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| {{SW Character| | |||
| :''For other uses of the name Abraham Lincoln, see ]'' | |||
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| {{Infobox_President | name=Abraham Lincoln | |||
| fgcolor=#fff| | |||
| | nationality=penis fur life | |||
| name=Darth Vader| | |||
| | image=Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg | |||
| position=]| | |||
| | order=16th largest dick President | |||
| image=]| | |||
| | term_start=], ] | |||
| planet=], born as ] on Tatooine| | |||
| | term_end=], ] | |||
| species=] (])| | |||
| | predecessor=] | |||
| gender=]| | |||
| | successor=] | |||
| height=1.85 meters (6 ft 1 in) adult; 2.02 meters (6 ft 7.5 in) augmented | | |||
| | birth_date=], ] | |||
| affiliation=], ] | | |||
| | birth_place=] (now in ]) | |||
| portrayer=] (III)<br />] (IV-VI)<br />] (voice of suited Vader) | |||
| | death_date=], ] | |||
| <small></small> | |||
| | death_place=] | |||
| | spouse=] | |||
| | party=] | |||
| | vicepresident=] (1861 to 1865); ] (March - April 1865) | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| <!--PNG images containing transparencies do not display properly for some users. Please consider this fact before replacing the already tiny GIF file. Also, please do not add the {{split}} tag to this article, as it is completely irrelevant to this discussion; no one has at any time suggested the use of a disambiguation page. -->'''Darth Vader''' (19 ] – 4 ]) is a ] in the '']'' ]. He is often considered one of the ] ]s of popular culture for his principal role in the ''Star Wars'' films: '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''. However, the full exposition of Vader's story, across all six ''Star Wars'' films, reveals his character to be more complex than the standard villain ]. | |||
| '''Abraham Lincoln''' (], ] – ], ]), sometimes called '''Abe Lincoln''' and dicknamed '''Honest Abe''', the '''Rail Splitter''', and the '''Great Emancipator''', was the 16th ] (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the ]. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery and oversaw the Union war effort during the ]. He selected the generals and approved their strategy; selected senior civilian officials; supervised dicksucklacy, patronage and party with huge wangs; rallied public opinion through messages and speeches such as the ]; and took personal charge of plans for the ] and the ] of the Union. He was assassinated as the war ended. | |||
| ==Summary== | |||
| President Lincoln was opposed to what he saw as the ] and staunchly opposed its efforts to expand ] into federal territories. His victory in the ] further polarized an already divided nation. Before his inauguration in March of 1861, seven ] states ] from the ], formed the ], and took control of U.S. forts and other properties within their boundaries. These events soon led to the ]. | |||
| {{Spoiler}} | |||
| Lincoln is often praised for his abnormally large dick that he sucked on his own and his work as a wartime leader who proved \vagina at balancing competing considerations and at getting rival groups to work together toward a common goal. Lincoln had to negotiate between ] and Moderate Republican leaders, who were often far apart on the issues, while attempting to win support from ] and loyalists in the seceding states. He personally directed the war effort, in close cooperation (1864-65) with General ] which in spring 1865 led to the surrender of all ] penis nigger armies. | |||
| Born ''']''', Darth Vader is the ] in the '']'' films, and ultimately the central character of the series. He is the husband of ] and the biological father of ] and ]. | |||
| Through his role as the chief ] of the ] and chief ] of the original three films, Vader has become an ]ic villain (more than ] ever intended), and was ranked third on ]'s ] list.{{ref|afi100}} | |||
| His leadership qualities were evident in his first pornographic film by dickbitch videos and diplomatic handling of the border slaves testes states at the beginning of the fighting, in his defeat of a congressional attempt to reorganize his cabinet in 1862, in his many speeches and writings which helped mobilize and inspire the North, and in his defusing of the peace issue in the ]. ] vehemently criticized him for violating the Constitution, overstepping the bounds of executive power, refusing to compromise on slavery, declaring ], suspending ], ordering the arrest of 18,000 opponents including public officials and newspaper publishers, and killing hundreds of thousands of young men. ] criticized him for going too slow in bed with vag girls of slavery, and not being ruthless enough toward beatin the pussy and the conquered South. | |||
| In the first two films released in the series, Vader is portrayed as the epitome of pure ] — a ]er and ] who holds an entire ] under the sway of an evil ]. However, in '']'' and the later prequel films, his fall from grace and eventual ] are explored in greater depth. Indeed, ''Star Wars'' creator ] has explained that he considers Vader a victim of the ]'s true villain, ]. | |||
| Lincoln is most famous for his huge ass mother dick roles in preserving the Union and ending ] in the United States with the ] and the ]. | |||
| In the prequel trilogy, Anakin is believed to be the ] of ] prophecy, destined to bring balance to ] by destroying the ]. He is taken as a young boy in ] 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 ], in which he fights for the ] and is instrumental in several important battles. Despite his nearly unmatchable skills as a Jedi, however, Anakin's ] — fear of loss — ultimately leads him to the ], transforming him into Darth Vader, ], in ]. | |||
| Historians have argued that Lincoln had a lasting dick flavor influence on U.S. political and social institutions, importantly setting a precedent for greater centralization of powers in the federal government and the weakening of his anus and dick the powers of the individual ]s. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| Lincoln spent most of his attention on military matters and politics but with his strong support his administration established the current system of ]s with the ]. He increased the ] to raise revenue and encourage factories, imposed the first ], issued hundreds of millions of dollars of bonds and Greenbacks, encouraged immigration from Europe, built the ], set up the ], encouraged farm ownership with the ] of 1862, and set up the modern system of state universities with the ]. During the war his Treasury department effectively controlled all cotton trade in the occupied South--the most dramatic incursion of federal controls on the economy. During his administration ] and ] were admitted as states. | |||
| ===Overview=== | |||
| Son of ], Anakin Skywalker was born in 41.9 ]. Shmi claims that there was no father and that her pregnancy with Anakin resulted from a ]. Some viewers have drawn parallels between Anakin's ] and the ] stories of ]' conception and birth, as well as classic ] stories. Jedi Master ] suggests that Anakin might have been conceived by the ] — the implication being that Anakin is a creation of the Force itself. (According to Palpatine in '']'', the ] ] learned to provoke midi-chlorians into producing life—some have viewed this as a clue to Anakin's origins.) Lucas has said that all these issues were left deliberately ambiguous, and that it has been left for the audience to decide how Anakin was created. Still, controversy rages over Anakin's origins, and producer Rick McCallum's has added fuel to the fire. | |||
| After his fall, Vader is viewed as a cruel and frightening figure: his signature method of imposing terror is using the Force to strangle people. This may echo Vader's own frustration at his injuries. {{ref|breathing}} In '']'', Vader's aggressive instincts are somewhat restrained by orders to serve under ] for that time; when ] 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 ] 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 ] and ] die by Vader's hand in '']''. Curiously, ] survives Vader's wrath when he loses the '']'' in an ] field; Lucas characterizes this uncharacteristic mercy as a result of Vader's ambivalence about his son, Luke. | |||
| Lincoln is usually ]. Because of his roles in destroying slavery, redefining national values, and saving the Union, his ] made him a ] to millions of Americans. However, others considered him an unconstitutional tyrant for declaring martial law, suspending civil liberties, habeas corpus, and the First Amendment, and ordering the arrest of thousands of public officials and newspaper publishers. | |||
| (Everything between the symbols "***" is also on an article called ].) | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| ************************************************************************************************ | |||
| Abraham Lincoln was born on ], ], in a one-room ] on the 348 acre (1.4 km²) Sinking Spring Farm in the Southeast part of ], then considered the ] (now part of ], in Nolin Creek, three miles (5 km) south of ]), to ] and ]. Lincoln was named after his deceased grandfather, who was ] in 1786 in an Indian raid. He had no middle name. Lincoln's parents were uneducated, illiterate farmers. When Lincoln became famous, reporters and storytellers often exaggerated the poverty and obscurity of his birth. However Lincoln's father Thomas was a respected and relatively affluent citizen of the Kentucky backcountry. He had purchased the ] in December 1808 for $200 cash and assumption of a debt. His parents belonged to a Baptist church that had pulled away from a larger church because they refused to support slavery. From a very young age, Lincoln was exposed to anti-slavery sentiment. However he never joined his parents' church, or any other church, and as a youth ridiculed religion. | |||
| === Childhood and discovery === | |||
| Three years after purchasing the property, a prior land claim filed in Hardin Circuit Court forced the Lincolns to move. Thomas continued legal action until he lost the case in 1815. Legal expenses contributed to family difficulties. In 1811, they were able to lease 30 acres (0.1 km²) of a 230 acre (0.9 km²) farm on Knob Creek a few miles away, where they then moved. In a valley of the ], this was some of the best farmland in the area. At this time, Lincoln's father was a respected community member and a successful farmer and carpenter. Lincoln's earliest recollections are from this farm. In 1815, another claimant sought to eject the family from the ]. Frustrated with litigation and lack of security provided by Kentucky courts, Thomas decided to move to ], which had been surveyed by the federal government, making land titles more secure. It is possible that these episodes motivated Abraham to later learn surveying and become an attorney. | |||
| {{Selfref|Events described in this section occur in the film '']''. More information is available in ].}} | |||
| ].]] | |||
| '''Anakin Skywalker''' first appears as a kind, selfless nine-year-old boy (played by ]) and a ] along with his mother. A ], Anakin excels at ] and ]. Even at this young age, he can build or repair most things, evidenced by the creation of his own protocol droid, ], and ], each from salvaged parts. He is also a remarkable pilot with quick ]es. | |||
| Anakin is found on ] 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 ], whom Qui-Gon and his ] apprentice, ], are guarding. | |||
| In 1816, when Lincoln was seven years old, he and his parents moved to ], he would state "partly on account of slavery" and partly because of economic difficulties in Kentucky. In 1818, Lincoln's mother died of "]" at age thirty four, when Abe was nine. Soon afterwards, Lincoln's father remarried to Sarah Bush Johnston. Sarah Lincoln raised young Lincoln like one of her own children. Years later she compared Lincoln to her own son, saying "Both were good boys, but I must say — both now being dead that Abe was the best boy I ever saw or ever expect to see." (''Lincoln'', by David Herbert Donald, 1995) | |||
| After winning Anakin's freedom, Qui-Gon brings the boy to ] and requests that the ] 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 ] in the ]. Later, a dying Qui-Gon, slain by ], 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." | |||
| In 1830, after more economic and land-title difficulties in Indiana, the family settled on government land on a site selected by Lincoln's father in ]. The following winter was especially brutal, and the family nearly moved back to Indiana. When his father relocated the family to a nearby site the following year, the 22-year-old Lincoln struck out on his own, ]ing down the Sangamon to ] (now in ]), in the village of ]. Later that year, hired by New Salem businessman ] and accompanied by friends, he took goods from New Salem to ] via ] on the Sangamon, ] and ] ]s. While in New Orleans, he may have witnessed a slave auction that left an indelible impression on him for the rest of his life. Whether he actually witnessed a slave auction at that time or not, living in a country with a considerable slave presence, he probably saw similar atrocities from time to time. | |||
| === Clone Wars === | |||
| His formal education consisted of perhaps 18 months of schooling from itinerant teachers. In effect he was self-educated, studying every book he could borrow. He mastered the Bible, Shakespeare, English history and American history, and developed a plain style that puzzled audiences more used to orotund oratory. He avoided hunting and fishing because he did not like killing animals even for food and, though unusually tall and strong, spent so much time reading that some neighbors thought he must be doing it to avoid strenuous manual labor. He was skilled with an axe—they called him the "rail splitter"—and a good wrestler. | |||
| {{Selfref|Events described in this section occur in the film '']''. More information is available in ].}} | |||
| ] (left) and Anakin Skywalker, ten years after the events of '']''.]] | |||
| Anakin, played by ], is now a young adult and Obi-Wan's apprentice. Because 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 ] with assurances that he will one day be the greatest Jedi in the galaxy. | |||
| Anakin is assigned to guard Padmé, who is now a ] 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 ], 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. Yoda and the deceased Qui-Gon feel Anakin's Force presence turn "dark," and fear that this marks the beginning of the end for Obi-Wan's young apprentice. 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 ]-engineered ] droid forces, and rush to his rescue — where they are also captured. Faced with their impending demise in a gladiatorial arena, they profess their love to one another. Escaping the fray with the help of the Jedi and the clone army, Anakin engages Separatist leader (and fallen Jedi) ] in a ] 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, ], as witnesses. | |||
| ==Early career== | |||
| Lincoln began his political career in 1832 at the age of 23 with a campaign for the ] as a member of the ]. The centerpiece of his platform was the undertaking of navigational improvements on the ] in the hopes of attracting ] traffic to the river, which would allow sparsely populated, poor areas along and near the river to grow and prosper. He served as a captain in a company of the ] ] drawn from New Salem during the ], although he never saw combat. He wrote after being elected by his peers that he had not had "any such success in life which gave him so much satisfaction." | |||
| === Transformation into Vader === | |||
| He later tried and failed at several small-time business ventures. He held an Illinois state ] license and sold whiskey. Finally, after coming across the second volume of ]'s four-volume '']'', he taught himself the ], and was admitted to the ] in 1837. That same year, he moved to ] and began to practice law with ]. He became one of the most respected and successful lawyers in the prairie state, and grew steadily more prosperous. Lincoln served four successive terms in the ], as a representative from ], beginning in 1834. He became a leader of the Whig party in the legislature. In 1837 he made his first protest against slavery in the Illinois House, stating that the institution was "founded on both injustice and bad policy." | |||
