Height 202 cm Eyes Gray Weapon Red Lightsaber, Dark Side of the Force Vehicle TIE Fighter, Executioner Affiliation Galactic Empire, Sith Actor Hayden Christensen (II,III), David Prowse (IV-VI), James Earl Jones (voice, III-VI), Sebastian Shaw (VI, Darth Vader face and spirit)

In the original trilogy, Vader is presented as the cunning and cruel leader of the army of the Galactic Empire, which rules the entire Galaxy. Vader appears as Emperor Palpatine's apprentice. He uses the dark side of the Force to destroy the Rebel Alliance, which seeks to restore the Galactic Republic. The prequel trilogy chronicles the heroic rise and tragic fall of Vader's original personality, Anakin Skywalker.

The name “Darth Vader” is similar to the name “Dar Veter” from the novel by I.A. Efremov “Andromeda Nebula” (1957).

Appearances

Original trilogy

In the original trilogy Star Wars Darth Vader is the main antagonist: a dark, ruthless figure willing to capture, torture, or kill the film's heroes to prevent the collapse of the Empire. On the other hand, Darth Vader (or, as he is otherwise known, the Dark Lord) is one of the greatest figures in the Star Wars universe. As one of the most powerful Sith, he is endeared to many fans of the anthology and is a very charismatic character.

New hope

Vader is tasked with recovering the stolen Death Star plans and finding the Rebel Alliance's secret base. He captures and tortures Princess Leia Organa and is present when Death Star commander Grand Moff Tarkin destroys her home planet of Alderaan. Soon after, he fights with lightsabers with his former master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who arrived on the Death Star to save Leia, and kills him (Obi-Wan becomes a Force spirit). He then meets Luke Skywalker at the Battle of the Death Star, and senses his great ability in the Force; this is confirmed later when the youth destroys the battle station. Vader was about to shoot down Luke with his TIE Fighter (TIE Advanced x1), but an unexpected attack Millennium Falcon, piloted by Han Solo, sends Vader far into space.

The Empire Strikes Back

After the destruction of the rebel base "Echo" on the planet Hoth by the Empire, Darth Vader sends bounty hunters. bounty hunters) in search of the Millennium Falcon. Aboard his Star Destroyer, he executes Admiral Ozzel (who was a completely incompetent commander) and Captain Niida for the mistakes they made. Meanwhile, the Mandalorian Boba Fett manages to discover the Falcon and track its progress to the gas giant Bespin. Finding that Luke is not on the Falcon, Vader captures Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and C-3PO to lure Luke into a trap. He makes a deal with Cloud City administrator Lando Calrissian to hand Han over to bounty hunter Boba Fett, and freezes Solo in carbonite. Luke, who at this time is being trained in the use of the Light Side of the Force under the guidance of Yoda on the planet Dagobah, senses the danger threatening his friends. The young man goes to Bespin to fight Vader, but is defeated and loses his right hand. Vader then reveals to him the truth: he is Luke's father, and not Anakin's killer, as Obi Wan Kenobi told young Skywalker, and offers to overthrow Palpatine and rule the Galaxy together. Luke refuses and jumps down. He is sucked into a trash chute and thrown towards Cloud City's antennas, where he is rescued by Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, C-3PO and R2-D2 in the Millennium Falcon.

Return of the Jedi

Vader is tasked with overseeing the completion of the second Death Star. He meets with Palpatine aboard the half-completed station to discuss Luke's plan to turn to the Dark Side.

At this time, Luke had practically completed his training in the art of the Jedi and learned from the dying Master Yoda that Vader was indeed his father. He learns about his father's past from the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and also learns that Leia is his sister. During an operation on the forest moon of Endor, he surrenders to Imperial forces and is brought before Vader. Aboard the Death Star, Luke resists the Emperor's call to give vent to his anger and fear for his friends (and thus turn to the dark side of the Force). However, Vader, using the Force, penetrates Luke's mind, learns of Leia's existence and threatens to turn her into a servant of the Dark Side of the Force in his place. Luke gives in to his rage and nearly kills Vader by cutting off his father's right hand. But at that moment the young man sees Vader's cybernetic hand, then looks at his own, realizes that he is dangerously close to his father's fate, and curbs his anger.

Vader's costume design was influenced by the costume worn by Lightning, a villain in the television series Fighting the Devil's Hounds, and Japanese samurai masks, but also featured similarities between Vader's armor and the costume of Marvel Comics supervillain Dr. Death.

