Young Anakin Skywalker. Who is Darth Vader? "Star Wars"

Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history. His image is easily recognizable, and the phrase “Luke, I am your father” has firmly entered our lives, becoming a meme and the reason for numerous parodies and jokes. Now the next film from the Star Wars series has been released - Rogue One, and in it we will see Darth Vader again. Here are 15 interesting and little known facts about the Dark Lord of the Sith for everyone who loves this saga. And may the Force be with you!

15. He had a military rank

Everyone knows that Darth Vader is right hand Emperor Palpatine, but not everyone is aware that the title of “Emperor’s Emissary” was created specifically for him. It gave him enormous military powers. That is why he had the right to take command of the Death Star battle station, despite the fact that it already had a commander - Wilhuff Tarkin. As the emperor's apprentice and emissary, Vader essentially became the second-in-chief of the empire, with titles such as Dark Lord of the Sith and Warlord. And later, after taking control of the Executor, the largest Imperial warship, he apparently officially became the Supreme Commander.

14. Imperial propaganda claims that Anakin Skywalker died in the Jedi Temple

Most of the inhabitants of the galaxy, ruled by the new Galactic Empire, are also convinced that the Jedi Order not only rebelled against Councilor Palpatine, forcing him to take drastic measures and destroy the Jedi, but also had a hand in starting the Clone Wars. The truth about what Anakin switched to dark side and betrayed his comrades in the temple, almost no one knows (only survivors like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda). This is what the situation looks like at the beginning of the original trilogy.

13. After learning about his children, he planned to betray the emperor

Although fans know that Vader betrayed the Emperor at the end of Episode 6 (Return of the Jedi), his motivation was never explained. After the Battle of Yavin, Vader tasked bounty hunter Boba Fett with finding out everything about the Rebel who destroyed the Death Star. It was then that he was informed that the man's name was Luke Skywalker. Realizing that Palpatine has been lying to him all these years and that his children are alive, Vader becomes enraged. This explains his motivation and offer to help Luke overthrow the Emperor in The Empire Strikes Back. Vader planned this in full accordance with the Sith code of conduct: a student will never rise higher until he gets rid of his master.

12. He had three teachers and many secret students

After Skywalker transformed into Darth Vader, he trained the Sith. Thus, according to the plot of the video games "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed", Vader, planning a plot to overthrow Palpatine, secretly took on several students. The first of these was Galen Marek, nicknamed Starkiller, a descendant of the Jedi killed by Vader during the Great Purge. Vader trained Marek from childhood, but Marek died on the Death Star shortly before the Rebel Alliance was founded. Vader then created a perfect and much more powerful clone of Marek using his genetic sample. This clone - the Dark Disciple - was supposed to take Marek's place. The next student after him was Tao, a former Jedi Padawan (this story is considered non-canonical today). Vader then took on several more students - Kharis, Lumiya, Flint, Rillao, Hethrir and Antinnis Tremaine.

11. He tried to learn to breathe without a helmet

But he could do without it for only a few minutes, since he was too happy at the opportunity to breathe on his own, and this joy was not combined with dark power. This is also why he so wanted to unite with Luke, so that their common strength would help him not only throw off the power of the emperor, but also free himself from his iron armor.

10. Even the actors didn’t know during filming that Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father.

Everyone else, including Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo), only learned the truth after attending the film's premiere. When the confession scene was filmed, actor David Prowse spoke the line given to him, which sounded like "Obi-Wan killed your father", and the text "I am your father" was written over it later.

9. Darth Vader was played by seven actors

Vader without a mask in Return of the Jedi was played by Sebastian Shaw, young Anakin in The Phantom Menace by Jake Lloyd, and mature Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith by Hayden Christensen. Spencer Wilding plays Darth Vader in the new Rogue One movie.

8. He originally had a different name and a different voice.

Since Darth Vader - central character Star Wars, it is not surprising that this character was the first to be written when creating the script. But at first his name was Anakin Starkiller (this is the name, according to the plot of the video game "The Force Unleashed" of his secret student). The original Star Wars trailer was written by legendary director Orson Welles in 1976. It was Wells' voice that George Lucas wanted to voice Darth Vader, but the producers did not approve of this idea - they thought that the voice would be too recognizable.

7. According to one theory, it was created by Palpatine and Darth Plagueis

But one fan theory suggests a darker and more realistic possibility of Anakin being born. In Revenge of the Sith, Advisor Palpatine tells Anakin about the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, who knew how to use midi-chlorians to create life. According to this theory, either Plagueis himself or his student Palpatine could experiment and create Anakin in an attempt to obtain a powerful ruler of the Force.

6. Above the suit and sound effects the whole team worked

In Lucas's original design, Darth Vader did not have any helmet - instead, his face was wrapped in a black scarf. The helmet was intended only as part of a military uniform - after all, you need to somehow move from one starship to another. As a result, it was decided that Vader would wear this helmet permanently. The creation of both the helmet and the rest of the equipment of Vader and the Imperial military was inspired by the uniforms of the Nazis and the helmets of Japanese military leaders. Vader's famous heavy breathing was created by sound producer Ben Burtt. He placed a small microphone in the mouthpiece of the scuba regulator and recorded the sound of his breathing.

5. Actor David Prowse and director George Lucas hate each other

Prowse was also upset that he was replaced as a stunt double for action scenes, despite being physically fit. But he kept breaking lightsabers. Lucas later accused Prowse of exposing classified information that Vader is Luke's father. The actor also really didn’t like the fact that viewers wouldn’t see his face on the screen: Vader without a mask was played by another actor. The strained relationship between Lucas and Prowse came to a head when Prowse starred in the 2010 anti-Lucas film The People vs. George Lucas. This was the end of the director's patience and he removed Prowse from all future Star Wars productions.

4. There was an alternate ending where Luke becomes the new Vader

Return of the Jedi ends with the good guys winning and everyone rejoicing. But Lucas originally envisioned a darker ending to his sci-fi saga. According to this alternate ending, the battle between Skywalker and Vader and the subsequent scene with Vader and the Emperor's death lead to a different outcome. Vader also sacrifices himself to kill the emperor, and Luke helps him remove the helmet - and Vader dies. However, then Luke puts on his father's mask and helmet, says "Now I am Vader" and turns to the dark side of the Force. He defeats the rebels and becomes the new emperor. This is the ending that would have been logical, according to Lucas and his screenwriter Kasdan, but in the end Lucas decided to make a happy ending, because the film was intended for a children's audience.

3. Alternative ending from the comics: again a Jedi and all in white

This is where the fun begins: Vader falls to his knees and asks for forgiveness, returning to the light side of the Force and becoming Anakin Skywalker. The Emperor manages to escape, the second Death Star is destroyed, but Leia, Luke and Vader manage to leave it together. They later meet aboard the Command Frigate Home One, with Anakin Skywalker still dressed as Darth Vader, but all in white. The Skywalker family of Jedi decide to hunt down and kill the Emperor, which they most likely succeed because they are a gang.

