Darth Vader
Once a heroic Jedi Knight, Darth Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force, became a Sith Lord, and led the Empire’s eradication of the Jedi Order. He remained in service of the Emperor -- the evil Darth Sidious -- for decades, enforcing his Master’s will and seeking to crush the fledgling Rebel Alliance. But there was still good in him….
Vader Is Born
Following a brutal battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar that nearly killed him, Vader is restored under the watchful eye of his new Master, Darth Sidious. Despairing over the loss of his wife, Vader becomes fully consumed by the dark side of the Force.
Before he became a disciple of the dark side, Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker, a goodhearted Jedi and hero of the Clone Wars. While he was considered one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, Anakin had broken the Order’s code by secretly marrying Senator Padmé Amidala. When he began to suffer visions that Padmé would die in childbirth, Anakin sought a way to prevent this fate. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, a mentor to the young Jedi, claimed that the dark side was a pathway to this ability: he could stop people from dying with Sith power. At the same time, the Chancellor revealed that he himself was a Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, and would train Anakin. Confused and conflicted, Anakin ultimately succumbed to Sidious’ temptations. Rechristened as Darth Vader, he became an agent of evil.
Sidious assumed the mantle of Emperor, and Vader helped the Empire destroy the Jedi Order; without mercy, Anakin led a legion of clones into the Jedi Temple, and personally killed both fully trained Jedi and novice younglings alike. On the lava planet Mustafar, where he had been sent to assassinate Separatist leaders, Vader battled his former Master and friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin fought with an aggressive ferocity, ignoring Obi-Wan's pleas to come to his senses. Ultimately, the Jedi Master bested the new Sith. Vader was left severely injured and burned on the banks of a lava river, filled with anger and hate. He was found by the Emperor and encased in frightening black armor that kept him alive, and given mechanical lungs that emitted an ominous breathing sound with his every step. Anakin Skywalker was no more.
Vader quickly became a highly visible symbol of the Empire, serving as Palpatine’s fearsome enforcer. He hunted down fugitive Jedi who had escaped Order 66, as well as ferreting out enemies both within and without. Vader’s sudden arrival within the Imperial hierarchy gave rise to many rumors. Some high-ranking Imperials claimed he was a laboratory creation built to mimic the fallen Separatist warlord General Grievous, while others whispered that he was a technologically augmented warrior schooled in the now-forbidden arts of the Force. Only a few guessed the truth – that Vader was the reborn Jedi Anakin Skywalker.
Vader sent agents such as the Inquisitor to find not just escaped Jedi but also new Force-sensitive beings that might pose a threat to the Empire. And on Palpatine’s orders, he worked with the ambitious, ruthless Grand Moff Tarkin to supervise construction of the Death Star and stamp out resistance to Imperial rule.
After the destruction of the Death Star, Darth Vader became obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker. He had dispatched probe droids across the galaxy, finally locating the Rebel base on the remote ice planet Hoth. Upon his arrival the Rebels had already escaped, but he pursued Luke’s friends with relentless fervor. With the Empire unable to secure the Millennium Falcon, Vader hired bounty hunters to track down the starship, and the deadly Boba Fett eventually set a trap for the heroes on Cloud City. Believing they had found sanctuary, Han, Leia, and company actually found Vader and the Empire waiting. Vader tortured Han in an effort to lure Luke to Bespin, and later had Solo frozen in carbonite. Finally, Luke, who had cut his Jedi training short to save his friends, arrived and dueled with Vader. The Sith Lord proved too powerful; he brutalized Luke with flying debris, and eventually severed his right hand with his lightsaber. Seeking to bring Luke to the dark side, Vader revealed that he was Luke’s father -- a shock that rattled the young Jedi to the core. Rather than join Vader, Luke chose to fall into a deep abyss, and survived.
With the Empire looking to crush the Rebel Alliance once and for all, construction of a second Death Star commenced. Darth Vader and the Emperor were personally overseeing its completion, though Vader’s Master had another plan: to lure Luke Skywalker to the dark side of the Force. Vader and the Emperor waited for Luke to come to them, which he did; the young Jedi believed there was still good in his father, and tried to turn him back to the light side. Vader was conflicted, but still brought Luke before the Dark Lord. The Emperor taunted and tempted Luke, leading to a final duel between Vader and his son. Giving in to his hate, Luke overpowered Vader, cutting off his hand and was poised to deliver the killing blow. The Emperor commanded that Luke finish his father and join the dark side, but the young Jedi refused, opting instead to throw away his lightsaber. Enraged at this denial, the Emperor shot Force lightning into Luke, torturing him. Vader rose, the good in him awakened by his son’s compassion, and destroyed the Emperor. While he had suffered fatal injuries from the Emperor’s lightning, Vader’s redeeming final act restored his consciousness to Anakin Skywalker, and he had one last moment with Luke before peacefully accepting his death.