Summary
- Darth Vader shares several attributes iconic to Sith Lords, such as wielding a red lightsaber and using the Force to choke his enemies.
- Notably missing from Vader's trademark skills is the Sith Force Lightning technique, a skill he never uses on screen.
- Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 finally sheds some light on whether Vader is capable of wielding Force Lightning like his Sith master, Emperor Palpatine.
Despite being one of the strongest wielders of the Dark Side of the Force in Star Wars, Darth Vader never uses Force Lightning in any of the films. However, as Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli's Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 shows, it's not that he's unable to. Instead, Vader used Force Lightning to create the kyber crystal for his lightsaber but nearly killed himself in the process.
The Darth Vader series answers a lot of questions about Star Wars lightsaber lore, finally unveiling and explaining (somewhat) the mystery behind Sith sabers and why they're red. In the first issue of Darth Vader, Sidious explains a Sith lightsaber is a significant act along the journey to becoming a true Sith lord. "The saber of a Sith is not given," he says. "It is taken." As the series progresses, Vader — who lost his Jedi weapon at the end of Revenge of the Sith — takes his new saber in spectacular, and brutal, fashion by ruthlessly killing Kirak Infil'a, a Jedi Master who survived Order 66. His ill-begotten saber and kyber crystal in hand, Vader is instructed to go to Mustafar. Darth Sidious explains to Vader the process of crystal "bleeding." However, true to form, he doesn't delve into exactly how this is accomplished. All Darth Vader knows is that he must pour his pain into the crystal.
Updated on October 23rd, 2023 by Jordan Iacobucci: Darth Vader has made his glorious return to the Star Wars franchise, with Hayden Christensen returning to reprise his iconic role in recent Disney+ series like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. While Vader is feared as one of the most dangerous Sith Lords in the galaxy's history, the Sith's quintessential Dark Side power, Force Lightning always eluded him. This left many fans to wonder if Darth Vader could even use Force Lightning at all, or if his injuries were too grievous to allow such a feat. Nevertheless, one occasion proved once and for all that Vader can indeed wield Force Lightning.
When Did Darth Vader Use Force Lightning?
Darth Vader First Used Force Lightning In Star Wars:Darth Vader #5
In Darth Vader #5, the titular Sith Lord is led to the planet Mustafar, the site of his immolation, where there is a strong "locus for the Dark Side of the Force." Once there, Vader dismantles his new lightsaber and attempts to "bleed" its crystal, but fails. Vader then has a vision in which he returns to confront Darth Sidious with an un-bled lightsaber, seemingly having chosen the Light Side of the Force. He defeats the Emperor in battle, and returns to submit to Obi-Wan, kneeling before him with his helmet off. Obi-Wan raises his lightsaber, ready to strike down his former Padawan, but refuses to end Anakin's/Darth Vader's life. This vision represents Vader's first failed attempt to bleed the kyber crystal.
Darth Vader emerges from his vision alive but once again relegated to his suit after briefly experiencing his old life as a Jedi Knight. Back in the cave on Mustafar, Darth Vader takes up the crystal once more in another attempt to bleed it. Fully committed to success this time, Vader pours Force Lightning — along with all of his pain, anguish, and anger — into his lightsaber. The result is nearly cataclysmic, as Vader's use of Force Lightning almost causes him to destroy himself and the entire planet of Mustafar. The issue, and first arc, of Darth Vader, ends with the Sith Lord confronting his master and igniting a red blade, his path chosen.
The Creation Of Darth Vader's Lightsaber Was Important
The process here of Darth Vader corrupting his kyber crystal matches up with other lore about Sith lightsabers. For example, the creation of Kylo Ren's lightsaber was so difficult that he actually shattered it into two pieces in the process. The resulting weapon, while red, was extremely unstable, which is why it reportedly required the signature cross-hilt. This goes to show the process of bleeding a kyber crystal isn't as simple as it might first appear. It's also noteworthy in this case because Ren didn't exactly take his lightsaber from someone else, but instead opted to convert his own. This may be related to why this act of corruption ultimately went awry. Nevertheless, his grandfather struggled in a similar way, forcing him to unlock a Force ability that very nearly killed him.
Darth Vader's Force Lightning Represents His Greatest Failure
Anakin Skywalker's Chosen One Potential Was Permanently Stunted
The Darth Vader comic book series reveals that, while the eponymous Sith Lord was indeed capable of using Force Lightning, the electricity could potentially destroy his life-sustaining suit. As a result, Force Lightning was one ability that would forever be outside of Darth Vader's reach, not because he was incapable, but because it could kill him. As such, Vader would always be reminded of his greatest failure on Mustafar, which left him in need of his suit simply to walk and breathe. Once considered one of the most powerful Jedi, the Chosen One, Vader was now incapable of using the hallmark ability of a Sith Lord.
Darth Vader's suit kept him alive but also served as a reminder that he would never be as powerful as he could have been. After being mutilated by Obi-Wan Kenobi and burned in the lava of Mustafar, Darth Vader's Force potential was stunted, forcing him to rely on technology just to survive. As powerful as he became in the Dark Side, Vader would always be left wanting more, knowing that he could have been better had he not been confined to his suit. This rage would burn inside him until his final days, when he turned against Palpatine, dying from the very same Force Lightning that had eluded him for decades.
Overall, the Darth Vader comic book series reveals a lot about what it takes to truly become a Sith, and corrupting the kyber crystal of Kirak Infil'a's lightsaber illustrates just how much pain and anger the Dark Lord possesses. It also makes clear that, although Darth Vader never used Force Lightning in the films, he's more than capable of accessing the ability, though in his hands it's incredibly dangerous, including to himself.