2. This is the most profitable Star Wars character

The creators of Star Wars managed to make great money from their characters by selling related products, toys and the like. The army of fans of this saga is huge. There is a special “Wookiepedia” on the Internet - a Star Wars encyclopedia, with detailed articles about everyone and everything that anyone can edit. But no matter how much other heroes of the saga are loved, Darth Vader is the most popular, iconic character and, of course, it is from this image that one can make the most money. With merchandising revenues totaling over $27 billion in 2015, for example, Darth Vader is worth billions—after all, he's a big piece of that pie.

1. On one of the cathedrals there is a chimera in the form of Darth Vader’s helmet

Believe it or not, one of the towers of the Washington Cathedral is decorated with a gargoyle in the shape of Darth Vader's helmet. The sculpture is located very high and is difficult to see from the ground, but with binoculars you can. In the 1980s, the National Cathedral, together with National Geographic magazine, announced children's competition for the best decorative chimera sculpture to decorate the northwestern tower. A boy named Christopher Rader took third place in this competition with his drawing of Darth Vader. After all, a chimera must be evil. And this sketch was brought to life by sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter and stone carver Patrick Jay Plunkett.

Creators: George Lucas

Gender: Man

Character: TypeCyborg

First Performance: Star Wars #1 - Star Wars

Appears in issue 822

Birthday: n/a

Death: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi #4 - Final Showdown

Capabilities

Flexibility
Animal control
Dangerous feeling
Darkforce Manipulation
Electronic destruction
Energy absorption
Devices
Healing
Implementations
Intelligence
Leadership
Hypnotize
Hot item
Power claim
Preliminary interrogation
Radar sense
Death of feeling
Durability
Cunning
Super speed
Superpower
Swordsmanship
Telekinesis
Telepathy
Tracking
Unarmed combat
Weapon master

Anakin Skywalker was once a heroic Jedi Knight, but was seduced by the powers of the dark side and became the evil entity known as Darth Vader in an attempt to save the life of his wife and future children. However, despite everything he did, there were still remnants of goodness in him.

Origin

Anakin Skywalker is considered the "Chosen One" of the force; who is supposed to be destroying the Sith. Anakin Skywalker was born without a father and lived most of his life on Tatooine with his mother, Shmi. When Qui-Gon Jinn came to the planet seeking parts for their ship back to the Jedi Council, Anakin won their parts and also his freedom, but with only one flaw in the plan - his mother had to remain on Tatooine as a slave. Several years later, Anakin became Obi-Wan Kenobi's apprentice and married the ex-queen of Naboo, Padmé Amidala.

Near the end of the Clone Wars, Anakin became very obsessed with saving his family. Learning that his wife and unborn child were going to die, although a vision, Anakin was determined to find the power to save his loved ones. At this point, Sith Lord Darth Sidious forced Anakin to join the newfound Empire as their new Sith Apprentice, Darth Vader. Anakin killed most of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy, with the exception of Yoda and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan attempted to kill Anakin, but only left him near the lava planet Musafar, severely wounded. Anakin survived through the Emperor's mechanations. More car More than human, Anakin forever became Darth Vader and served his master as the Posted Fist of the Empire.

Creation

Along with the entire Star Wars universe, Darth Vader (or Anakin) was created by George Lucas. However, at the time Darth Vader was the main portrayal of the character than Anakin Skywalker (but it was said that George was working on the Anakin model before they started Vader). Vader's mask was drawn by Ralph McQuarrie, who drew the concept for Darth Vader's space suit. After many changes to Vader's mask, Ralph finally got a design that George liked, and soon Brian Muir began designing the rest of Vader from head to bottom. With the success of Star Wars IV: A New Hope, George Lucas began looking for a writer to help him with the fifth, technically second, film. Writer Leigh Brackett helped George create the second Star Wars installment, and everything was fine, except that Vader wasn't going to reveal that he was Luke's father. Before the film's script was completed, Leigh Brackett died of cancer, so it was left for George to write the script alone. At the end, Darth actually told Luke that he was his father. George began looking at a backstory for Anakin and created the entire story with Anakin being Obi Wan Kanyobi's student and the last Qui-gon. The story was clear that Anakin would free himself to the dark side through a series of events, and would eventually become Darth Vader after being severely wounded during the final battle against Obi Wan. Which ultimately ended the Star Wars Saga, episodes 1-6.

Portrayal in films
The man under Vader's suit was played by David Prowse, his stunt double (Bob Anderson) pre-framed all the fight scenes, Sebastian Shaw played as Vader in the final moments of Darth Vader's life at the end of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader .

Evolution of character

From slavery to freedom

Anakin Skywalker was a young slave boy who lived on the desert planet Tatooine. He lived with his mother Shmi and worked as a slave for a Toydarian junk dealer named Watto. Anakin was an exceptional mechanic, being able to build C-3PO's Protocol Droid. He was also skilled in layout. Overall, it was a fairly normal life for a slave.

Anakin's world was shaken when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Padmé Amidala, R2-D2 and Binks Bunks came to Tatooine. Master Jinn immediately recognized something big about Anakin. Deeply connected to the Force and with a high amount of midi-chlorian, he had the potential to become the most powerful Jedi Knight ever. As it turns out, the party was marooned on the planet because their hyperdrive broke down. While searching, they went to a repair shop and met Anakin. Anakin agreed to help them by winning podrace in Classic work Riots Iv. Qui-Gon Jinn made a bet for Watto that if Anakin won, he would be free. Watto accepted the bet. After winning races largely due to his Force skills, Anakin was released and left to train and become a Jedi. While aboard the ship, he developed admiration for Padmé and gave her a fragment of Japor to remember him by. He then appeared before the Jedi Council, who, despite his high midi-chlorian count, rejected the request because he was too old and emotionally attached. Meanwhile, the evil Darth Sidious sent his apprentice Darth Maul after two Jedi Knights. They went towards the Shiny, narrowly running Maul at every turn. When the time came to attack the Trade Federation, Anakin took refuge in a starfighter's cabin and accidentally crashed into space battle with Artoo. He managed to achieve what other Naboo pilots could not; Destroy a Droid Control Ship with proton torpedoes in good condition. Unfortunately, Qui-Gon was killed in a duel with Darth Maul. After Obi-Wan killed the Sith Lord, he was made the ultimate Jedi Knight and was given permission from the Council to train the boy.

Life like a Jedi

Although Obi-Wan trained him well, Anakin had a natural violence in him. He was rash and frivolous - and he was afraid of losing those he loved very much. However, he turned out to be the great Jedi Knight and the greatest starfighter pilot in the galaxy. Speculation arose that he might be the Chosen One—the one who would destroy the Sith Peerage once and for all. As a Padawan, he had a mission to protect Senator Padmé Amidala from an attempt on her life by the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

During this, he thought about his mother Shmi and wanted her, so he went to Tatooine to see her. But when he got there, he realized that the Tusken Raiders had tortured her and killed her. Anakin killed the entire Tuskens tribe, even the women and children of the tribe, in a blind rage; he was turning to the Dark Side. It was also during this time that he began an affair with Padmé. When Obi-Wan is captured on Geonosis, Anakin and Padmé set out to rescue him. However, they were captured along with Obi-Wan, and the three were sentenced to death. They managed to hold their own until Mace Windu and his Jedi strike force arrived and rescued them, along with the clone troopers. As Anakin and Obi-Wan pursued Separatist Leader Count Dooku, Padmé fell and the two Jedi had a brief argument.

