Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader
Star Wars character
Darth Vader (David Prowse), as portrayed in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Position	Jedi Knight, Dark Lord of the Sith
Homeworld	Tatooine
Species	Human
Affiliation	Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire
Portrayed by	see below

Darth Vader, also known as Anakin Skywalker, is a fictional character in the Star Wars saga,^[1][2][3][4] appearing as the chief antagonist in the original trilogy and one of the main protagonists in the prequel films. He appears as Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith, in the original film trilogy; Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the subsequent prequel films depict him as Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight who falls to the dark side of the Force. Before his fall to the dark side, Vader fathers both Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa; Luke ultimately redeems his father in Return of the Jedi, and Anakin sacrifices himself to save his son.

Numerous actors have portrayed the character, whose appearances (in one form or another) span all six Star Wars films, The Clone Wars animated series, video games, novels, and comic books.

Appearances

Films

Original trilogy

Darth Vader is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) as a ruthless cyborg pursuing the film's protagonists. Vader is charged with recovering technical schematics of the Death Star stolen by the Rebel Alliance, who seek to overthrow the Empire. Vader's old Jedi master, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), tells Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) that Vader "betrayed and murdered" Luke's father. Obi-Wan and Luke — along with smugglers Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and droids R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) — help Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) escape the Death Star. Vader kills Obi-Wan in a lightsaber duel, and later escapes the Death Star's destruction during the film's climactic battle scene.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), set three years later, depicts Vader leading an Imperial starfleet in pursuit of the Rebels. Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Vader's Sith master, tells Vader that "the offspring of Anakin Skywalker" must not become a Jedi; Vader promises to turn Luke to the dark side or kill him. To this end, Vader captures Leia, Han, Chewbacca and C-3PO on Cloud City, using them as bait for Luke, who has by now been partially trained in the Jedi arts by Yoda (Frank Oz). During their lightsaber duel, Vader cuts off Luke's right hand and reveals that he is Luke's father; he then entreats Luke to convert to the dark side and help him overthrow Palpatine. Horrified, Luke throws himself into Cloud City's reactor core, ultimately escaping aboard the Millennium Falcon. Onboard his Star Destroyer, Vader telepathically tells Luke that it is his destiny to join the dark side.

Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi (1983)

In Return of the Jedi (1983), Luke learns from a dying Yoda that Vader is indeed his father; Obi-Wan's spirit, meanwhile, tells him that Vader was originally Anakin Skywalker, that Leia is his twin sister, and that he must confront his father to save the galaxy. Luke surrenders himself to Imperial forces, hoping to turn his father back "to the good side". Vader brings Luke onto the second Death Star, where Palpatine tries to seduce Luke to the dark side. During their duel, Vader learns Leia's true identity and threatens to turn her to the dark side if Luke will not submit. Enraged, Luke attacks and overwhelms Vader, severing his mechanical right hand. At the last minute, Luke realizes he is dangerously close to suffering his father's fate, and refuses Palpatine's command to kill Vader and take his place as a Sith apprentice. An enraged Palpatine unleashes a torrent of Force lightning upon Luke, who begs his father for help. The sight of his son's suffering breaks the dark side's hold on Vader, who kills Palpatine by throwing him into the Death Star's reactor core; in the process, however, he is mortally wounded by Palpatine's lightning. The redeemed Anakin Skywalker asks Luke to remove his helmet; in his dying breaths, Anakin tells his son that there was good left in him after all. Luke escapes with his father's body, which he burns in a funeral pyre. That night, as the Rebels celebrate the destruction of the Death Star and, with it, the Empire, Luke sees the spirit of Anakin Skywalker standing alongside the spirits of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda.

Prequel trilogy

Anakin Skywalker as portrayed by Jake Lloyd in The Phantom Menace (1999), Hayden Christensen in Attack of the Clones (2002), and Sebastian Shaw in Return of the Jedi (1983). Shaw was digitally replaced with footage of Christiansen for Return of the Jedi's 2004 DVD release.

