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Revision as of 00:21, 11 June 2004 by 67.171.166.178 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Darth Vader is a fictional character from Star Wars.
| File:Vader.jpg | |
| Darth Vader | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | None(Formally Blonde) |
| Species | Human |
| Year of Birth | 19 BBY(Technically), 41 BBY (Biologicaly) |
| Affiliation | Sith, Galactic Empire |
After Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side of the Force, he became Darth Vader, the brutal second-in-command of Palpatine, the emperor of the Galactic Empire. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, he defeats and kills (at least in body) the now-elderly Obi-Wan Kenobi in a lightsaber battle, whilst Luke Skywalker and his motley crew assist Princess Leia to escape with the plans to the Death Star. He then appears again piloting a distinctive TIE starfighter and almost prevents Luke's successful starfighter attack on the Death Star.
Vader confronts Luke in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and tells Luke that he, Vader, is his father. Vader tells Luke to join him. Vader tells Luke that they can destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son. Luke refuses to join Vader and escapes. For those interested in the saga, this represented a significant change in direction, as the ultimate symbols of good and evil were now understood to have a deeper connection that would demand some final resolution.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi sees Vader attempt to persuade Luke to join thim. When this fails, Vader takes him to the Palpatine himself. After fighting another lightsaber battle, Luke refusing to attack Vader and all the while attempting to persuade him to come back to the light side of the Force. Finally, Vader telepathically examines Luke's mind and realises that Leia is Luke's sister (and thus his daughter), and threatens to turn her to the dark side if he should fail with Luke. Luke finally reacts with anger, and cuts off Vader's robotic hand. The Emperor then again calls on Luke to join the dark side and kill Vader, but Luke refuses. The Emperor uses the dark energy of the Force to electrocute Luke. In these final momements, Darth Vader ceases to exist as Anakin Skywalker returns.
It is also worth noting that "Vader" is the Dutch word for "father", and it may be tempting to read the character name "Darth Vader" as "Dark Father", a word-play that may well be the root of the Sith title.
See also: The Skywalker family
Darth Vader in the Expanded Universe
According to the Alan Dean Foster novel Splinter Of The Mind's Eye (which takes place shortly after the events in A New Hope), Vader first faces Luke face-to-face on the planet Mimban, where he discovers that it was Luke (whom Vader does not yet know is his son) that destroyed the Death Star, and both enter lightsaber combat. Luke defeats Vader and throws him into an abyss (the most avid Star Wars fan can only assume Vader escapes Mimban and recovers from his duel).
Darth Vader as a cultural figure
- During a major renovation, Washington National Cathedral held a competition for children to design new gargoyles for the west towers. One winner was a design featuring Darth Vader (see external links).