Anakin and Obi-Wan soon caught up with the number, but Anakin impatiently charged and was blasted with Dooku's Force lightning. After Obi-Wan was injured in the fight, Anakin returned and saved his Master from Dooku's attack. The Padawan then fought off the number with two lightsabers before severing his right hand to Dooku's blade. The two would have died if not for Yoda's intervention. After that shootout, he married Padme in a secret marriage ceremony with C-3PO and R2-D2 as his only witnesses.

War Hero

During his Padawan years, Anakin would participate in numerous Clone military battles. He would face the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, whom he defeated at the Yavin IV temples. It was during this Clone war period that he would be knighted, albeit in a controversial decision. After this, he would have a second encounter with Asajj Ventress and would persist in training, but not before receiving facial scars in the duel. He would then temporarily be designated by Ahsoka Tano as his new Padawan.

Knightfall

Anakin and Obi-Wan would then be assigned a crucial mission; rescue Chancellor Palpatine, who has been kidnapped by the Sorrowful Common. The Jedi stormed the Separatist flagship Invisible Hand and found the Chancellor there guarded by Count Dooku. The Jedi involved Dooku in the war effort, and the number managed to give Obi-Wan subliminal. Anakin fought Dooku alone and was knocked out until he cut off the Count's hands. Palpatine then goaded Anakin into beheading Dooku. The Jedi was then captured by General Grievous before the renewed attack. But Sad One escaped, and Anakin managed to steer the ship towards Shiny One. Anakin then met Padme, who then told him that she became pregnant. However, Anakin feared losing her as he had lost his mother. “Fear leads to outrage; outrage to hatred; haters to suffering," said Yoda, who admitted that the boy might be on his way to the Dark Side. He began to distrust those around him, and he hated the Jedi Order when he felt they had wronged him, because even though he received a seat on the Jedi Council, he was not granted the title Jedi Master; title he had to gain access to limited Jedi holocrons in order to save Padmé. He was also received by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was secretly a Sith Lord. Palpatine gained Anakin's trust and loyalty, only to have Anakin find out that the Sith Lord Darth Sidious was. Palpatine told him, however, that with the powers of the Sith, he could become immortal and stop other people from dying. Anakin reported this discovery to Mace Windu, who led a strike force to arrest the Chancellor, but then thought about the power promise and flew into the Chancellor's office. Master Windu had Palpatine at bladepoint and was barraged by Sith Force lightning. Anakin was torn between loyalty and the supposed right to save Padme, but he made his decision and hastily severed Windu's sword arm. After Palpatine killed the Jedi Master, he assured Anakin that he was fulfilling his destiny. Anakin then pledged loyalty to the Sith and became Palpatine's new apprentice Darth Vader.

The Chancellor then gave him the mission to attack the Jedi Temple in Operation: Knightfall. Vader did this without a doubt, leading the 501st Legion in a raid. Many Jedi and younglings were killed in brutality. Vader's next mission was to travel to Mustafar and kill the Separatist Leaders, including Nute Gunray.

He would later reveal his dark urges to Padmé's future. Due to Obi-Wan's failed arrival, Vader violently attacked his wife with the Force and engaged his former master in a lightsaber duel. Despite his great skill, Vader lost to Obi-Wan, losing his legs and his left arm as a result. He was also burned by the lava and the resulting burns that nearly killed him. It was the timely arrival of his new master, Emperor Palpatine, that saved his life. Vader would be transported to a medical facility on the Shiny, where he would be restored to cyborg form. Believing he was the one responsible for the murder of his wife and child, Vader will forever become loyal to the Emperor and the Dark Side with his heart as cold as ever.

Major story arcs

Iron Fist of the Empire

For nearly twenty years, Vader became known as the legendary face of the Galactic Empire, his reputation forever known and feared throughout the galaxy. Vader spent most of his years tracking down the last of the Jedi Knights and Masters, while (just like in the Sith tradition) secretly plotting to overthrow his master...

Unbeknownst to Vader, Padmé died giving birth to twins, Luke and Leia. Luke was watched by his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru (and secretly Obi-Wan), while Leia was taken into the care of Bail Organa and became Princess of Alderaan.

Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin

When Darth Vader kills the son of a very rich man, he pledges to pay his vengeance to the Dark Lord. The man paid eight assassins to kill Vader, and they all failed. Darth Vader got rid of them each easily. The man decided to fork out the cash to pay one of the most expensive assassins in the galaxy when he hired a man only known as the ninth assassin. The Ninth Assassin proved to be a worthy foil to Vader and even impressed the Dark Lord himself, who repeatedly offered him a position with the Empire. The ninth assassin ultimately failed, and Darth Vader moved on having avoided another attempt on his life.

Rise of the Rebellion

Darth Vader found a secret apprentice during the reign of the Empire. On a mission from Palpatine regarding suspicions of the Jedi Lipstick on the planet Kashyyyk, Vader discovered this student. His father Kento Marek, a Lipstick Jedi, escaped Order 66 and traveled through many planets on the way to Kashyyyk, where Lipstick eventually remained. After confronting and killing Kento, Vader took the boy away from Palpatine's prying eyes. After years of training, Vader saw fit to allow his apprentice to hunt down the last of the Jedi. With Starkiller completing his tasks, Vader was ready to begin his plan to destroy the Emperor. Unfortunately, the Emperor recognized and tracked Starkiller's plane before reaching Vader's private spaceship. When the Emperor arrived, Vader betrayed and killed his Starkiller to show his loyalty to his master. He left his Apprentice alive, though, and when the Emperor left, Vader recovered Starkiller from the depths of space.

He then reinstated his student and explained his plan for the next attempt, which was to start a rebellion. Then he sent his student away. He didn't understand, although that Disciple of his had feelings for the pilot of Juno Eclipse, who was labeled a traitor to the Empire. Starkiller then broke Juno out of the restrictions she was hidden in and began on his mission. Ultimately, Starkiller would reveal that Vader never planned to overthrow Palpatine at all (or at least with him). That was the whole part

from the Emperor's plan to expose the enemies of the Empire. Vader would later capture the Rebel Alliance and defeat his apprentice once again, but this would prove to be his destruction. Starkiller survived and confronted Vader and the Emperor in the Death Star, sacrificing his life to allow the Rebels to fight another day. Due to Starkiller's actions, the Rebel Alliance was formed and prepared to drag the Empire into the vicious Galactic Civil War.

Over the next few years, Vader would be tasked by the Emperor to suppress attacks from the Rebel Alliance with little effort.