Vader's iconic breathing noise was created by Ben Burtt, who breathed through an underwater mask with a small microphone in the regulator. He initially recorded many variations of breath sounds, from rattling and asthmatic to cold and mechanical. The more mechanical version was mostly chosen, and the more rattling version was chosen in Return of the Jedi, after Vader was fatally damaged by Sidious' Force lightning. Originally, Vader was supposed to sound like an emergency room, with clicks and beeps while he was in frame. However, it turned out that this was too distracting, and all this noise was cut down to just breathing.

One of the canon changes regarding the suit was that by 4 ABY, Vader's left shoulder was completely artificial, and in 3 ABY, after his encounter with Luke on Bespin, he noted that his right shoulder had healed well. Since the bionic shoulder could not heal, Vader's right shoulder would still be made of his own flesh, although previously, on Mimban, right hand Vader was amputated from the shoulder. This information may be somewhat incorrect, since throughout Episodes 2 and 3, we see how Anakin Skywalker first lost his right arm below the elbow (in a fight with Dooku (replaced with a prosthetic in the same Episode 2) and then lost left hand below the elbow, and both legs below the knees (duel with Obi-Wan), which were also replaced with prosthetics at the end of Revenge of the Sith, during Anakin's final transformation into Darth Vader. However, whether Vader spoke of this healing literally, sarcastically or metaphorically is unknown. Another change was that in Episode III, Vader's completely new suit was made different from the original design, although only slightly to give it a new, newly created look. Several small changes to the length of the neck and shoulder joints gave Vader's movements a more mechanical appearance. Another change in canon is that Vader's chest panel changed slightly from III to IV and from IV to V and VI. The canonical reason for this has not yet been stated. Additionally, this control panel contained ancient Jewish symbols, which some fans believe translate to "His deeds will not be forgiven until he deserves it."

The costume has been referenced several times in the Expanded Universe. For example, in the Star Wars Legacy comics, Cade Skywalker appears wearing a pair of pants very similar to some of Vader's clothing. Also in Star Wars Unification, when Mara tries on wedding dresses, one of them looks like Vader's armor. Leia tells the designer that the reason Mara rejected him is because "The bride doesn't want to dress like the groom's father."

Secret student

According to the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed project, immediately after the events of Episode 3, Darth Vader took as his apprentice the son of a Jedi, whose potential in power far exceeded his own. Vader wanted, with the help of his student, to overthrow the Emperor and seize power in the Empire, and in order for the student to become stronger, Darth Vader ordered him to destroy the 66 Jedi who remained alive after the order was executed. Later, the secret student, nicknamed Starkiller, realized his mistake and switched to the light side. After this, having received the trust of the rebels, he vowed to lead them in this battle, but they were found by Darth Vader, who captured the rebels, but Starkiller was able to escape. He vowed to take revenge on his former teacher. Arriving at the Death Star, he fought with the Sith Lord, severely maiming him, but still died at the hands of Emperor Palpatine and thereby saved the rebels.

David Charles Prowse is a British film and television actor, ex-bodybuilder and former successful weightlifter, best known to the film community as the performer of the role of one of the canonical antagonists in the history of world cinema, Darth Vader.

Outside of Star Wars

In the United Kingdom, the performer became famous for playing the role of a superhero - the fearless Man of the Green Cross Code. David Prowse was born on the first day of July 1935 in Bristol, where he spent his childhood and youth, studying at a local grammar school. Before the unprecedented trilogy, the actor managed to star in A Clockwork Orange and appear in The Show

Most famous role

The most famous character played by the actor is the physical embodiment (without voice acting) of Darth Vader - one of the key characters in the film epic “ Star wars" The image of the knight of good who defected to is undoubtedly recognizable, and the line “Luke, I am your father” became a quote that firmly entered the lives of ordinary people, becoming an excellent motive for the existence of countless parodies, jokes and memes.

David Prowse spoke his character's dialogue during the filming of each episode of Star Wars, but later the creators invited James Earl Jones and re-voiced Vader. Their decision was explained by the fact that, according to the characteristics, Dart should have a booming, deep, “dark” timbre of voice, while Prowse had a not at all intimidating voice and a pronunciation with a noticeable Devonshire accent. For the peculiarities of his pronunciation, the actor received the mocking nickname “Darth Farmer”. And Jones recorded all the antagonist's lines in one day, receiving a fee of $8,000.

