Darth Vader
Darth Vader, born Anakin Skywalker, (41.9 BBY–4 ABY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars films, and ultimately the central character of the series. Through his role as the chief antagonist of the original three films, Vader has become an iconic villain and a staple of pop culture, and was ranked third on American Film Institute's top 50 villains of all time list.[1]
In the first two films released in the series, Vader is portrayed as the epitome of pure evil — a mass murderer and war criminal who holds an entire galaxy under the sway of an evil empire. However, in later films, his redemption, as well as his initial fall from grace, are explored in greater depth. Indeed, Star Wars creator George Lucas has explained that he considers Vader a victim of the series' true villain, Emperor Palpatine. Throughout the original trilogy, it is discovered that Anakin Skywalker is the father of twins Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.
In the prequel trilogy, Anakin is believed to be the Chosen One of an unfulfilled Jedi prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith. He is taken as a young boy and trained as a Jedi. Anakin becomes a highly talented Jedi Knight; a distinguished pilot and swordsman with an unprecedented level of Force power, he is a legend of the Clone Wars, in which he fights for the Galactic Republic and is instrumental in several important battles. Despite his unmatchable skill as a Jedi, however, Anakin's tragic flaw — fear of loss — ultimately leads him to the dark side of the Force, transforming him into Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, in 19 BBY.
Biography
Son of Shmi Skywalker, Anakin is born in 41 BBY. Shmi claims that there was no father and that her pregnancy with Anakin resulted from a virgin conception. Some viewers have drawn narrative parallels between Anakin's origin and the New Testament stories of Jesus' conception and birth, as well as classic mythological stories. Qui-Gon Jinn suggests that Anakin might have been conceived by the midi-chlorians — the implication being that Anakin is a creation of the Force itself. (According to Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis learned to provoke midi-chlorians into producing life—some have viewed this as a clue to Anakin's origins.) Lucas has said that these issues were left deliberately ambiguous, and that it has been left for the audience to decide how Anakin was created.
After his fall, Vader is viewed as a cruel and frightening figure, frequently utilising his ability to choke people using the Force, and his victims often die in extreme fear while gasping for air. This may echo Vader's own frustration at his injuries. [2] In A New Hope, Vader's aggressive instincts are somewhat restrained by orders to serve under Grand Moff Tarkin for that time; when Admiral Motti challenges Vader's "sad devotion" to the Force, Tarkin does not allow Vader to choke Motti to death, only long enough to make his point. The death of Tarkin aboard the Death Star removes any apparent check on Vader's power; after this point, Vader appears to be subordinate only to the Emperor himself. Throughout the rest of the trilogy, Imperial officers universally react with fear and dread at Vader's presence. This fear is not unwarranted, as both Admiral Ozzel and Captain Needa die by Vader's hand in The Empire Strikes Back. Nonetheless, Vader is ultimately redeemed to goodness with the help of his son Luke.
Childhood and discovery
Anakin first appears as a kind, selfless nine-year-old boy (played by Jake Lloyd) and a slave along with his mother. A child prodigy, Anakin excels at mathematics and engineering. Even at this young age, he can build or repair anything, evidenced by the creation of his own protocol droid, C-3PO, and podracer, each from salvaged parts. He is also a remarkable pilot with quick reflexes.
Anakin is found on Tatooine by Qui-Gon Jinn, who is convinced that he is the Chosen One foretold by prophecy to bring balance to the Force. Some of his incredible abilities may be attributed to this unique Force-adeptness; for instance, Qui-Gon attributes Anakin's piloting talent to the Force, which allows Anakin to "see things before they happen." Anakin forms a strong bond with Queen Padmé Amidala, whom Qui-Gon and his padawan apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, are guarding.
After winning Anakin's freedom, Qui-Gon brings the boy to Coruscant and requests that the Jedi Council allow him to train Anakin. This request is denied, as the Council thinks that Anakin's future is clouded by the fear and anger he exhibits from his days as a slave and his separation from his mother. Ultimately, Anakin helps to win the final battle over the Trade Federation in the Battle of Naboo. Later, a dying Qui-Gon, slain by Darth Maul, urges Obi-Wan to train Anakin, and the Council reluctantly approves. Palpatine, newly-elected as the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, befriends the boy, promising to "watch his career with great interest."
The Clone Wars
Anakin, now played by Hayden Christensen, is now a young adult and Obi-Wan's apprentice. Although his natural abilities place him leaps and bounds above his peers, he has developed into an arrogant and socially awkward loner in his years of Jedi training. His relationship with his master is complicated; although he says Obi-Wan is like a father to him, he chafes against his authority and believes he is holding him back. Frustrated, he turns to another teacher for advice: Palpatine, who feeds the young padawan's fragile ego with assurances that he will one day be the greatest Jedi in the galaxy.