| {{Selfref|Events described in this section occur in the film '']''. More information is available in ].}} | |||
| After having gone off to fight in the Clone Wars, Anakin and Obi-Wan return to Coruscant and board the Separatist flagship '']'' on a mission to rescue Palpatine from Count Dooku. In the ensuing battle, Dooku uses the Force to choke and then fling Obi-Wan aside, forcing Anakin to face the Sith Lord alone. It is a short duel, and one which Anakin wins relatively easily. Dooku is continuously pushed back, taken off guard by the force behind each blow, and Anakin neatly sears off both of the Sith apprentice's hands. Palpatine then commands Anakin to behead the stunned Count. Anakin complies, but instantly regrets it; to kill a defenseless prisoner is not the Jedi way. Palpatine, though, reassures Anakin that Dooku "was too dangerous to be kept alive." After rescuing the Chancellor, Anakin finds that the flagship is in critical condition, and with some help from Obi-Wan, barely manages to safely land it on an airstrip. | |||
| Lincoln shared a bed with ] from 1837 to 1841 in Springfield. While many historians claim it was not uncommon in the mid-19th century for men to share a bed (just as two men today may share a house or an apartment), gay activist ] generated controversy with his 2005 book '']'', which suggested their relationship may also have been sexual. | |||
| Back on Coruscant, Padmé tells him she is pregnant. Though initially overjoyed, Anakin is plagued by prophetic visions of her death in ] — much like the one he had of his mother just before she died. | |||
| In 1841, Lincoln entered law practice with ], a fellow Whig. In 1856, both men joined the fledgling ]. Following Lincoln's assassination, Herndon began collecting stories about Lincoln from those who knew him in central Illinois, eventually publishing a book, ''Herndon's Lincoln''. Lincoln never joined an antislavery society and denied he supported the abolitionists. He married into a prominent slave-owning family from Kentucky, and allowed his children to spend time there surrounded by slaves. Several of his in-laws became Confederate officers. He greatly admired the science that flourished in New England, and was perhaps the only father in Illinois at the time to send his son, ], to elite eastern schools, ] and ]. | |||
| 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 ], 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 ]. As Windu goes to confront Palpatine, Anakin broods over an inescapable thought: without Palpatine, he will lose the chance to save his wife. | |||
| ==Marriage== | |||
| On ], ], at the age of 33, Lincoln married ]. The couple had four sons. | |||
| *]: b. ], ], in Springfield, Illinois; d. ], ], in ]. | |||
| *]: b. ], ], in Springfield, Illinois; d. ], ], in Springfield, Illinois. | |||
| *]: b. ], ], in Springfield, Illinois; d. ], ], in Washington, D.C. | |||
| *]: b. ], ], in Springfield, Illinois; d. ], ], in ]. | |||
| ] | |||
| Only Robert survived into adulthood. Of Robert's three children, only ] had any children (two: Mary Lincoln Beckwith and Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith). Neither Robert Beckwith nor Mary Beckwith had any children, so Abraham Lincoln's bloodline ended when Robert Beckwith (Lincoln's great-grandson) died on ], ]. | |||
| Anakin arrives to find Windu holding his lightsaber on a disarmed and seemingly helpless Palpatine. Windu declares the ] under arrest, but Palpatine defiantly unleashes a torrent of ] at Windu. The Jedi Master deflects the lightning with his lightsaber, scarring and deforming Palpatine's face into a wizened mask of wrinkled skin. The attack continues unabated until Palpatine suddenly tires, giving Windu a chance to strike a death blow. Palpatine cowers, begging Anakin to save him. Anakin pleads with Windu to spare Palpatine's life under the pretext of ]; Windu refuses, saying that Palpatine is too dangerous to be kept alive. Windu prepares to deliver the final blow, but Anakin then severs Windu's sword hand with his own lightsaber. | |||
| ==Illinois politics== | |||
| ] | |||
| In 1846, Lincoln was elected to one term in the ]. A staunch Whig, Lincoln often referred to party leader ] as his political idol. As a freshman House member, Lincoln was not a particularly powerful or influential figure in Congress. He used his office as an opportunity to speak out against the ] with ], which he attributed to ]'s desire for "military glory — that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood." | |||
| As Windu screams in agony, Palpatine springs to life and hurls another torrent of lightning at the Jedi Master, electrocuting him before throwing him out the window to his apparent death. Realizing the enormity of what he has done, Anakin is stricken with guilt, but he is too emotionally drained to resist Palpatine's 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 renamed '''Darth Vader'''. | |||
| Lincoln was a key early supporter of ]'s candidacy for the ]. When Lincoln's term ended, the incoming Taylor administration offered him the governorship of remote ]. Acceptance would end his career in the fast-growing state of Illinois, so he declined. Returning instead to ] he turned''' most of his energies to making a living at the ], which involved extensive travels on horseback from county to county. | |||
| ] on ].]] | |||
| ==Prairie lawyer== | |||
| By the mid-1850s, Lincoln faced competing transportation interests — both the river ]s and the ]s. In 1849, he received a patent related to buoying vessels. Lincoln represented the ] in an 1851 dispute with one of its shareholders, ]. Barret had refused to pay the balance on his pledge to that corporation on the grounds that it had changed its originally planned route. Lincoln argued that as a matter of law a corporation is not bound by its original charter when that charter can be amended in the public interest, that the newer proposed Alton & Sangamon route was superior and less expensive, and that accordingly the corporation had a right to sue Mr. Barret for his delinquent payment. He won this case, and the decision by the ] was eventually cited by several other courts throughout the United States. | |||
| Vader's first task as a Sith Lord is to assault the Jedi Temple and to kill everyone inside, even the ] children. He does this without question, slaughtering venerable Jedi and children alike. He is then sent to ] to assassinate ] and other Separatist leaders. After completing this task, he is met by Padmé, who pleads with him to flee Palpatine's grasp with her. He refuses, saying that the two of them can overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Obi-Wan, who had hidden himself on Padmé's ship, suddenly emerges and confronts Vader. Suspecting betrayal, Vader angrily uses the Force to choke Padmé, leaving her unconscious on the landing platform. The former partners and friends then engage in a ferocious lightsaber duel throughout the mining complex. Vader tries to engage his master with a ]. Obi-Wan is prepared, however, and severs Vader's remaining limbs in midair, leaving him for dead on the hot sands. As Vader tries to drag himself up the bank and away from the lava river, he suffers ]: nearly fatal burns and extensive lung damage from inhaling superheated air. Miraculously, Vader manages to crawl up the bank away from the lava river and, through sheer ] and connection to the Force, lingers on until rescued by Palpatine, who sensed Vader's impending defeat after his own duel with Yoda. | |||
| Another important example of Lincoln's skills as a railroad lawyer was a lawsuit over a tax exemption that the state granted to the ]. ] argued that the state had no authority to grant such an exemption, and it sought to impose taxes on the railroad notwithstanding. In January 1856, the Illinois Supreme Court delivered its opinion upholding the tax exemption, accepting Lincoln's arguments. | |||
| ] | |||
| Lincoln's most notable criminal trial came in 1858 when he defended ], who was on trial for the murder of ]. The case is famous for Lincoln's use of ], a rare tactic at that time, to show an eyewitness had lied on the stand, claiming he witnessed the crime in the moonlight. Lincoln produced a ] to show that the moon on that date was at such a low angle it could not have produced enough illumination to see anything clearly. Based upon this evidence, Armstrong was acquitted. | |||
| Palpatine revives Vader with extensive cybernetic enhancements, including a respirator and a fearsome breath mask. Palpatine then tells Vader that, in his anger, he has killed his own wife. (In fact, Padmé died in childbirth on ] after delivering healthy twins.) In a state of ], 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. Overwhelmed with grief by the belief that he has killed his wife (and, presumably, his unborn child), the only thing that remains in his life is his service to his master, the new Emperor of the galaxy. | |||
| Although Vader remains a formidable warrior (second only to Palpatine in his dark side potential), the grave injuries he sustains during the duel with Obi-Wan greatly reduce his power with the Force; as Vader, he is a mere shadow of his former Jedi self. Lucas claims that had Vader not been dismembered, he would have been twice as powerful as Palpatine, but that he is only 80% as powerful post-Mustafar. | |||
| ==Republican politics 1854-1860== | |||
| The ] of 1854, which expressly repealed the limits on slavery's spread that had been part of the ] of 1820, drew Lincoln back into politics. | |||
| The events of ''Revenge of the Sith'' also had a significant effect on Anakin's identity. 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. The novelization of ''Revenge of the Sith'', on the other hand, clearly makes the point that Darth Vader ''is'' Anakin Skywalker. {{ref|forever}} While Lucas justified his replacement of ] with Christensen in the finale of the ] 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." | |||
| Illinois Democrat ], the most powerful man in the Senate, proposed ] as the solution to the slavery impasse, incorporating it into the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Douglas argued that in a democracy the people of a territory should decide whether to allow slavery or not, and not have a decision imposed on them by Congress. | |||
| === Fighting the rebellion === | |||
| It was a speech against Kansas-Nebraska, on ], ] in ], that caused Lincoln to stand out among the other ] orators of the day. He helped form the new Republican party, drawing on remnants of the old Whig, ], Liberty and Democratic parties. | |||
| {{Selfref|Events in this section take place during '']''. For more information, see the ]}} | |||
| In a stirring campaign, the Republicans carried Illinois in 1854, and elected a senator. Lincoln was the obvious choice, but to keep party unity he allowed the election to go to his colleague ]. | |||
| ] | |||
| Nineteen years later, Vader is sent on a mission to retrieve the stolen plans of the ] and locate the hidden base of the ]. He boards the '']'', capturing ] and bringing her to the Death Star. An elderly Obi-Wan, along with Luke Skywalker and ], 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 if he escapes with Luke and company it would be too late, he sacrifices himself by leaving himself open to Vader's attack and becomes a spirit in the Force in order to guide Luke. | |||
| By putting a homing beacon on the ''Millennium Falcon'', Vader traces Luke, Han and Leia to the rebel base at ]. During the Rebel attack on the Death Star, Vader pilots a distinctive ] in pursuit of the Rebel ] starfighters. Vader gets a lock on Luke's X-wing, noting that "the Force is strong with this one", but is distracted by Han Solo who is piloting the '']'' just in time to save Luke. His ship collides with Black 3, his remaining wingman, and is sent hurtling into space, ultimately sparing his life, as the Death Star is destroyed moments later. | |||
| In 1857-58 Douglas broke with President ], leading to a terrific fight for control of the Democratic party. Some eastern Republicans even favored the reelection of Douglas in 1858, since he led the opposition to the administration's push for the ] which would have admitted Kansas as a ]. Accepting the Republican nomination for the Senate in 1858, Lincoln delivered a famous speech in which he stated, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other." The speech created a lasting image of the danger of disunion due to slavery, and rallied Republicans across the north. | |||
| === Battling his son === | |||
| The 1858 campaign featured the ], a nationally noticed discussion on the issues that threatened to split the nation in two. Lincoln forced Douglas to propose his ], which lost him further support among slave-holders and speeded the division of the Democratic Party. Though the Republican legislative candidates won more popular votes, the Democrats won more seats and the legislature reelected Douglas to the Senate. Nevertheless, Lincoln's eloquence transformed him into a national political star. | |||
| {{Selfref|Events described in this section occur in the film '']''. More information is available in ]}} | |||
| Vader is now at the forefront of the continuing attempt to suppress the Rebellion. He has already known about Luke Skywalker, and is desperate to find him. He leads the imperial troops on a full military assault on the rebel base hidden at the ice world of ], and then pursues the escaping ''Millennium Falcon'' through an ] field. After hiding in the blind spot of a Star Destroyer, the ''Falcon'' sets course to ], followed by ], a bounty hunter hired by Vader. While on this pursuit, the Emperor contacts Vader via ], giving him a new mission to capture Luke Skywalker. | |||
| ]Vader uses his influence to make a deal with ] to kidnap Han, Leia, and the droids, creating a trap for Luke at ]. 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 Luke, cutting off his right hand. He then reveals his true identity of being Luke's father, 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. | |||
| During the debates of 1858 the issue of race was often discussed. During a time period when racial egalitarianism was considered politically incorrect, Stephen Douglas would inform the crowds, “If you desire negro citizenship…if you desire them to vote on an equality with yourselves… then support Mr. Lincoln and the Black Republican party, who are in favor of the citizenship of the negro.” On the defensive Lincoln countered that he was “not in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races.” Historians generally remained mixed on what Lincoln’s actual views were on race. However, many tend to doubt that the highly political nature of these debates offer reliable evidence about his personal views. (Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, 2005) (Lincoln: In Text and Context, by Donald Fehrenbacher, 1987) As Fredrick Douglass observed, “ the first great man that I talked with in the United States freely who in no single instance reminded me of the difference between himself and myself, of the difference of color.” (Life and Times of Fredrick Douglass, by Fredrick Douglass, 1895) | |||
| === Redemption of Anakin Skywalker === | |||
| Lincoln's opposition to slavery was opposition to the ], and he was not an abolitionist in 1858. But the Civil War changed everything, and changed Lincoln's beliefs in race relations as well. | |||
| {{Selfref|Events described in this section occur in the film '']''. More information is available in the ].}} | |||
| In the ], but the third to be produced, Vader is charged with overseeing the completion of the second Death Star, with ] as his immediate subordinate. He meets with Palpatine onboard the half-constructed station to plan Luke's turn to the dark side. | |||
| ] to ] in an attempt to convert him to the dark side.]]By this time, Luke has nearly completed his Jedi training, and has learned from a dying ] that Vader is indeed his father and that Leia is his sister. On a mission to the ], 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 mechanical 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 perilously close to suffering his father's fate. 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 ]. 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 and throws him into a deep shaft, where he explodes in a fury of dark energies. By destroying both the Emperor and himself (as Darth Vader), Anakin fulfills the prophecy that claimed he would bring balance to the Force, but he is mortally wounded by the Emperor's lightning in the process. | |||