Anakin Skywalker appears as a nine-year-old slave in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999). He is raised on the planet Tatooine by his mother, Shmi (Pernilla August), who says Anakin had no father, implying miraculous birth.^[5] He is a gifted pilot and engineer, and has the ability to "see things before they happen". He even creates his own protocol droid, C-3PO. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) meets him after an emergency landing on Tatooine and becomes convinced the boy is the "Chosen One", foretold by a Jedi prophecy as the one who will bring balance to the Force. Anakin wins his freedom in a podrace, but is forced to part with his mother. Qui-Gon brings Anakin to the Jedi Council, who forbid training on the grounds that the boy's future is clouded by the fear he exhibits. During the film's climax, Anakin helps defeat the Trade Federation by destroying their command ship. After Qui-Gon is killed in a duel with Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Park), his apprentice, the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), promises to train Anakin, a proposal the Jedi Council reluctantly accepts. During the film, Anakin forms a close bond with Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), Naboo's elected queen.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), set 10 years later, depicts Anakin as Obi-Wan's Padawan learner. Palpatine, the Galactic Republic's chancellor, assigns Anakin and Obi-Wan to investigate an assassination attempt made on Padmé, who is now a senator. Anakin travels with her to Naboo, where the two of them fall in love; she rebuffs his advances, however, saying that the relationship would never work because of their respective duties to the Republic. Shortly afterward, Anakin has a vision of his mother in pain, and goes to Tatooine, where he learns that Shmi had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. He goes to the Tusken camp, where he finds his mother, beaten and tortured beyond help; she dies in his arms. Seized by a violent rage, Anakin slaughters the entire tribe, including the women and children. He returns with his mother's body, and tearfully confesses to Padmé, who forgives him. Soon after, Anakin and Padmé travel to Geonosis, hoping to rescue Obi-Wan from Jedi-turned-Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and his army of Separatists; instead, they are captured and sentenced to die. Anakin and Padmé confess their love for each other moments before being rescued by an army of clone troopers and Jedi. Anakin loses his right arm in a lightsaber duel with Dooku; it is replaced with a prosthetic. At the end of the film, Anakin and Padmé marry in a secret ceremony.

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith (2005)

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), set three years later, Anakin is a Jedi Knight and hero of the Clone Wars. He and Obi-Wan lead an attempt to rescue Palpatine, who has been kidnapped by Dooku and the Separatist leader General Grievous (Matthew Wood). During the rescue, Anakin kills Dooku in cold blood at Palpatine's urging. When he returns to Coruscant, he meets with Padmé, who tells him she is pregnant with his child. That night, he has a vision of Padmé dying in childbirth; he fears it will come true, as it is similar to visions he had of his mother before she died. Meanwhile, Palpatine names Anakin his representative on the Jedi Council; the Council, suspicious of Palpatine's dictatorial power in the Senate, denies Anakin the customary rank of Jedi Master, and ask him to spy on Palpatine, whom Anakin considers a friend.

Ultimately, Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the mastermind behind the war, and that the dark side holds the power to save Padmé's life. Conflicted, Anakin reports Palpatine to Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson). Despite orders to remain behind, Anakin follows Windu to the chancellor's office to ensure Palpatine is captured alive. He walks in on Windu about to kill a disarmed Palpatine, and severs Windu's lightsaber arm. Palpatine then kills Windu with a blast of Force lightning, and Anakin pledges himself to the Sith as Palpatine's apprentice, Darth Vader.

Palpatine sends Vader to kill everyone inside the Jedi Temple and then to assassinate Separatist leaders on Mustafar, paving the way for Palpatine to transform the Republic into the tyrannical Galactic Empire. Padmé meets him there and 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. When Obi-Wan emerges from Padmé's ship, Vader accuses her of conspiring against him and uses the Force to choke her into unconsciousness. Vader then engages Obi-Wan in an epic lightsaber duel, which ends with Obi-Wan severing Vader's legs and left arm. Vader then slides too close to a lava flow and catches fire, sustaining severe burns, and Obi-Wan leaves him to die. Under medical care on Polis Massa, Padmé delivers twins — Luke and Leia — and dies, having lost the will to live.

