Darth Vader

Due to his central role, Vader has entered the public consciousness as the quintessential villain. The time was changed again in early November to a January release date (with initial confusion given that many retail outlets got different release dates and information that didn't match), with a limited theatrical run before the release of the DVD. Frankenstein) brings him to life still in the restraints, which Vader breaks out of. But days before the United States release, Square Enix changed the date to November 2005, in a move that would indicate that Square Enix was trying to release the DVD during the lucrative holiday sales times. The scene in which Vader is reborn as a cyborg is compared to the the creation of the monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein—like Frankenstein, Vader lies on a table to be rebuilt, and when the task is complete, his master (like Dr. Originally, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was scheduled for a September dual-release in both Japan and North America, with Japan obtaining a special release of the DVD with more extras and collectable offers than the US release (which is the norm in Japan where rabid Otaku are known to pay more for collectables and there is a defined market for these items.) The official website for the English version of Advent Children even had a countdown clock to the release of the DVD. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings; both Vader and the Witch-King dress in black, have a supernaturally fearsome presence and a hidden, pale form, are kept alive unnaturally, and serve at the hands of Dark Lords. Once Jenova's cells are erradicated through the healing power of Aerith's Great Gospel, the illness is cured.

A resemblance has also been noted to the Lord of the Nazgûl, also called the Witch-King of Angmar, from J.R.R. Once implanted within the Lifestream and once the Lifestream breached the Planet's surface during the ending of Final Fantasy VII, Jenova's cells are distributed to the surface populace. (This is further alluded in Stephen King's Dark Tower novels in which so-called "Doombots" appear that wear green hoods and iron wolf masks, much like Doom, and carry lightsabers.) Similarities have also been noted with the evil brother Hakaider, from the manga and tokusatsu series Kikaider, and the Mule, a villain in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. This is also how materia/magic is made (since the Lifestream has infinite knowledge, in a concentrated form the knowledge is used as magic for living beings). One is the classic Marvel Universe supervillain Doctor Doom. Once the body dies, the stream within the body reconvenes with the larger stream, bringing back knowledge and information. As Vader fits the classic stock character of the Black Knight, some have noted that Vader bears more than a passing resemblance to other villains. The Lifestream gives life by breaking itself into smaller streams allowing people to live.

Lucas took the name "Anakin" from his friend and fellow film director, Ken Annakin. It is explained that the body itself has a Lifestream born of the larger Lifestream encompassing the planet. Judging by the origin of the other Sith names, Vader may also possibly be a derivative of the word "invader." In the movie's novelization Darth Sidious conjures the name from the Dark Side—"Darth Vader" is supposed to mean him, supposedly a nod to his status as the Chosen One. After Cloud and company defeat Sephiroth and Jenova inside the Northern Crater in Final Fantasy VII, Jenova's cells are distributed within the Lifestream. However, in the earliest scripts for Star Wars, the name "Darth Vader" was given to a normal Imperial general. What geostigma is exactly was widely speculated upon amongst fans of the game prior to the film's release; however, in the movie it was revealed geostigma is actually the negative side-effects of one's body overexerting itself in an attempt to purge Jenova's cells from within. "Vader" is the Dutch word for "father", and the German word for "father" (Vater) is similar. Geostigma is a term used to describe the illness plaguing the inhabitants of the film world of Advent Children.

So it's basically Dark Father." (Rolling Stone, June 2, 2005). This story was never released in English, which led to many fan-based sites to do their own translating [1]. And Vader is a variation of father. It helps to uncover some of the mysteries around the beginning of the movie, and its location. In a 2005 interview, George Lucas was asked the origins of the name "Darth Vader", and replied: "Darth is a variation of dark. Case of Tifa
Shortly after the release of Case of Denzel, Nomura and his team released a second story, Case Of Tifa, which consists of Tifa's account on what happened after Meteor was destroyed, up to and including part of Denzel's story. The iconic breathing sound of his respirator was created by sound designer Ben Burtt, who created the sound by simply recording himself breathing into an old Dacor scuba regulator. Denzel then goes on to tell his story of how he became an orphan, the events of that fateful day in which the Lifestream emerged to save the Planet from Meteor, when he got Geostigma, and how came into the care of Tifa, Cloud, and Marlene.

Vader's leitmotif is The Imperial March. He is interviewing to become part of Reeve's new World Restoration Order, an army devoted to rebuilding the Planet. It also resembles a German World War II-era Stahlhelm. One day Denzel shows up in Johnny's store to have a private meeting with Reeve Tuetsi. Vader's head gear resembles a Japanese kabuto (兜), which is consistent with the samurai-like order of the Jedi and kendo-like lightsaber duels. However, her attention is mostly focused on caring for the children orphaned by the many recent tragedies. This was later made permanent and incorporated in the story. Many started going to Tifa's new 7th Heaven, also rebuilt in Edge, because they saw her as something of a feature attraction.

It was initially imagined that Darth Vader would fly through space to enter the ship, necessitating a suit and breathing mask. Impressed by Tifa's decisiveness as to how to get on with life while everyone else still seemed at a loss, Johnny would start telling his customers stories about how wonderful Tifa was, and soon he lost business because of it. The current image of Vader was created when concept artist Ralph McQuarrie drew the opening scene where the Rebel ship Tantive IV was being boarded. Johnny, the bumbling regular of Tifa's 7th Heaven bar from the original game, has opened up his own bar in the newly built city of Edge. The character of Darth Vader was not originally planned to be a suited cyborg. Case of Denzel
These episodes are told indirectly through the perspective of Denzel, the young orphan featured in Advent Children. In 1978, Prowse and Jones returned as Vader in The Star Wars Holiday Special, as well as to shoot new footage that was released with the Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game, when it was released in 1996. Various fan translations are available online.

Andrew Nelson has also portrayed Vader at a number of events for Lucasfilm, as well as the videogame Rebel Assault II, and in new footage filmed for the Special Edition releases of the original three Star Wars films in 1997. Written by Kazushige Nojima, they are being released in episodes on the Japanese Advent Children website, and are currently only in Japanese. The character of Darth Vader also involved several stunt doubles, most notably fencing instructor Bob Anderson, who handled all of Vader's fight sequences in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.^[8] Industrial Light & Magic employee C. There is a small series of stories taking place between the time Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Mat Lucas supplied the voice for Anakin in the popular animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, as well as for the Star Wars video games that have depicted Anakin as an adult. A close up of his desk is shown with a new photograph of him and the AVALANCHE crew together (notable because the picture that was originally shown, only showed Tifa, Marlene, Denzel, and on the side; the new picture implies that Cloud is holding on to his new happiness) and a small bouquet of flowers (from the field shown earlier) laid in front of it. Jake Lloyd reprised his role by lending his voice to various video games that have featured the young Anakin. The last scene shows Cloud's desk at 7th Heaven filled with postcards, letters and photographs of the places he has visited.