| ==Election of 1860== | |||
| ] | |||
| Entering the presidential nomination process as a distinct underdog, Lincoln was eventually chosen as the Republican candidate for the ] for several reasons. His expressed views on slavery were seen as more moderate than rivals ] and ]. His "western" origins also appealed to the newer states. Other contenders, especially those with more governmental experience, had acquired enemies within the party, specifically Seward, who had run afoul of newspaperman ]. During the campaign, Lincoln was dubbed "The Rail Splitter" by Republicans to emphasize the power of "free labor," whereby a common farm boy could work his way to the top by his own efforts. | |||
| ] in his last few moments of life.]] | |||
| On ], ], Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States, beating Democrat ], ] of the Southern Democrats, and ] of the new ]. Lincoln was the first Republican president. He won entirely on the strength of his support in the North: he was not even on the ballot in nine states in the South — and won only 2 of 996 counties there. Lincoln gained 1,865,908 votes (39.9% of the total,) for 180 electoral votes, Douglas 1,380,202 (29.5%) for 12 electoral votes, Breckenridge 848,019 (18.1%) for 72 electoral votes, and Bell 590,901 (12.5%) for 39 electoral votes. There were fusion tickets in some states, but even if his opponents had combined in every state, Lincoln had a majority vote in all but two of the states in which he won the electoral votes, and would still have won the electoral college and the election. | |||
| Moments from death, Anakin 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 is a sad, withered man in his mid-forties, his skin ghostly pale from not having seen natural light 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 that the good within him was not destroyed after all. Luke escapes with his father's body as the Death Star explodes, destroyed by the Rebel Alliance. | |||
| That night, Luke burns his father's Sith armor (and whatever remains inside{{ref|body}}) 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. | |||
| ==Secession winter 1860-61== | |||
| As Lincoln's election became more and more probable, secessionists made it clear that their states would leave the Union. South Carolina took the lead followed by six other ]-growing states: Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The upper South (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas) listened to and rejected the secessionist appeal. They decided to stay in the Union, though warning Lincoln they would not support an invasion through their territory. The seven Confederate states seceded before Lincoln took office, declaring themselves an entirely new nation, the ]. President Buchanan and president-elect Lincoln refused to recognize the Confederacy. | |||
| === Vader in the Expanded Universe === | |||
| President-elect Lincoln survived an ] threat in Baltimore, and on ], ] arrived in disguise in Washington. At Lincoln's inauguration on ], ], the ] formed Lincoln's bodyguard; and a sizable garrison of federal troops was also present, ready to protect the capital from Confederate invasion or insurrection from Confederates in the capital city. | |||
| {{selfref|Events described in this section occur in the ]. More information is available in the linked articles for any given story.}} | |||
| In the young adult series '']'', Boba Fett, at the age of fourteen, is hired by Imperial leader Inquisitor Malorum to investigate Padmé's death at Vader's request. The book '']'', a sequel to ''Revenge of the Sith'', focuses on Vader's mission to hunt down the remaining Jedi who were not killed in the ]. Vader is expected to at least make ] in the upcoming ], which is slated for either a ] or ] release, and will run 100 episodes. | |||
| In the ] '']'', 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, in the ] novel '']'' (which takes place shortly after the events in ''A New Hope''), Vader meets Luke for the second time, and combats him in a lightsaber duel for the first time on the planet ]. 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 among the ''Star Wars'' fanbase. | |||
| ], ] inauguration of Abraham Lincoln in front of U.S. Capitol]] | |||
| In his ] Address, Lincoln declared, "I hold that in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual. Perpetuity is implied, if not expressed, in the fundamental law of all national governments", arguing further that the purpose of the ] was "to form a more perfect union" than the ] which were ''explicitly'' perpetual, and thus the Constitution too was perpetual. He asked rhetorically that even were the Constitution a simple contract, would it not require the agreement of all parties to rescind it? | |||
| In '']'', Vader searches for the Rebels responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, almost thwarting Han and ]'s goal of reaching ] in order for Chewie to reach his family for ]. | |||
| Also in his inaugural address, in a final attempt to unite the Union and prevent the looming war, Lincoln supported the proposed ] to the constitution, of which he had been a driving force. It would have explicitly protected slavery in those states in which it already existed, and had already passed both houses. Lincoln adamantly opposed the ], however, which would have permitted slavery in the territories, renewing the boundary set by the ] and extending it to ]. Despite support for this compromise among some Republicans, Lincoln declared that were the Crittenden Compromise accepted, it "would amount to a perpetual covenant of war against every people, tribe, and state owning a foot of land between here and ]." | |||
| Vader also has a prominent role in the ] novel/comic/video game '']'', which takes place between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi''. In the story, ], leader of the crime organization ], plots to overthrow Vader as the Emperor's second in command. The story also gives more insight into Vader's thoughts and ambitions, as it reveals that he knows there is some good left in him and that he wishes to heal his body through the force in an attempt to return his physical appearance to that of his former self (Anakin). | |||
| Because opposition to slavery expansion was the key issue uniting the Republican Party at the time, Lincoln is sometimes criticized for putting politics ahead of the national interest in refusing any compromise allowing the expansion of slavery. Supporters of Lincoln, however, point out that he did not oppose slavery because he was a Republican, but became a Republican because of his opposition to the expansion of slavery, that he opposed several other Republicans who were in favor of compromise, and that he clearly thought his course of action was in the national interest. By the time Lincoln took office the Confederacy was an established fact and not a single leader of that country ever proposed rejoining the Union on any terms. No compromise was found because no compromise was possible. Lincoln perhaps could have allowed the southern states to secede, and some Republicans recommended that. However conservative Democratic nationalists, such as ], ], and ] had taken control of Buchanan's cabinet around January 1, 1861, and refused to accept secession. Lincoln, and nearly all Republican leaders, adopted this nationalistic position by March, 1861: the Union could not be broken. | |||
| Vader also makes occasional appearances in Dark Horse's ''Star Wars'' comic books set between the movies, especially ''Star Wars: Empire''. | |||
| ==War begins: 1861-1862== | |||
| {{main|American Civil War}} | |||
| After Union troops at ] were fired on and forced to surrender in April, Lincoln called on governors of every state to send 75,000 troops to recapture forts, protect the capital, and "preserve the Union," which in his view still existed intact despite the actions of the seceding states. Virginia, which had repeatedly warned Lincoln it would not allow an invasion of its territory or join an attack on another state, then seceded, along with North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas. | |||
| In the ], it is explained that Darth Vader was the first representative of the Empire to find the ], 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 ]. | |||
| The slave states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware did not secede, and Lincoln urgently negotiated with state leaders there, promising not to interfere with slavery in loyal states. | |||
| 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 ] in remembrance of her father's redemption. | |||
| ==Emancipation Proclamation== | |||
| ] draft on ], ].]] | |||
| {{main articles|] and ]}} | |||
| Congress in July 1862 moved to free the slaves by passing the Second Confiscation Act. It provided: | |||
| :That if any person shall hereafter incite, set on foot, assist, or engage in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States, or the laws thereof, or shall give aid or comfort thereto, or shall engage in, or give aid and comfort to, any such existing rebellion or insurrection, and be convicted thereof, such person shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years, or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars, and by the liberation of all his slaves, if any he have; or by both of said punishments, at the discretion of the court. | |||
| :.... | |||
| :SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That all slaves of persons who shall hereafter be engaged in rebellion against the government of the United States, or who shall in any way give aid or comfort thereto, escaping from such persons and taking refuge within the lines of the army; and all slaves captured from such persons or deserted by them and coming under the control of the government of the United States; and all slaves of such person found on being within any place occupied by rebel forces and afterwards occupied by the forces of the United States, shall be deemed captives of war, and shall be forever free of their servitude, and not again held as slaves. | |||
| In the novel '']'' of the '']'' series, set 30 years after the ] in '']'', Anakin's voice would speak to his grandson, ], telling him to "Stand firm!" in his battle with the Supreme Overlord of the ]. | |||
| Thus everyone who 60 days after ], ] supported the rebellion was to be punished by having all their slaves freed. The goal was to weaken the rebellion, which was led and controlled by slave owners. This did not abolish the legal institution of slavery (the XIII Amendment did that), but it shows Lincoln had the support of (and was even somewhat pushed by) Congress in liberating the slaves owned by rebels. Lincoln implemented the new law by his "Emancipation Proclamation." | |||
| Even taking the Expanded Universe into account, Darth Vader appears to have been one of the last ]s to use the title "Darth". | |||
| Lincoln is well known for ending slavery in the United States and he personally opposed slavery as a profound moral evil not in accord with the principle of equality asserted in the ]. Yet, Lincoln's views of the role of the federal government on the subject of slavery are more complicated. Before the Confederate states seceded, Lincoln had campaigned against the expansion of slavery into the ], where Congress did have authority. However, he maintained that the federal government could not constitutionally bar slavery in states where it already existed. During his presidency, Lincoln made it clear that the North was fighting the war to preserve the Union, not to abolish slavery. Freeing the slaves was a war measure to weaken the rebellion by destroying the economic base of its leadership class. Lincoln was criticized both at home and abroad for his refusal to take a stand for the complete abolition of slavery. On ], ], a few weeks before signing the Proclamation, and after it had already been drafted, Lincoln responded by letter to an editorial by ] of the '']'' which had urged abolition: | |||
| :I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views. | |||
| :I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free. | |||
| == Possible interpretations of the Jedi prophecy == | |||
| With the ] issued in two parts on ], ] and ], ], Lincoln made the abolition of slavery a goal of the war. Lincoln addresses the issue of his consistency (or lack thereof) between his earlier position and his later position on emancipation in an 1864 letter to ] | |||
| ] | |||
| The Jedi Prophecy is a frequent source of debate among fans. In particular, Anakin's status as the Chosen One is regularly disputed. His role in the destruction of the Jedi was an ancillary one, as much of the plan was already underway long before Anakin's fall; indeed, it began with the invasion of Naboo, when he was only a child. Still, Anakin's pivotal role is indisputable, ranging from his intervention in Windu and Sidious's duel in the Chancellor's office, to the enormous influence that his progeny wield in the original trilogy as well as the Expanded Universe. | |||
| Many fans argue that Anakin fulfilled the Jedi Prophecy by bringing a new "balance" to the Force by nearly eliminating the Jedi. In this viewpoint, the Jedi and the Sith metaphorically represent two opposing weights on a scale, with an excess of either disrupting the balance of the Force. Adherents of this view find it particularly noteworthy that, by the end of ''Episode III'', there is a precisely equal number of Jedi and Sith: Obi-Wan and Yoda, Sidious and Vader. Frequently cited as ] for this interpretation is Yoda's warning to Obi-Wan that the prophecy "misread, could have been." In the ''Episode III'' DVD featurette "The Chosen One," Lucas summarizes as follows: "The Prophecy is that Anakin will bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. He becomes Darth Vader; Darth Vader does become the hero, Darth Vader does destroy the Sith; meaning himself and the Emperor. He does it because he is redeemed by his son." Lucas gave a similar explanation in the final ] release of the original trilogy in ]: " Episodes IV, V and VI,...Anakin's offspring redeem him, and allow him to fulfill the Prophecy, and bring balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith, and getting rid of evil in the ]." | |||
| Lincoln is often credited with freeing enslaved ] with the ]. However, border states that still allowed slavery but were under Union control were exempt from the emancipation because they were not covered under any war measures. The proclamation on its first day, ], ], freed only a few escaped slaves, but as Union armies advanced south more and more slaves were liberated until hundreds of thousands were freed (exactly how many is unknown). Lincoln signed the Proclamation as a wartime measure, insisting that only the outbreak of war gave constitutional power to the President to free slaves in states where it already existed. He later said: "I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper." The proclamation made abolishing slavery in the rebel states an official war goal and it became the impetus for the enactment of the ] to the ] which abolished slavery; Lincoln was one of the main promoters of that amendment. | |||
| It is presumed that the Chosen One of the Jedi Prophecy must be of ] (as Anakin allegedly was), since Yoda for instance, despite his historical number of midi-chlorians, is never regarded as a candidate for the prophecy. However, the exact text of the prophecy is never revealed in the films, so it may not be possible to conclude that the Chosen One must be born of a virgin. One possible piece of evidence supporting this theory comes from an early draft of ''A New Hope''. A quote was originally to precede the "A Long Time Ago" text: | |||
| Although some Northern conservatives recoiled at the notion that the war was now being fought for the slaves instead of for preserving the Union, in the end the Emancipation Proclamation did much to help the Northern cause politically. Lincoln's strong ] stand finally convinced the ] and other foreign countries that they could not support the ]. This move remains one of the great seizures of private property by the federal government, restoring the ownership of the blacks to themselves, | |||
