Darth Vader (fictional character)
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars franchise, originally known as Anakin Skywalker, a gifted Jedi knight. He is notable for his transformation from a promising Jedi to a powerful Sith Lord, seduced by the Dark Side of the Force under the influence of Emperor Palpatine. Vader is characterized by his iconic black armor, deep raspy breathing, and signature red lightsaber. His complex backstory includes a troubled childhood, a deep bond with his mother, and a forbidden love with Senator Padmé Amidala, which ultimately contributes to his downfall.
Vader's character appears in multiple films and series within the franchise, including the original trilogy and prequels, where his journey explores themes of fear, loss, and redemption. He serves as the enforcer of the Empire, hunting down remaining Jedi and battling against the Rebel Alliance, which opposes the Empire's tyranny. The character has been portrayed by various actors throughout the years, with James Earl Jones famously providing his voice. In recent productions, advancements in technology have allowed for the recreation of Jones's voice for future projects. The narrative surrounding Darth Vader delves into the complexities of his character, highlighting both his fearsome presence and moments of vulnerability.
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Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars movie franchise. He was once named Anakin Skywalker and was a knight in the Jedi Order. The Jedi Order uses the power of the Force, a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together to act as protectors of peace and justice. The Force gives the Jedi, the Sith, and others who are sensitive to it special abilities such as being able to levitate objects, foreseeing future events, and altering other’s thoughts. Anakin was eventually seduced by the Dark Side of the Force by Emperor Palpatine, a Sith Lord.
Vader’s character appears in Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Rebels, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. His character is known for his black cape and helmet, raspy breathing, and red lighted sword known as a “light saber.”
Background
Darth Vader was not always evil. As a child, when he was still known as Anakin Skywalker, he had superior talents and a deep love for those close to him. Anakin’s mother was a slave named Shmi Skywalker who told Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn that Anakin had no father. This led Qui-Gon to believe that the child had been conceived by Force entities known as midi-chlorians. According to the news site Looper, the story heavily implies that Anakin’s conception was brought about by Dark Side Force manipulations by Sith Lord Darth Plagueis and his apprentice Darth Sidious.
Anakin grew up on a planet called Tattooine. As a child, he worked in mechanics and repairs for his mother’s master, Watto. As a young child, he built a droid—or robot—called C-3PO for his mother. Anakin was also a pod racer, which was unique because human reflexes were generally too slow to excel at the sport. When Anakin was nine, he met Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi. Qui-Gon took immediate interest in the young boy and tested his midi-chlorian levels, which were exceptionally high. Qui-Gon made a wager with Watto for the boy’s freedom if he could win a pod race. When Anakin won, he left with the two Jedis and went to the planet Coruscant. Qui-Gon petitioned with members of the Jedi High Council to train the boy as a Jedi. Masters Yoda and Mace Windu were worried about Anakin’s age and fearfulness, but the council eventually granted Qui-Gon permission to train him.
As he grew older, Anakin displayed exceptional piloting skills. After a battle against the Trade Federation, he learned that Master Qui-Gon had been killed by Darth Maul. Obi-Wan vowed to continue to train Anakin in the ways of the Jedi, and the High Council consented. Anakin spent a decade training as Obi-Wan’s apprentice. While he displayed immense skill, he also showed recklessness and fear that was rooted in the absence of his mother.
As a young man, Anakin fell in love with Senator Padme Amidala, and she became pregnant with his child. His love for Padme and fear of losing her become a central theme of his story. Then, after learning that his mother had been killed by Tusken raiders on Tattoine, he murdered the entire tribe in a rage. This, along with his fear of losing Padme, began his descent to the Dark Side of the Force. Sith Lord Darth Sidious recognized Anakin’s powers and eventually recruited him as a Sith, naming him Darth Vader. One of Vader’s first actions as a Sith was slaughtering young children called “younglings” at the Jedi Temple. He then went to the planet Mustafar to kill Separatists. Here, he had a duel with Obi-Wan, who severed both of Vader’s legs. Palpatine found him and preserved him in a suit of armor, giving birth to the Darth Vader who is well known today. Padme later died but gave birth to two children.
Vader became a symbol of the Empire quickly and was Emperor Palpatine’s enforcer. He was tasked with hunting down fugitive Jedi. About ten years into the Empire’s reign, Obi-Wan Kenobi re-emerged. Kenobi and Vader fought on the planet Mapuzo. Kenobi won the fight, causing Vader to become even more angry. Vader then began working with Grand Moff Tarkin to build a Death Star, which would destroy any resistance to the Empire. The Rebel Alliance stole the schematics for the Death Star, and Vader led an attack that sought to recover the stolen plans. He kidnapped Rebel leader Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3PO came to recover the princess. Obi-Wan battled Vader once more, this time losing. Eventually, the rebels destroyed the Death Star, and Vader became obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker. Luke, who had briefly trained as a Jedi, eventually dueled with Vader. To bring him to the Dark Side, Vader told Luke that he was his father, but Luke resisted. It is also eventually revealed that Princess Leia was Vader’s daughter.
Vader and the Emperor then began overseeing the construction of a second Death Star, and the Emperor planned to lure Luke to the Dark Side. Vader was conflicted but brought Luke to the Emperor anyway. This led to a final battle between Luke and Vader. Luke overpowered his father, and the Emperor commanded him to kill Vader, but Luke refused. This enraged the Emperor, who shot lightning at Luke. Vader rose and destroyed the Emperor and had one last redeeming moment with his son before peacefully dying.
Overview
A handful of actors have portrayed Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader over the years. A young Anakin was played by Jake Lloyd in Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace. As Anakin grew older in Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith, the character was played by Hayden Christensen. Several other actors have also stepped in as Darth or Anakin.
Traditionally, Vader had been voiced by actor James Earl Jones. In 2022, at the age of ninety-one, the actor officially retired from the role. Going forward, Darth’s voice will be produced by archival voice recordings and artificial intelligence synthetic speech technology. This will recreate Jones’s younger voice from previous films. LucasFilm used the technology in the past to recreate Luke Skywalker’s voice in the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett. Though the character was voiced by Jones, Dave Prowse, a former bodybuilder, was cast as Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. Prowse passed away in 2020 at the age of eighty-five.
Hayden Christensen returned to the Star Wars universe with a role in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which premiered in May 2022. The series helped to fill the gap of time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Christensen plays a young Vader in the series, with critics praising his performing for showing a side to Vader that is terrifying but at times relatable and sympathetic. In the series, Vader is only ten years into his turn to the Dark Side. Vader’s hatred for Obi-Wan drives the plot of the series.
Bibliography
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