Several different actors have portrayed the character. Cloud rides further into the horizon towards the flower field, smiling. However, perhaps in a show of foresight by Palpatine, the system is vulnerable to Force lightning, contributing to Vader's death in Return of the Jedi. We see her at first from the side, but she turns her head eventually to face the camera, and, many speculate, to face Cloud. In the climactic duel of The Empire Strikes Back, a blow from Luke's lightsaber appears to bounce off Vader's armor, eliciting a yell of pain from the Sith Lord. As the song reaches its climax, a flower field is shown that Cloud appears to be approaching and the camera pans out to show Aerith standing in this field. Besides the life support it provides his ravaged body, Vader's armor may also offer some moderate degree of protection against lightsabers. This scene features images of Cloud travelling on his motorcycle, Fenrir, through various landscapes.

The armor also enables him to breathe in vacuum while protecting him from the coldness of space. A small cutscene is shown after the main credits to "Calling" by Kyosuke Himuro. The center buckle features an audio enhancement unit built into the electromagnetic clasp. not alone.". On his left, he wears a respiratory sensor matrix. I'm.. The one on his right featured a temperature regulation system. Cloud watches them leave, smiles, and says, "Yeah..

On his belt, Vader wears two small system function boxes. She and Zack walk out the door and into the light, finally at peace. Upon closer examination, the chestplate has Hebrew lettering which has been translated as, "His deeds will not be forgiven, until he merits."^[7]. Knowing he is alright now, Aerith turns back and smiles at Cloud, revealing her face for the first time in the movie. Three slot-like dataports offered diagnostic checks of his pulmonary, respiratory and neural systems. Aerith stands up and walks to the door, where Zack is leaning. Vader's life support system includes a chest-worn, computerized control panel unit that regulates his respiratory functions. His eyes widen and his mouth falls open slightly.

His famous mask and helmet, resembling the head of an ancient Sith droid, contain various vision- and auditory-enhancing equipment, as well as the respirator that causes the Dark Lord's ominous breathing sound. Everything else stops. His gloves and hands are made with a unique micronized iron that can deflect anything short of a lightsaber blow. He then looks up and scans the church, doing a doubletake when he sees Aerith crouching by two children. He wears a suit of quilted, flexible, blast-dampening, multi-ply padding, and a cloak of armor weave. It is here where Cloud smiles for the first time in the movie. More visible durasteel plates cover his shoulders, upper body and shins. He cures Denzel, the last child with Geostigma, by bringing him into the newly formed pool in the middle of the church and pouring some water on Denzel's head.

Vader's armor is built around a plastoid girdle that protects his organic and synthetic internal organs. He awakens in Aerith's church in Sector 5, surrounded by his friends and the children. A towering figure, the suited Darth Vader is nearly 6 feet 8 inches (2.02 meters) tall. Cloud calls out, "Mother?" Aerith then replies "Again? I wonder how many times I've been called 'Mother' today?" Zack, seeing this, asks Aerith "Isn't it nice to be yearned for?" Finally, he explains to Cloud that his place isn't here with them, and that he must return home. As a result of his later disfigurement on Mustafar, Vader was substantially augmented with cybernetic implants: he must wear his armor at all times when he is not meditating in his pressurized containment-chamber. Lying in a blank expanse, Aerith puts her hand on Cloud's forehead. Even before his transformation into Vader, Anakin was a cyborg: he had a prosthetic installed after his natural right forearm was severed while duelling with Count Dooku on Geonosis in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Denzel and Marlene are shown in Tifa's bar holding hands and looking out the window, Denzel asking "Cloud is coming back...right?".

However, the most widely accepted explanation for the slower combat of the original trilogy is the lack of "film magic" in the 1970s, considering Obi-Wan also fought slowly in A New Hope at age 57 despite Count Dooku fighting with intense speed in the prequels at age 80+. Seeing the area where Cloud was fighting explode, the crew onboard the Sierra react in shock, and Tifa calls out to Cloud. While most padawans were trained from early ages for at least a good 15 years, Luke started very late. Loz and Yazoo raise their hands, a blue aura surrounding both of their arms, and as Cloud makes his swing, they unleash a final blast, and the explosion covers the entire roof. Luke's less-developed saber skills were ostensibly a result of his minimal training. He turns, his lips distorted into a snarl as he charges them, scraping his sword on the roof of the building. This a fairly accepted explanation for the less-elaborate saber fighting in the original trilogy as compared to the prequel trilogy. Cloud rises up again, ready for one last go.

This fighting style contrasted with Anakin's style before his disfigurement, which utilized more speed and acrobatics. As Cloud stands in the rain, smiling, he is suddenly shot from behind by Yazoo, who along with Loz, has survived the Turks' blast (although they too are being taken by the purifying water). When striking with both hands on the grip of his lightsaber, he was able to pound his enemies with an onslaught of strong but somewhat slow strikes. She says (referring to Aerith) "You were with us all along, weren't you? Thank you.". He struck to kill and used psychology and his appearance to intimidate his foes. A drop of water catches Tifa's eye, and she looks up, smiling. He was calm when fighting, rarely using acrobatics. The party onboard the Sierra are shown celebrating.

His blows were forceful even when using only one arm to fight. Rufus is shown in an alley, sitting in his wheelchair, surrounded by Elena, Tseng, Rude, and Reno, and is also cured by the healing rain. In battle, Darth Vader lacked the mobility and ease he once had, but his bionic suit gave him sheer strength. Scenes are shown throughout Edge of the sick children with Geostigma being cured with this rain, a large scale version of Great Gospel. Anakin was trained in Form V lightsaber combat by Obi-Wan, one of the greatest swordsmen in the galaxy, and quickly developed incredible skill in the form, which he retained even after his fall to the dark side. It begins raining. The Expanded Universe has shown him punching through the skulls of savage animals and bludgeoning opposing Jedi to their knees with one blow. Mistaking Aerith for "mother", he makes the motion of reaching out to the sky, and joyfully returns to the Lifestream, leaving Cloud behind, victorious.

Vader also has great physical strength, which he demonstrates in his first and last appearances in the original trilogy: lifting a Rebel captain by the throat with one hand in A New Hope, and picking up the Emperor and hurling him to his death in Return of the Jedi. Kadaj, dying in Cloud's arms, hears the voice of Aerith, telling him to return home. One explanation is that Vader used the Force (because there is a Force power in Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords called Force Deflection that allows the player to block blaster bolts without a lightsaber), while an Expanded Universe novel states that Vader's right glove was indestructible. Cloud says, "Stay there for me, trapped in memories" Sephiroth just smiles and replies, "I won't just be a memory..." before his wing wraps around him and crumbles, revealing a wasted away Kadaj. In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader was able to block Han Solo's blaster bolts with his hand. The defeated Sephiroth floats over Cloud with a newly formed single black-feathered wing. ^[6]. The new limit break consists of him manifesting 6 swords and dashing through Sephiroth with each one.) to defeat Sephiroth.

Vader's lack of organic hands is the direct reason he cannot create Force lightning, as Dooku and Palpatine could (Note: In the Star Wars comic book: Splinter of the mind's eye, Darth Vader can be seen using Force lightning. Cloud removes Sephiroth's blade from his shoulder, and states, "I pity you who understands nothing." Sephiroth leaps into the air and Cloud declares, "There's nothing that isn't important to me!" right before he leaps into the air, separating his sword into six pieces and performs a new Limit Break (Translates to " Omnislash Version 5," a variation of Cloud's infamous ultimate Limit Break from Final Fantasy VII. Had he sustained none of his injuries on Mustafar, he would have been about twice as powerful. Scenes of Aerith, Zack, Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel are flashed by. Lucas claims that, as a masked and suited Darth Vader, Anakin has roughly 80% of the power of the Emperor. He asks Cloud what is most important to him, so that he can have the pleasure of destroying it. However, Lucas states that his injuries on Mustafar cost Vader much of his Force potential. Sephiroth tires Cloud to exhaustion, and as Cloud collapses on a wall, Sephiroth stabs him below the shoulder.