| :''...and in a time of greatest despair,'' | |||
| Lincoln had for some time been working on plans to set up ] in Africa and South America for the nearly 4 million newly freed slaves. He remarked upon colonization favorably in the Emancipation Proclamation, but all attempts at such a massive undertaking failed. | |||
| :''there shall come a savior, and he shall'' | |||
| :''be known as the Son of the Suns.'' | |||
| :''Journal of the ]s 3:127'' | |||
| ==Important domestic measures of Lincoln's first term== | |||
| ].]] | |||
| Indeed, at the conclusion of ''Episode I'' and ''Episode VI'', a voice in the cheering crowd can be heard to cry out "The Son of Suns!", thus giving weight to this being a possible portion of the prophecy. | |||
| Lincoln believed in the Whig theory of the presidency, which left Congress to write the laws. He was anti-vescovian. He signed them, vetoing only bills that threatened his war powers. Thus he signed the ] in 1862, making available millions of acres of government-held land in the west for purchase at very low cost. The ], also signed in 1862, provided government grants for ] in each state. Lincoln also signed the Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864, which granted federal support to the construction of the United States' first transcontinental railroad, which was completed in 1869. The most important legislation involved money matters, including the first income tax and higher tariffs. Most important was the creation of the system of national banks by the ]s of 1863, 1864 and 1865 which allowed the creation of a strong national financial system. | |||
| Also, Vader's story goes hand in hand with the old "Sithari" prophecy, which was briefly mentioned in the video game '']'', in which it is said that one Sith would destroy the Jedi, then lead the Sith to greatness, but, at the same time, ensure their utter destruction. | |||
| Lincoln sent a senior general to put down the "]" of August 1862 in ]. Presented with 303 death warrants for convicted ] who had massacred innocent farmers, Lincoln affirmed 39 of these for execution (one was later reprieved). | |||
| Yet another view held by only a small amount of fans claims that the idea of "balance" in the Force has nothing to do with either there being an equal number of Jedi and Sith or necessarily just the destruction of the Sith. Instead advocates of this particular view believe that the "balance" in the Force is the balance between positive and negative energy throughout the universe. They claim that the average sentient being contributes a sizable amount of negative energy to the universe throughout their lifetime by means of what we would call normal and natural emotions like anger, jealousy, etc. Multiplied by the trillions of beings in the ''Star Wars'' universe, this amounts to a massive dark side shift in the cosmic balance. Theoretically, a relatively small number of beings dedicated to pure good and service of the light side of the Force are able to balance against all the negative energy contributed by everyone else and maintain relative balance in the universe. The presence of the Sith, it is believed, serves to once again tip the cosmic scale in favor of the dark side. Therefore the claim that in order to have "balance" in the Force that there should be no Sith is relatively justified based on this particular viewpoint | |||
| ==1864 election and second inauguration== | |||
| After Union victories at ], ] and ] in 1863, many in the North believed that victory was soon to come after Lincoln appointed ] General-in-Chief on ], ]. Although no president since ] had been elected to a second term (and none since ] had been re-nominated), Lincoln's re-election was considered a certainty. | |||
| == Lightsaber training == | |||
| However, when the spring campaigns, east and west, all turned into bloody stalemates, Northern morale dipped and Lincoln seemed less likely to be re-nominated. ] ] strongly desired the Republican nomination and was working hard to win it, while ] was nominated by a breakoff group of radical Republicans, potentially taking away crucial votes in the November elections. | |||
| ] was trained by the Order's most promising Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Through him, Anakin would inherit a rich tradition of lightsaber pedigree. Anakin's style featured elements of many masters that made him outstandingly talented at a very young age. | |||
| Anakin Skywalker was trained in classic ]. An aggressive style which focuses on strength and lightsaber attack moves, Shien takes the defensive principles of Form III (Soresu), the style practiced by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and converts them to offensive moves. With Anakin's exceptionally high concentration of ], he mastered Shien faster than any other Padawan in the Order. By the time of ''Attack of the Clones'', Anakin began to believe he was one of the best swordsmen in the Order. However, Anakin's frequent application of Form V, a style that tends to foster an inappropriate focus on dominating others, clouded his judgment and pulled him to the dark side of the Force frequently during his numerous battles in the Clone Wars. | |||
| Fearing he might lose the election, Lincoln wrote out and signed the following pledge, but did not show it to his cabinet, asking them each to sign the sealed envelope. Lincoln wrote: | |||
| Ultimately Anakin would learn his lesson against Count Dooku at the Battle of Geonosis. No match for the seasoned focus and skills of Dooku's Form II Makashi swordplay, a style of elegance and precision, Anakin lost his right forearm and was only narrowly saved by Master Yoda at the end of Episode II. Appreciative at last of how much he had to learn, Anakin spent the next three years of the Clone Wars honing his Form V skills. Apart from Shien, Skywalker mastered Djem So during the Clone Wars, a Form V style beyond the classic Shien. According to Count Dooku in ''Revenge of the Sith'' novelization, Anakin's mastery of Djem So was the greatest he had ever seen in his life. | |||
| :This morning, as for some days past, it seems exceedingly probable that this Administration will not be re-elected. Then it will be my duty to so co-operate with the President elect, as to save the Union between the election and the inauguration; as he will have secured his election on such ground that he can not possibly save it afterwards. | |||
| In the rematch with Count Dooku at the Battle of Coruscant, Anakin's mastery in Djem So, combined with his young age, better physical condition, impressive strength, and considerable reserve of Force energy, enabled Anakin to tear through the precision and elegance of Makashi and break through Dooku's tenacious defense. By defeating Dooku, who was at the time the second greatest lightsaber duelist in the galaxy, Anakin accomplished what Kenobi had failed to achieve twice. Anakin seemed to have proven his mastery of the Force, and established himself as one of the greatest swordsmen in the Order, next to only Yoda. | |||
| The Democrats, hoping to make setbacks in the war a top campaign issue, waited until late summer to nominate a candidate. Their platform was heavily influenced by the ] of the party, calling the war a "failure," but their candidate, former General ], was a ], determined to prosecute the war until the Union was restored, although willing to compromise on all other issues, including slavery. | |||
| <!-- "... because a nuclear flame has consumed Anakin Skywalker's Jedi restraint, and fear becomes fury without effort, and fury is a blade that makes his lightsaber into a toy." | |||
| -''Episode III Novelization'' --> | |||
| As a Sith Lord, Vader is known to have used both a blue lightsaber (usually a color of ] lightsabers) and a red lightsaber (a color more typical of the Sith). | |||
| McClellan's candidacy was soon undercut as on ], just two days after the ], ] was abandoned by the Confederate army. Coming on the heels of ] capture of ] and followed by ] crushing victory over ] army at ], it was now apparent that the tide had turned in favor of the Union and that Lincoln may be reelected despite the costs of the war. | |||
| === Loss to Obi-Wan === | |||
| Still, Lincoln believed that he would win the ] by only a slim margin, failing to give him the ] he'd need if he was to push his lenient ] plan. To his surprise, Lincoln ended up winning all but two states, capturing 212 of 233 electoral votes. | |||
| Anakin's fatal flaw was his rage. Though younger, more athletic, and gifted with more raw Force power than Obi-Wan, he lacked the experience, calmness, and focus which his master possessed. Kenobi held a psychological edge since it was he who traditionally would win in their sparring days. Though Anakin could call on the Dark Side to overpower his opponents, his mounting emotions could also distract him from executing as well as his master. Whereas Anakin's strength lay in his offensive barrage, Kenobi's resided in his defense. Obi-Wan was the greatest defensive master in the Order and his absolute dedication to Soresu would prove vital to his win. Frustrated by his inability to break this defense, Anakin would make mistakes that he wouldn't have made had he been able to remain focused and patient. Like his duel with Grievous, Kenobi would rely on his "wait them out" philosophy. That is to rely on Soresu entirely until there is a hole in the opponent's offensive barrage, and to immediately slash away with some broad Ataru strokes. In both cases this resulted in the detachment of his opponent's limbs. But in the end of the ferocious battle on Mustafar, Anakin held the upper hand in his fighting skills until the point where Kenobi placed himself on higher, solid ground. At that point, Anakin's fatal mistake was not in his prowess, but in his mind. | |||
| === Swordplay as Darth Vader === | |||
| After Lincoln's election, on ], ], he delivered his ], which was his favorite of all his speeches. At this time, a victory over the rebels was within sight, ] had effectively ended, and Lincoln was looking to the future. | |||
| In his mechanical life-support suit, Darth Vader could no longer engage in the energetic acrobatics of Ataru. For the remainder of his life, he would maintain his mastery of Form V Djem So and Shien. He also experimented in some Form II Makashi, used by Count Dooku, as evidenced by his formal one-handed duel against ] on Cloud City. Taking the proper lessons from his loss to Kenobi, he apparently learned how to control his emotions when in combat, finding a way to call upon the power of the dark side while not being blinded by emotions run amok. | |||
| == Talents == | |||
| :Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether" | |||
| 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 ]. His talent with the lightsaber is legendary. All of these skills, however, are secondary to his incredible mastery of the Force. He was born with the highest known midichlorian count (a measure of Force-aptitude) in the history of 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. The delicate electrical systems of Vader's suit are the reason he cannot create Force lightning, as Dooku and Palpatine could ( Note: In the Star Wars comic book ''Splinter of the Mind's Eye'', Darth Vader can be seen using ]. {{ref|zap}}) | |||
| :With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations. | |||
| 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 (because there is a Force power in '']'' called Force Deflection that allows the player to block blaster bolts without a lightsaber), while an ] novel states that Vader's right glove was indestructible. | |||
| ==Civil War and reconstruction== | |||
| ===Conducting the war effort=== | |||
| The war was a source of constant frustration for the president, and it occupied nearly all of his time. Lincoln had a contentious relationship with General ], who became general-in-chief of all the Union armies in the wake of the embarrassing Union defeat at the ] and after the retirement of ] in late 1861. Lincoln wished to take an active part in planning the war strategy despite his inexperience in military affairs. Lincoln's strategic priorities were two-fold: first, to ensure that Washington, D.C., was well-defended; and second, to conduct an aggressive war effort in hopes of ending the war quickly and appeasing the Northern public and press, who pushed for an offensive war. McClellan, a youthful ] graduate and railroad executive called back to military service, took a more cautious approach. McClellan took several months to plan and execute his ], which involved capturing ] by moving the ] by boat to the ] between the ] and ]. McClellan's delay irritated Lincoln, as did McClellan's insistence that no troops were needed to defend Washington, D.C. Lincoln insisted on holding some of McClellan's troops to defend the capital, a decision McClellan blamed for the ultimate failure of his Peninsula Campaign. | |||
| 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 skulls of savage animals and bludgeoning opposing Jedi to their knees with one blow. | |||
| McClellan, a lifelong ] who was temperamentally conservative, was relieved as general-in-chief after releasing his '']'', where he offered unsolicited political advice to Lincoln urging caution in the war effort. McClellan's letter incensed Radical Republicans, who successfully pressured Lincoln to appoint fellow Republican ] as head of the new ]. Pope complied with Lincoln's strategic desire for the Union to move towards Richmond from the north, thus guarding Washington, D.C. However, Pope was soundly defeated at the ] during the summer of 1862, forcing the Army of the Potomac back into the defenses of Washington for a second time. Pope was sent to Minnesota to fight the ]. | |||
| Anakin was trained in ] by Obi-Wan, one of the greatest swordsmen in the galaxy, and quickly developed incredible skill in the form, which he retained even after his fall to the dark side. | |||
| Panicked by Confederate General ]'s invasion of ], Lincoln restored McClellan to command of all forces around Washington in time for the ] in September 1862. It was the Union victory in that battle that allowed Lincoln to release his Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln relieved McClellan of command shortly after the 1862 midterm elections and appointed Republican ] to head the Army of the Potomac, who promised to follow through on Lincoln's strategic vision for an aggressive offensive against Lee and Richmond. After Burnside was stunningly defeated at ], ] was given command, despite his idle talk about becoming a military strong man. Hooker was routed by Lee at ] in May 1863 and also relieved of command. | |||
| In battle, Darth Vader lacked the mobility and ease he once had, but his bionic suit gave him sheer strength. His blows were forceful even when using only one arm to fight. He was calm when fighting, rarely using acrobatics. He struck to kill and used psychology and his appearance to intimidate his foes. When striking with both hands on the grip of his lightsaber, he was able to pound his enemies with an onslaught of strong but somewhat slow strikes. This fighting style contrasted with Anakin's style before his disfigurement, which utilized more speed and acrobatics. This a fairly accepted explanation for the less-elaborate saber fighting in the original trilogy as compared to the prequel trilogy. Luke's less-developed saber skills were ostensibly a result of his minimal training. While most padawans were trained from early ages for at least a good 15 years, Luke started very late. However, the most widely accepted explanation for the slower combat of the original trilogy is the lack of "film magic" in the ], considering Obi-Wan also fought slowly in ''A New Hope'' at age 57, despite Count Dooku fighting with intense speed in the prequels at age 80+. | |||