Another disappointment

To somewhat calm the actor's indignation, the creators promised him that his real face would be captured at the climax of the Return of the Jedi episode, when, according to the script plan, Vader would be a ghost. But here, too, the authors of the project lied, failing to keep their promises, ultimately using Sebastian Shaw instead of Prowse.

Due to his extraordinary strength, during the filming of the first part of the trilogy, David Prowse continuously broke in the fight scenes. Therefore, the creators decided to find him a backup - a professional fencer. It was Bob Anderson, a British fencer, stuntman and film actor who trained many famous performers for combat scenes with swords, rapiers, and rapiers.

The darkest part

The Empire Strikes Back (the fifth episode in the franchise) was not only the darkest of the three, it was a real challenge for Prowse. The intensity of passions and disagreements between the actor and the creators was caused by the most striking scene, in which Vader admits to Luke that he is his son. The unexpected plot twist became one of the most famous in the history of world cinema. This moment During the production of the film, it was kept in the strictest confidence, only five people knew about it: D. Lucas himself, director I. Kershner, screenwriter L. Kasdan, M. Hamill (the actor playing Skywalker) and D. E. Jones, who voices Darth. All others, including David Prowse (the beautiful Leia) and H. Ford (the brave Han Solo), learned the content of the dialogue only after the premiere of the film. During the filming of the confession sequence, Prowse recites a memorized line given to him by the screenwriter, which sounds like "Obi-Wan killed your father", with the end result being the text "I am your father" written by Johnson. After the premiere, a private conversation took place between the actor and Kershner, in which the angry performer tried to explain to the director the inappropriateness of his action. After all, knowing the real text and understanding its semantic meaning, David could have played the scene differently. This unpleasant incident during the production of the film “The Empire Strikes Back” completely disappointed the performer.

Later, knowing that during the end of the filming process of episodes V and VI his voice would be replaced, he deliberately pronounced his lines in a funny way, making others laugh. This, of course, displeased the creators and completely ruined the relationship between them and the performer.

David Prowse - Darth Vader forever!

Subsequently, Prowse returned to the image of his character more than once. For example, he played the role of the Dark Lord of the Sith in commercials for the video games Star Wars: The Interactive Board Game and Star Wars Monopoly.

Currently, in a media interview, he admitted that he did not even watch the trailers for subsequent episodes of the epic. David Prowse simply ignores films where his character was played by other performers and claims that he is not at all interested in continuing the franchise. At the same time, the performer gladly accepts invitations from various festivals dedicated to the legendary trilogy. For example, he regularly attends the Star Wars Generations festival, which takes place annually in the French town of Cussé. Fans of the franchise from all over Europe come there to show off their hand-made outfits and equipment of their favorite characters.

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

15. He had a military rank

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

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

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

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

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

12. He had three teachers and many secret students

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

11. He tried to learn to breathe without a helmet

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

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

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

9. Darth Vader was played by seven actors

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. This is the most profitable Star Wars character

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

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

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

Preliminary Note: This article is intended for the voracious fans of the Star Wars film epic and is not to be taken too seriously, it is simply a different perspective on this classic franchise, as well as one of the most revered villains to ever appear on the silver screen.

Darth Vader undoubtedly used the dark side of the Force to strangle a number of his fellow soldiers, as well as those who stood in the way of the Empire seeking complete dominance in Star Wars. But was he, in fact, 100% a villain, or, in to a greater extent, a powerful pawn caught in the middle of an intergalactic chess game that began thousands of years earlier between the Jedi and the Sith?

In fact, Vader at the end of the film Return of the Jedi fulfilled the “prophecy”, again tilting the balance in favor of the Force, killing the Emperor, who represented the forces of evil, and saving the life of his son Luke. It probably took him 30 years, but he returned back to the person he was before he put on the mask, Anakin Skywalker, and perhaps during that time he discovered what was wrong with the Jedi , and among the Sith.

The debate here is not about whether Vader was a saint, we are talking about something else altogether - simply that the Jedi and Sith are just as guilty of his unholy actions as the war that is waged everywhere in these films, even in the most distant parts of this galaxy."

Now, before the internet rebels against this theory, let's look at the facts.

New direction

We're heading towards the December release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The Last Jedi), to the second series of the new trilogy, and here there may be a different point of view on the Jedi, even from the already iconic Luke Skywalker. They may not be seen as the completely pure heroes they have always been perceived to be.

Even in the first trailer for The Last Jedi, Luke (played by Mark Hamill) says, “The time of the Jedi is coming to an end.” This phrase may have huge amount meanings, although this is only part of a two-minute teaser. However, it is quite consistent with the debate that has been going on on the Internet since the return of Star Wars in 2015 with The Force Awakens.

