Darth Vader Biography / Pictures

Darth Vader epitomized the Emperor's New Order. Standing two meters tall and dressed in flowing black robes and black body armor, Vader was a tangible evil and symbol of the Emperor's doctrine of rule through fear and terror. He was the servant and emissary of the Emperor, and later commanded the vast fleet charged with finding and destroying the Rebel Alliance.

Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, expert pilot, hero of the Clone Wars, and disciple of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Learning to use The Force by Kenobi's methods was too slow for the impatient Anakin. He wanted a quicker,less difficult path to the vast power he sensed all around him. Emperor Palpatine offered him just such a path - the dark side. All Anakin had to do was give in to his anger, fear, and aggression. Ambitious and headstrong, he stepped into the dark side's embrace and became Darth Vader.

Transformation to Vader

Hayden Christensen plays troubled young Jedi Anakin Skywalker in
"Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith."

Upon his return to Coruscant, Anakin was reunited with his wife and she informed him of her pregnancy. Dark times followed when Palpatine made Anakin his representative on the Jedi Council. The other Jedi reluctantly accepted Anakin's placement on the council, but denied him the rank of Jedi Master. Further, the Jedi Council urged Anakin to keep tabs on Palpatine. This led Anakin to start losing his trust in the Jedi Council.

As he continued to meet with Palpatine, the Chancellor offered Anakin the chance to learn the Dark Side of the Force and use the power against the Jedi. Anakin realized that Palpatine was Darth Sidious and promptly reported this to Mace Windu. Windu and three other Jedi went to arrest the chancellor. Palpatine dueled with the Jedi, slaying three of them almost immediately. Windu and Palpatine continued to fight until Windu come out on top, holding his weapon on the cowering Sith.

Anakin arrived just in time to see Windu preparing to strike Palpatine down. Before Windu could kill Palpatine, Anakin attacked, severing Windu's hand. Before he could respond, Palpatine used Force lightning and sent plummeting to his death. After this, Anakin pledged himself to the Dark Side and Sidious gave him a new name: Darth Vader.

Anakin Skywalker during his fall to the dark side and transformation into Darth Vader. (Publicity still, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith)

Sidious, now Emperor gave Vader his first mission: execute Order 66 by leading a battalion of Clone Stormtroopers to the Jedi Temple and kill every Jedi and Padawan inside. Vader did this without question, killing venerable Jedi and children alike. Next, Vader was sent to the planet Mustafar where he killed the Council of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, including Trade Federation Viceroy, Nute Gunray, Sidious's former ally who invaded and occupied Naboo and was defeated by Anakin in the Battle of Naboo, ten years before the Clone Wars.

Later, Padmé went to Mustafar to try and reason with him. Unknown to her, Obi-Wan stowed away on his ship to find Anakin. Upon seeing Obi-Wan, Anakin suspected betrayal and used his power to choke Padmé until she lost consciousness. Anakin and Obi-Wan fought an intense battle throughout the mining complex and down the river of lava outside. The battle ended on the banks of the lava river, where Anakin lost his left arm and both legs to Obi-Wan's blade.

Anakin tried to claw his way up the riverbank, but his body caught on fire and he was nearly immolated. After Obi-Wan and Padmé had left the planet, Darth Sidious came and found Anakin barely alive next to the lava river. He returned with Anakin to Coruscant and repaired the damage to his body through intensive cybernetic enhancement. Upon his revival as a cyborg, Vader questioned his master about Padmé's fate. Sidious told him truthfully that Anakin/Vader had killed Padmé in anger.

Overwhelmed by his despair in the knowledge he had killed his wife and thinking he had also killed his unborn child, the only thing that remained in his life was his service to the Emperor.

According to 'Return Of The Jedi' novel, when Kenobi saw what had become of his friend and student, Anakin Skywalker, he tried to draw him back from the dark side. But Vader wanted none of that. The two fought, and Vader fell into a molten pit. His shattered body, however, had to be sustained by life-supporting armor. When Kenobi learned that Vader lived, he helped Anakin's wife and newborn twins (whom Vader was not aware of) escape into hiding - Luke to Tatooine, and Leia and her mother to Alderaan.

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, helped the Emperor hunt down and exterminate the Jedi Knights during the last days of the Old Republic and the opening moments of the Empire. Later, he was sent to help Governor Tarkin develop the original Death Star battle station. Once the Rebellion demonstrated that it posed a significant threat to the New Order, Lord Vader was put in charge of the Imperial fleet assigned to find and destroy the Alliance leaders. The mission took on personal significance when Vader discovered that the Rebel's newest ally was his own son, Luke Skywalker. Both the Emperor and Vader wanted to convert young Skywalker to the dark side, but Vader had his own agenda. He wanted himself and Luke to rule the galaxy side by side as father and son.

