Darth Vader's redemption moment in Return of the Jedi was one of the most memorable scenes in the Star Wars universe. During the duel against his son Luke Skywalker on board the second Death Star before the cackling Emperor Palpatine, he felt the pull back to the light with his son refusing to give in to his anger and Palpatine electrocuting him with Force lightning. Eventually, Darth Vader was able to redeem himself back as Anakin Skywalker, a personality last seen in Revenge of the Sith, as he sacrificed himself and threw Palpatine down the Death Star's shaft, saving Luke's life.

However, The Rise of Skywalker revealed that Palpatine was never dead, much to the disbelief of the Resistance (as Poe Dameron puts it, “Somehow Palpatine returned”). Living as a clone in the shadows of Exegol, the dark lord documented the origin and future of the Sith, including himself, in the recently published book The Secrets of the Sith. Among other things, Palpatine discussed Darth Vader's apparent “sacrifice,” which he characterized in a mockingly pitiful manner.

From Palpatine's point of view, Darth Vader's initial stages as an apprentice were experiences of failure, which he constantly reminded him of. Vader's humiliating defeat to Obi-Wan on Mustafar, the death of Padmé, and his entrapment in an agonizing full-body life-support suit all contributed to his “fear, pain, and suffering,” fueling his rage and deep connection with the dark side. While his vengeful defeat of Obi-Wan on the first Death Star proving himself worthy once again to Palpatine, his knowledge of Luke's survival was his first pull back to the light, eventually leading to his betrayal of Palpatine out of love for his son. Palpatine, however, despicably noted this as a “pathetic display” that was “all for nothing,” as Vader's heroic feat led to nothing but the inevitable return of the Sith in the cloned form of himself.

On its face, the subsequent timeline of the Skywalker saga seems to support Palpatine's comment on his former apprentice. Despite being prophesied as the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker's destruction of both the Jedi and the Sith both turned out to be transient. The galaxy was very soon thrown into a state of chaos and darkness following the Emperor's “demise”' with Kylo Ren and the First Order continuing the legacy of terrorizing the galaxy and the dark side prevailing over the light.

However, such a conclusion would be premature since Luke and Rey's roles have not been considered. In reality, Vader's sacrifice was the impetus for a long chain of events leading up to the true destruction of the Sith. Luke was saved through Vader's sacrifice, who lived on to be among the most powerful Jedi in history. Furthermore, Luke's darkened outcome with Ben Solo was one of the reasons for the rise of the First Order, and it was also Luke (while in exile) who trained Rey to take on the mantle of a Jedi and eventually defeat the Sith once and for all on Exegol, finally bringing balance to the Force and the Skywalker saga to a close. Darth Vader's sacrifice was, therefore, a moment that genuinely cemented the eventual fate of the galaxy—one of light and happiness.

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Source(s): Screen Rant

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