Star Wars hasn’t gotten everything right since Lucasfilm was acquired by Disney in 2012, but one of the biggest things they have gotten right is the franchise’s most prominent character: Darth Vader.
He hasn’t been the main focus of many stories, but when he has appeared he is a nearly untouchable threat, a true horror that reinforces just how fearsome of a foe he is. His recent appearance in Maul – Shadow Lord was as great as ever, showing him fight two Jedi and Maul with ease. But that isn’t the first time.
In Rebels, Vader appeared in a handful of episodes in season two, called in to deal with the Spectres and their two Jedi, Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. He fights them with ease, at one point using the Force to nearly have Bridger decapitate himself until Jarrus intervened. Later, Vader pursued them in his TIE Advanced fighter, taking on an entire squadron of fighters by himself – only to discover that his former apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, was alive. That led to a long-awaited showdown on Malachor between Vader and Ahsoka.
Next up was Rogue One, where Vader again had a smaller role – but one that left an impact. After a scene of him speaking with – and threatening – Director Krennic, he next appeared at the end of the film pursuing the stolen Death Star plans. This led to the now-iconic hallway scene, of Vader mowing down rebels in pursuit of the plans.
Vader makes brief but impactful appearances in the video games Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor. In the first, he kills the Third Sister for her failure and then pursues Cal Kestis, who doesn’t even try to fight but flees instead. In the second game, he face Cere Junda, who actually puts up quite a fight but is killed by the Dark Lord.
Then there was the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, in which Vader hunted down his former master after they each learned the other was alive. They faced off twice in the series, with Vader winning the first and Kenobi winning the second. Both fights were epic, and throughout the series Vader played a key role starring opposite the Jedi Master.
And then, of course, there is the most recent appearance in Maul: Shadow Lord, where he shows up to deal with the Jedi – and, most importantly, Maul. The entire final episode is basically one long lightsaber duel, and Vader fends off the attacks with ease, ultimately killing Jedi Master Eeko-Dio Daki.
I haven’t even mentioned yet the comics and books and VR experiences, or the vision sequences in Ahsoka, which include further exploration of Vader’s character. The point is that in pretty much every appearance of the Disney era, Vader has been practically perfectly portrayed. The terror, the power, the rage, the suffering – it’s all there. This matters for at least two reasons, both of which make the overall Star Wars saga even better.
(1) First, this highlights just how fearsome of a threat Darth Vader is. We see enough evidence of this in the original trilogy to understand that he’s a powerful villain, but these other stories help us to better understand and see it. For those who know who Vader is, the sheer terror and fear that comes across them when they encounter the Dark Lord is palpable. His rage and sheer brute force is nearly unmatched. His dominance in lightsaber combat makes most duels seem like little more than saber practice, and his prowess with the Force is remarkable. These stories help us realize how strong Vader really is.
(2) Second, this drives home why Luke Skywalker was the only one who could save Anakin Skywalker. With how strong of a foe Vader is, there are very few who can match him in strength. A few exceptions from this Disney era of storytelling stand out: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano both managed to hold their own against Vader, even seriously wounding him. Both managed to cut off half of Vader’s mask, leaving his breathing labored, but though both tried to reason with Anakin, neither were able to bring him back to the light. Perhaps together they could have removed the full mask – in poetic fashion, they removed separate sides of the helmet – but they could not individually. The point is that though they could rival Vader in power, they could not save Anakin. If Anakin’s former master and former apprentice, two of the very closest friends and allies he had, were not able to redeem him, then who could? His son. The significance of Luke Skywalker’s role isn’t that he was one who could rival Darth Vader in power – though by the time of Return of the Jedi that might well be true – but that he was the one who could actually get through to Anakin Skywalker in love. With these other stories showing how strong and seemingly irredeemable Vader is, it makes Luke’s arc in the original trilogy that much greater.
In short, the franchise’s handling of Darth Vader over the past decade has been practically perfect.
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