He was born with the highest known midichlorian count (a measure of Force-aptitude) in the history of the galaxy, surpassing that of both Yoda and the Emperor. Sephiroth commenting that Cloud has become stronger. All of these skills, however, are secondary to his incredible mastery of the Force. An awesome fight scene follows, and Cloud battles Sephiroth for some time,including performing "Cross Slash" against him, but Sephiroth successfully dodged it. His talent with the lightsaber is legendary. He would use it to travel the stars until he finds another planet to crash into, just like Jenova did. Vader still possesses his former persona's amazing engineering skills, having overseen the design of the TIE/Advanced fighter and the construction of the second Death Star. Sephiroth reveals to Cloud that the spirits of people who died with Geostigma would stain the planet, thus allowing him to control it.

Darth Vader is a brilliant strategist and one of the greatest pilots in the galaxy. (background music changes to Sairin: Katayoku no Tenshi, a reprised, rock-orchestra version of One-Winged Angel). Taking the proper lessons from his loss to Kenobi, he apparently learned how to control his emotions when in combat, finding a way to call upon the power of the dark side while not being blinded by emotions run amok. Cloud jumps down after him, and tries to finish him with one strike, but Kadaj stops him by raising his hands and instantly transforms into Sephiroth while the Masamune forms in his grasp at the point of Cloud's impact. He also experimented in some Form II Makashi, used by Count Dooku, as evidenced by his formal one-handed duel against Luke Skywalker on Cloud City. However, instead of admitting defeat, Kadaj throws the container containing Jenova's remains Cloud, who slices it open out of reaction, allwoing Kadaj to absorb the contents as he falls. For the remainder of his life, he would maintain his mastery of Form V Djem So and Shien. Kadaj hangs from the edge of a building with one hand, with Cloud standing above him.

In his mechanical life-support suit, Darth Vader could no longer engage in the energetic acrobatics of Ataru. Kadaj drops his sword and falls from the building. At that point, Anakin's fatal mistake was not in his prowess, but in his mind. The Sierra flies off, which puts a small smile to Cloud's face, before he finally defeats Kadaj with his other Limit Break, Finishing Touch. But in the end of the ferocious battle on Mustafar, Anakin held the upper hand in his fighting skills until the point where Kenobi placed himself on higher, solid ground. Vincent reveals that Kadaj is in fact a "Larva" of Sephiroth, meaning that one day he would turn into Sephiroth. In both cases this resulted in the detachment of his opponent's limbs. However, Tifa and Vincent manage to convince everyone not to interfere, because this is Cloud's fight.

That is to rely on Soresu entirely until there is a hole in the opponent's offensive barrage, and to immediately slash away with some broad Ataru strokes. He had named it after his assistant Sierra (Shera in English localizations). Like his duel with Grievous, Kenobi would rely on his "wait them out" philosophy. Cloud continues to pursue Kadaj, and confronts him again in a one on one battle, which is almost cut short due to the rest of the party arriving in the Sierra, Cid Highwind's new airship. Frustrated by his inability to break this defense, Anakin would make mistakes that he wouldn't have made had he been able to remain focused and patient. This rain water is thought to be Aerith's final limit break, Great Gospel. Obi-Wan was the greatest defensive master in the Order and his absolute dedication to Soresu would prove vital to his win. A drop of water falls and Aerith's voice is heard, softly encouraging him "Let's go, Cloud".

Whereas Anakin's strength lay in his offensive barrage, Kenobi's resided in his defense. Water wells up from the created hole and rises into the air, both physically harming Kadaj and healing Cloud of his Geostigma. Though Anakin could call on the Dark Side to overpower his opponents, his mounting emotions could also distract him from executing as well as his master. He misses, but hits the still blooming flower garden. Kenobi held a psychological edge since it was he who traditionally would win in their sparring days. Cloud manages to catch up to Kadaj in the Church, where Kadaj tries to attack Cloud with magic. Though younger, more athletic, and gifted with more raw Force power than Obi-Wan, he lacked the experience, calmness, and focus which his master possessed. Its speculated that this is a sign of their friendship and also to show their grief for Aerith's death.

Anakin's fatal flaw was his rage. He removes his sleeve to reveal a pink ribbon which all of the party members have tied to their arms. By defeating Dooku when Kenobi had failed twice, Anakin seemed to have proven his mastery of the Force, and established himself as one of the greatest swordsman in the Order, next to only Yoda and Mace Windu. A duel on the cycles gives Kadaj a head start, and slashes at Cloud's infected arm. In the rematch with Count Dooku at the Battle of Coruscant, Anakin's mastery in Djem So, combined with his young age, better physical condition, impressive strength, and considerable reserve of Force energy, enabled Anakin to tear through the precision and elegance of Makashi and break through Dooku's tenacious defense. Rude had made a "refinement of Shinra technology," AKA strapping a bunch of TNT and fireworks together, which detonates and damages Loz and Yazoo. According to Count Dooku in Revenge of the Sith novelization, Anakin's mastery of Djem So was the greatest he had ever seen in his life. There is a chase scene on a partially constructed highway, where Loz and Yazoo both try and stall Cloud, who fail due to a timely arrival of Reno and Rude.

Apart from Shien, Skywalker mastered Djem So during the Clone Wars, a Form V style beyond the classic Shien. Before Kadaj can celebrate, he notices Cloud is hot on his tail. Appreciative at last of how much he had to learn, Anakin spent the next three years of the Clone Wars honing his Form V skills. Rufus is then saved by Tseng and Elena, who quickly shoot nets to break Rufus' fall. No match for the seasoned focus and skills of Dooku's Form II Makashi swordplay, a style of elegance and precision, Anakin lost his right forearm and was only narrowly saved by Master Yoda at the end of Episode II. Kadaj still manages to retrieve it but doesn't know it has been hit. Ultimately Anakin would learn his lesson against Count Dooku at the Battle of Geonosis. After a few missed shots, he manages to hit the box, causing its contents to spill.

However, Anakin's frequent application of Form V, a style that tends to foster an inappropriate focus on dominating others, clouded his judgment and pulled him to the dark side of the Force frequently during his numerous battles in the Clone Wars. Rufus changes his target to the falling Jenova container. By the time of Attack of the Clones, Anakin began to believe he was one of the best swordsmen in the Order. Kadaj leaps off the exploding buidling in order to try and save the box from hitting the ground. With Anakin's exceptionally high concentration of midi-chlorians, he mastered Shien faster than any other Padawan in the Order. He then quickly pulls out his shotgun out from his jacket, and begins to fire at the gas pipe above Kadaj's head. An aggresssive style which focuses on strength and lightsaber attack moves, Shien takes the defensive principles of Form III (Soresu), the style practiced by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and converts them to offensive moves. Surprisingly, Rufus easily dodges it, and in the process he loses the bandages covering his head and allows himself to fall of the ledge.

