader" was given to a normal Imperial general. Judging by the origin of the other Sith names, Vader may also possibly be a derivative of the word "invader."

Lucas has been criticized from time to time for allegedly deviating from his original conception of the Star Wars universe as depicted in A New Hope. Some believe that the revelation of Vader as the father of Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back is a case of retroactive continuity. As originally depicted in the first film, Vader was a student of Obi-Wan Kenobi's who was seduced by the dark side of the Force, betraying and murdering Luke's (then unnamed) father, who seemed at that time to be a separate character from Vader. Much of the criticism from skeptics of Lucas is aimed at the fact that Obi-Wan's story about the death of Luke's father in A New Hope became an outright lie after the later films were produced. It is unclear when Lucas decided to merge Luke's father and Darth Vader into one character. Some accounts have indicated that Empire screenwriter Leigh Brackett was the first to suggest that Vader was Luke's father during story meetings. As it stands, there is currently no behind-the-scenes evidence that Vader was intended to be Luke's father from the very start. Thus, that concept may very well have originated after the original theatrical release of A New Hope. Lucas has claimed in recent years that Vader's story arc (being revealed as Luke's father and then being redeemed) was planned from the beginning.

Archetypes and role models for Darth Vader

Vader's headgear resembles a Japanese kabuto (兜), which is consistent with the samurai-like order of the Jedi and kendo-like lightsaber duels. An American Football helmet made by Riddell, with a distinctive approx. 3cm wide middle seam elevated by approx 3 millimeters that connected the two shell halves and accommodated air valves, was most likely used as the basis for Vader's helmet.

As Vader fits the classic stock character of the Black Knight, some have noted that Vader bears more than a passing resemblance to more recent, fictive villains. One is the classic Marvel Universe supervillain Doctor Doom. (This is further alluded in Stephen King's Dark Tower novels in which so-called "Doombots" appear that wear green hoods and iron wolf masks, much like Doom, and carry lightsabers.)

Cultural figure

Due to his central role, Vader has entered the public consciousness as the quintessential villain. His powerful baritone voice, coupled with his heavy breathing, is easily recognizable, and the American Film Institute's list of the greatest movie villains placed him third, after Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates. He has been parodied by such figures as "Dark Helmet" from Spaceballs, "Duck Vader" from Tiny Toon Adventures, "Darth Koopa" from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, "Dark Laser" from The Fairly Odd Parents, an episode of Codename: Kids Next Door where President Jimmy dressed in black and now devoted to evil takes over the school and country singer Darth Brooks in Late Night With Conan O'Brien. Another kind of tribute to Darth Vader comes from Stargate SG-1, in which there are similarities between Anubis and Vader, played for both dramatic and comic effect, and his name is mentioned when the issue of Vala's immaculate birth is brought up. Marty McFly in Back to the Future (dressed up in a radiation suit) pretended to be "Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan" in an effort to get his science-fiction loving dad to date his mom.

Vader's name has become a synonym for evil; for example, political strategist Lee Atwater was known as "the Darth Vader of the Republican Party". George Lucas has pointed to Vader's iconic status as a reason he made the prequel movies, since he felt the icon overshadowed the fact that Vader was intended to be a tragic character.

Vader's revelation to Luke that he is his father is one of the most famous movie plot twists of all time. An IMDb poll on 10 November 2003 asked users to choose which one of a set of movie spoilers was too infamous to be considered a spoiler anymore; Vader's true identity was a clear winner, by a 40 percent margin.

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.

Two significant office buildings in Brisbane, California are highly visible landmarks by the San Francisco Bay. The ominous looking one made of all dark reflective glass has been dubbed the Darth Vader building. The other is the architecturally acclaimed Dakin building, a brilliant white futuristic antithesis, is known in the San Francisco Bay area as the Luke Skywalker building.

Trivia

• Prowse was not told by Lucas or Irvin Kershner that Darth Vader was Luke's father. He was given the line "Obi-Wan killed your father" while Mark Hamill reacted to the real line. James Earl Jones, of course, knew the real line.
• Darth Vader's boot prints are in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre along with R2-D2's and C-3PO's.

See also

• Skywalker family
• Naberrie family
• Hasbro Darth Vader Voice Changer

References

1. AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains", American Film Institute, last accessed October 20, 2005.
2. According to Steve Sansweet of Lucasfilm, the Star Wars Databank entry for Vader , and the script for Return of the Jedi Special Edition, Anakin's body disappears at death in the same way as Obi-Wan's and Yoda's had, though some argue that the movie would have shown his disappearance explicitly if that were the case. The Special Edition script reference that supposedly establishes the disappearance of his body is in text of the scene where Luke cremates his father's armor. The Special Edition script refers to it as empty armor, while the original script refers to it as his father's body. It should also be noted that in the Jedi Academy trilogy Dark Apprentice by Kevin J. Anderson, Luke specifically states that his father's body had disappeared in the same way as Yoda's and Obi-Wan's. However, in the commentary for the Return of the Jedi DVD, Lucas refers to the funeral pyre scene as Luke burning his father's "body."
3. "This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker, forever...You remember the dragon that you brought Vader forth from your heart to slay...And there is one blazing moment in which you finally understand that there was no dragon. That there was no Vader. That there was only you. Only Anakin Skywalker. That it was all you. Is you. Only you." —Stover, Revenge of the Sith novelization
4. The Visual Dictionary of Star Wars, Episode III (ISBN 0756611288)
5. In its appraisal of Vader's injuries, the Star Wars Technical Commentaries states: "Was the physically oppressive nature of Vader's breathing difficulties great enough to affect his disposition or add to his aggression? Perhaps it is significant that he used telekinetic strangulation more often then any other method of intimidating or killing those who frustrated him."
6. "Lord Vader's Chestplate", Star Wars Technical Commentaries. (This page discusses the common belief that the text that appears on Darth Vader's chestplate may be Hebrew)

Sources

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Novelization, 1st edition paperback, 1999. Terry Brooks, George Lucas, ISBN 0-345-43411-0
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Novelization, 2003. R. A. Salvatore, ISBN 0-345-42882-X
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Novelization, 1st edition hardcover, 2005. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1
• The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2
• The Dark Side Sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast, 1st printing, 2001. Bill Slavicsek, J. D. Wiker, ISBN 0-786-91849-7
• Vader: The Ultimate Guide, 2005.
• Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1998. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-43481-4
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2002. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-48588-5
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2005. James Luceno, ISBN 0-756-61128-8
• Shooting script of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi as available at Internet Movie Script Database
• Shooting script of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as available at Internet Movie Script Database
• Star Wars Technical Commentaries, Dr. Curtis Saxton, 1995-2005. Available at TheForce.net
• Star Wars Databank. Skywalker, Anakin, Vader, Darth

External links

• Darth Vader at the Star Wars Databank
• Darth Vader on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki

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