New Hope

The ruthless cyborg pursued Princess Leia and the Rebels for the stolen Death Star plans. The Empire pursued the Rebels back to Vader's homeworld, which the princess was able to transfer plans to the astromech Droid and send it to the planet. Vader captured the princess and later brought her to the Death Star, where he and Grand Moff Tarkin interrogated her on the location of the hidden Rebel base. Vader tortured his daughter and summoned her to see her home planet of Alderaan destroyed. Vader also played a role in the execution of Owen and Beru Lars. As Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan, and Chewbacca were captured by the Death Star's tractor beam, Vader sensed the presence of his former master. He eventually confronted his master in one final duel. Despite Obi-Wan's warning, Vader brought him down, but not before Obi-Wan became a Force spirit. Vader allowed Luke and his comrades to escape so he could finally locate the hidden Rebel base. Once the plan worked, the Imperials prepared for battle and confronted the incoming Rebel fleet. During the Battle of Yavin, Vader decided to personally destroy the Rebel starfighters himself. The Sith Lord nearly destroyed the entire Rebel fleet and came close to destroying Luke Skywalker, but interference from the Millennium Falcon caused one of its support fighters to veer into Vader's fighter, sending him flying far into space.

Civil war escalates

Vader would return to the Empire and continue his efforts to track down the Rebel Alliance and the mysterious Luke Skywalker who had begun to plague his mind with so many questions. He would never take into account that Luke and Leia were their children much later.

The Empire Strikes Back
Three years after the Death Star was destroyed, the Empire destroyed the Rebel Base on Hoth VI. The Empire gained power, so when Luke traveled to Dagobah, in whose swamps Yoda now made his home, to become Yoda's apprentice and continue his training in the use of the Force, Han Solo and Leia Organa traveled to the City of Clouds, in the Bespin system, to meet an old friend Khan Lando Calrissian. However, Vader tracked the heroes to Cloud City with the help of Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett and raised an agreement that meant Baron Administrator betrayed them and the Dark Lord captured them. Vader, wanting to capture Skywalker, decided to test the carbonite freezing on Han Solo, who turned out to have a price on his head thanks to Jabba the Hutt, and Fett took it to Jabba.

Luke made it to Cloud City to rescue Yeon or Leia - but he would ultimately engage Vader in a lightsaber battle. Vader's power was much greater than Luke's, but he did not kill Luke because he wanted Luke to turn to the Dark Side and become an ally of the Empire. They fought and Vader eventually lashed Luke's wrist across the balcony, causing Luke to lose the lightsaber that Anakin had had in mind for him long ago. Vader eventually showed Luke his true origins, but Luke chose death over life as Vader's son and he let go and fell. He barely survived and escaped Vader and the Empire, much to the Dark Lord's dismay.

Return of the Jedi

More than six months have passed. The Emperor formulated a trap to destroy the Rebel Alliance and Luke's convert to the Dark Side of the Force. When Luke traveled to the moon Endor where Vader and the Emperor were, he showed his acceptance that Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, his father, and tried to move his father away, where Kenobi failed. But aboard the unfinished second Death Star, the Emperor proved to be a dark influence to Luke, even as father and son engaged in their final lightsaber duel. Vader gains power until Luke taps into the Dark Side to subdue his father in battle, cutting his hand. When Luke refused to turn, the Emperor fired Force lightning at him and was about to kill him as Vader watched. Since Luke was executed on electric chair, he moaned, “Father, please help me!”

All the while, Anakin Skywalker fought against this, which made him Darth Vader. Successfully overcoming what made him Vader, Anakin grabbed the Emperor and threw him into the Death Star's power core. Unfortunately, lightning disrupted Anakin's cybernetics. He then died after killing the Emperor and saving his son, who unmasked him to find that his father was still extremely human the entire time.

No matter how evil Darth Vader was, Anakin Skywalker died a hero. His ghost was seen at the Endor celebration.

Powers and abilities

Lightsaber skill

Originally one of the most skilled duelists during the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker was a prodigy at a young age who mastered Form V from lightsaber combat; Djem So in particular. In his first major lightsaber battle against Count Dooku, he impressed in numbers as he demonstrated knowledge of Jer'Kai and defeated his primary, Obi-Wan. Later, Anakin would fight Dark Sider Asajj Ventress on Yavin 4 and beat a skilled assassin. He would often bicker with his old master Obi-Wan, and also have rematches with Asajj Ventress and Count Dooku

As a Sith, Vader had to regain his style due to his new deluxe, using more of a hybrid form. He was much stronger and much more in pain and permanent damage, but he significantly lacked the flexibility and speed he once had, two skills required for a style such as Djem Tak.

Since he became Palpatine's engine, Vader's main task would be to fight the Jedi. But his new body and his new way life never stopped him as he, a few weeks after he got himself into his new suite, killed dozens of Jedi, including a Jedi Master. Over the course of his career as a Sith Lord, Vader would come into conflict with famous Jedi like Roan Shryne and the Dark Woman, reveal the ancient Jedi Celeste Morne, whom he then proceeded to best in combat, and stalemate his son—Luke Skywalker.

Power powers
Vader had the highest number of midi-chlorians in the galaxy, surpassing 20,000. With this, he had the potential to surpass Emperor Palpatine and Grandmaster Yoda. However, after his injuries at Mustafar, Vader lost much of his potential. He was still surprisingly influential. It should be mentioned that Darth Vader had an ancient Sith amulet build in his armored gauntlet. amulent allowed him to use the force more effectively, making him significantly more influential in the force than he originally was.

He could send out Force Waves of remarkable magnitude, launching people through the air; could telepathically probe a Jedi; while mapped, can create Kinetite; can use Tutaminis to deflect fuze bolts; can heal himself through his pure anger.

His favored ability, however, is the Force Choke, which he can use from across the galaxy.

Famous masters

Obi-Wan Kenobi
Emperor Palpatine

Famous students

Ahsoka Tano
Galen Marek
Starkiller (Clone)
Flint
Kharys
Lumiya

New appearances

Darth Plagueis

“Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Having power is all he desires. Losing him is the only thing he is afraid of. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time comes, he destroys his Master - but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other student of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power... of life and death.

Darth Sidious: Plagueis' chosen student. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as a Senator, then as Chancellor, and ultimately as Emperor.

Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and Mate, set their sights on the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for destruction. But can they challenge the merciless tradition of the Sith? Or will there be a desire for one to rule the highest, and a dream for the other to live forever, sowing the seeds of their destruction?”

Published by: Del Rey Books

Writer: James Luceno

Video games

Darth Vader has appeared in many video games.

Soul Calibur IV

Vader appears as a playable character in Soul of Calibur IV for PS3.

Superstar Wars (SNES)

Darth Vader is one of the main villains in this video game.

LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker both appear in this video game as separate, playable characters.

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker both appear in this video game as separate, playable characters.

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker both appear in this video game as separate, playable characters.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Darth Vader also appeared in the Force Unleashed series, shown as the master of the powerful Force user, Galen Marek. In the first game, the Dark Lord trained him to hunt down the last of the Jedi and root out any enemies of the Empire. Marek would betray his master and inspire the rise of the Rebel Alliance. We only play Vader in the first tutorial level of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

In the second game, he tried to clone his student so he could once again become aware of the situation, but the clone would betray him and become his greatest enemy once again.

