From Darth Vader’s first appearance in the Star Wars universe, fans were hooked. He was mysterious and beyond intriguing, and everybody wanted to see more of him, wanted to learn more about him. Over the years, Darth Vader has appeared many, many times across countless iterations, both in-universe and outside of it, both seriously and in parody.

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Through all of this, the original Star Wars trilogy remains standing above it all. In these movies, Darth Vader was an evil mastermind, a chaotic wild card, and — in the end — the reason the good guys win. Throughout this trilogy, Darth Vader’s acts would change the Star Wars universe for years to come.

10 Kills Obi-Wan Kenobi

darth vader kills ben kenobi

As Star Wars opens with Episode IV — A New Hope, audiences are introduced to what appear to be the two main characters: Luke Skywalker and his mentor, old man Ben Kenobi. Ben was training Luke in the Force, and Luke hoped he would be around to help for a long while. Unfortunately, after getting captured by the evil Empire, Ben — now clear to be Obi-Wan Kenobi, once the master of Darth Vader — knows he has to stop Vader himself. Obi-Wan sacrifices himself to Vader, battling against and falling to him, becoming one with the Force as Luke escapes. Killing Obi-Wan changes Luke’s path, as well as permanently darkening Anakin Skywalker (AKA Darth Vader) forever.

9 Destroys Most Of The Rebels

Darth Vader on the Death Star

At the climax of A New Hope, the film has its own classic “all is lost” moment. As the Rebellion and its countless talented Rebel pilots attack the Death Star, Darth Vader just begins picking off the starfighters one by one. Most of the Rebels die in Darth Vader’s attack and from those he ordered to attack the Rebels. Even Luke’s friend, Biggs Darklighter, is killed in the onslaught.

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Just as Vader is about to kill Luke, Han Solo saves his life; in doing so, Luke is able to destroy the Death Star. Vader may have destroyed nearly all of the Rebels and decimated the Rebellion in the process, but he ultimately wasn’t able to prevent Luke from landing a killing blow and fleeing, living to tell the tale.

8 Surveilling The Entire Galaxy

Darth Vader prepares to attck the Rebels in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Much like Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight, it seems that Darth Vader is capable of surveilling people’s personal and private lives. In Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, it becomes clear to the audience that Darth Vader is surveilling literally the entire galaxy. Vader is shown launching hundreds upon thousands of probe droids to surveil the galaxy, searching for his missing son, Luke Skywalker. This shows that the Empire is truly everywhere, as well as immensely powerful. In surveilling the entire galaxy, Vader not only is able to find Luke and eventually drive the Rebels away from Hoth, but he also showcases exactly how powerful he and the Empire are as a joint force.

7 Establishes His Ultimate Authority

Admiral Ozzel being Force choked on a screen

After Vader played more of a sidekick-esque role in A New Hope, he has more of a center stage moment in The Empire Strikes Back. As the primary player and the apparent leader of the Empire now — though the Emperor remains pulling the strings — Vader becomes something of an omniscient force to other characters in the Star Wars universe.

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In The Empire Strikes Back, he acts to ensure this ultimate power and authority. It’s in this film that Vader realizes that someone in the Empire is feeding information to the Rebels, and proceeds to Force-choke Admiral Kendal Ozzel over video chat in front of everyone. In doing so, and in showing that he has the power to kill old personnel and appoint new ones, Vader shows that he is truly the Lord he claims to be.

6 He And Palpatine Want To Turn Luke, Not Stop Him

darth vader and palpatine

If Palpatine and Vader decided that they simply wanted to stop Luke, the entire Star Wars universe landscape would be completely different. Rather than focusing on destroying Luke Skywalker & Leia Organa, the apparent last chances of the entire galaxy, Leia has become barely a blip on their radar, and Luke is a target to be turned to their side, not stopped.

Both of the twins remain on the side of the Rebels, and neither of them can be convinced to turn. Despite this, Palpatine insists on attempting to keep Luke, and Darth Vader wants to make sure that Luke becomes a “powerful ally” — that he’ll “join the Empire or die.” By deciding not to kill Luke, Vader chooses to allow the rest of the events of the Star Wars universe to happen at all.

5 Brings Bounty Hunters To The Star Wars Universe

Boba Fett sat on his throne in Jabba's Palace in The Mandalorian

Characters like Boba Fett and the Mandalorian (Din Djarin) are fan favorites, and Boba Fett in particular has been intriguing audiences since his very first mysterious appearance. These bounty hunters were brought into the Star Wars universe by Darth Vader, who hired Boba Fett and a number of other bounty hunters across the galaxy to seek out and find the Millennium Falcon. It’s because of Vader making this request in The Empire Strikes Back that Boba Fett and other bounty hunters come to exist in this universe at all.

4 Vader Gives Han To Boba Fett

han solo right before being encased in carbonite

A huge part of the b-plot between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi is Han Solo being frozen in carbonite and turned over to Boba Fett for delivery to Jabba the Hutt. Because Han owes debts all over the galaxy, including to Jabba, many people are out looking for him.

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When Lando turns over his supposed “friends” to Vader, in Vader’s attempts to get Luke, Han gets all caught up in the middle. Before Luke can ever be frozen in carbonite, Han is instead; it’s in this famous carbonite casing that Darth Vader himself gives Han to Boba. This crucial plot point happens all because of Vader.

3 Reveals Luke’s Parentage To Him

Vader reveals he is Luke Skywalker's father

While Darth Vader — once Anakin Skywalker, and possibly still him, deep down inside — is aware of Luke’s parentage by the climax of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke remains completely unaware. He still sees Vader as the man who killed his father — which, in a way, is true. While Luke and Vader are having their huge showdown in The Empire Strikes Back, Vader tells Luke that he’s his father in one of the most famous lines in cinema history.

Luke is so distraught by this that he stops fighting, instead reaching out to Leia and falling through the shaft beneath Cloud City. His sister saves him, and the two of them fly off. Because Vader revealed Luke’s parentage to him, he’s made everything all the more personal, and Luke will now stop at nothing to stop Vader and the Empire.

2 Stops Emperor Palpatine Once And For All

darth vader finally kills palpatine

In theory, Palpatine was never supposed to come back. While Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) does inform everyone in Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker that, “Somehow, Palpatine returned,” it seemed for a long time that he was truly gone. In Episode VI — Return of the Jedi, Vader is the one who teams up with his son, Luke, and ultimately stops the Emperor. This is a shocking turn, as Vader was previously on the Emperor’s side, but when he was forced to make a choice between Palpatine and Luke, he chose his son.

As Luke calls for help, Vader is the one who answers, bodily lifting the Emperor and throwing him into the reactor shaft on the new Death Star, rather than joining him in killing Luke. In doing so, though, Vader is shot by the Emperor’s Force lightning, and he begins to die. This last act not only kills Vader and saves Luke, but spares the entire galaxy in the process.

1 Inspires Luke To Goodness

Luke Skywalker unmasks Darth Vader

As Darth Vader is dying, he asks Luke to remove his famous helmet and mask so that he can see the face of his son with his own eyes just this one time. Viewers now know, because of the prequel trilogy, that Anakin wasn’t present at the birth of his children, so he truly never has seen Luke with his own eyes — it was always through the Vader mask. Luke does as his father asks, and Anakin and Luke see each others’ faces for the first time as Anakin Skywalker finally dies.

In doing so, Vader tells Luke that there was even still good in himself, and Luke realizes that even monsters like Vader still have redemption inside them. In giving Luke this one last gift, Vader gives him the strength of mind to remember there is always good in people — a fundamental part of Luke’s personality and mindset.

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