The first time that father and son met was on Cloud City. Luke rejected Vader's claims and offers, electing to fight him. But Vader was too powerful for the still-developing young Jedi. Luke barely escaped with his life, though he lost his right hand to his father's lightsaber. Vader was confronted by his son a second time, at Endor. Luke did not arrive as a half-trained apprentince Jedi this time, but as a full-fledged Jedi Knight. Luke's faith in his father's innate goodness won the day, bringing Anakin out of the darkness of Darth Vader and back into the light. He saved Luke and destroyed the Emperor, but at the cost of his own life. Vader's final act - as Anakin and not as the Dark Lord of the Sith - was to look upon his son and tell him that he was right.

Darth Vader - Luke, I am you father

The Facts

Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader is a fictional character from Star Wars.

Son of Shmi Skywalker and, according to Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, The Force, Anakin was born in about 41 BBY. Some viewers have drawn narrative parallels between this tale and the New Testament stories of Jesus Christ's conception and birth.

In The Phantom Menace, he appears as a young child. He is found on Tatooine by the Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn, two Jedi, and after his gifts are revealed, Qui-Gon is convinced that Skywalker is the individual told in prophecy who will "bring balance to The Force." After Qui-Gon's death, Anakin is trained by Kenobi as a Jedi - though some of the Jedi have reservations about his character. In the course of events he meets Padme Amidala, at that stage a teenager, with whom he forms a strong bond.

In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, (2002), Anakin, now a young adult and cocky apprentice Jedi (played by actor Hayden Christensen), again meets up with Padme, on whom he has developed a massive crush. Assigned to guard Padme, in conversation he reveals, as well as his affection, a distrust of the political process and his view of the need for one strong leader. After the death of Shmi, freed from slavery and living in the deserts of Tatooine with her new husband, at the hands of the "sand people", Anakin's dark side is more strongly revealed as he slaughters a whole tribe of them in bloody revenge. After losing his right arm in a light saber battle with Count Dooku, the movie ends with Anakin's elopement and marriage to Padme on Naboo.

Episode III is scheduled for release in 2005. It will complete the three prequels to bring us full circle back to Episode IV, first released in 1977. The as-yet Episode III will bridge the large gap between a young Anakin we leave at the end of Episode II and the high-ranking Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, and second-in-command to the Emperor we meet at the beginning of Episode IV. According to lots of post-Star Wars fiction, he landed in a volcano, and this is what required him to don the famous suit.

In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, (1977; this was the first released Episode), Darth Vader, now a cyborg, is the brutal second-in-command of Palpatine, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire. He defeats and kills (at least in body) the now-elderly Obi-Wan Kenobi in a light-saber battle, whilst Luke Skywalker and his motley crew assist Princess Leia to escape with the plans to the Death Star. He then appears again piloting a distinctive TIE fighter and almost prevents Luke's successful starfighter attack on the Death Star.

Vader confronts Luke again in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Vader tells Luke that he, Vader, is his father. Vader tells Luke to join him. Vader tells Luke that they can destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son. Luke 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 (1983) sees Vader attempt to persuade Luke to join the Emperor and himself on the dark side of the Force. When that fails, Vader and Luke fight another light-saber battle, Luke refusing to attack Vader and all the while attempting to persuade him to come back to the "Good 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. Luke finally reacts with anger, severely injuring Vader. The Emperor then again calls on Luke to join the Dark Side, but Luke refuses. The Emperor uses the dark energy of the Force to electrocute Luke. Anakin Skywalker returns and struggles to his feet to rescue his son, grabs the Emperor (thus further injuring himself from the Force's energy) and throws the Emperor down a hole in the Death Star to the Emperor's death. Nearing death, Anakin asks Luke to remove his mask so he can see Luke, for the first time "with his own eyes". Anakin dies soon after.

His body is cremated in the manner of a Jedi, and the end of the film Luke sees what appears to be a vision of an apparently forgiven Anakin (without the artificial body of Vader), Obi-Wan, and Yoda smiling down upon him. Thus ends the six-part saga, with a restored order to the galaxy through the "return" of Anakin back to the good side.

It is also worth noticing 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.

See also: The Skywalker family and Star Wars Jokes

Darth Vader as a cultural figure

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).

Darth Vader Biography