| After the Union victory at ], ] failure to pursue Lee, and months of inactivity for the Army of the Potomac, Lincoln decided to bring in a western general: General ]. He had a solid string of victories in the Western Theater, including ] and ]. Earlier, reacting to criticism of Grant, Lincoln was quoted as saying, "I cannot spare this man. He fights." Grant waged his bloody ] in 1864, using a strategy of a ], characterized by high Union losses at battles such as the ] and ], but by proportionately higher losses in the Confederate army. Grant's aggressive campaign would eventually bottle up Lee in the ] and result in the Union taking Richmond and bringing the war to a close in the spring of 1865. | |||
| == Armor and cybernetic enhancements == | |||
| Lincoln authorized Grant to use a ] approach to destroy the South's morale and economic ability to continue the war. This allowed Generals ] and ] to destroy farms and towns in the ], ], and ]. The damage in ] through Georgia totaled in excess of $100 million. | |||
| Even before his transformation into Vader, Anakin was a ]: he had a ] installed after his natural right ] was severed while dueling with ] on Geonosis in '']''. As a result of his later 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 ] 8 ] (2.02 ]) 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 and hands are made with a unique micronized iron that can deflect anything short of a lightsaber blow. His famous mask and helmet, resembling the head of an ancient ] ], contain various vision- and auditory-enhancing equipment, as well as the respirator that causes the Dark Lord's ominous breathing sound. | |||
| Lincoln had a star-crossed record as a military leader, possessing a keen understanding of strategic points (such as the ] and the fortress city of Vicksburg) and the importance of defeating the enemy's army, rather than simply capturing cities. However, he had little success in his efforts to motivate his generals to adopt his strategies. Eventually, he found in Grant a man who shared his vision of the war and was able to bring that vision to reality with his relentless pursuit of coordinated offensives in multiple theaters of war. | |||
| 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 ], ] and ] systems. Upon closer examination, the chestplate has ] lettering which has been translated as, "His deeds will not be forgiven, until he merits."{{ref|hebrew}}. 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. | |||
| Lincoln, perhaps reflecting his lack of military experience, developed a keen curiosity with military campaigning during the war. He spent hours at the ] ] office, reading dispatches from his generals through many a night. He frequently visited battle sites and seemed fascinated by watching scenes of war. During ]'s ], in 1864, Lincoln had to be told to duck his head to avoid being shot while observing the scenes of battle. | |||
| 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, perhaps in a show of foresight by Palpatine, the system is vulnerable to Force lightning, contributing to Vader's death in ''Return of the Jedi''. | |||
| ===Homefront=== | |||
| Lincoln was more successful in giving the war meaning to Northern civilians through his oratorical skills. Despite his meager education and “backwoods” upbringing, Lincoln possessed an extraordinary command of the English language, as evidenced by the ], a speech dedicating a cemetery of Union soldiers from the ] that he delivered on November 19, 1863. While the featured speaker, orator ], spoke for two hours, Lincoln's few choice words resonated across the nation and across history, defying Lincoln's own prediction that "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here." Lincoln's ] is also greatly admired and often quoted. In these speeches, Lincoln articulated better than any of his contemporaries the rationale behind the Union effort. | |||
| The suit's susceptibility to Sith lightning is the likely reason behind Vader never using the attack. Also, since the suit is apparently not grounded or shielded against electricity, it is theorized that a simple ion blaster, normally used on errant droids, would be able to fry the electronics in Vader's suit. Since no character ever attempted to assault Vader with an ion blaster, this remains speculation. | |||
| During the Civil War, Lincoln exercised powers no previous president had wielded; he proclaimed a ], suspended the writ of ], spent money without ] authorization, and imprisoned thousands of accused Confederate sympathizers without trial. There is a fragment of uncorraborated evidence that Lincoln made contingency plans to arrest ] ], though the allegation remains unresolved and controversial (see the ] controversy). | |||
| == Portrayals == | |||
| The long war and the issue of emancipation appeared to be severely hampering his prospects and pessimists warned that defeat appeared likely. Lincoln ran under the Union party banner, composed of War Democrats and Republicans. General Grant was facing severe criticism for his conduct of the bloody ] that summer and the seemingly endless ]. However, the Union capture of the key railroad center of ] by Sherman's forces in September changed the situation dramatically and Lincoln was reelected. | |||
| *] - Age 22 ('']'') | |||
| *] - Ages 41, 44, 45 ('']'', '']'', '']'') | |||
| *] - Ages 22, 41, 44, 45 (voice) ('']'', '']'', '']'', '']'') | |||
| The character of Darth Vader also involved several stunt doubles, most notably fencing instructor ], who handled all of Vader's fight sequences in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi''.{{ref|anderson}} ] employee C. Andrew Nelson has also portrayed Vader at a number of events for ], as well as the ] '']'', and in new footage filmed for the Special Edition releases of the original three ''Star Wars'' films in ]. In 1978, Prowse and Jones returned as Vader in '']'', as well as to shoot new footage that was released with the ], when it was released in 1996. | |||
| ===Reconstruction=== | |||
| The ] of the Union weighed heavy on the President's mind throughout the war effort. He was determined to take a course that would not permanently alienate the former Confederate states, and throughout the war Lincoln urged speedy elections under generous terms in areas behind Union lines. This irritated congressional Republicans, who urged a more stringent Reconstruction policy. One of Lincoln's few vetoes during his term was of the ]l, an effort by congressional Republicans to impose harsher Reconstruction terms on the Confederate areas. Republicans in Congress retaliated by refusing to seat representatives elected from ], ], and ] during the war under Lincoln's generous terms. | |||
| == Behind the scenes == | |||
| "Let 'em up easy," he told his assembled military leaders ] (a future president), ] and ] in an 1865 meeting on the steamer ''River Queen''. When ], the Confederate capital, was at long last captured, Lincoln went there to make a public gesture of sitting at ]'s own desk, symbolically saying to the nation that the President of the United States held authority over the entire land. He was greeted at the city as a conquering hero by freed slaves, whose sentiments were epitomized by one admirer's quote, "I know I am free for I have seen the face of Father Abraham and have felt him." | |||
| ] | |||
| The character of Darth Vader was not originally planned to be a suited cyborg. The current image of Vader was created when concept artist ] drew the opening scene where the ] '']'' 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 ]ese '']'' (兜), which is consistent with the ]-like order of the Jedi and ]-like lightsaber duels. It also resembles a ] ]-era '']''. Vader's ] is '']''. The iconic breathing sound of his respirator was created by ] ], who created the sound by simply recording himself breathing into an old ] ] regulator. | |||
| In a ] interview, George Lucas was asked the origins of the name "Darth Vader", and replied: "Darth is a variation of dark. And Vader is a variation of father. So it's basically Dark Father." (''Rolling Stone'', June 2, 2005). "Vader" is the ] word for "father", and the ] word for "father" (''Vater'') is similar. However, in the earliest 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. (In | |||
| On ], ], Confederate General ] surrendered at ] in ]. This left only ]'s forces in the East to deal with. Weeks later Johnston would defy Jefferson Davis and surrender his forces to Sherman. Of course, Lincoln would not survive to see the surrender of all Confederate forces; just five days after Lee surrendered, Lincoln was ]. He was the first President to be assassinated, and the third to die in office. | |||
| A New Hope, Obi-Wan refers to him as "Darth", implying that at that point in the series, Darth Vader was a | |||
| personal name rather than a Sith title.) | |||
| Lucas took the name "Anakin", which in Sanskirt means "warrior", from his friend and fellow film director, ]. | |||
| ==Assassination== | |||
| ], ], Mary Todd Lincoln, Lincoln, and Booth.]] | |||
| As Vader fits the classic stock character of the ], some have noted that Vader bears more than a passing resemblance to other villains. One is the classic ] ] ]. (This is further alluded in ]'s '']'' 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 ] and ] series '']'', and the Mule, a villain in ]'s '']''. A resemblance has also been noted to the ], also called the ], from ]'s ]; both Vader and the Witch-King represent formerly good men who were corrupted by evil, dress in black, have a supernaturally fearsome presence and a hidden, pale form, are kept alive unnaturally, and serve at the hands of ]s. | |||
| Lincoln had met frequently with Lt. Gen. ] as the war drew to a close. The two men planned matters of reconstruction, and it was evident to all that they held each other in high regard. During their last meeting, on ], ] (]), Lincoln invited Grant to a social engagement that evening. Grant declined (Grant's wife, ], is said to have strongly disliked ]). The President's eldest son, ], also turned down the invitation. | |||
| The scene in which Vader is reborn as a cyborg is compared to the creation of ] in the ] film '']''—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. | |||
| ], a well-known actor and Southern sympathizer from ], heard that the president and Mrs. Lincoln, along with the Grants, would be attending ]. Having failed in a plot to kidnap Lincoln earlier, Booth informed his co-conspirators of his intention to kill Lincoln. Others were assigned to assassinate ] ] and ] ]. | |||
| == Cultural figure == | |||
| Without his main bodyguard ], to whom he related his famous dream of his own assassination, the Lincolns left to attend the play at Ford's Theater. The play, '']''. As a lone bodyguard wandered, and Lincoln sat in his state box in the balcony, Booth crept up behind the President's box and waited for the funniest line of the play, hoping the laughter would cover the gunshot noise. On stage, actor Harry Hawk said the last words Lincoln would ever hear "Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal—you sockdologizing old man-trap...". When the laughter came Booth jumped into the box the president was in and aimed a single-shot, round-slug .44 caliber Deringer at his head, firing at point-blank range. The bullet entered behind Lincoln's left ear and lodged behind his right eyeball. Major ], who was present in the Presidential Box, momentarily grappled with Booth. Booth then shouted "'']!''" (Latin: "Thus always to tyrants," the state motto of Virginia; some accounts say he added "The South is avenged!") and jumped from the balcony to the stage below, breaking his leg. Despite his injury, Booth managed to limp to his horse and make his escape. | |||
| 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 ]'s list of the ] placed him third, after ] and ]. He has been ] by such figures as "]" from '']'', "Duck Vader" from '']'', "]" from ]'', "Dark Laser" from '']'', "]" from '']'', an episode of '']'' where ] dressed in black and now devoted to evil takes over the school and country singer Darth Brooks in '']''. Another kind of tribute to Darth Vader comes from ], in which there are similarities between ] and Vader, played for both dramatic and serious effect, and his name is mentioned when the issue of Vala's immaculate birth is brought up. ] in '']'' (dressed up in a radiation suit) pretended to be "Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan" in an effort to get his science-fiction loving dad to date his mom. | |||
| Vader's name has become a ] for evil; for example, political strategist ] was known as "the Darth Vader of the ]." 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. | |||
| An army surgeon, Dr. ] quickly assessed the wound as mortal. The President was taken across the street from the theater to the ], where he lay in a coma for nine hours before he expired. Several physicians attended Lincoln, including U.S. Army Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes of the Army Medical Museum. Using a probe, Barnes located some fragments of Lincoln's skull and the ball lodged 6 inches inside his brain. Lincoln, who never regained consciousness, was officially pronounced dead at 7:22 A.M. the next morning, April 15, 1865. Upon his death, Secretary of War ] lamented "now he belongs to the ages." After Lincoln's body was returned to the ], his body was prepared for his "lying in state" in the ]. | |||
| Vader's revelation to Luke that he is his father is one of the most famous movie plot twists of all time. An ] poll on ] ] 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. | |||
| The Army Medical Museum, now named the National Museum of Health and Medicine, has retained in its collection since the time of Lincoln's death, several artifacts relating to the assassination. Currently on display in the museum are the bullet that was fired from the Deringer pistol, ending Lincoln's life, the probe used by Barnes, pieces of his skull and hair and the surgeon's cuff, stained with Lincoln's blood. The museum can be found at | |||
| During a major renovation, ] held a competition for children to design new ]s for the west towers. One winner was a design featuring Darth Vader. | |||
| ] | |||
| Lincoln's body was carried by train in a grand funeral procession through several states on its way back to Illinois. The nation mourned a man whom many viewed as the savior of the United States. He was buried in ] in Springfield, where a 177 foot (54 m) tall granite tomb surmounted with several bronze statues of Lincoln was constructed by 1874. To prevent repeated attempts to steal Lincoln's body and hold it for ransom, Robert Todd Lincoln had Lincoln exhumed and reinterred in concrete several feet thick in 1901. | |||
| {{further|]}} | |||
| Two significant office buildings in ] are highly visible landmarks by the ]. The ominous looking one made of all dark reflective glass has been dubbed the Darth Vader building. The other is the architecturally acclaimed ], a brilliant white futuristic antithesis, is known int the San Francisco Bay area as the Luke Skywalker building. | |||
| ==Presidential appointments== | |||
| ===Administration and cabinet=== | |||
| Lincoln was known for appointing his political rivals to high positions in his Cabinet to keep in line all factions of his party--and to let them battle each other and not combine against Lincoln. Historians agree that except for Cameron, it was a highly effective group. | |||
| {| class="wikitable" | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Office !! Name !! Term | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || '''Abraham Lincoln''' || 1861–1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || ''']''' || 1861–1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ''']''' || 1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || ''']''' || 1861–1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || ''']''' || 1861–1864 | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ''']''' || 1864–1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ''']''' || 1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || ''']''' || 1861–1862 | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ''']''' || 1862–1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || ''']''' || 1861–1864 | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ''']'''||align="left"|1864–1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || ''']''' || 1861 | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ''']''' || 1861–1864 | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ''']''' || 1864–1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || ''']''' || 1861–1865 | |||