Anakin Skywalker was trained in classic Form V (Shien) lightsaber combat. He tosses it off the edge of the building, and in a blind rage Kadaj fires a materia blast at Rufus. Anakin's style featured elements of many masters that made him outstandingly talented at a very young age. He also reveals the remains of Jenova that is sealed in a black box, which he had been hiding on his lap under the blanket. Through him, Anakin would inherit a rich tradition of lightsaber pedigree. Meanwhile, Rufus reveals to Kadaj that he really isn't as weak as he was leading everyone to believe, jumping out of the wheel chair and throwing off the white blanket he had been wearing. Anakin Skywalker was trained by the Order's most promising Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. With that, he goes through Bahamut's Mega Flare and finally takes it down using his Limit Break "Climhazzard".

Therefore the claim that in order to have "balance" in the Force that there should be no Sith is relatively justified based on this particular viewpoint. He takes her hand, and she gives him the strength he needs to push through. The presence of the Sith, it is believed, serves to once again tip the cosmic scale in favor of the dark side. With the help of the entire party boosting Cloud into the sky toward Bahamut, Cloud has a vision Aerith reaching out to him, helping to get Cloud through Bahamut's largest attack. Theoretically, a relatively small number of beings dedicated to pure good and service of the light side of the Force are able to balance against all the negative energy contributed by everyone else and maintain relative balance in the universe. But, "Braver" is not powerful enough to defeat Bahamut. Multiplied by the trillions of beings in the Star Wars universe, this amounts to a massive dark side shift in the cosmic balance. At first, Cloud performs his limit break "Braver" to hit Bahamut down the ground.

They claim that the average sentient being contributes a sizable amount of negative energy to the universe throughout their lifetime by means of what we would call normal and natural emotions like anger, jealousy, etc. Bahamut wreaks havoc on the newly constructed Edge until Cloud joins in. Instead advocates of this particular view believe that the "balance" in the Force is the balance between positive and negative energy throughout the universe. Cloud nods as the boy turns to run back to the bar. Yet another view held by only a small amount of fans claims that the idea of "balance" in the Force has nothing to do with either there being an equal number of Jedi and Sith or neccessarily just the destruction of the Sith. Denzel then says he'll go back to the bar too, asking Cloud if he'll return. Indeed, at the conclusion of Episode I and Episode VI, a voice in the cheering crowd can be heard to cry out "The Son of Suns!", thus giving weight to this being a possible portion of the prophecy. Cloud tells Tifa that he returned Marlene to the bar, and that the sin feels lighter, to which she smiles.

In begetting Luke and defeating the Emperor in the Return of the Jedi he is fulfilling his massianic role, but none of this would be possible or even neccessary if he had not fallen from grace and become Darth Vader. The members each protect them in turn, finally with the arrival of Cloud on Fenrir.
On another level, the notion of balance and equilibrium which Skywalker was supposedly destined to restore could only exist if the force were disturbed in the first place. Denzel awakens from his zombie-like state after Denzel and Tifa are knocked unconscious from one of Bahmut's blasts. A quote was originally to precede the "A Long Time Ago" text:. A sort of nostalgic scene ensues when the other Final Fantasy VII party members (Barrett, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Cid, and Vincent) show up at this point to battle Ex-Bahamut, as Tifa protects the possessed Denzel. One possible piece of evidence supporting this theory comes from an early draft of A New Hope. The Turks rescue some of the possessed children from Bahamut's first blast and then proceed to engage in a fierce melee with Loz and Yazoo, though they ultimately come out on the bottom.

However, the exact text of the prophecy is never revealed in the films, so it may not be possible to conclude that the Chosen One must be born of a virgin. Reno and Rude appear to call out Yazoo and Loz, and to add to the confusion, Kadaj then summons Bahamut Sin. It is presumed that the Chosen One of the Jedi Prophecy must be born of a virgin mother (as Anakin allegedly was), since Yoda for instance, despite his historical number of midi-chlorians, is never regarded as a candidate for the prophecy. Loz and Yazoo have used the children as human shields while they search for Jenova's head in a memorial statue dedicated to Meteor's destruction of Midgar. He does it because he is redeemed by his son." Lucas gave a similar explanation in the final VHS release of the original trilogy in November 2000: "[In] Episodes IV, V and VI,...Anakin's offspring redeem him, and allow him to fulfill the Prophecy, and bring balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith, and getting rid of evil in the universe.". Kadaj has unleashed numerous Shadow Creeper monsters to attack the people, and is seen in an incomplete building with the wheelchair bound Rufus. He becomes Darth Vader; Darth Vader does become the hero, Darth Vader does destroy the Sith; meaning himself and the Emperor.
The two return back to Edge, where they find the city in havoc.

Frequently cited as evidence for this interpretation is Yoda's warning to Obi-Wan that the prophecy "misread, could have been." In the Episode III DVD featurette "The Chosen One," Lucas summarizes as follows: "The Prophecy is that Anakin will bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. Hand in hand with Marlene, they head back to the city. Adherents of this view find it particularly noteworthy that, by the end of Episode III, there is a precisely equal number of Jedi and Sith: Obi-Wan and Yoda, Sidious and Vader. This slightly confuses Cloud, but he says he'll give it a try and let Vincent know how it goes. In this viewpoint, the Jedi and the Sith metaphorically represent two opposing weights on a scale, with an excess of either disrupting the balance of the Force. Vincent just replies that he had never tried. Many fans argue that Anakin fulfilled the Jedi Prophecy by bringing a new "balance" to the Force by nearly eliminating the Jedi. As the flashback ends, he asks Vincent if his sin can be forgiven.

Still, Anakin's pivotal role is undisputable, ranging from his intervention in Windu and Sidious' duel in the Chancellor's office, to the enormous influence that his progeny wield in the original trilogy as well as the Expanded Universe. She pauses and says, "Have we lost to our memories?" Cloud just hangs his head and says, "But...we just let her die." Aerith's voice is then heard, suggesting to Cloud that he should forgive himself instead of drifting away. His role in the destruction of the Jedi was an ancillary one, as much of the plan was already underway long before Anakin's fall; indeed, it began with the invasion of Naboo, when he was only a child. Tifa has obviously had it with Cloud, and lectures him, speaking her thoughts about how he is pained by past failures, and how he always wants to be alone. In particular, Anakin's status as the Chosen One is regularly disputed. Hesitating, Cloud decides instead to go talk to Rufus. The Jedi Prophecy is a frequent source of debate among fans. Rude tells them that the children have been taken to Ajit.

In the novel The Unifying Force of the New Jedi Order series, set 30 years after the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope, Anakin's voice would speak to his grandson, Jacen Solo, telling him to "Stand firm!" in his battle with the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong. It is here Cloud has a another flashback of what happened prior to arriving to the Forgotten Capital. Leia Organa Solo, who was initially horrified to learn that Vader was her father, eventually forgave him after learning her family's full history, and named her youngest son Anakin in remembrance of her father's redemption. After having a discussion about their current situation, Marlene comes and yells at Cloud when he says he wants to back down from fighting again. Later, Vader transferred their services to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Vincent says he had also saved Tseng and Elena by nursing them back to health after they had been tortured by Kadaj's gang. In the Thrawn trilogy, it is explained that Darth Vader was the first representative of the Empire to find the Noghri, a race with exceptional combat skills, whom he manipulated into serving as his personal commandos and revering him as their master. This leads to a battle, in which Cloud is defeated by the three, but saved by Vincent Valentine.