Context

What could the title "The Last Jedi" mean?

The Telegraph UK 01/26/2017

What we learn from the new Star Wars trailer

Süddeutsche Zeitung 04/19/2017

Current themes of our time in Star Wars

Dagens Nyheter 12/15/2016

Star Wars is being sucked out of thin air

Süddeutsche Zeitung 12/14/2016

Why Star Wars - great movie

The Economist 06/10/2016
This film suggests that the new "Emperor-like" character Snoke is neither a Jedi nor a Sith, and the same applies to his apprentice Kylo Ren. But why is that? Shouldn't there be a division between light and darkness?

There are rumors, supported by some of the footage in the trailer (from here on out it's all about the subtleties and details for the very big fans), that in this film we'll probably learn more about the first Jedi, who existed thousands of years before those introduced events. They are neither light nor dark, and the perceived balance in the Force will be different from what we saw in the first six films.

Additionally, it appears that Luke may have learned that his father first joined Dark Side, and then began to train and make himself a Jedi - doubts arose as to whether a person, including a Jedi, could be completely on the side of good or evil. There are shades of gray, and if you take them out of life, then you end up with Darth Vader.

Anakin Skywalker

Let's look back a little at the time leading up to Luke's birth and focus on Darth's life in previous episodes.

Anakin Skywalker (played by Hayden Christiansen) was apprenticed to the Jedi, who told him that various kinds of attachments and emotions were not characteristic of their kind. They were peacemakers who did not have the right to marry or have children. They had a more important calling - to protect the galaxy from those whose sole purpose was to rule.

Everything is fine if we talk about feelings, but in life everything did not happen quite like that, and young Skywalker noticed this.

First of all, Anakin Skywalker married Padme (Natalie Portman) and then discovered that she would have a child with him. He also had a dream in which she died in childbirth, and so he began to search for a way to save his love and his unborn children. He was unable to do this with the help of the Jedi code and the advice of Master Yoda, but at that moment one of his mentors told him to spy on his friend. Does anyone see a problem here? Later, when Anakin himself is about to tell Mace Windu (Samuel Jackson) that his close friend and mentor, the Emperor, was the dark-powered Sith Lord they were looking for, he realizes that Mace instantly made the decision to have him kill him rather than bring him to court and give him a chance to face the law because, in his words, "he is too powerful to remain alive." And so Anakin takes action, overthrows Windu and declares his allegiance to the Emperor. He did some questionable things later (cough, cough, killed babies), but it was all in the name of love.

By no means did the Jedi act completely unbiased and only in accordance with their teachings, and he knew it. He may have been manipulated by Palpatine, but he was not helped much by his observations of what the other Jedi were doing. In his opinion, he made a choice in favor of the lesser of two evils.

"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is a villain!" - Obi-Wan tells him during their great battle on the planet Mustafar - this is the same battle in which Ovi-Wan cuts off all his limbs and leaves him at the moment when he is already engulfed in fire.

“In my opinion, the Jedi are the villains,” Anakin replies.

Return of the Jedi

Now let's look at Luke's journey and how the events of Return of the Jedi ended.

In the films leading up to Jedi, Luke was misled about what happened to his father and then told not to save his friends because he needed to continue his studies with Yoda. “Let them die, and you should improve your lightsaber skills,” was basically what he was told.

While he fights and defeats his father - now Darth - he again refuses to kill him or let him die and takes his place next to the Emperor based on the Sith code. After which the Emperor tries to kill Luke, but at this moment Darth intervenes in the events taking place.

Instead of watching his enemy (his son) die, he intervenes, ignoring both the Sith and Jedi codes and acts as his heart tells him. He kills his mentor, then dies himself, but saves his boy. That is, Darth Vader does all this for the sake of love, which was prohibited by the Jedi code, and thus he returns balance to the Force and the Galaxy. In addition, he may be creating a model for a new way of life - this is no longer the Sith or the Jedi, but the Grays.

It's similar to what Kylo Ren says in The Force Awakens when he looks at Darth's melting mask: "I will finish what you started, grandfather."

Ren is the son of Han Solo and General Leia, and in addition, he rebels against the teachings of the Jedi, leaves Luke's new academy and tries to eradicate the Jedi once and for all.

Wait, but he killed his own father. So what, he's clearly a bad guy. But is this true? Only time will tell.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively from foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.