Anakin is assigned to guard Padmé, who is now a senator of her home planet Naboo. His childhood fascination with her has now become a powerful infatuation, and the two ultimately fall in love, despite her many reservations. In conversation, he reveals his affection for her, as well as his distrust of the political process and the need he perceives for there to be one strong leader. While guarding Padmé, Anakin senses that his mother is in danger. He finds her in a camp of Tusken Raiders, but is too late; battered beyond recognition, she dies in his arms. Seized by a blind rage, he slaughters the entire tribe of Tuskens, including the women and children. Padmé is clearly troubled by what he has done, but, being in love with him, she is not truly repulsed, and instead tries to soothe him with sympathy.
Anakin and Padmé learn that Obi-Wan has been taken hostage by the Geonosian-engineered Separatist droid forces, and rush to his rescue — where they are also captured. Faced with their impending demise in a gladiatorial-execution arena, they profess their undying love to one another. Escaping the fray with the help of the Jedi and the clone army, Anakin engages Separatist leader (and fallen Jedi) Count Dooku in a lightsaber battle, but is easily defeated by the older, more experienced warrior, who wounds him in battle, severing his lower right arm. He is fitted with a cybernetic replacement, and then marries Padmé in a secret ceremony, with C-3PO and his counterpart, R2-D2, as witnesses.
Transformation into Vader
After having gone off to fight in the Clone Wars, Anakin and Obi-Wan return to Coruscant and board the Separatist flagship The Invisible Hand on a mission to rescue Palpatine from Count Dooku. In the ensuing battle, Anakin defeats and kills Dooku. Back on Coruscant, Padmé tells him she is pregnant. He is initially overjoyed, but he is plagued by prophetic visions of her death in childbirth.
Palpatine, who continues to be a close friend and mentor, 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 the disarmed and (apparently) helpless Palpatine, determined to kill the Dark Lord and destroy the Sith. Palpatine cowers, begging Anakin for help. Before Windu can kill Palpatine, Anakin ignites his blade and severs Windu's hand, allowing Palpatine to kill Windu. Anakin is stricken with guilt, but is too emotionally drained to resist Palpatine's repeated offer to teach him the power of the dark side and save Padmé's life; without hesitation, he pledges himself to the dark side and is endowed with the name Darth Vader.
Vader's first tasks as a Sith Lord are to assault the Jedi Temple and to kill everyone inside, even the youngling children. He does this without question, killing Jedi and younglings alike. Next, he is sent to Mustafar to assassinate the Separatist leaders. Once there, Anakin is met by Padmé, who pleads with him to flee Palpatine's grasp with her. He refuses, saying that the two of them can kill Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Obi-Wan, who had hidden himself on Padmé's ship, suddenly emerges and confronts Anakin. Suspecting betrayal, Anakin uses the Force to choke Padmé unconscious. Anakin then duels with Obi-Wan until his former master severs his remaining limbs and leaves him to burn nearly to death on the hot sands.
Palpatine learns of Padmé's death in childbirth as he returns with Vader to Coruscant and places Vader in the iconic black cybernetic armor. He then tells Anakin that the Force-choke killed Padmé and the child she carried (she had in fact died in childbirth on Polis Massa, after delivering healthy twins.) Vader shakes the room with the Force, breaks his bindings on the operating table and struggles to walk under the sheer weight of his new legs. While Anakin remains a formidable warrior (second only to Palpatine in his dark side potential), the grave injuries he sustained during the duel greatly reduced his power with the Force. He is a shadow of his former Jedi self. Now overwhelmed with grief by the belief that he has killed his wife and unborn child, the only things that remain in his life are his hatred for the Jedi (especially Obi Wan) and his service to his master, the new Emperor of the galaxy.
The events of Revenge of the Sith also had a significant effect on Anakin's identity. The armored Dark Lord of the Sith seen at the end of the film is radically different from the Jedi Knight seen at the beginning physically, psychologically, and even spiritually. 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. For the most part, however, these arguments were given within the context of justifying Obi-Wan's and later Luke Skywalker's orders to confront and kill Vader, as well as Obi-Wan's decision not to tell Luke about his father's true fate. The novelization of Revenge of the Sith, on the other hand, clearly makes the point that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. [3] While Lucas justified his replacement of Sebastian Shaw with Hayden 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."
Fighting the rebellion
Vader is sent 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 Luke and company have escaped, he leaves himself open to Vader's attack and becomes a spirit in the Force in order to guide Luke.
To determine the location of the rebel base, Vader allows Luke and Han to rescue Leia and escape with the technical readouts of the Death Star, which follows them to 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 stopped by the Millennium Falcon. The Death Star is destroyed, but Vader escapes.