Vader also makes occasional appearances in Dark Horse's Star Wars comic books set between the movies, especially Star Wars: Empire. During the battle of one VS three, Cloud performs his limit break "Blade Beam" against the "Quake" magic attack from Loz. The story also gives more insight into Vader's thoughts and ambitions, as it reveals that he knows there is some good left in him and that he wishes to heal his body through the force in an attempt to return his physical appearance to that of his former self (Anakin). Kadaj begins calling him a "traitor" and is about to execute him when Marlene calls out Cloud's name, distracting Kadaj and allowing Cloud to grab his sword. In the story, Prince Xizor, leader of the crime organization Black Sun, plots to overthrow Vader as the Emperor's second in command. Kadaj "controls" the children, using them as a human shield, and making them surround Cloud, ensuring that he cannot escape. Vader also has a prominent role in the 1996 novel/comic/video game Shadows of the Empire, which takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Suddenly, he is confronted by a hail of gunfire.

In The Star Wars Holiday Special, Vader searches for the Rebels responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, almost thwarting Han and Chewbacca's goal of reaching Kashyyyk in order for Chewie to reach his family for Life Day. Cloud hangs his head and asks to be forgiven, but Aerith just giggles and asks "By whom?" Cloud tries to turn around to face her, but the vision ends. The extent as to which these new injuries may have worsened his condition (if at all) is somewhat disputed among the Star Wars fanbase. She puts a hand gently on his arm, asking him why exactly he came. On Mimban, Vader suffers massive injuries when he falls into a pit. On his way, riding on his motorcycle Fenrir, Cloud has a vision of Aerith, standing back-to-back with him in a field of flowers. Later on, in the Alan Dean Foster novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (which takes place shortly after the events in A New Hope), Vader meets Luke for the second time, and combats him in a lightsaber duel for the first time on the planet Mimban. Reno and Rude return, telling Cloud and Tifa that Kadaj has taken the children to The Forgotten City of Ajit.

In the comic book Vader's Quest, he hires bounty hunters to bring him information about the author of the destruction of the Death Star, ultimately meeting his son Luke for the very first time. Cloud does not answer, which clearly frustrates Tifa. Vader is expected to at least make cameo appearances in the upcoming Star Wars live-action TV series, which is slated for either a 2007 or 2008 release, and will run 100 episodes. She confronts him about his Geostigma, asking him if he wants to die alone. The book Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, a sequel to Revenge of the Sith, focuses on Vader's mission to hunt down the remaining Jedi who were not killed in the Great Jedi Purge. As it gets late, Tifa wakes up, finding Cloud staring out the window. In the young adult series The Last of The Jedi, Boba Fett, at the age of fourteen, is hired by Imperial leader Inquisitor Malorum to investigate Padmé's death at Vader's request. They do, entering a trance-like state, the pupils of their eyes becoming narrow slits like those of Kadaj.

The Yuuzhan-Vong are mentioned in this novel also, though not by name. He takes a drink and tells the children to follow suit. The ships are also alive. He then walks into the very lake where Aerith was laid to rest two years prior, and as he does so, corrupts it, turning it black. The inhabitants of the planet are famous for making the fastest ships in the galaxy. They take the children to the Forgotten Capital, Ajit, where Kadaj tries to persuade them that the planet is inflicting this disease upon them and that they should rally together against the planet. In Greg Baer's novel Star Wars: Rogue Planet, Anakin Skywalker, at the age of twelve, is sent with Obi-Wan Kenobi on a mission to Zenoma Sekot. The three members of Kadaj's gang begin kidnapping the children who are infected with Geostigma, including Denzel.

The New Droid Army, a video game made for Game Boy Advance, also details some of Anakin's adventures during the war. They are found by the Turks Reno and Rude who bring them back to 7th Heaven. Despite Anakin's periods of separation from his wife, the twins Luke and Leia are conceived during the Clone Wars. Cloud returns to the church where he discovers Tifa unconscious and his materia stolen, and collapses next to Tifa due to the effects his Geostigma. During a mission to save the Nelvaanian Braves, Anakin goes through a cave that reveals what would become of him in the future. After a hard fought battle, Tifa is knocked unconscious, and Loz kidnaps Marlene and steals Cloud's materia. He is later made a full-fledged Jedi Knight. Loz arrives at the church, attacking Tifa while searching for the location of Jenova.

In the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker goes through many battles in the war, earning him the moniker "The Hero With No Fear." One of such major events in it is his battle with Asajj Ventress on Yavin IV. It is here they discover that Cloud has Geostigma and does not have the will to fight it. During the victory celebration on the forest moon of Endor, Luke is able to see the redeemed spirit of Anakin Skywalker, standing once again with Obi-Wan and Yoda. Tifa and Marlene go looking for Cloud at the church where Aerith spent time and grew her flowers, and where Cloud has apparently been living. That night, Luke burns his father's Sith armor (and whatever remains inside^[5]) in the manner of a Jedi's funeral. Vincent Valentine suspects that the trio is seeking to obtain the remains of Jenova to create another Sephiroth, and suggests that Geostigma is the result of Lifestream inside one's body battling the Jenova cells within it. Luke escapes with his father's body as the Death Star explodes, destroyed by the Rebel Alliance. He somewhat knows Cloud, referring to him as "brother" and "traitor," most likely due to the fact that, though they are both "bound" by Jenova and Geostigma, Cloud is trying to stop Kadaj and his crew rather than embrace their efforts to further the virus.

In his dying breaths, Anakin Skywalker is redeemed, finally admitting to Luke in his dying breaths that the good within him was not destroyed after all. The leader of the trio, Kadaj, claims that Geostigma is due to the Jenova cells corrupting the Lifestream. Through sunken eyes, he looks up at his son and back at a lifetime of regret. Three unknown figures appear and begin searching for Jenova's remains to complete the Reunion. Freed from the mask that had caged his head for half his life, Anakin is a sad, withered man in his mid-forties, his skin ghostly pale from not having seen natural light for more than two decades. He is coordinating searches by the Turks for the effects that Sephiroth had left on the planet. Luke complies and, for the first time, father and son look into each other's eyes. The president of the former Shin-Ra company, Rufus Shinra, is confined to a wheelchair, due to the energy draining effects of geostigma.

Moments from death, Anakin begs his son to take off his breath-mask so they see each other face-to-face. In the center is a monument to Midgar's destruction - Meteor. By destroying both the Emperor and himself (as Darth Vader), Anakin fulfills the prophecy that claimed he would bring balance to the Force, but he is mortally wounded by the Emperor's lightning in the process. The survivors of Midgar have begun to build a new home on the edge of the city, aptly named 'Edge'. Unable to bear the sight of his son in pain, Vader turns on his master and throws him into a deep shaft, where he explodes in a fury of dark energies. With them is a boy named Denzel, who Cloud, Tifa, and Marlene have taken in as their own. Luke writhes in agony under the Emperor's torture, begging his father for help. While Barrett is away to settle his past, Marlene Wallace, Barrett's adopted daughter, is entrusted to the care of Tifa.