Characteristics

Eyes: Blue (yellow and red in the Dark Side)

Hair: None (previously brown)

Height: 6'1" (185 cm) as human, 6'8" (202 cm) as cyborg

Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg) as human, 300 lbs (136 kg) as cyborge

David Prowse played Darth Vader in Episode IV, V and VI while he was voiced by James Earl Jones. Anakin was played by Sebastian Shaw at the end of Return of the Jedi when Luke took off his helmet.

It is unlikely that among fans of cinema and pop culture there will be a person who does not know, He became a symbol of the space epic “Star Wars” and its main antagonist. Despite the fact that he is a negative character, fans elevate him to the rank of their favorite heroes. However, once one of the greatest villains in the history of the Galaxy (ours and the fictional one) was an ordinary boy who, for many reasons, became a servant of the dark side.

Childhood

Once upon a time, the most controversial character in the Star Wars film saga, Darth Vader, was called Anakin Skywalker. Viewers first meet him on the sand planet Tatooine, where he and his mother are enslaved by a parts salesman named Watto. From early childhood, the boy had high intelligence and extremely developed technical abilities. Already at the age of 9, he assembled his own droid C-3PO and a real racing car. Qui-Gon Jinn immediately sensed enormous Power in the young slave. The Jedi's feelings did not fail him when he learned that the number of medichlorians in Anakin was much greater than that of Master Yoda. He tries to find out from his mother Shmi who the father of the child was, but she says that besides her, he never had anyone else. This leads Qui-Gon to think about a prophecy that says that a man will be born from the Force, called upon to restore balance to the world. Then he decides to take young technician himself as a Padawan, which becomes possible when he wins a bet with Watto, the condition of which was Anakin's victory in the race.

Clone War

After ten years of training, Anakin masterfully masters Jedi techniques and is distinguished by special talents. Obi-Wan Kenobi becomes his teacher, as this was Qui-Gon Jinn's dying request. In this part of Star Wars, Darth Vader begins to awaken within the young Skywalker. He is accompanied everywhere by stubbornness and vanity, and the patronage of the Sith Lord, who is Chancellor Palpatine, further strengthens his sense of his own superiority. The first step taken towards the transition is the mass execution of an entire Tusken tribe in the name of revenge for the captivity and subsequent death of the mother. At the same time he was inflamed strong feelings to the former queen of Naboo. He learns that his love is not unrequited, and contrary to the strict rules of the Jedi, he marries his chosen one in secret from everyone. Due to the inextricable connection with his wife, a strong fear of losing her arises in him, which also condones the development of the Sith.

Going to the dark side

The next significant move in the internal war between Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker is murder on the orders of Chancellor Palpatine, which violates the Jedi principle of not executing unarmed prisoners. Almost immediately after this, he learns about Padmé’s pregnancy, but his joy at this news is replaced by intense fear, overshadowing everything around him. The Force shows him a future in which his wife dies in childbirth. Disturbed by this vision, he shares it with Palpatine, which speaks of the young Jedi's unconditional trust in his patron. He is unaware of the skillfully thought-out plan of the future Emperor to make Ani a Sith and his devoted student. Thus, the seeds of the dark side he sowed begin to germinate rapidly. When Skywalker learns that the Chancellor is Darth Sidious, he tells the Jedi Council, where he sits as Palpatine's representative. However, he soon begins to realize that the latter is able to protect Padme from death. In the decisive battle between Mace Windu and the Sith Lord, Anakin takes the side of the latter, as a result of which the master dies. From that moment on, he becomes Sidious's student and, on his orders, kills all young Jedi and Separatists. It is the new trilogy that reveals to viewers the truth about who Darth Vader is and gives insight into how he became a villain.

Years of Sith rule

At the end of the new trilogy, Obi-Wan cuts off both of Anakin's legs and an arm, and his body is completely burned in the fire. However, the self-proclaimed Emperor Palpatine manages to save his student from death with the help of a special suit. Since then, Darth Vader's sword turns red, and he himself commands armed forces his teacher while on the Death Star. He captures Princess Leia Organa, who is his daughter, but does not yet know about it. In order to reveal the location of the rebel base, as well as return the circuits to his space station, he destroys Alderaan. At this time, the Millennium Falcon is pulled towards them, along with Han Sol, Chewbacca, an aged Obi-Wan, Luke and the droids on board. They flee, but Vader manages to kill his former teacher. He later encounters Luke as he attempts to destroy the Death Star and senses that the young man is full of the Force. As a result, he has to flee, and the planet destroyer explodes thanks to young Skywalker.

Meeting with my son

IN next episode The hatch will open terrible secret about who Darth Vader is. He ends up on Dagobah, where he studies with Master Yoda. However, at this time the dark lord captures his friends in order to lure Skywalker into a trap. He succeeds, and during a lightsaber battle, he cuts off the young Jedi's hand, after which he admits that he is his father. Vader invites his son to choose his side and together overthrow the Emperor in order to rule the Galaxy. Luke takes this news painfully and jumps into the garbage compartment, where he is picked up by the escaped crew of the Millennium Falcon.

Repentance

In the next part of the popular space opera"Star Wars" Darth Vader is building a new Death Star, which should be more powerful than the previous one. Together with the Sith Lord, he develops a plan to lure Luke to the dark side, because his skills could be very valuable to the Empire. Thus, he once again captures his son, who firmly decided not to resist, because he hopes that there is goodness left in his father. Vader soon learns that he has a daughter, also endowed with the Force. Then he threatens Luke that he will lure her to his side. The young Jedi succumbs to anger and tries to defeat Vader with a lightsaber. The Emperor encourages him to kill his father and take his place, but Skywalker does not give in and throws away his weapon. While Palpatine inflicts heavy lightning strikes on Luke, Darth Vader realizes that he cannot allow his son to die and throws his master into the mine, where he dies. However, Anakin's life support is damaged. Removing his helmet, he speaks his last words, and his healed soul finds peace.

Armor

It is thanks to the black cloak and helmet that most people know who Darth Vader is. This armor was designed specifically to keep a wounded Skywalker alive; without it, he would almost immediately be unable to breathe. Sith traditions dictate that heavy black suits be worn. In total, 2 different outfits were created for each of the trilogies. Their design and construction took a lot of time and effort, which ultimately paid off.

Actors

As many as 4 actors participated in creating the image of Darth Vader. In the first part of the new trilogy, little Anakin was played by Jake Lloyd, and in the next two, Skywalker’s place was taken by Hayden Christensen, who also appears in the sixth episode in the guise of a ghost. With the original trilogy the situation is more complicated. In all three parts, the suit was replaced by British swordsman Bob Anderson during sword fights. The voice of Darth Vader belongs to James Earl Jones, and in parts 3 to 6. And when his hero takes off his mask, the face of actor Sebastian Shaw is revealed to the audience. This is probably one of the few characters in the history of cinema, whose image was simultaneously embodied in such a way big amount performers and became truly iconic.