Palpatine rescues Vader and reconstructs his apprentice's ruined body with the cybernetic limbs and black armor first seen in A New Hope. When Vader regains consciousness, Palpatine tells him Padmé died as a result of Vader's anger; this revelation breaks what remains of Vader's spirit, and he screams in torment. He is last seen alongside Palpatine and Grand Moff Tarkin (Wayne Pygram) viewing the construction of the first Death Star.

Expanded Universe

Animation

In the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003), Anakin (voiced by Mat Lucas) is made a Jedi Knight despite the Council's reservations. During the next three years of fighting in the Clone Wars, Anakin becomes a legend throughout the galaxy, renowned as "The Hero With No Fear". Anakin's adventures in the Clone Wars are also chronicled in the Star Wars: Republic comic series. In the 2008 animated film The Clone Wars and the subsequent television series, Anakin (voiced by Matt Lanter) takes on Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein).

Literature

Vader appears numerous times in Marvel Comics' Star Wars series (1977–1986). Vader's Quest (1999) depicts Vader hiring a bounty hunter to bring him information about the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, ultimately meeting Luke for the first time; in Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978), Vader and Luke duel, and Luke cuts off Vader's right arm.^[6] Shadows of the Empire (1996) reveals that Vader is conflicted about trying to turn his son to the dark side of the Force, and knows deep down that there is still some good in him.

In James Luceno's Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (2005), set a few months after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Vader disavows his identity as Anakin Skywalker as he systematically pursues and kills the surviving Jedi and cements his position in the Empire. The novel also reveals that Vader plans to eventually to overthrow Palpatine, and that he betrayed the Jedi because he resented their supposed failure to recognize his power.

The redeemed spirit of Anakin Skywalker appears in The Truce at Bakura (1993), set a few days after the end of Return of the Jedi. He appears to Leia, imploring her forgiveness. Leia condemns him for his crimes and banishes him from her life. He promises that he will be there for her when she needs him, and disappears. In Tatooine Ghost (2003), Leia learns to forgive her father after learning about his childhood as a slave and his mother's traumatic death. In the Dark Nest Trilogy (2005), Luke and Leia uncover old recordings of their parents in R2-D2's memory drive; for the first time, they see their own birth and their mother's death, as well as their father's corruption to the dark side. In The Unifying Force (2003), Anakin tells his grandson, Jacen Solo, to "stand firm" in his battle with the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong. In Bloodlines (2006), Jacen — who has himself turned to the dark side — uses the Force to "watch" Anakin slaughter the children at the Jedi Temple and become Darth Vader.

Video games

Darth Vader plays a central role in The Force Unleashed (2008). He is playable in the first level of the game, where he and his armies invade Kashyyyk to hunt down a rogue Jedi. Vader kills the Jedi and protects the man's young Force-sensitive son, whom he raises as his secret apprentice. Vader sends this apprentice — the game's protagonist — on various missions to planets throughout the galaxy, with an ultimate goal to assassinate Palpatine so that he and his apprentice can rule the galaxy. Toward the end of the game, however, it is revealed that Vader isn't planning to overthrow Palpatine at all, and that he is just using his apprentice to expose the Empire's enemies. At the game's climax, the player chooses between attacking Palpatine to help his friends escape the Death Star or killing Vader to become the Emperor's new apprentice.

Vader is a playable character in other games, including Lego Star Wars: The Video Game , Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy , Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Soulcalibur IV, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Star Wars: Empire at War and its Forces of Corruption expansion, and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. Vader is an active but non-playable character in Star Wars: Galaxies.

Characteristics

In Attack of the Clones, Skywalker feels "smothered" by Obi-Wan Kenobi and is unable to control his life.^[7] However, their "father-son" friction transforms into a more brotherly relationship in Revenge of the Sith.^[8] Once Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, each evil act he commits makes it harder for him to return to the light^[9] – nevertheless, Vader struggles to escape the dark side and redeem himself.^[10]