Seeing that the young Jedi is a lost cause, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning. Tifa's bar is now an orphanage for the infected children. As the Emperor approaches, encouraging Luke to finish Vader and take his place, Luke throws down his lightsaber, refusing to perform the killing blow. He had lived with her along with Barret Wallace and Marlene Wallace for a while in their newly recontructed bar, 7th Heaven in the city of Edge. He controls his anger at the last minute, however, as he looks at Vader's cybernetic hand and then at his own; he realizes that he is perilously close to suffering his father's fate. However, he has established his own delivery service with the aide of Tifa Lockhart. Enraged, Luke nearly kills Vader, finally severing his father's mechanical hand. Cloud Strife, who is also infected with the disease, has secluded himself from the world, still haunted by Aerith Gainsborough's death.

Aboard the Death Star, Luke resists the Emperor's appeals to his anger and fear for his friends, but snaps when Vader telepathically probes his mind, learns of Leia's existence, and threatens to turn her instead. It is proving to be fatal, and children seem to be at greater risk. On a mission to the forest moon of Endor, he surrenders to Imperial troops and is brought to Vader. Two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, the Planet has begun healing itself from the devastating attack from Meteor, but a strange disease known as "Geostigma" ("Seikon-Shoukougun" or Star Scar Syndrome in Japanese version) has arisen. By this time, Luke has nearly completed his Jedi training, and has learned from a dying Yoda that Vader is indeed his father and that Leia is his sister. The information below was compiled using various sources such as the FF7:AC IMDB Page, trailers, the Japanese release of the film, and the short stories contained in "On the Way to a Smile" written by Kazushige Nojima.. He meets with Palpatine onboard the half-constructed station to plan Luke's turn to the dark side. .

In the final installment of the series, Vader is charged with overseeing the completion of the second Death Star, with Moff Jerjerrod as his immediate subordinate. The film's soundtrack, scored by Nobuo Uematsu, was released on September 28, 2005. Luke, although shaken by this stunning claim, refuses to join Vader and escapes. This was the first announced title in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. He then reveals his true identity of being Luke's father, trying to persuade Luke to join him so that they can destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son. Special Editions of this movie have been released, including the Ultimate Edition "Advent Pieces: Limited", which includes the OVA Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. Vader corners and defeats Luke, cutting off his right hand. However, due to the release date being pushed back several times, the timer was removed.

The two duel and Luke attempts an escape from Cloud City. The official Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children website placed a countdown, showing the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until the final release. Luke, who by now has been trained by Yoda, arrives and finds his way to the carbonite freezing facility, where Vader is planning to freeze him for transport to the Emperor. The movie received the Honorary Maria Award at the Festival Internacional de Cinema de Cataluña on October 15, 2005. Vader uses his influence to make a deal with Lando Calrissian to kidnap Han, Leia, and the droids, creating a trap for Luke at Cloud City. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2005, and the release dates for North America, Europe, Australia, and other countries are TBA. [[. Its official theatrical release date was on September 10, 2005 as the grand public opening.

While on this pursuit, the Emperor contacts Vader via hologram, giving him a new mission to capture Luke Skywalker. It is slated to be released on DVD and on a UMD disc for the PSP handheld console. After hiding in the blind spot of a Star Destroyer, the Falcon sets course to Cloud City, followed by Boba Fett, a bounty hunter hired by Vader. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Japanese: ファイナルファンタジーVII アドベントチルドレン) is a CGI-animated film based on the successful PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII that is set two years after the events of the game. He leads the imperial troops on a full military assault on the rebel base hidden at the ice world of Hoth, and then pursues the escaping Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field. Riichi. He has already known about Luke Skywalker, and is desperate to find him. Miwa Hashiguchi.

Vader is now at the forefront of the continuing attempt to suppress the Rebellion. Masahiro Watanabe. His ship is sent hurtling into space, ultimately sparing his life, as the Death Star is destroyed moments later. Kenji Arai. Vader gets a lock on Luke's X-wing, noting that "the Force is strong with this one", but is distracted by Han Solo who is piloting the Millennium Falcon just in time to save Luke. Yukiko Nakamura. During the Rebel attack on the Death Star, Vader pilots a distinctive TIE/Advanced fighter in pursuit of the Rebel X-Wing starfighters. Tesshin Murata.

By putting a homing beacon on the Millennium Falcon, Vader traces Luke, Han and Leia to the rebel base at Yavin IV. Masakazu Morita. As Obi-Wan sees that if he escapes with Luke and company it would be too late, he sacrifices himself by leaving himself open to Vader's attack and becomes a spirit in the Force in order to guide Luke. Mayuko Aoki. Vader stops Obi-Wan on his way out and engages him in a lightsaber duel. Jun Ishii. An elderly Obi-Wan, along with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, attempt to rescue Leia during their escape from the Death Star. Isamu Tachihara.

He boards the Tantive IV, capturing Princess Leia and bringing her to the Death Star. Akihiko Kikuma. Nineteen years later, Vader is sent on a mission to retrieve the stolen plans of the Death Star and locate the hidden base of the Rebel Alliance. Mechanical & Creature Designer: Takayuki Takeya.
. Art Direction by: Yusuke Naora. ^[4] While Lucas justified his replacement of Sebastian Shaw with Christensen in the finale of the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi with an explanation that upon his redemption Anakin reverted to his inner, uncorrupted self, Star Wars seems to also approach the question with the implication that there is no simple answer to it; as Obi-Wan tells Luke during his explanation of Vader's identity, "Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly upon our own point of view.". Original music composed by: Nobuo Uematsu.

The novelization of Revenge of the Sith, on the other hand, clearly makes the point that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. Scenario Writer: Kazushige Nojima. Yoda and Obi-Wan both asserted at various times that Anakin Skywalker was destroyed and consumed by Vader when he turned to the dark side. Co-producer: Shinji Hashimoto. The armored Dark Lord of the Sith seen at the end of the film is radically different from the Jedi Knight seen at the beginning physically, psychologically, and even spiritually. Producer: Yoshinori Kitase. The events of Revenge of the Sith also had a significant effect on Anakin's identity. Co-director: Takeshi Nozue.

Lucas claims that had Vader not been dismembered, he would have been twice as powerful as Palpatine, but that he is only 80% as powerful post-Mustafar. Director: Tetsuya Nomura. Although Vader remains a formidable warrior (second only to Palpatine in his dark side potential), the grave injuries he sustains during the duel with Obi-Wan greatly reduce his power with the Force; as Vader, he is a mere shadow of his former Jedi self. Overwhelmed with grief by the belief that he has killed his wife (and, presumably, his unborn child), the only thing that remains in his life is his service to his master, the new Emperor of the galaxy. (In fact, Padmé died in childbirth on Polis Massa after delivering healthy twins.) In a state of shock, Vader shakes the room with the Force, breaks his bindings on the operating table and struggles to walk under the sheer weight of his new legs.