| |- | |||
| | ] || ''']''' || 1861–1863 | |||
| |- | |||
| | || ''']''' || 1863–1865 | |||
| |} | |||
| <br clear="all"> | |||
| With the release of ''Revenge of the Sith'', Vader's popularity has seen an increase. His exaggerated and mournful howl of ] also achieved notoriety. | |||
| ===Supreme Court=== | |||
| Lincoln appointed the following Justices to the ]: | |||
| *] - 1862 | |||
| *] - 1862 | |||
| *] - 1862 | |||
| *] - 1863 | |||
| *] - ] - 1864 | |||
| == Notes and references == | |||
| ==Major presidential acts== | |||
| #{{note|afi100}}"''''", ], last accessed ], ]. | |||
| ===Involvement as President-elect=== | |||
| #{{note|breathing}} 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 ]''] any other method of intimidating or killing those who frustrated him." | |||
| *] | |||
| #{{note|forever}} "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 | |||
| *] | |||
| #{{note|body}} According to ] of ], the Star Wars Databank entry for Vader , 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 Special Edition script reference that supposedly establishes the disappearance of his body is in text of the scene where Luke cremates his father's armor. The Special Edition script refers to it as empty armor, while the original script refers to it as his father's body. It should also be noted that in the Jedi Academy trilogy '']'' by Kevin J. Anderson, Luke specifically states that his father's body had disappeared in the same way as Yoda's and Obi-Wan's. However, in the commentary for the ''Return of the Jedi'' DVD, Lucas refers to the funeral pyre scene as Luke burning his father's "body." | |||
| ===Enacted as President=== | |||
| #{{note|zap}}''The Visual Dictionary of Star Wars, Episode III'' (ISBN 0756611288) | |||
| *Signed ] | |||
| #{{note|hebrew}} "Lord Vader's Chestplate", ''Star Wars Technical Commentaries''. (This page discusses the common belief that the text that appears on Darth Vader's chestplate may be Hebrew) | |||
| *Signed ] | |||
| #{{note|anderson}} ] (who portrayed Luke in the original trilogy) noted in a ] 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 hard that he deserves some recognition. It’s ridiculous to preserve the myth that it’s all done by ''one'' man." | |||
| *Signed ] | |||
| *Signed ] | |||
| *Signed Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 | |||
| *Established ] (1862) | |||
| *Signed ] | |||
| *Signed ] | |||
| == Sources == | |||
| ==States admitted to the Union== | |||
| *'']'', 1st edition paperback, 1999. ], ], ISBN 0-345-43411-0 | |||
| *] – 1863 | |||
| *'']'', 2003. ], ISBN 0-345-42882-X | |||
| *] – 1864 | |||
| *'']'', 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 ] Sourcebook'', ], 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. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-43481-4 | |||
| *''Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary'', hardcover, 2002. Dr. 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 '']'' as available at | |||
| *Shooting script of '']'' as available at | |||
| *''Star Wars Technical Commentaries'', Dr. Curtis Saxton, 1995-2005. Available at | |||
| *''Star Wars Databank''. , | |||
| == |
== See also == | ||
| *] | |||
| Lincoln's death made the President a ] to many. Today he is perhaps America's second most famous and beloved President after ]. Repeated polls of historians have ranked Lincoln as among the ]. Among contemporary admirers, Lincoln is usually seen as a figure who personifies ]'s seated ''Lincoln'' faces the ] to the east.]] | |||
| *] | |||
| ]classical values of honesty, integrity, as well as respect for individual and minority rights, and human freedom in general. Many American organizations of all purposes and agendas continue to cite his name and image, with interests ranging from the ] group ] to the ] corporation ]. The ] is also named after him. | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| == External links == | |||
| Over the years Lincoln has been memorialized in many city names, notably the ]; with the ] in ] (''pictured, right''); on the U.S. ] and the ] (Illinois is the primary opponent to the removal of the penny from circulation); and as part of the ]. ], ] in ], ] (a reconstruction of Lincoln's early adult hometown), ] and Petersen House are all preserved as museums. The ] for ] is ''Land of Lincoln''. | |||
| {{Wikiquote}} | |||
| {{Commonscat}} | |||
| ] in 18 ]s (], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]) are named after Lincoln. | |||
| * at the ''Star Wars'' ] | |||
| *{{sww|Darth Vader}} | |||
| On ], ], Abraham Lincoln's birthday was declared to be a federal ] in the United States, although in 1971 it was combined with Washington's birthday in the form of ]. February 12 is still observed as a separate legal holiday in many states, including Illinois. | |||
| Lincoln's birthplace and family home are national historic memorials: ] in ] and ] in ]. The ], opened in 2005 in Springfield as a major tourist attraction with state-of-the-art exhibits. The ] is located in ]. | |||
| Statues of Lincoln can be found in other countries. In ], ], ], is a 13-foot high bronze statue, a gift from the United States, dedicated in 1966 by President ]. The U.S. received a statue of ] in exchange, which is in Washington, D.C. Juárez and Lincoln exchanged friendly letters, and Mexico remembers Lincoln's opposition to the ]. There is also a statue in ], Mexico, showing Lincoln standing and destroying the chains of slavery. There are at least three statues of Lincoln in the ]—one in ] by ], one in ] by ] and another in ] by ]. | |||
| The ] ] ] and the ] ] were named in his honor. Also, the ], ] was named to honor his mother. | |||
| In a recent public vote entitled "]," Lincoln placed second (placing first was ]). | |||
| ==Lincoln in popular culture== | |||
| {{see|Lincoln in popular culture}} | |||
| ==Trivia== | |||
| * Lincoln stood 6'3 3/4" (192.4 cm) tall (not including his hat) and thus was the tallest president in U.S. history, just edging out ] at 6'3 1/2" (191.8 cm). | |||
| * He was born on the same day as ]. | |||
| * The last surviving self-described witness to Lincoln's assassination was ] (~1860–], ]), who appeared two months before his death at age 96 on the ]-TV ] '']''. He said that as a five-year-old he had thought at first that he, himself, had been shot because his nurse, trying to fix a torn place in his blouse, stuck him with a pin at the moment of the gun's discharge. | |||
| * According to legend, Lincoln was referred to as "two-faced" by his opponent in the 1858 Senate election, ]. Upon hearing about this Lincoln jokingly replied, "If I had another face to wear, do you really think I would be wearing this one?" | |||
| * According to legend, Lincoln also said, as a young man, on his appearance one day when looking in the mirror: "It's a fact, Abe! You are the ugliest man in the world. If ever I see a man uglier than you, I'm going to shoot him on the spot!" It would no doubt, he thought, be an act of mercy. | |||
| * Based on written descriptions of Lincoln, including the observations that he was much taller than most men of his day and had long limbs, an abnormally-shaped chest, and loose or lax joints, it has been conjectured since the 1960s that Lincoln may have suffered from ]. | |||
| *Lincoln was known to have a case of ]. During his time in New Salem, Illinois, his fiancee died, and that triggered his depression. His close friends watched over him to make sure he did not commit suicide. He also suffered from nightmares during his term in the ]. His depression got so severe, he had to hold a cabinet meeting from his bed. | |||
| *He once mentioned one of his haunting nightmares to his friend. Lincoln mentioned that he was standing in a mourning crowd surrounding a train, and when he asked a grieving woman what had happened, she replied, "The President has been shot, and he has died." | |||
| *Lincoln is the only American president to hold a ]. The patent is for a device that lifts ]s over ]s. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| *], Lincoln's economic beliefs. | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| * Movies: '']'', '']'' | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ===Biographies=== | |||
| *''Lincoln'' by ] (1999) ISBN 068482535X, very well reviewed by scholars; Donald has won two Pulitzer prizes for biography | |||
| *''Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography'' by William E. Gienapp ISBN 0195150996 (2002), short | |||
| *''Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln'' by ] ISBN 0684824906 (2005). reviewers report it is very well written | |||
| *''Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President'' by Allen C. Guelzo ISBN 0802838723 (1999) | |||
| *''Abraham Lincoln: a History'' (1890) by ] & ]; online at and 10 volumes in all; written by Lincoln's top aides | |||
| *''The Real Abraham Lincoln'' by Reinhard H Luthin (1960), well regarded by reviewers | |||
| *''The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia'' by ] (1984), detailed articles on many men and movements associated with AL | |||
| * ''The Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America'' by Mark E. Neely (1993), Pulitzer prize winning author | |||
| * ''With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln'' by Stephen B. Oates (1994). | |||
| *''Lincoln the President'' by James G. Randall (4 vol., 1945–55; reprint 2000.) by prize winning scholar | |||
| **''Mr. Lincoln'' excerpts ed. by Richard N. Current (1957) | |||
| *''Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years'' (2 vol 1926); ''The War Years'' (4 vol 1939) biography by ]. Pulitzer Prize winner by famous poet | |||
| *''Abraham Lincoln: A Biography'' by Benjamin P. Thomas; (1952) | |||
| ===Specialty topics=== | |||
| *Baker, Jean H. ''Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography'' (1987) | |||
| *Belz, Herman. ''Abraham Lincoln, Constitutionalism, and Equal Rights in the Civil War Era'' (1998) | |||
| *Boritt, Gabor S. ''Lincoln and the Economics of the American Dream'' (1994). Lincoln's economic theory and policies | |||
| *Boritt, Gabor S. ''Lincoln the War President'' (1994). | |||
| *Boritt, Gabor S., ed. ''The Historian's Lincoln.'' Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988, historiography | |||
| *Bruce, Robert V. ''Lincoln and the Tools of War'' (1956) on weapons development during the war | |||
| *Donald, David Herbert. ''Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era'' (1960). | |||
| *Foner, Eric. ''Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil War'' (1970) intellectual history of different prewar faction's in AL's party | |||
| *Harris, William C. ''With Charity for All: Lincoln and the Restoration of the Union'' (1997). AL's plans for Reconstruction | |||
| *Hendrick, Burton J. ''Lincoln's War Cabinet'' (1946) | |||
| *Hofstadter, Richard. ''The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It'' (1948) ch 5: "Abraham Lincoln and the Self-MAde Myth". | |||
| *Holzer, Harold. ''Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President'' (2004). | |||
| *McPherson, James M. ''Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution'' (1992) | |||
| *McPherson, James M. ''Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era'' (1988). Pulitzer Prize winner surveys all aspects of the war | |||
| *Morgenthau, Hans J., and David Hein. ''Essays on Lincoln's Faith and Politics''. Lanham, MD: University Press of America for the White Burkett Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, 1983. | |||
| *Neely, Mark E. ''The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties'' (1992). Pulitzer Prize winner. | |||
| * Philip S. Paludan ''The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln'' (1994), reviewers call it the most thorough treatment of AL's administration | |||
| *''Lincoln in American Memory'' by Merrill D. Peterson, (1994). how Lincoln was remembered after 1865 | |||
| *Randall, James G. ''Lincoln the Liberal Statesman'' (1947). | |||
| * Richardson, Heather Cox. ''The Greatest Nation of the Earth: Republican Economic Policies during the Civil War'' (1997) | |||
| * Shenk, Joshua Wolf. ''Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness'' (2005). Named one of the best books of 2005 by The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. *''Lincoln'' by ] ISBN 0375708766, a novel. | |||
| *''Lincoln and His Generals'' by T. Harry Williams (1967). | |||
| *''Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America'' by Garry Wills ISBN 0671867423 | |||
| *''Honor's Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln'' by Douglas L. Wilson (1999). | |||
| ===Lincoln in art and popular culture=== | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | title = The Real Lincoln | |||
| | first = Thomas | |||
| | last = DiLorenzo | |||
| | authorlink = Thomas DiLorenzo | |||
| | id = ISBN 0761526463 | |||
| | year = 2002 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | first = Bullard. F. | |||
| | last = Lauriston | |||
| | title = Lincoln in Marble and Bronze | |||
| | publisher = Rutgers University Press | |||
| | location = New Brunswick, New Jersey | |||
| | year = 1952 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Mead | |||
| | first = Fanklin B. | |||
| | title = Heroic Statues in Bronze of Abraham Lincoln: Introducing The Hoosier Youth by ] | |||
| | publisher = The Lincoln National Life Foundation | |||
| | location = Fort Wayne, Indiana | |||
| | year = 1932 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Moffatt | |||
| | first = Frederick C. | |||
| | title = Errant Bronzes: ]'s Statues of Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | publisher = University of Deleware Press | |||
| | location = Newark, DE | |||
| | year = 1998 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Murry | |||
| | first = Freeman Henry Morris | |||
| | title = Emancipation and the Freed in American Sculpture | |||
| | publisher = Books For Libraries Press, the Black Heritage Library Collection | |||
| | location = Freeport, NY | |||
| | year = 1972 | |||
| | origyear = 1916 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Petz | |||
| | first = Weldon | |||
| | title = Michigan's Monumental Tributes to Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | publisher = Historical Society of Michigan | |||
| | year = 1987 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Redway | |||
| | first = Maurine Whorton | |||
| | coauthors = Bracken, Dorothy Kendall | |||
| | title = Marks of Lincoln on Our Land | |||
| | publisher = Hastings House, Publishers | |||
| | location = New York | |||
| | year = 1957 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Savage | |||
| | first = Kirk | |||
| | title = Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves: Race War and Monument in Nineteenth Century America | |||
| | publisher = Princeton University Press | |||
| | location = Princeton New Jersey | |||
| | year = 1997 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Tice | |||
| | first = George | |||
| | title = Lincoln | |||
| | publisher = Rutgers University Press | |||
| | location = New Brunswick, New Jersey | |||
| | year = 1984 | |||
| }} | |||
| ===Primary sources=== | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | author = Basler, Roy P. ed. | |||
| | title = Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | others = 9 vols. | |||
| | location = New Brunswick, NJ | |||
| | publisher = Rutgers Univ. Press | |||
| | year = 1953–55 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | author = Basler, Roy P. ed. | |||
| | title = Abraham Lincoln: His Speeches and Writings | |||
| | year = 1946 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Lincoln | |||
| | first = Abraham | |||
| | title = Lincoln: Speeches and Writings | |||
| | edition = 2 vol Library of America edition | |||
| | year = 1989 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | last = Lincoln | |||
| | first = Abraham | |||
| | title = The Life and Writings of Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | publisher = Modern Library Classics | |||
| | editor = ed by Philip Van Doren Stern | |||
| | year = 2000 | |||
| }} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{sisterlinks|Abraham Lincoln}} | |||