In this article you will learn:

Darth Vader- formerly Anakin Skywalker, the greatest villain, Sith Lord from the Star Wars universe. The hero's story, like many other characters in this universe, consists of Canon (original history) and Legends.

To find out what happened to Vader before he succumbed to the dark side, read the article ““.

Canon

Revenge of the Sith

Anakin Skywalker followed the lead of the Chancellor, who promised to teach him the techniques of the dark side and the power over death, which made it possible to save the hero’s wife from death. Because in a dream, Anakin saw his wife dying.

19 BBY, Skywalker informed the Jedi Council of the Chancellor's identity and, disobeying orders, followed the masters who wanted to arrest Palpatine.

In a mortal battle, Palpatine almost died by hand, but was saved by Skywalker, who disarmed the Jedi. This fatal act, in which Windu died, caused Anakin to experience the greatest feeling of guilt. His spirit was broken and he accepted the dark side without hesitation, becoming the student of Darth Sidious.

Having joined the Order of the Sith, Anakin ceased to exist, becoming the legendary Darth Vader.

"Now stand up...Darth Vader!"

Anakin becomes Darth Sidious' apprentice

An excellent manipulator, Palpatine convinced Vader that the Jedi were traitors and traitors who must be destroyed.

Taking control of the 501st Legion, the hero attacked the Jedi Temple, killing absolutely everyone, including the masters and little younglings. This attack on the Temple was the beginning of the Great Jedi Purge.

"Do what you must, Darth Vader. No hesitation, no mercy"

Having completed the task, Sidious gave Vader a new assignment - to end the Clone Wars and bring peace to the Galaxy by killing members of the Separatist Council on the planet Mustafar.

Arriving on Mustafar, Vader easily made his way into the meeting room, where he killed every single one. The latest to be killed was Nute Gunray (Viceroy of the Trade Federation), an ally of Sidious, who attacked Naboo 13 years ago. After Gunray's death, all droids were disabled.(The Empire only used clones).

Although Vader still had doubts, he convinced himself that everything he did was for the good of the Republic (naive Anakin).

While returning to his ship, Vader saw the approaching ship of Padmé, who was deeply upset by the massacre at the Temple. He tried to convince her that he was to blame for everything, wanting to turn his wife against her husband. Padmé asked to fly away with her, but Vader insisted otherwise, dreaming of overthrowing Sidious in order to take his place.

When Vader saw his former master Kenobi, who was hiding on Amidala's ship, he thought that his wife had betrayed him and used a power grab on her. Filled with hatred, Vader engaged Kenobi in battle.

Anakin Skywalker played by Hayden Christensen

The duel of the great masters was long and ended on the bank of a lava river. Vader was so confident in his abilities that he did not hesitate to attack the Jedi from a bad position. As a result of this, Dart dared both legs and left arm. Screaming words of hatred towards Kenobi, Vader's body burst into flames.

Obi-Wan left his former student to die.

Vader's body was half burned, but he maintained himself with the help of the Force and hatred. Darth Sidious came to the student's aid. Vader was rushed to Coruscant, where his damaged body parts were repaired. To increase his anger, Sidious ordered the student to remain conscious while the operation was underway. He began to look more like a cyborg than a human. It contained technologies that were used in the creation.

When Vader asked about Padme, Sidious lied that he had killed her in anger, after which the hero used the Force to destroy the droids and damage the premises. Vader's only goal from now on was to serve his master.

Horrible wounds and psychological trauma robbed Vader of much of his power, potential and changed his character completely. In his new heavy armor, Vader was clumsy and his mask limited his vision, forcing him to change his fighting style. The Sith considered himself inferior, stuck in tight armor that caused attacks of claustrophobia.

Legends

In the service of the Emperor

No longer having a purpose in life other than to serve his master, Vader became the second in command of the Empire. He now has a personal palace on Coruscant. Darth's personal soldiers were stormtroopers of the 501st Legion, who were called "Vader's Fist".

Vader carried out the tasks of Sidious, attracting large forces to the side of the Empire. His main task was Order 66, which was to find and destroy the remnants of the Jedi.

Leaving the past behind forever, the Sith also changed the color of his sword to red.

In one of his first missions, Vader was sent by Sidious to Mercana to deal with clone commandos who refused to kill fellow Jedi. On this mission, the Sith were attacked by Jedi Bol Shetak, who attempted to protect the commandos. In this fight, only thanks to power, Vader managed to win. Vader himself considered this mission a failure, since he missed two more Jedi Roan Shryne and Ollie Starstone.

The lord's complaints about his own weakness forced Sidious to send him to the Jedi Temple, where Vader was supposed to remember the massacre he had committed there. Instead, the Sith fell into memories and from that time on could no longer be in places that reminded him of the past: Naboo and Tatooine.

Veidr's next victim was Fang Zar, a senator who was taking refuge in Bail Organa's palace. Although Sidious wanted to get Zar alive, Vader accidentally killed him. This was the ruler's second failure, for which he received a reprimand.

Weakness drove Sith crazy. He sought revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was responsible for this. When the Lord learned about the possible location of the Jedi, he went there. On Kessel, where Kenobi was supposed to appear, Vader fell into the trap of eight Jedi. He killed the first two with a sword, the third was strangled with a powerful hand. The pressure of the Jedi left the Sith without an arm and a damaged leg, but Vader continued to fight until the soldiers of the 501st Legion came to help.

Returning to the Emperor, Vader learned that Sidious had spread rumors about the destruction of 50 Jedi by his student, in place of 8 with the help of clones (so Vader’s greatness is far-fetched).

Attack on Kashyyyk

Vader continued his training, partnering with Imperial Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. Along with him, he used the presence of the Jedi on Kashyyyk as a reason to invade the planet. The purpose of this operation was to enslave the Wookiees, which were to be used in the construction of the Death Star.

When the bombardment of Kashyyyk began, Vader landed near the city of Kachiro, where the Jedi were hiding, and, cutting his way through the corpses of the Wookiees, advanced to the enemy positions. Vader defeated five Jedi who came to the aid of the Wookiees, meeting with Master Roan Shryne, who left him on Mercan.

Vader's power and strength increased significantly, so he easily defeated Shryne, revealing to him the secret of his identity. Having defeated the master, Vader felt that he had achieved incredible power and no longer considered armor to be his prison.

After the victory of the Empire, Palpatine released messages to the media about his student, mysterious to many inhabitants of the galaxy, and Vader, feeling the power, began to think about how to overthrow his teacher.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

On Kashyyyk, Vader also fought with the Jedi and found him in one of the houses little son Galena. The Sith was about to kill the boy, but sensed in him great power, taking him as his student.

No one knew that Vader had a student. He began to train the boy, instilling in him hatred and anger. Darth wanted to use the student to oppose the Emperor, since Galen had enormous power, greater than himself.

After 10 years of training, in 2 BBY, Vader's apprentice was ready. The Sith christened him(Star Killer) and gave the first task, which was the “meaning of his life” to find the survivors of Order 66, the Jedi. At the student's disposal, Vader gave the Proxy holodroid and the starship "Rogue Shadow" with a charming pilot.