Palpatine then tells Vader that, in his anger, he has killed his own wife. Palpatine revives Vader with extensive cybernetic enhancements, including a respirator and a fearsome breath mask. Miraculously, Vader manages to crawl up the bank away from the lava river and, through sheer will and connection to the Force, lingers on until rescued by Palpatine, who sensed Vader's impending defeat after his own duel with Yoda. As Vader tries to drag himself up the bank and away from the lava river, he suffers immolation: nearly fatal burns and extensive lung damage from inhaling superheated air.

Obi-Wan is prepared, however, and severs Vader's remaining limbs in midair, leaving him for dead on the hot sands. Vader tries to engage his master with a Force jump. Eventually, Obi-Wan jumps onto solid ground, gaining the advantage. The former partners and friends then engage in a ferocious lightsaber duel throughout the mining complex.

Suspecting betrayal, Vader angrily uses the Force to choke Padmé, leaving her unconscious on the landing platform. Obi-Wan, who had hidden himself on Padmé's ship, suddenly emerges and confronts Vader. He refuses, saying that the two of them can overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. After completing this task, he is met by Padmé, who pleads with him to flee Palpatine's grasp with her.

He is is then sent to Mustafar to assassinate the Separatist leaders. He does this without question, slaughtering venerable Jedi and children alike. Vader's first task as a Sith Lord is to assault the Jedi Temple and to kill everyone inside, even the youngling children. Without hesitation, he pledges himself to the dark side and is renamed Darth Vader.

Realizing the enormity of what he has done, Anakin is stricken with guilt, but he is too emotionally drained to resist Palpatine's offer to teach him the power of the dark side and save Padmé's life. As Windu screams in agony, Palpatine springs to life and hurls another torrent of lightning at the Jedi Master, electrocuting him before throwing him out the window to his apparent death. Anakin then severs Windu's sword hand with his own light saber. Anakin pleads with Windu to spare Palpatine's life; Windu refuses, saying that Palpatine is too dangerous to be kept alive.

Palpatine cowers, begging Anakin to save him. The attack continues unabated until Palpatine suddenly tires, giving Windu a chance to strike a death blow. The Jedi Master deflects the lightning with his lightsaber, scarring and deforming Plapatine's face into a wizened mask of wrinkled skin. Windu declares the Dark Lord under arrest, but Palpatine defiantly unleashes a torrent of Force lightning at Windu.

Anakin arrives to find Windu holding his lightsaber on a disarmed and seemingly helpless Palpatine. As Windu goes to confront Palpatine, Anakin broods over an inescapable thought: without Palpatine, he will lose the chance to save his wife. Anakin realizes that Palpatine is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious that the Council had been hunting for since the beginning of the war, and reports Palpatine's secret to Mace Windu. Ultimately, the Chancellor offers him the chance to learn the dark side of the Force, which he claims holds the power to prevent death.

Angered by the perceived snub and instructions to commit treason, Anakin loses all faith in the Council. The suspicious Council accepts him, but denies him the rank of Jedi Master, and orders him to spy on Palpatine. Palpatine, who continues to be a close friend and mentor, makes Anakin his representative on the Jedi Council. Though initially overjoyed, Anakin is plagued by prophetic visions of her death in childbirth — much like the one he had of his mother just before she died.

Back on Coruscant, Padmé tells him she is pregnant. Palpatine, though, reassures Anakin that Dooku "was too dangerous to be kept alive." After rescuing the Chancellor, Anakin finds that the flagship is in critical condition, and with some help from Obi-Wan, barely manages to safely land it on an airstrip. Anakin complies, but instantly regrets it; to kill a defenseless prisoner is not the Jedi way. Palpatine then commands Anakin to behead the stunned Count.

Dooku is continuously pushed back, taken off guard by the force behind each blow, and Anakin neatly sears off both of the Sith apprentice's hands. It is a short duel, and one which Anakin wins relatively easily. In the ensuing battle, Dooku uses the Force to choke and then fling Obi-Wan aside, forcing Anakin to face the Sith Lord alone. After having gone off to fight in the Clone Wars, Anakin and Obi-Wan return to Coruscant and board the Separatist flagship The Invisible Hand on a mission to rescue Palpatine from Count Dooku.

He is fitted with a cybernetic replacement, and then marries Padmé in a secret ceremony, with C-3PO and his counterpart, R2-D2, as witnesses. Escaping the fray with the help of the Jedi and the clone army, Anakin engages Separatist leader (and fallen Jedi) Count Dooku in a lightsaber battle, but is easily defeated by the older, more experienced warrior, who wounds him in battle, severing his lower right arm. Faced with their impending demise in a gladiatorial arena, they profess their love to one another. Anakin and Padmé learn that Obi-Wan has been taken hostage by the Geonosian-engineered Separatist droid forces, and rush to his rescue — where they are also captured.

Padmé is clearly troubled by what he has done, but, being in love with him, she is not truly repulsed, and instead tries to soothe him with sympathy. Yoda and the deceased Qui-Gon feel Anakin's Force presence turn "dark," and fear that this marks the beginning of the end for Obi-Wan's young apprentice. Seized by a blind rage, he slaughters the entire tribe of Tuskens, including the women and children. He finds her in a camp of Tusken Raiders, but is too late; battered beyond recognition, she dies in his arms.

While guarding Padmé, Anakin senses that his mother is in danger. In conversation, he reveals his affection for her, as well as his distrust of the political process and the need he perceives for there to be one strong leader. His childhood fascination with her has now become a powerful infatuation, and the two ultimately fall in love, despite her many reservations. Anakin is assigned to guard Padmé, who is now a senator of her home planet, Naboo.

Frustrated, he turns to another teacher for advice: Palpatine, who feeds the young padawan's fragile ego with assurances that he will one day be the greatest Jedi in the galaxy. His relationship with his master is complicated; although he says Obi-Wan is like a father to him, he chafes against his authority and believes he is holding him back. Because his natural abilities place him leaps and bounds above his peers, he has developed into an arrogant and socially awkward loner in his years of Jedi training. Anakin, now played by Hayden Christensen, is now a young adult and Obi-Wan's apprentice.

Palpatine, newly-elected as the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, befriends the boy, promising to "watch his career with great interest.". Later, a dying Qui-Gon, slain by Darth Maul, urges Obi-Wan to train Anakin, and the Council reluctantly approves. Ultimately, Anakin helps to win the final battle over the Trade Federation in the Battle of Naboo. This request is denied, as the Council thinks that Anakin's future is clouded by the fear and anger he exhibits from his days as a slave and his separation from his mother.

After winning Anakin's freedom, Qui-Gon brings the boy to Coruscant and requests that the Jedi Council allow him to train Anakin. Some of his incredible abilities may be attributed to this unique Force-adeptness; for instance, Qui-Gon attributes Anakin's piloting talent to the Force, which allows Anakin to "see things before they happen." Anakin forms a strong bond with Queen Padmé Amidala, whom Qui-Gon and his padawan apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, are guarding. Anakin is found on Tatooine by Qui-Gon Jinn, who is convinced that he is the Chosen One foretold by prophecy to bring balance to the Force. He is also a remarkable pilot with quick reflexes.