Battling his son
Vader is now at the forefront of the continuing attempt to suppress the Rebellion, ordering the Imperial fleet first to prepare a full military assault on the rebel base hidden on the ice world of Hoth, and then to pursue 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, 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.
Darth Vader makes a deal with Lando Calrissian to kidnap Han, Leia, and the droids, 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 his son, cutting his hand off. He then reveals his secret identity, trying to persuade Luke to join him so that they can destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son. Luke, although shaken by this stunning claim, refuses to join Vader and escapes.
The redemption of Anakin Skywalker
In the final installment of the series, Vader is charged with overseeing the completion of the second Death Star. 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 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 instead. Enraged, Luke nearly kills Vader, finally severing his father's hand. He controls his anger at the last minute, however, as he looks at Vader's cybernetic hand and then at his own; he realizes that he is becoming just like his father. 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, throwing him into a deep shaft, where he explodes in a fury of dark energies. In the process, however, he is mortally wounded by the Emperor's lightning.
Moments from death, Vader begs his son to take off his breath-mask so they see each other face-to-face. Luke complies and, for the first time, father and son look into each other's eyes. Freed from the mask that had caged his head for half his life, Anakin Skywalker is a sad, withered man in his mid-forties, his skin ghostly pale from not having seen the sun for more than two decades. 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 in his dying breaths that the good within him was not destroyed after all. Luke escapes with his father's body as the Death Star crumbles, destroyed by the Rebel Alliance.
That night, Luke burns his father's Sith armor (and whatever remains inside[4]) 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 Obi-Wan and Yoda.
Vader in the Expanded Universe
In the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, Anakin goes through many battles in the war, earning him the moniker "The Hero With No Fear." One of such major events in it is his battle with Asajj Ventress on Yavin IV. He is later made a full-fledged Jedi Knight. During a mission to save the Nelvaanian Braves, Anakin goes through a cave that reveals what would become of him in the future. Despite Anakin's periods of separation from his wife, the twins Luke and Leia are conceived during the Clone Wars. The New Droid Army, a video game made for Game Boy Advance, also details some of Anakin's adventures during the war.
In the young adult series The Last of The Jedi, Boba Fett, at the early age of fourteen, is hired by Imperial leader Inquisitor Malorum to investigate Padmé's death at Vader's request.
The book Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, a sequel to Revenge of the Sith, focuses on Vader's mission to hunt down the remaining Jedi who were not killed in the Great Jedi Purge.
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, 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 meets Luke for a second time, and combats him 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.
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 took place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He 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.
Talents
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 is born with the greatest known midi-chlorian count (a measure of Force-aptitude) in the galaxy, surpassing that of both Yoda and the Emperor. However, Lucas states that his injuries on Mustafar cost Vader much of his Force potential. Lucas claims that, as a masked and suited Darth Vader, Anakin has roughly 80% of the power of the Emperor. Had he sustained none of his injuries on Mustafar, he would have been about twice as powerful. Vader's lack of physical hands is the direct reason he cannot create Force lightning, as Dooku and Palpatine could. [5]
In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader was able to block Han Solo's blaster bolts with his hand. One explanation is that Vader used the Force, while an Expanded Universe novel states that Vader's right glove was indestructible.
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 skull of savage predators and bludgeoning opposing Jedi onto their knees with one blow.
In battle, Darth Vader has a very precise and powerful fighting style. Lacking the mobility and ease he once had, his bionic suit gives him sheer strength. Because of his great strength, his blows have great power and unexpected speed, even when using only one arm to fight. He is precise and calm when fighting, rarely using acrobatics. He strikes to kill and uses psychology and his appearance to intimidate his foes. When striking with both hands on the grip of his lightsaber, he is able to pound his enemies with an onslaught of strong but somewhat slow strikes. This fighting style contrasts with Anakin's style before his disfigurement, which utilized more speed and acrobatics. This has become the general explanation for the less-developed saber skills in the original trilogy as compared to the prequel trilogy. Luke's less developed saber skills would obviously be a result of his lack of training. While most padawans are trained from early ages for at least a good 15 years, Luke started very late and ended quickly.
Armor and cybernetic enhancements
Even before his transformation into Vader, Anakin was a cyborg: he had a prosthetic arm. As a result of his 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 (2.02 metres) tall.
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 are made with a unique micronized iron that can deflect anything short of a lightsaber blow.
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."[6]. However, other fans simply dismiss this as being Basic. 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.
Besides the life support it provides his ravaged body, Vader's armor may also offer some moderate degree of protection against lightsabers. In the climactic duel of The Empire Strikes Back, a blow from Luke's lightsaber appears to bounce off Vader's armor, eliciting a yell of pain from the Sith Lord. However, the system is vulnerable to Force lightning, contributing to his death in Return of the Jedi.