After killing several Jedi, Vader appeared with Starkiller before Palpatine. Unexpectedly, he betrayed the student by “killing” him. As the Sith later explained to the surviving Starkiller, the Emperor found out about the student and the imaginary death saved his life.

To defeat Sidious, Vader sent Starkiller with the task of gathering all members of the Alliance with the goal of destroying the Emperor. Darth's plan was insidious; he again framed his student, forcing him to gather all the enemies of the Empire in one place. When the meeting took place, all the heads of the Alliance were arrested. In the battle with the student, Vader emerged victorious.

Starkiller survived and soon returned to take revenge on his teacher. Having penetrated the under construction Death Star, he fought with the Sith Lord and defeated him. Sidious invited Galen to take Vader's place, but Marek chose the side of light. To save the members of the Alliance, he sacrificed his own life, becoming the first Hero of the Rebellion.

After this incident, Vader seriously thought about how to overthrow Sidious.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2

1 BBY, Vader cloned Galen Marek's body on Kamino. Many clones went crazy until a perfect clone was created, number 1138. However, this clone fled, tormented by the memories of the original.

To return Starkiller, Vader hired Boba Fett, who stole Juno Eclipse, with whom Marek was in love.

Nothing good came of this, as Starkiller teamed up with the Alliance and struck Kamino, where clones were being created for the Empire. In a fight with a clone apprentice, Vader lost. So, Kamino came under the control of the Alliance, and Darth himself was captured. The Sith Lord was awaiting trial, but Boba Fett saved him.

Vader's apprentice disappeared and all plans to overthrow the Emperor failed.

Darth Vader vs Starkiller

Canon

New Hope

In 0 BBY, Vader returned to his business, wanting to locate the Rebel base and find the stolen plans for the Death Star. According to the 501st Legion, the plans were on a ship from Alderaan that was flying to the Tantive IV.

The princess's ship was intercepted, but the plans escaped the Sith's hands. The interrogation of the senator from Alderaan also yielded nothing. At that time, Vader had no idea that he was torturing his own daughter.

Having tracked the traces of the droid in which Leia hid the plans, Vader sent a team to Tatooine, where Owen and Bera Lars were executed while trying to find out information about the droid.

Vader continued to torture Leia, trying to find out from her the location of the Rebel base. Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin suggested using another method of torture - genocide. Under the threat of the destruction of Alderaan, Organa gave away the location - Dantooine. However, Tarkin still destroyed the planet.

Darth Vader vs Kenobi

“He’s more machine than man now, an evil twisted machine.” Kenobi

Soon, the Death Star attracted the Millennium Falcon, which ended up near the destroyed Alderaan. On board the ship were: , and . For the first time in many years, Vader felt the presence of his old master.

The Lord quietly wandered through the corridors of the station until he met Obi-Wan. Their duel was short, as Kenobi simply extinguished his sword, merging with the Force. Despite this, Vader felt that he had avenged his crippled body.

After allowing the Millennium Falcon to leave with Leleya Organa and the plans for the Death Star on board, Vader began to track the ship using the beacon that was installed on it.

The beacon led the Death Star to the planet Yavin, near which the legendary battle, which resulted in the destruction of the Empire's greatest weapon by the new Rebel hero, Luke Skywalker (Anakin's son). Vader himself, fighting on a TIE fighter, almost died.

For these actions, Vader received another reprimand from the Emperor.

Soon, Darth learned the name of the pilot who had the highest score in the Battle of Yavin, it turned out to be 19-year-old Skywalker. Vader wanted to capture his son in order to turn him to the dark side.

Luke was captured by the Empire several times, but always managed to escape.

The Empire Strikes Back

In 3 ABY, a Rebel base on Hoth was discovered. During the attack on the planet, most of the rebels managed to escape.

After the battle, which ended in victory for the Empire, Vader received orders from Sidious to capture Luke Skywalker, whom he wanted to make his new apprentice, replacing father with son.

In order to catch the Millennium Falcon, the Lord used all his connections with bounty hunters. He found out where the ship went and set up an ambush in Cloud City, owned by Lando Calrissian, who won it in Sabacc. Han Solo, by agreement with Boba Fett, was frozen in carbonite and handed over to the mercenary. Leia Organa and Chewbacca were supposed to become Vader's prisoners, but Calrissian unexpectedly saved them.

To save his friends, Luke Skywalker also flew to Cloud City and dueled with Vader. During the battle, the young Jedi lost his hand, after which the Sith Lord revealed his essence to him:

Vader: « Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father?»

Luke: « Quite enough! He said you killed him!»

Vader: « No. I am your father!»

Refusing to join his father, Luke jumped into the mine.

Vader found his son's lightsaber, which had once belonged to him, and his severed hand, which he presented to the Emperor as trophies.

Sidious began to notice changes in Vader, who was very concerned about his son, whom he personally wanted to lure to the side of darkness. Therefore, the Emperor decided to kill Luke by sending him to Tatooine to Jabba's palace. However, Mara was unable to get inside.

Return of the Jedi

Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker

In 4 ABY, Vader was overseeing the construction of the Death Star 2 when he sensed Luke approaching in a shuttle bound for the moon Endor. Dart did not touch the shuttle.

On the moon, Luke himself surrendered to the Imperials and was taken to Vader. In an attempt to protect his son from Palpatine, Darth tried to convince him to join him, but Skywalker refused.

“I know there is goodness in you. The Emperor was unable to eradicate him entirely.” Luke

Aboard the Death Star, in the presence of Palpatine, the decisive battle between Luke and Vader took place. Darth tried to persuade his son to the dark side by threatening the safety of Leia, Luke's sister. In anger, Skywalker cut off Vader's hand, which, like his own, turned out to be mechanical, which forced him to rethink the situation and extinguish the sword.

Palpatine wanted Luke to finish off his father, but he refused, which forced Vader to return to his bright beginning. In Darth's dark heart, Anakin Skywalker woke up again, who, seeing Palpatine trying to kill his son with Force lightning, picked him up and threw him into the reactor shaft.

Palpatine's power damaged Vader's life support. He asked Luke to take off his mask so he could see his son with his own eyes. last time. Thus died the Chosen One, who brought balance to the Force.

His spirit appeared to Luke and Leia, after which he found peace.

Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history. His image is easily recognizable, and the phrase “Luke, I am your father” has firmly entered our lives, becoming a meme and the reason for numerous parodies and jokes. Now the next film from the Star Wars series has been released - Rogue One, and in it we will see Darth Vader again. Here are 15 interesting and little-known facts about the Dark Lord of the Sith for anyone who loves this saga. And may the Force be with you!

15. He had a military rank

Everyone knows that Darth Vader is the right hand of Emperor Palpatine, but not everyone is aware that the title of “Emperor's Emissary” was created specifically for him. It gave him enormous military powers. That is why he had the right to take command of the Death Star battle station, despite the fact that it already had a commander - Wilhuff Tarkin. As the emperor's apprentice and emissary, Vader essentially became the second-in-chief of the empire, with titles such as Dark Lord of the Sith and Warlord. And later, after taking control of the Executor, the largest Imperial warship, he apparently officially became the Supreme Commander.

