| Star Wars character | |
| Darth Vader | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Portrayed by | Not applicable |
| Position | Dark Lord of the Sith & Commander-in-Chief of the Galactic Empire |
| Homeworld | Tatooine |
| Species | Cyborg |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Unknown |
Darth Vader is the main villain in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Appearances
Darth Vader appears in the Star Wars movies
- Return Of The Jedi
History
For Pre-Vader history see Anakin Skywalker.
Revenge Of The Sith
The last episode of the prequel trilogy portrays Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side of the Force. In the closing days of the Clone Wars, Palpatine reveals himself to Anakin as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious and tempts him to join the dark side by promising that it will enable him to save his pregnant wife, Padmé Amidala, from dying in childbirth. Anakin eventually submits to the dark side and becomes Palpatine's apprentice, whom Palpatine dubs "Darth Vader". His first assignment is to assault the Jedi Temple and kill everyone inside, including children, paving the way for Palpatine to destroy the Jedi and form his Empire from the ashes of the Galactic Republic.
Vader then travels to the lava planet Mustafar, where Separatist leaders have gathered, and mercilessly slaughters them. There, Vader is surprised by the sudden appearance of Padmé, who has learned what her husband has done and begs him to go into hiding with her. Vader, mad with power, suspects her of betraying him. The appearance of Anakin's former teacher and friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, confirms in Vader's mind his suspicions about Padmé. In his anger, he uses the Force to choke her into unconsciousness. Obi-Wan and Vader engage in a fierce, climatic lightsaber duel, from which Obi-Wan emerges victorious and Vader loses his limbs, slips close to the lava, and is nearly burned to death. Palpatine arrives in time to rescue his apprentice and transports him to Coruscant, where medical droids encase him in a black armored suit, mask, and respirator.
When Vader regains consciousness and asks for Padmé, Palpatine lies, claiming Vader killed her in the heat of his anger -- in reality, she dies of a broken heart after giving birth to their children, Luke and Leia. This breaks what remains of Anakin's spirit; he screams in torment, destroying the objects around him with the Force. He is last seen at Palpatine's side, where the two watch the construction of the Death Star.
A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the first movie in the narrative chronology, features the character's first screen appearance. Vader is charged with recovering the stolen plans of the Death Star and finding the Rebel Alliance's secret base. He captures and tortures Princess Leia Organa and is present when Death Star commander Grand Moff Tarkin vaporizes her home world of Alderaan. Shortly afterward, Vader fights a lightsaber duel against his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi who has arrived at the Death Star to rescue Leia; Vader kills Kenobi, who turns him into a spirit in the Force. He then encounters Luke Skywalker during a battle over the Death Star, and senses in him a great strength in the Force shortly before the boy destroys the battle station. Just as Vader is about to shoot Luke down, the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Han Solo, destroys Vader's wingman and sends him spinning into space...
The Empire Strikes Back
In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Vader captures Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and C-3PO on the planet Bespin to lure Luke into a confrontation. Luke, who has been partially trained by Yoda, duels Vader, but is eventually defeated when Vader uses his lightsaber to sever Luke's right hand. Vader reveals his true identity as Luke's father and offers Luke the chance to overthrow Palpatine and "rule the galaxy as father and son". Luke refuses and allows himself to plummet from a weather platform to an uncertain fate. He is sucked into a garbage chute and rescued by Leia, Chewbacca, Lando and C-3PO.
Return Of The Jedi
In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Luke has nearly completed his Jedi training and learns from Yoda that Vader is indeed his father. Luke learns about his father's past from Obi-Wan's spirit, and also learns that Leia is his twin sister. On a mission to the forest moon of Endor, he surrenders to Imperial troops and is delivered into the hands of Darth Vader and the Emperor. Aboard the second Death Star being constructed in orbit, Palpatine tries to seduce Luke to the dark side of the Force. Luke resists the Emperor's appeals to his anger and threats to his friends, but viciously attacks Vader when he threatens to turn Leia to the dark side. Luke nearly kills Vader, severing his father's right hand; however, he controls his anger at the last minute, realizing that he is perilously close to suffering his father's fate.
The Emperor encourages Luke to kill Vader and "fulfill his destiny" by becoming Palpatine's new apprentice. Luke refuses and throws down his lightsaber. Enraged, Palpatine unleashes a torrent of Force lightning upon Luke. Luke begs his father for help; unable to stand the sight of his son's agony, Vader turns on his master, throwing him into the Death Star's reactor core. In the process, however, Vader is mortally wounded. Moments from death, Vader begs his son to take off his breath-mask so he can look at Luke "with my own eyes"; Luke complies, and, for the first time, father and son truly see each other. Rescued from the dark side, Anakin Skywalker admits that there is some good left in him; he dies redeemed. Luke escapes on a shuttle with his father's body as the Death Star explodes, destroyed by the Rebel Alliance. That night, Luke cremates his father's armor and, during the victory celebration on Endor's forest moon, Luke sees the redeemed spirit of Anakin Skywalker standing alongside the spirits of Obi-Wan and Yoda.
Darth Vader Parodies and Other
- Soul Calibur IV
Darth Vader will make an appearance in this game alongside Yoda
- The Muppet Show: Pigs In Space
Darth Vader is parodied by Gonzo as Dearth Nadir.
- Back To The Future
Marty McFly dresses in a yellow jumsuit and claims that he "...Is Darth Vader, from the planet Vulcan."
Dark Helmet is a parody of Darth Vader.
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