10 Times Darth Vader Proved He Should Be Feared
The man knows how to make an entrance.
There are many fantastic things to come out of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series. Ewan McGregor back on our screens, live-action Inquisitors, eopies… One thing that the Star Wars fandom can agree on is that Obi-Wan Kenobi has brought back into the cultural zeitgeist how that seven-foot, black-durasteel-clad, rasping terminator is terrifying, and rightly so. Here are ten examples where Darth Vader showed that maybe sometimes it is better to be feared than loved.
Enter Stage…Top – Star Wars Rebels
Picture the scene. You are going into a life or death fight against two Jedi, possibly with collaborators. There is a mysterious spiky head guy lurking about, and you are still pretty peeved that your mate cut both your legs off. How do you prepare for this encounter? Train? Meditate? No, you fly in on top of a TIE fighter making a dramatic silhouette with your laser sword blazing. This is not someone to be trifled with.
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There Goes The Neighborhood – Obi-Wan Kenobi
We were all excited to see a younger, angrier Vader in the Kenobi series, consumed with finding Obi-Wan. However, not many of us expected to see Vader effortlessly snapping a young villager’s neck before throwing the corpse at his weeping family without sparing another look, all to draw out his former master. That is cold-blooded.
Knock Knock – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
You knew it was coming. I knew it was coming. Even the younglings knew it was coming (too soon?)
Say what you want about Rogue One, but during that climactic scene when everything went dark in the hallway. Then, you heard the breathing, and the corridor was suddenly lit with a crimson light. Every Star Wars fan got chills as we helplessly watched those Rebels bracing for what was coming. The effortlessness and laser focus with which Vader cut through the marines of the Profundity gave us just a glimpse of the true power of the dark side of the Force.
“Avenge Us.” – Jedi: Fallen Order
You have spent 17 odd hours hacking, slashing, and forcing your way through legions of stormtroopers and fauna to finally reach the last boss of Jedi: Fallen Order (I’m looking at you, Tarron Malicos). Through a veil of sweat and strained thumbs you have defeated the Second Sister and learned what really happened to her. Is this a time for redemption? Will she come back to the light side? Wait, what was that thump?
With a look of abject fear on her face, Trilla Suduri realizes the true cost of failing the Empire. In one single stroke of his lightsaber, Vader achieves in two seconds what took you countless attempts and restarts to scrape through.
Not many people needed the on-screen prompt to run when they took back control of Cal Kestis.
“Never Suffer Rivals.” – Darth Vader And The Ghost Prison Series
Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison series has two really positive things going for it. One, it is a really underrated and deeply engaging comic book. Two, it has a name like an 80’s sci-fi channel late-night special. The fates of Darth Vader and Lt. Laurita Tohm become inextricably linked throughout a series of events including a palace coup, the Emperor being close to death, and a Force wielder-on-Force wielder battle royale. The pair work together to achieve both their goals and succeed with Thom even being granted the title of admiral by the Emperor (now in rude health thanks to his dynamic duo). The final panels suggest that this could be the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership between the two before Vader gives Thom his final lesson. “Never suffer Rivals.” In one swift movement, he lifts Thom up and throws his feeble body into the sky lanes of Coruscant. It’s a Loth-wolf-eat- Loth-wolf galaxy out there.
“Locked In Here With Me.” – Vader Down
Through the course of this story, Darth Vader finds himself shot down, outgunned, and outmanned. What does Vader do when the Rebel soldiers surrounding him order him to stand down? He tells them that he is surrounded by “fear, and dead men.” Can you guess what happens next?
Peace – Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith
Everyone expects to see the younglings scene on this list, I know, but I like to be different.
What is more brutal, cold-hearted, and truly terrifying is the fact that at the end of Clone Wars, Nute Gunray and his cabal think that they have won. They have followed Lord Sidious’ plan to fruition and now peace can reign in the galaxy with their coffers assuredly filled forever. However, they find themselves on the receiving end of a "Vadering." He doesn’t hesitate for a second to carry out his new Master’s orders on the weaponless Neimodians pleading for their lives.
Who’s The Daddy? – Darth Vader Series
Watching Vader pull a ship from the sky in Obi-Wan Kenobi and rip it apart with only the raw power of the Force is undoubtedly cool. However, when Vader gets the triple punch of learning that one, he has a son, two, said son blew up the Death Star and nearly killed him, and three, the Emperor knew all along and had lied to him, we see the true extent of Vader’s rage. He almost decimates the ship he is on which would have led to, not only thousands of deaths but also his own.
Where Is The Ambassador? – Episode IV - A New Hope
Does this need any explanation?
While it may look a bit dated now, the first time we see an apparently, unarmed man cooly and calmly walk into an active battle zone, you know he is a force to be reckoned with.
Management Review – Episode V - Empire Strikes Back
Everyone has had to take a dreaded call with their manager, or even get a public dressing down in front of their colleagues. It’s not fun, it’s not right, and it’s a pain in the neck. Unfortunately for the late Admiral Ozzel, Vader’s management technique is a bit more literal than this as he is choked to death for an error…over a hologram…from miles away…on a different ship…by an unknown force. This manager doesn’t take bad news well.
Realistically, this article could have easily been named “10 Greatest Moments of Darth Vader’s Career” or even “5 times Darth Vader Was Pretty Extra.” Special mention has to go to enslaving an entire species (the Noghri), raking his old master over the coals (literally), and of course, killing the Emperor! One thing is for certain, though. Whenever the Dark Lord of the Sith appears on our screens or pages, it will be a day to remember.
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