14. Imperial propaganda claims that Anakin Skywalker died in the Jedi Temple

James Luceno's science fiction book "Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader" tells that after the events of Episode 3 ("Revenge of the Sith"), everyone in the galaxy was sure that the Jedi Anakin Skywalker - the Chosen One - died heroically on Coruscant during time of the battle in the Jedi temple. Imperial propaganda also supported this official story, and Vader spent the next twenty years trying to forget the past and erase his previous identity. Most of the inhabitants of the galaxy, ruled by the new Galactic Empire, are also convinced that the Jedi Order not only rebelled against Councilor Palpatine, forcing him to take drastic measures and destroy the Jedi, but also had a hand in starting the Clone Wars. Almost no one knows the truth that Anakin turned to the dark side and betrayed his comrades in the temple (only survivors like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda). This is what the situation looks like at the beginning of the original trilogy.

13. After learning about his children, he planned to betray the emperor

12. He had three teachers and many secret students

11. He tried to learn to breathe without a helmet

Many people remember the scene from the episode "The Empire Strikes Back" when at one point Vader is shown in the meditation chamber - he is without a helmet and the wounded back of his head is visible. Vader often used this special pressurized chamber to practice breathing without a protective helmet or breathing apparatus. During such sessions, he felt unbearable pain and used it to intensify his hatred and dark power. Vader's ultimate goal was to gain such power from the Dark Side that he could breathe without a mask. But he could do without it for only a few minutes, since he was too happy at the opportunity to breathe on his own, and this joy was not combined with dark power. This is also why he so wanted to unite with Luke, so that their common strength would help him not only throw off the power of the emperor, but also free himself from his iron armor.

10. Even the actors didn’t know during filming that Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father.

The twist when Darth Vader turns out to be Luke Skywalker's father is perhaps one of the most famous in movie history. During the filming of The Empire Strikes Back, this plot device was kept strictly secret - only five people knew about it: director George Lucas, director Irwin Kershner, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, actor Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and actor James Earl Jones. voice of Darth Vader. Everyone else, including Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo), only learned the truth after attending the film's premiere. When the confession scene was filmed, actor David Prowse spoke the line given to him, which sounded like "Obi-Wan killed your father", and the text "I am your father" was written over it later.

9. Darth Vader was played by seven actors

Voice actor James Earl Jones gave Darth Vader his famous deep, booming voice, but in the original Star Wars trilogy, Vader was played by David Prowse. The six-foot-tall British champion weightlifter was perfect for the role, but had to be re-voiced due to his thick Bristol accent (which made him furious). The stand-in for the fight stunts was Bob Anderson, as Prowse kept breaking lightsabers. Vader without a mask in Return of the Jedi was played by Sebastian Shaw, young Anakin in The Phantom Menace by Jake Lloyd, and mature Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith by Hayden Christensen. Spencer Wilding plays Darth Vader in the new Rogue One movie.

8. He originally had a different name and a different voice.

Since Darth Vader is the central character of Star Wars, it is not surprising that when the script was created, this character was written in first. But at first his name was Anakin Starkiller (this is the name, according to the plot of the video game "The Force Unleashed" of his secret student). The original Star Wars trailer was written by legendary director Orson Welles in 1976. It was Wells' voice that George Lucas wanted to voice Darth Vader, but the producers did not approve of this idea - they thought that the voice would be too recognizable.

7. According to one theory, it was created by Palpatine and Darth Plagueis

Anakin Skywalker's mother, Shmi Skywalker, says in The Phantom Menace that she carried and gave birth to Anakin without a father. Qui-gon is understandably puzzled by this statement, but after testing Anakin's blood for the presence of midi-chlorians, he becomes convinced that it is indeed the result of a virgin birth, solely under the influence of the Force. Then everything else is logical: Vader’s power, the high level of midi-chlorians in the blood and the status of the Chosen One - the one who must bring the Force into balance. But one fan theory suggests a darker and more realistic possibility of Anakin being born. In Revenge of the Sith, Advisor Palpatine tells Anakin about the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, who knew how to use midi-chlorians to create life. According to this theory, either Plagueis himself or his student Palpatine could experiment and create Anakin in an attempt to obtain a powerful ruler of the Force.

6. A whole team worked on the costume and sound effects

5. Actor David Prowse and director George Lucas hate each other

The feud between Lucas and Prowse is legendary among the Star Wars crew. Firstly, Prowse thought that his voice was being used for the film and was terribly upset by the voice acting. During the filming of episodes 5 and 6, Prowse was making life miserable for everyone on set by not bothering to say the lines that were written for his role, and instead talking some nonsense. For example, you had to say “Asteroids don’t bother me, I need this ship,” and he calmly said: “Hemorrhoids don’t bother me, I need to take a shit.” Prowse was also upset that he was replaced as a stunt double for action scenes, despite being physically fit. But he kept breaking lightsabers. Lucas later accused Prowse of revealing secret information that Vader was Luke's father. The actor also really didn’t like the fact that viewers wouldn’t see his face on the screen: Vader without a mask was played by another actor. The strained relationship between Lucas and Prowse came to a head when Prowse starred in the 2010 anti-Lucas film The People vs. George Lucas. This was the end of the director's patience and he removed Prowse from all future Star Wars productions.

4. There was an alternate ending where Luke becomes the new Vader

3. Alternative ending from the comics: again a Jedi and all in white

While we're on the topic of alternative endings, here's another one from the Star Wars comics. According to this version, both Luke and Leia stand before Palpatine, and the Emperor orders Vader to kill Leia. Vader is stopped by Luke, they fight with lightsabers and as a result of the duel, Vader is left without an arm, and Luke reveals to him the truth that he and Leia are his children, after which he boldly announces that he will no longer fight Vader. This is where the fun begins: Vader falls to his knees and asks for forgiveness, returning to the light side of the Force and becoming Anakin Skywalker. The Emperor manages to escape, the second Death Star is destroyed, but Leia, Luke and Vader manage to leave it together. They later meet aboard the Command Frigate Home One, with Anakin Skywalker still dressed as Darth Vader, but all in white. The Skywalker family of Jedi decide to hunt down and kill the Emperor, which they most likely succeed because they are a gang.

2. This is the most profitable Star Wars character

1. On one of the cathedrals there is a chimera in the form of Darth Vader’s helmet

Believe it or not, one of the towers of the Washington Cathedral is decorated with a gargoyle in the shape of Darth Vader's helmet. The sculpture is located very high and is difficult to see from the ground, but with binoculars you can. In the 1980s, the National Cathedral, together with National Geographic magazine, announced a children's competition for the best decorative chimera sculpture to decorate the northwest tower. A boy named Christopher Rader took third place in this competition with his drawing of Darth Vader. After all, a chimera must be evil. And this sketch was brought to life by sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter and stone carver Patrick Jay Plunkett.