Behind the scenes
Throughout the six Star Wars films, Lucas employed five different actors to portray the character. Anakin Skywalker is played by Jake Lloyd as a child and Hayden Christensen as a young adult. David Prowse portrayed him in the original Star Wars Trilogy. His voice was supplied by James Earl Jones. Sebastian Shaw portrayed the dying, middle-aged (and redeemed) man behind the mask in the theatrical release of Return of the Jedi and shortly after, as his ghost; however, in the most recent DVD release, Christensen is digitally inserted in Shaw's place. Also, in the closing scenes of Revenge of the Sith, the fully armored Vader is played by Christensen, again with Jones' voice. In the video game version of Revenge of the Sith, Vader's voice is supplied by Mat Lucas.
The character of Darth Vader also involved 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.[7] 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 Star Wars films in 1997.
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 head gear resembles a Japanese kabuto (兜), which is consistent with the samurai-like order of the Jedi and kendo-like lightsaber duels. It also resembles a German World War II-era Stahlhelm. Vader's leitmotif is The Imperial March. The characteristic 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.
It is interesting to note that "Vader" is the Dutch word for "father" and that the German word for "father" (Vater) is similar. Thus, it may be tempting to read the character name "Darth Vader" as "Dark Father". However, in the original 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." In the movie's novelization Darth Sidious conjures the name from the Dark Side—"Darth Vader" is supposed to mean him, supposedly a nod to his status as the Chosen One.
Lucas took the name "Anakin" from his friend and fellow film director, Ken Annakin.
As Vader fits the classic stock character of the Black Knight, some have noted that Vader bears more than a passing resemblance to other 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.) Similarities have also been noted with the evil brother Hakaider, from the manga and tokusatsu series Kikaider, and the Mule, a villain in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. A resemblance has also been noted to the Lord of the Nazgûl, also called the Witch-King of Angmar, from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings; both Vader and the Witch-King dress in black, have a supernaturally fearsome presence and a hidden, pale form, are kept alive unnaturallly, and serve at the hands of Dark Lords.
The scene in which Vader is reborn as a cyborg is compared to the the creation of the monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein—like Frankenstein, Vader lies on a table to be rebuilt, and when the task is complete, his master (like Dr. Frankenstein) brings him to life still in the restraints, which Vader breaks out of.
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 and "Darth Koopa" from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. 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 serious effect.
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." Vader's leitmotif, "The Imperial March," is sometimes used as the leitmotif for Mr. Burns on The Simpsons to show a comical comparison between the two fictional characters. 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[8] 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 forty-percent margin. (Other choices included the "secret identities" of Keyser Soze in The Usual Suspects; the killers in Psycho, Basic Instinct and Jagged Edge; the planet in Planet of the Apes; "Rosebud" in Citizen Kane; and the contents of the delivery box in Se7en.)
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. [9]
The professional wrestler Leon White wrestled under the names "Big Van Vader," "The Man Called Vader," and just "Vader." The name and gimmick, which originally included a large gargoyle-like helmet worn to the ring, were based on Darth Vader. Vader wrestled in Japan and WCW, where he was their world champion, and in the WWF (now WWE).
With the release of Revenge of the Sith, Vader's popularity has seen an increase. His exaggerated and mournful howl of "NOOO!" also achieved notoriety.
Notes and references
- ^ a Hayden Christensen only appears in the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi, in which he replaces actor Sebastian Shaw in the final scene of the movie. This version is considered the canonical version by Lucasfilm. Some fans were upset by the change and criticized it for being disrespectful to Sebastian Shaw, even undermining the film's cinematic historical value. Further fan criticism includes issues some have with the general performance and appearance of Christensen in the scene, with some holding the claim that Luke would not have recognized his father as a young man. They claim this would create a continuity issue, rather than solve one. On the other hand, Lucas has justified the change, explaining that Anakin died psychologically when he was a young man, and with him, his physical image died. Lucas was apparently pleased with the performance by Christensen
- ^ "AFI's 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains", American Film Institute, last accessed October 20, 2005.
- ^ 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 [sic] any other method of intimidating or killing those who frustrated him." [10]
- ^ "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
- ^ According to Steve Sansweet of Lucasfilm, the Star Wars Databank entry for Vader [11], 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 Visual Dictionary of Star Wars, Episode III (ISBN 0756611288)
- ^ "Lord Vader's Injuries", Star Wars Technical Commentaries. [12]
- ^ "Lord Vader's Chestplate", Star Wars Technical Commentaries. [13]
- ^ 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 bloody hard that he deserves some recognition. It’s ridiculous to preserve the myth that it’s all done by one man." [14]
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 - 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. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-43481-4
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2002. 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
See also
External links
- Anakin Skywalker at the databank
- Darth Vader at the databank
- Star Wars Wiki | Anakin Skywalker
- Star Wars Wiki | Darth Vader