Eric Bui, a psychiatrist at Toulouse University Hospital, argued at the 2007 American Psychiatric Association convention that Anakin meets six of the nine diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD), one more than necessary for a diagnosis. He and a colleague, Rachel Rodgers, published their findings in a 2010 letter to the editor of the journal Psychiatry Research. Bui says he found Anakin Skywalker a useful example to explain BPD to medical students.^[11] In particular, Bui points to Anakin's abandonment issues and uncertainty over his identity. Anakin's mass murders of the Tusken Raiders in Attack of the Clones and the young Jedi in Revenge of the Sith count as two dissociative episodes, fulfilling another criterion. Bui hoped his paper would help raise awareness of BPD, especially among teens.^[11]

Concept and creation

The first draft of Star Wars includes a tall, grim general named Darth Vader; the character came closer in line with his final depiction in the second revision.^[6] A character named "Anakin Starkiller" also appears in an early draft of Star Wars, playing a role similar to Luke Skywalker's, as the 16-year-old son of a respected warrior.^[12] Vader's menacing mask was originally designed by Ralph McQuarrie as part of Vader's spacesuit, and not intended to be part of the regular costume.^[6]

For The Phantom Menace, series creator George Lucas made Anakin nine years old to make the character's departure from his mother more poignant.^[12] Movie trailers for The Phantom Menace focused on Anakin, and a one-sheet poster showing him casting Vader's shadow informed otherwise unknowing audiences of the character's eventual fate.^[13] The movie ultimately achieved a primary goal of introducing audiences to Anakin, the saga's main character.^[1]

Portrayals

Bodybuilder David Prowse's size and stature allowed him to fill out the large Vader costume in the original Star Wars trilogy, although stunt performer Bob Anderson portrayed Vader during the intense lightsaber fight scenes in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.^[6] Sebastian Shaw originally portrayed the unmasked Vader in Return of the Jedi, although stock footage of Hayden Christensen replaced Shaw's appearance of Vader as a ghost in the 2004 DVD release. James Earl Jones, who provided the voice of Darth Vader, was initially uncredited in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back because he felt his contributions were too small to warrant recognition.^[6]

Jake Lloyd was chosen from over 3,000 prospective child actors to play Anakin in The Phantom Menace.^[14] Casting director Robin Gurland initially thought Lloyd was too young to play the role; however, upon another meeting several years later, Gurland believed Lloyd was an appropriate choice for the part.^[14]

Hayden Christensen played Skywalker in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith; he also donned Darth Vader's armor for the final scenes of the third prequel. Mat Lucas voiced Anakin for the Clone Wars animated series and in various Star Wars video games. Matt Lanter voiced the character in the CGI The Clone Wars film and subsequent TV series.

Cultural Impact

Darth Vader's iconic status has made him a synonym for evil in popular culture. The American Film Institute listed him as the third greatest movie villain in cinema history on 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains, behind Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates.^[15] Darth Vader was also ranked number two on Empire magazine's 2008 list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters.^[16] Premiere magazine also ranked Vader on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.^[17] On their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked Vader at number 6.^[18]

Anakin's origin story in The Phantom Menace has been compared to signifiers of African American racial identity,^[19] and Skywalker's dissatisfaction with his life has been compared to Siddhartha's before he became Gautama Buddha.^[20] A Mexican church advised Christians against seeing The Phantom Menace because it portrays Skywalker as a Jesus figure.^[21]

A slime-mold beetle of the genus Agathidium is named after Vader,^[22] and several buildings across the globe are regularly compared to him.^{[23][24][25][26][27][28]}

A grotesque of Darth Vader looms over the south side of the Washington National Cathedral's northwest tower.^[29]

During the 2007-08 NHL season, Ottawa Senators goaltender Martin Gerber performed so well in an all-black mask that fans endearingly termed him "Darth Gerber".^[30]

Politics

Many commentators and comedians evoke his visage to satirize politicians and other public figures, and several American political figures have been unflatteringly compared to the character. For example, Al Gore referred to Tele-Communications Inc.'s John C. Malone as the "Darth Vader of cable",^[31] and political strategist Lee Atwater was known by his political enemies as "the Darth Vader of the Republican Party".^[32]

Dick Cheney

Jon Stewart impersonating Darth Vader in front of a backdrop depicting the Eye of Sauron, talking to Dick Cheney