Even at this young age, he can build or repair most things, evidenced by the creation of his own protocol droid, C-3PO, and podracer, each from salvaged parts. A child prodigy, Anakin excels at mathematics and engineering. Anakin Skywalker first appears as a kind, selfless nine-year-old boy (played by Jake Lloyd) and a slave along with his mother. Curiously, Admiral Piett survives Vader's wrath when he loses the Millennium Falcon in an asteroid field; Lucas characterizes this uncharacteristic mercy as a result of Vader's ambivalence about his son, Luke.

This fear is not unwarranted, as both Admiral Ozzel and Captain Needa die by Vader's hand in The Empire Strikes Back. Throughout the rest of the trilogy, Imperial officers universally react with fear and dread at Vader's presence. The death of Tarkin aboard the Death Star removes any apparent check on Vader's power; after this point, Vader appears to be subordinate only to the Emperor himself. ^[3] In A New Hope, Vader's aggressive instincts are somewhat restrained by orders to serve under Grand Moff Tarkin for that time; when Admiral Motti challenges Vader's "sad devotion" to the Force, Tarkin does not allow Vader to choke Motti to death, only long enough to make his point.

This may echo Vader's own frustration at his injuries. After his fall, Vader is viewed as a cruel and frightening figure: his signature method of imposing terror is using the Force to strangle people. Still, controversy rages over Anakin's origins, and producer Rick McCallum's recent DVD commentary has added fuel to the fire. (According to Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis learned to provoke midi-chlorians into producing life—some have viewed this as a clue to Anakin's origins.) Lucas has said that all these issues were left deliberately ambiguous, and that it has been left for the audience to decide how Anakin was created.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn suggests that Anakin might have been conceived by the midi-chlorians — the implication being that Anakin is a creation of the Force itself. Some viewers have drawn parallels between Anakin's origin and the New Testament stories of Jesus' conception and birth, as well as classic mythological stories. Shmi claims that there was no father and that her pregnancy with Anakin resulted from a virgin conception. Son of Shmi Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker was born in 41 BBY.

. Despite his nearly unmatchable skills as a Jedi, however, Anakin's tragic flaw — fear of loss — ultimately leads him to the dark side of the Force, transforming him into Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, in 19 BBY. He is a legend of the Clone Wars, in which he fights for the Galactic Republic and is instrumental in several important battles. Anakin becomes a highly talented Jedi Knight; a distinguished pilot and swordsman with an unprecedented level of Force power.

He is taken as a young boy in 32 BBY and trained as a Jedi. In the prequel trilogy, Anakin is believed to be the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, destined to bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith. Indeed, Star Wars creator George Lucas has explained that he considers Vader a victim of the saga's true villain, Palpatine. However, in Return of the Jedi and the later prequel films, his fall from grace and eventual redemption are explored in greater depth.

In the first two films released in the series, Vader is portrayed as the epitome of pure evil — a mass murderer and war criminal who holds an entire galaxy under the sway of an evil empire. Through his role as the chief protagonist of the prequel movies and chief antagonist of the original three films, Vader has become an iconic villain (more than George Lucas ever intended), and was ranked third on American Film Institute's top 50 villains of all time list.^[2]. He is the husband of Padmé Amidala and the biological father of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. Darth Vader (41 BBY – 4 ABY), born Anakin Skywalker, is a fictional tragic hero in the Star Wars films, and ultimately the central character of the series.

Skywalker, Anakin, Vader, Darth. Star Wars Databank. Available at TheForce.net. Curtis Saxton, 1995-2005.

Star Wars Technical Commentaries, Dr. Shooting script of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as available at Internet Movie Script Database. Shooting script of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi as available at Internet Movie Script Database. James Luceno, ISBN 0-756-61128-8.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2005. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-48588-5. Dr. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2002.

David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-789-43481-4. Dr. Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1998. Vader: The Ultimate Guide, 2005.

Wiker, ISBN 0-786-91849-7. D. Bill Slavicsek, J. The Dark Side Sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast, 1st printing, 2001.

Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2. The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Novelization, 1st edition hardcover, 2005.

Salvatore, ISBN 0-345-42882-X. A. R. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Novelization, 2003.

Terry Brooks, George Lucas, ISBN 0-345-43411-0. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Novelization, 1st edition paperback, 1999. It’s ridiculous to preserve the myth that it’s all done by one man." [15]. Bob worked so hard that he deserves some recognition.

It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told George I didn’t think it was fair any more. ^  Mark Hamill (who portrayed Luke in the original trilogy) noted in a 1983 interview in Starlog #72: "Bob Anderson was the man who actually did Vader’s fighting. (This page discusses the comon belief that the text that apears on Darth Vader's chestplate may be hebrew) [14]. ^  "Lord Vader's Chestplate", Star Wars Technical Commentaries.

[13]. ^  "Lord Vader's Injuries", Star Wars Technical Commentaries. ^ The Visual Dictionary of Star Wars, Episode III (ISBN 0756611288). Anderson, Luke specifically states that his father's body had disappeared in the same way as Yoda's and Obi Wan's.

It should also be noted that in the Jedi Academy trilogy Dark Apprentice by Kevin J. The Special Edition script refers to it as empty armor, while the original script refers to it as his father's body. The Special Edition script reference that supposedly establishes the disappearance of his body is in text of the scene where Luke cremates his father's armor. ^  According to Steve Sansweet of Lucasfilm, the Star Wars Databank entry for Vader [12], and the script for Return of the Jedi Special Edition, Anakin's body disappears at death in the same way as Obi-Wan's and Yoda's had, though some argue that the movie would have shown his disappearance explicitly if that were the case.

Only you." —Stover, Revenge of the Sith novelization. Is you. That it was all you. Only Anakin Skywalker.

That there was only you. That there was no Vader. ^  "This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker, forever…You remember the dragon that you brought Vader forth from your heart to slay…And there is one blazing moment in which you finally understand that there was no dragon. ^  In its appraisal of Vader's injuries, the Star Wars Technical Commentaries states: "Was the physically oppressive nature of Vader's breathing difficulties great enough to affect his disposition or add to his aggression? Perhaps it is significant that he used telekinetic strangulation more often then [sic] any other method of intimidating or killing those who frustrated him." [11].

^ "AFI's 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains", American Film Institute, last accessed October 20, 2005. Lucas was apparently pleased with the performance by Christensen. On the other hand, Lucas has justified the change, explaining that Anakin died psychologically when he was a young man, and with him, his physical image died. They claim this would create a continuity issue, rather than solve one.

Further fan criticism includes issues some have with the general performance and appearance of Christensen in the scene, with some holding the claim that Luke would not have recognized his father as a young man. Some fans were upset by the change and criticized it for being disrespectful to Sebastian Shaw, even undermining the film's cinematic historical value. This version is considered the canonical version by Lucasfilm. ^ ^a Hayden Christensen only appears in the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi, in which he replaces actor Sebastian Shaw in the final scene of the movie.

Star Wars creator George Lucas has admitted that the European political figure Cardinal Richelieu was the inspiration for the styling of Darth Vader. James Earl Jones - Ages 22, 41, 44, 45 (voice) (Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). David Prowse - Ages 41, 44, 45 (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). Hayden Christensen - Age 22 (Revenge of the Sith).

Sebastian Shaw - Age 45 (Return of the Jedi). Hayden Christensen - Ages 19, 22 (Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith). Jake Lloyd - Age 9 (The Phantom Menace).