Darth Vaderis easily one of the greatest villains, not just in theStar Warsuniverse, but of all time. Mainly because he is sympathetic, as well as detestable. And now, after taking a closer look atDarth Vader’s story, it’s easier than ever to see things from his point of view.
InStar Wars: Age of Rebellion - Darth Vader#1 by Greg Pak and Ramón Bachs, Darth Vader comes into his own within the bureaucratic structure of the Empire. Anakin Skywalker famously never liked politics, and certainly didn’t like following the rules. In the end, his out-of-the-box thinking was more or less always rewarded. That is not the case for Darth Vader in the Empire.
The Empire has no patience for Vader’s inability to follow a chain of command, so the Emperor gives Darth Vader a new task: learn how to be a bureaucrat. Darth Vader needed to get comfortable taking orders from high-ranking Imperials for the sake of the Empire as a whole. This madeVader reflect on his past, which allowed fans to see his story in a whole new light.
Darth Vader Has Always Been A Slave in Star Wars Canon
When Emperor Palpatine orders Darth Vader to follow the commands of other Imperials in thisStar Warscomic book, he comes to a grim realization: he’s always been a slave. Emperor Palpatine, and the entirety of the Empire by extension, is simply Darth Vader’s latest in a long line of ‘masters’ who own him.
Anakin Skywalker was born into slavery on Tatooine, and since his mother was still a slave as an adult, it’s fair to assume that he would have also been Watto’s slave for the rest of his life. Anakin was instead ‘saved’ by the Jedi, but that just meant a new person, and entity, to call master.
Anakin got a taste of freedom by rebelling against the Jedi Order and marrying the love of his life, Padmé Amidala, but he had to keep it a secret from literally everyone in the galaxy, meaning it wasn’t even real freedom. And even that was taken away from him upon his fall to the dark side.
Granted, Anakin was to blame for losing Padmé, but he thought Palpatine and the dark side of the Force were his only pathways to being truly free for the first time in his life. Unfortunately, the opposite was the case, as Anakin Skywalker (now Darth Vader) didn’t achieve true freedom, but instead had a new master: Emperor Palpatine and the Empire.
When the Emperor told Vader that he had to start following the orders of insignificant bureaucrats, Vader realized that he was trapped in a cruel cycle where he was permanently a slave, destined never to be free.
Darth Vader Killing Jedi was a Rebellion Against Former Oppressors
Darth Vader realizes that he is a slave to the Empire during the events of this comic, but this isn’t the first time he comes to that realization. In the early days of the Empire, when Anakin Skywalker had only been Darth Vader for a year,Vader was obsessed with hunting down and killing Jedi. That was the case for one deceptively simple reason: revenge.
Darth Vader wanted vengeance for all the years he was a slave to the Jedi, which was what fueled his galactic murder spree. In those early days, Vader hadn’t yet concluded that he was still a slave to a different master; he thought he was finally free, and the only way to keep his freedom was to eradicate the Jedi.
He was a slave to Watto before becoming a slave to the Jedi, and before he understood that he was still a slave to Emperor Palpatine, Vader wanted to destroy his former slavers. That’s what makes this particularStar Warscomic so impactful, as it details the moment when Vader sees that the Empire is not the key to his salvation, but rather another form of his perpetual oppression.
Darth Vader Has Only Ever Been Free for 1 Moment in Star Wars
This realization is part of the eternal torment Darth Vader suffers, and this comic puts a spotlight on the moment when Vader truly comes to terms with that grim reality for the first time in his life. However, little did Darth Vader know during the events of this comic, he wasn’t destined to be a slave forever, as there’s one moment inStar Warswhen he is truly free.
InStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader chooses to return to the light side of the Force to save his son, Luke Skywalker, from being killed by his master, Emperor Palpatine. Vader ends the cycle he has been trapped in all his life. Helping his son marked the first and only time Darth Vader, or Anakin Skywalker, was a slave to no one.
Sadly, moments after earning his freedom, Anakin Skywalker dies from the injuries he sustained fighting Emperor Palpatine. The cost of freedom is his life, but Anakin is able to die a happy man, having chosen to die with freedom rather than live as a slave.
Anakin Skywalker’s ultimate sacrifice finally meant that he was no longer a slave. But, again, that was only true for the last moments of his life. For all the years he was alive, Darth Vader had been a slave to numerous masters, one of whom was the Jedi. And, for that reason,Darth Vader’s crusade against the Jedi is something anyStar Warsfan can understand.