| *{{CongBio|L000313}} | |||
| * | |||
| * (1850-1865) | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Free archive of 25,000 newspaper pages dedicated to Abraham Lincoln | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * - My Big Adventure (33 Images) | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Washington, DC | |||
| * Fort Wayne, Indiana | |||
| * A national book award sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Patent -- ''Manner of Buoying Vessels'' -- A. Lincoln -- 1849 | |||
| * (an archive of articles on Lincoln) | |||
| * (includes good early history) | |||
| *Hoard Historical Museum in ] with Lincoln Library | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * (World of Biography) | |||
| ===Project Gutenberg eTexts=== | |||
| *List of {{gutenberg author| id=Abraham+Lincoln | name=Abraham Lincoln}} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12462 | |||
| | title = A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents: Volume 6, part 1: Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | author = Richardson, James D. (compiler) | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2517 | |||
| | title = Lincoln's Yarns and Stories | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | title = Abraham Lincoln: a History | |||
| | year = 1890 | |||
| | first = John | |||
| | last = Hay | |||
| | authorlink = John Hay | |||
| | coauthors= ] | |||
| }} | |||
| ** {{cite web | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6812 | |||
| | title = Volume 1 | |||
| }} (1835 to 1905) | |||
| ** {{cite web | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11708 | |||
| | title = Volume 2 | |||
| }} (1832 to 1901) | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1815 | |||
| | title = The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | year = 1907 | |||
| | last = Nicolay | |||
| | first = Helen | |||
| }} (1866 to 1954) | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6811 | |||
| | title = The Life of Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | year = 1901 | |||
| | first = Henry | |||
| | last = Ketcham | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | title = Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | year = 1899 | |||
| | first = John T. | |||
| | last = Morse | |||
| }} | |||
| ** {{cite web | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12800 | |||
| | title = Volume 1 | |||
| }} | |||
| ** {{cite web | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12801 | |||
| | title = Volume 2 | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14004 | |||
| | title = The Every-day Life of Abraham Lincoln | |||
| | year = 1913 | |||
| | author = Francis Fisher Browne | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11728 | |||
| | title = Abraham Lincoln: The People's Leader in the Struggle for National Existence | |||
| | year = 1909 | |||
| | author = George Haven Putnam, Litt. D. | |||
| }} | |||
| * {{cite book | |||
| | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1713 | |||
| | title = Lincoln's Personal Life | |||
| | year = 1922 | |||
| | first = Nathaniel W. | |||
| | last = Stephenson | |||
| }} | |||
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| | before = ] | |||
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| | years = 1847 – 1849 | |||
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Revision as of 20:51, 9 March 2006
Template:SW Character Darth Vader (19 BBY – 4 ABY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is often considered one of the iconic villains of popular culture for his principal role in the Star Wars films: Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. However, the full exposition of Vader's story, across all six Star Wars films, reveals his character to be more complex than the standard villain archetype.
Template:Spoiler Born Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader is the tragic hero in the Star Wars films, and ultimately the central character of the series. He is the husband of Padmé Amidala and the biological father of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.
Through his role as the chief protagonist of the prequel movies and chief antagonist of the original three films, Vader has become an iconic villain (more than George Lucas ever intended), and was ranked third on American Film Institute's top 50 villains of all time list.
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 Return of the Jedi and the later prequel films, his fall from grace and eventual redemption are explored in greater depth. Indeed, Star Wars creator George Lucas has explained that he considers Vader a victim of the saga's true villain, Palpatine.
In the prequel trilogy, Anakin is believed to be the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith. He is taken as a young boy in 32 BBY 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 nearly unmatchable skills 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.
History
Overview
Son of Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker was born in 41.9 BBY. Shmi claims that there was no father and that her pregnancy with Anakin resulted from a virgin conception. Some viewers have drawn parallels between Anakin's origin and the New Testament stories of Jesus' conception and birth, as well as classic mythological stories. Jedi Master 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 all these issues were left deliberately ambiguous, and that it has been left for the audience to decide how Anakin was created. Still, controversy rages over Anakin's origins, and producer Rick McCallum's recent DVD commentary has added fuel to the fire.
After his fall, Vader is viewed as a cruel and frightening figure: his signature method of imposing terror is using the Force to strangle people. This may echo Vader's own frustration at his injuries. 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. Curiously, Admiral Piett survives Vader's wrath when he loses the Millennium Falcon in an asteroid field; Lucas characterizes this uncharacteristic mercy as a result of Vader's ambivalence about his son, Luke.
(Everything between the symbols "***" is also on an article called Anakin Skywalker.)
Childhood and discovery
Events described in this section occur in the film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. More information is available in the plot summary.
Anakin Skywalker 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 most things, 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."
Clone Wars
Events described in this section occur in the film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. More information is available in the plot summary.
Anakin, played by Hayden Christensen, is now a young adult and Obi-Wan's apprentice. Because 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. Yoda and the deceased Qui-Gon feel Anakin's Force presence turn "dark," and fear that this marks the beginning of the end for Obi-Wan's young apprentice. 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 arena, they profess their 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
Events described in this section occur in the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. More information is available in the plot summary.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, Dooku uses the Force to choke and then fling Obi-Wan aside, forcing Anakin to face the Sith Lord alone. It is a short duel, and one which Anakin wins relatively easily. Dooku is continuously pushed back, taken off guard by the force behind each blow, and Anakin neatly sears off both of the Sith apprentice's hands. Palpatine then commands Anakin to behead the stunned Count. Anakin complies, but instantly regrets it; to kill a defenseless prisoner is not the Jedi way. Palpatine, though, reassures Anakin that Dooku "was too dangerous to be kept alive." After rescuing the Chancellor, Anakin finds that the flagship is in critical condition, and with some help from Obi-Wan, barely manages to safely land it on an airstrip.
Back on Coruscant, Padmé tells him she is pregnant. Though initially overjoyed, Anakin is plagued by prophetic visions of her death in childbirth — much like the one he had of his mother just before she died.
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 a disarmed and seemingly helpless Palpatine. Windu declares the Dark Lord under arrest, but Palpatine defiantly unleashes a torrent of Force lightning at Windu. The Jedi Master deflects the lightning with his lightsaber, scarring and deforming Palpatine's face into a wizened mask of wrinkled skin. The attack continues unabated until Palpatine suddenly tires, giving Windu a chance to strike a death blow. Palpatine cowers, begging Anakin to save him. Anakin pleads with Windu to spare Palpatine's life under the pretext of due process; Windu refuses, saying that Palpatine is too dangerous to be kept alive. Windu prepares to deliver the final blow, but Anakin then severs Windu's sword hand with his own lightsaber.
As Windu screams in agony, Palpatine springs to life and hurls another torrent of lightning at the Jedi Master, electrocuting him before throwing him out the window to his apparent death. Realizing the enormity of what he has done, Anakin is stricken with guilt, but he is too emotionally drained to resist Palpatine's 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 renamed Darth Vader.
Vader's first task as a Sith Lord is to assault the Jedi Temple and to kill everyone inside, even the youngling children. He does this without question, slaughtering venerable Jedi and children alike. He is then sent to Mustafar to assassinate Nute Gunray and other Separatist leaders. After completing this task, he is met by Padmé, who pleads with him to flee Palpatine's grasp with her. He refuses, saying that the two of them can overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Obi-Wan, who had hidden himself on Padmé's ship, suddenly emerges and confronts Vader. Suspecting betrayal, Vader angrily uses the Force to choke Padmé, leaving her unconscious on the landing platform. The former partners and friends then engage in a ferocious lightsaber duel throughout the mining complex. Vader tries to engage his master with a Force jump. Obi-Wan is prepared, however, and severs Vader's remaining limbs in midair, leaving him for dead on the hot sands. As Vader tries to drag himself up the bank and away from the lava river, he suffers immolation: nearly fatal burns and extensive lung damage from inhaling superheated air. Miraculously, Vader manages to crawl up the bank away from the lava river and, through sheer will and connection to the Force, lingers on until rescued by Palpatine, who sensed Vader's impending defeat after his own duel with Yoda.
Palpatine revives Vader with extensive cybernetic enhancements, including a respirator and a fearsome breath mask. Palpatine then tells Vader that, in his anger, he has killed his own wife. (In fact, Padmé died in childbirth on Polis Massa after delivering healthy twins.) In a state of shock, 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. Overwhelmed with grief by the belief that he has killed his wife (and, presumably, his unborn child), the only thing that remains in his life is his service to his master, the new Emperor of the galaxy.
Although Vader remains a formidable warrior (second only to Palpatine in his dark side potential), the grave injuries he sustains during the duel with Obi-Wan greatly reduce his power with the Force; as Vader, he is a mere shadow of his former Jedi self. Lucas claims that had Vader not been dismembered, he would have been twice as powerful as Palpatine, but that he is only 80% as powerful post-Mustafar.
The events of Revenge of the Sith also had a significant effect on Anakin's identity. 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. The novelization of Revenge of the Sith, on the other hand, clearly makes the point that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. While Lucas justified his replacement of Sebastian Shaw with 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
Events in this section take place during Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. For more information, see the plot summary
Nineteen years later, 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 if he escapes with Luke and company it would be too late, he sacrifices himself by leaving himself open to Vader's attack and becomes a spirit in the Force in order to guide Luke.
By putting a homing beacon on the Millennium Falcon, Vader traces Luke, Han and Leia to the rebel base at 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 distracted by Han Solo who is piloting the Millennium Falcon just in time to save Luke. His ship collides with Black 3, his remaining wingman, and is sent hurtling into space, ultimately sparing his life, as the Death Star is destroyed moments later.
Battling his son
Events described in this section occur in the film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. More information is available in the plot summaryVader is now at the forefront of the continuing attempt to suppress the Rebellion. He has already known about Luke Skywalker, and is desperate to find him. He leads the imperial troops on a full military assault on the rebel base hidden at the ice world of Hoth, and then pursues 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.
Vader uses his influence to make 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 Luke, cutting off his right hand. He then reveals his true identity of being Luke's father, 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.
Redemption of Anakin Skywalker
Events described in this section occur in the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. More information is available in the plot summary.In the final installment of the series, but the third to be produced, Vader is charged with overseeing the completion of the second Death Star, with Moff Jerjerrod as his immediate subordinate. 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 from a dying Yoda 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 mechanical 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 perilously close to suffering his father's fate. 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 and throws him into a deep shaft, where he explodes in a fury of dark energies. By destroying both the Emperor and himself (as Darth Vader), Anakin fulfills the prophecy that claimed he would bring balance to the Force, but he is mortally wounded by the Emperor's lightning in the process.
Moments from death, Anakin 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 is a sad, withered man in his mid-forties, his skin ghostly pale from not having seen natural light 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 that the good within him was not destroyed after all. Luke escapes with his father's body as the Death Star explodes, destroyed by the Rebel Alliance.
That night, Luke burns his father's Sith armor (and whatever remains inside) 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
Events described in this section occur in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. More information is available in the linked articles for any given story.In the young adult series The Last of The Jedi, Boba Fett, at the 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. Vader is expected to at least make cameo appearances in the upcoming Star Wars live-action TV series, which is slated for either a 2007 or 2008 release, and will run 100 episodes.
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, in 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 the second time, and combats him in a lightsaber duel for the first time 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 among the Star Wars fanbase.
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 takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In the story, Prince Xizor, leader of the crime organization Black Sun, plots to overthrow Vader as the Emperor's second in command. The story also gives more insight into Vader's thoughts and ambitions, as it reveals that he knows there is some good left in him and that he wishes to heal his body through the force in an attempt to return his physical appearance to that of his former self (Anakin).