On June 22, 2006, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney referred to himself as the Darth Vader of the Bush administration. Discussing the administration's philosophy on gathering intelligence, he said to CNN's John King, "It means we need to be able to go after and capture or kill those people who are trying to kill Americans. That's not a pleasant business. It's a very serious business. And I suppose, sometimes, people look at my demeanor and say, 'Well, he's the Darth Vader of the administration.'"^[33]

Jon Stewart put on a Darth Vader helmet to address Dick Cheney as a "kindred spirit" on The Daily Show on January 25, 2007.^[34] Cheney's wife, Lynne, presented Stewart with a Darth Vader action figure on her appearance on the show on October 10, 2007. Both Stewart and Stephen Colbert have occasionally referred to Cheney as "Darth Cheney". In the satirical cartoon show Lil' Bush, Dick Cheney's father is portrayed as being Darth Vader. At her presidential campaign event on September 19, 2007, Hillary Rodham Clinton also referred to Cheney as Darth Vader. At the 2008 Washington Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner, Cheney joked that his wife Lynne told him that the Vader comparison "humanizes" him. George Lucas told New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, however, that Cheney is more akin to Emperor Palpatine, and that a better stand-in for Vader would be George W. Bush.^[35] An issue of Newsweek referenced this quote, and compared Bush and Cheney to Vader and Palpatine, respectively, in a satirical article comparing politicians to various Star Wars and Star Trek characters.^[36]

Film and television

Many films pay homage to Anakin Skywalker's Darth Vader alter ego. Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985), dressed in a radiation suit, calls himself "Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan" to convince the past version of his father to ask his mother to a dance. Rick Moranis plays "Dark Helmet" in the Star Wars parody Space Balls (1987). In Chasing Amy (1997), Hooper X speaks at a comic convention about Darth Vader being a metaphor for how poorly sci-fi treats black people; he is especially offended that Vader, the "blackest brother in the galaxy", reveals himself to be a "feeble, crusty old white man" at the end of Return of the Jedi. In Robots (2005), a mute robot tries several discarded voice boxes, one of which gives him Vader's voice (provided by James Earl Jones) and a Vader-like mouth grill. In Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Vader makes a non-speaking appearance next to Oscar the Grouch.

Television parody characters include "Duck Vader" from Tiny Toon Adventures; "Darth Benkyou" in an episode of Doraemon; "Dearth Nadir" for The Muppet Show's "Pigs in Space" sketch; "Girth Plotz" (Thaddeus Plotz) in the Animaniacs episode "Star Warners"; Bowser's alter-ego "Darth Koopa" from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!; "Dark Laser" in The Fairly OddParents; "Dark Vegan", the leader of the planet Vegandon on Johnny Test; Stewie Griffin's portrayal of the character in the Family Guy episodes "Blue Harvest" and "Something, Something, Something Dark Side"; "Darth Chef" in the South Park episode "The Return of Chef"; Lord Uniscorn in an episode of Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends; "Dark Fater" in the upcoming Fanboy and Chum Chum TV movie Food Storm.

See also

• "The Imperial March" – the theme music that accompanies Darth Vader's appearances in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

References

• Bortolin, Matthew (2005). The Dharma of Star Wars. Wisdom Publications. http://books.google.com/books?id=81PJ6ohmZhcC&lpg=PA147&dq=%22anakin%20skywalker%22&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Bowen, Jonathan L. (2005). Anticipation: The Real Life Story of Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace. iUniverse. http://books.google.com/books?id=W1oyiL-Je6MC&pg=PA2&dq=%22anakin+skywalker%22&hl=en&ei=_UVkTIS9KMP18AaN9tzrCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBzgK#v=onepage&q=%22anakin%20skywalker%22&f=false. 

Notes

Further reading

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Novelization, 1st edition paperback, 1999. Terry Brooks, George Lucas
• 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
• Vader: The Ultimate Guide, 2005.
• Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1998. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-3481-4
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1999. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-4701-0
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2002. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-8588-5
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2005. James Luceno, ISBN 0-7566-1128-8

External links

• Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars Databank
• Darth Vader in the Star Wars Databank
• Anakin Skywalker on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars Wiki
• Darth Vader and Date Masamune