Vader 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.
Even taking the Expanded Universe into account, Darth Vader appears to have been one of the last Sith Lords to use the title "Darth".
Possible interpretations of the Jedi prophecy
The Jedi Prophecy is a frequent source of debate among fans. In particular, Anakin's status as the Chosen One is regularly disputed. His role in the destruction of the Jedi was an ancillary one, as much of the plan was already underway long before Anakin's fall; indeed, it began with the invasion of Naboo, when he was only a child. Still, Anakin's pivotal role is indisputable, ranging from his intervention in Windu and Sidious's duel in the Chancellor's office, to the enormous influence that his progeny wield in the original trilogy as well as the Expanded Universe.
Many fans argue that Anakin fulfilled the Jedi Prophecy by bringing a new "balance" to the Force by nearly eliminating the Jedi. In this viewpoint, the Jedi and the Sith metaphorically represent two opposing weights on a scale, with an excess of either disrupting the balance of the Force. Adherents of this view find it particularly noteworthy that, by the end of Episode III, there is a precisely equal number of Jedi and Sith: Obi-Wan and Yoda, Sidious and Vader. Frequently cited as evidence for this interpretation is Yoda's warning to Obi-Wan that the prophecy "misread, could have been." In the Episode III DVD featurette "The Chosen One," Lucas summarizes as follows: "The Prophecy is that Anakin will bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. He becomes Darth Vader; Darth Vader does become the hero, Darth Vader does destroy the Sith; meaning himself and the Emperor. He does it because he is redeemed by his son." Lucas gave a similar explanation in the final VHS release of the original trilogy in November 2000: " Episodes IV, V and VI,...Anakin's offspring redeem him, and allow him to fulfill the Prophecy, and bring balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith, and getting rid of evil in the universe."
It is presumed that the Chosen One of the Jedi Prophecy must be of virgin birth (as Anakin allegedly was), since Yoda for instance, despite his historical number of midi-chlorians, is never regarded as a candidate for the prophecy. However, the exact text of the prophecy is never revealed in the films, so it may not be possible to conclude that the Chosen One must be born of a virgin. One possible piece of evidence supporting this theory comes from an early draft of A New Hope. A quote was originally to precede the "A Long Time Ago" text:
- ...and in a time of greatest despair,
- there shall come a savior, and he shall
- be known as the Son of the Suns.
- Journal of the Whills 3:127
Indeed, at the conclusion of Episode I and Episode VI, a voice in the cheering crowd can be heard to cry out "The Son of Suns!", thus giving weight to this being a possible portion of the prophecy.
Also, Vader's story goes hand in hand with the old "Sithari" prophecy, which was briefly mentioned in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, in which it is said that one Sith would destroy the Jedi, then lead the Sith to greatness, but, at the same time, ensure their utter destruction.
Yet another view held by only a small amount of fans claims that the idea of "balance" in the Force has nothing to do with either there being an equal number of Jedi and Sith or necessarily just the destruction of the Sith. Instead advocates of this particular view believe that the "balance" in the Force is the balance between positive and negative energy throughout the universe. They claim that the average sentient being contributes a sizable amount of negative energy to the universe throughout their lifetime by means of what we would call normal and natural emotions like anger, jealousy, etc. Multiplied by the trillions of beings in the Star Wars universe, this amounts to a massive dark side shift in the cosmic balance. Theoretically, a relatively small number of beings dedicated to pure good and service of the light side of the Force are able to balance against all the negative energy contributed by everyone else and maintain relative balance in the universe. The presence of the Sith, it is believed, serves to once again tip the cosmic scale in favor of the dark side. Therefore the claim that in order to have "balance" in the Force that there should be no Sith is relatively justified based on this particular viewpoint
Lightsaber training
Anakin Skywalker was trained by the Order's most promising Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Through him, Anakin would inherit a rich tradition of lightsaber pedigree. Anakin's style featured elements of many masters that made him outstandingly talented at a very young age.
Anakin Skywalker was trained in classic Form V (Shien) lightsaber combat. An aggressive style which focuses on strength and lightsaber attack moves, Shien takes the defensive principles of Form III (Soresu), the style practiced by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and converts them to offensive moves. With Anakin's exceptionally high concentration of midi-chlorians, he mastered Shien faster than any other Padawan in the Order. By the time of Attack of the Clones, Anakin began to believe he was one of the best swordsmen in the Order. However, Anakin's frequent application of Form V, a style that tends to foster an inappropriate focus on dominating others, clouded his judgment and pulled him to the dark side of the Force frequently during his numerous battles in the Clone Wars.
Ultimately Anakin would learn his lesson against Count Dooku at the Battle of Geonosis. No match for the seasoned focus and skills of Dooku's Form II Makashi swordplay, a style of elegance and precision, Anakin lost his right forearm and was only narrowly saved by Master Yoda at the end of Episode II. Appreciative at last of how much he had to learn, Anakin spent the next three years of the Clone Wars honing his Form V skills. Apart from Shien, Skywalker mastered Djem So during the Clone Wars, a Form V style beyond the classic Shien. According to Count Dooku in Revenge of the Sith novelization, Anakin's mastery of Djem So was the greatest he had ever seen in his life.
In the rematch with Count Dooku at the Battle of Coruscant, Anakin's mastery in Djem So, combined with his young age, better physical condition, impressive strength, and considerable reserve of Force energy, enabled Anakin to tear through the precision and elegance of Makashi and break through Dooku's tenacious defense. By defeating Dooku, who was at the time the second greatest lightsaber duelist in the galaxy, Anakin accomplished what Kenobi had failed to achieve twice. Anakin seemed to have proven his mastery of the Force, and established himself as one of the greatest swordsmen in the Order, next to only Yoda.
As a Sith Lord, Vader is known to have used both a blue lightsaber (usually a color of Jedi lightsabers) and a red lightsaber (a color more typical of the Sith).
Loss to Obi-Wan
Anakin's fatal flaw was his rage. Though younger, more athletic, and gifted with more raw Force power than Obi-Wan, he lacked the experience, calmness, and focus which his master possessed. Kenobi held a psychological edge since it was he who traditionally would win in their sparring days. Though Anakin could call on the Dark Side to overpower his opponents, his mounting emotions could also distract him from executing as well as his master. Whereas Anakin's strength lay in his offensive barrage, Kenobi's resided in his defense. Obi-Wan was the greatest defensive master in the Order and his absolute dedication to Soresu would prove vital to his win. Frustrated by his inability to break this defense, Anakin would make mistakes that he wouldn't have made had he been able to remain focused and patient. Like his duel with Grievous, Kenobi would rely on his "wait them out" philosophy. That is to rely on Soresu entirely until there is a hole in the opponent's offensive barrage, and to immediately slash away with some broad Ataru strokes. In both cases this resulted in the detachment of his opponent's limbs. But in the end of the ferocious battle on Mustafar, Anakin held the upper hand in his fighting skills until the point where Kenobi placed himself on higher, solid ground. At that point, Anakin's fatal mistake was not in his prowess, but in his mind.
Swordplay as Darth Vader
In his mechanical life-support suit, Darth Vader could no longer engage in the energetic acrobatics of Ataru. For the remainder of his life, he would maintain his mastery of Form V Djem So and Shien. He also experimented in some Form II Makashi, used by Count Dooku, as evidenced by his formal one-handed duel against Luke Skywalker on Cloud City. Taking the proper lessons from his loss to Kenobi, he apparently learned how to control his emotions when in combat, finding a way to call upon the power of the dark side while not being blinded by emotions run amok.
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 was born with the highest known midichlorian count (a measure of Force-aptitude) in the history of 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. The delicate electrical systems of Vader's suit are the reason he cannot create Force lightning, as Dooku and Palpatine could ( Note: In the Star Wars comic book Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Darth Vader can be seen using Force lightning. )
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 (because there is a Force power in Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords called Force Deflection that allows the player to block blaster bolts without a lightsaber), 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 skulls of savage animals and bludgeoning opposing Jedi to their knees with one blow.
Anakin was trained in Form V lightsaber combat by Obi-Wan, one of the greatest swordsmen in the galaxy, and quickly developed incredible skill in the form, which he retained even after his fall to the dark side.
In battle, Darth Vader lacked the mobility and ease he once had, but his bionic suit gave him sheer strength. His blows were forceful even when using only one arm to fight. He was calm when fighting, rarely using acrobatics. He struck to kill and used psychology and his appearance to intimidate his foes. When striking with both hands on the grip of his lightsaber, he was able to pound his enemies with an onslaught of strong but somewhat slow strikes. This fighting style contrasted with Anakin's style before his disfigurement, which utilized more speed and acrobatics. This a fairly accepted explanation for the less-elaborate saber fighting in the original trilogy as compared to the prequel trilogy. Luke's less-developed saber skills were ostensibly a result of his minimal training. While most padawans were trained from early ages for at least a good 15 years, Luke started very late. However, the most widely accepted explanation for the slower combat of the original trilogy is the lack of "film magic" in the 1970s, considering Obi-Wan also fought slowly in A New Hope at age 57, despite Count Dooku fighting with intense speed in the prequels at age 80+.
Armor and cybernetic enhancements
Even before his transformation into Vader, Anakin was a cyborg: he had a prosthetic installed after his natural right forearm was severed while dueling with Count Dooku on Geonosis in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. As a result of his later 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 meters) 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 and hands are made with a unique micronized iron that can deflect anything short of a lightsaber blow. His famous mask and helmet, resembling the head of an ancient Sith droid, contain various vision- and auditory-enhancing equipment, as well as the respirator that causes the Dark Lord's ominous breathing sound.
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.". 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, perhaps in a show of foresight by Palpatine, the system is vulnerable to Force lightning, contributing to Vader's death in Return of the Jedi.
The suit's susceptibility to Sith lightning is the likely reason behind Vader never using the attack. Also, since the suit is apparently not grounded or shielded against electricity, it is theorized that a simple ion blaster, normally used on errant droids, would be able to fry the electronics in Vader's suit. Since no character ever attempted to assault Vader with an ion blaster, this remains speculation.
Portrayals
- Hayden Christensen - Age 22 (Revenge of the Sith)
- David Prowse - Ages 41, 44, 45 (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi)
- James Earl Jones - Ages 22, 41, 44, 45 (voice) (Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi)
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. 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 original three Star Wars films in 1997. In 1978, Prowse and Jones returned as Vader in The Star Wars Holiday Special, as well as to shoot new footage that was released with the Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game, when it was released in 1996.
Behind the scenes
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 iconic 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.
In a 2005 interview, George Lucas was asked the origins of the name "Darth Vader", and replied: "Darth is a variation of dark. And Vader is a variation of father. So it's basically Dark Father." (Rolling Stone, June 2, 2005). "Vader" is the Dutch word for "father", and the German word for "father" (Vater) is similar. However, in the earliest 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. (In A New Hope, Obi-Wan refers to him as "Darth", implying that at that point in the series, Darth Vader was a personal name rather than a Sith title.)
Lucas took the name "Anakin", which in Sanskirt means "warrior", 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 represent formerly good men who were corrupted by evil, dress in black, have a supernaturally fearsome presence and a hidden, pale form, are kept alive unnaturally, and serve at the hands of Dark Lords.
The scene in which Vader is reborn as a cyborg is compared to 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, "Darth Koopa" from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, "Dark Laser" from The Fairly Odd Parents, "Darth Butch" from Neglected Mario Characters, an episode of Codename: Kids Next Door where President Jimmy dressed in black and now devoted to evil takes over the school and country singer Darth Brooks in Late Night With Conan O'Brien. 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, and his name is mentioned when the issue of Vala's immaculate birth is brought up. Marty McFly in Back to the Future (dressed up in a radiation suit) pretended to be "Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan" in an effort to get his science-fiction loving dad to date his mom.
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." 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 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.
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.
Two significant office buildings in Brisbane, California are highly visible landmarks by the San Francisco Bay. The ominous looking one made of all dark reflective glass has been dubbed the Darth Vader building. The other is the architecturally acclaimed Dakin building, a brilliant white futuristic antithesis, is known int the San Francisco Bay area as the Luke Skywalker building.
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
- "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 any other method of intimidating or killing those who frustrated him."
- "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 , 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 Special Edition script reference that supposedly establishes the disappearance of his body is in text of the scene where Luke cremates his father's armor. The Special Edition script refers to it as empty armor, while the original script refers to it as his father's body. It should also be noted that in the Jedi Academy trilogy Dark Apprentice by Kevin J. Anderson, Luke specifically states that his father's body had disappeared in the same way as Yoda's and Obi-Wan's. However, in the commentary for the Return of the Jedi DVD, Lucas refers to the funeral pyre scene as Luke burning his father's "body."
- The Visual Dictionary of Star Wars, Episode III (ISBN 0756611288)
- "Lord Vader's Chestplate", Star Wars Technical Commentaries. (This page discusses the common belief that the text that appears on Darth Vader's chestplate may be Hebrew)
- 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 hard that he deserves some recognition. It’s ridiculous to preserve the myth that it’s all done by one man."
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, 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. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-43481-4
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2002. Dr. 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
- Darth Vader at the Star Wars Databank
- Darth Vader on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
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Succeeded byLumiya and Flint |