Over the past 43 years, one of the most noteworthy elements of Star Wars has been its dedication to the development of seemingly minor characters. Fans never know when a bounty hunter or a droid will pop back up unexpectedly. However, not every character's evolution has been a positive one, something that is certainly the case for Saw Gerrera.
Saw Gerrera first joined the Star Wars universe in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. A young man on the Separatist world of Onderon, he and his sister Steela were among the first Rebels. They were trained and equipped by the Jedi to sow chaos on the planet, eventually driving the Separatists away. Steela died during the conflict, a loss that continued to fuel Saw's war against the Separatists and then against the Empire.
The war continued for Saw in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The game's protagonist Cal Kestis ran across Gerrera and members of his militia on Kashyyyk. Cal briefly teamed up with Saw to fight the Imperial forces who were occupying and enslaving the Wookie home world, but their partnership was short lived as Cal's own mission carried him away from that battle.
Many years after the fall of the Republic, Saw reappeared in Star Wars Rebels. At that point, he was still working with the greater Rebel Alliance but the seeds of discontent had started to grow. Saw had become obsessed with winning and was willing to do so by any means. Eventually, he broke away and formed his own version of the Rebellion, one that was not as concerned with civilian casualties. To him, the ends justified the means.
His final appearance in the franchise was the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. By that point, Saw was sequestered on Jedha, hiding from enemies that included both the Empire and the Rebellion. Gerrera died when the Empire tested the first Death Star by firing on Jedha City, a place sacred to the Church of the Force.
The decline of Saw Gerrera was evident throughout his appearances in the Star Wars universe. He was in the worst state possible when Jyn Erso found him in Rogue One. Decades of fighting had taken their toll on his body, leaving him a shadow of his former self. Trapped in life support gear, he constantly had to breath supplementary oxygen to stay alive. His labored breathing was reminiscent of the Emperor's most famous enforcer.
When death finally came for Saw, he bore more than a passing resemblance to Darth Vader. Both men were encased in black life support systems to survive. More than that, Gerrera and Vader were also both willing to kill whoever needed to be killed to exert their will. They had become zealots to their own unique missions, and lost all respect for innocent life. Both men were villains in their own ways. Saw's personal war had become less about defeating the Empire and more about being right.
The difference was there was no redemption waiting for Saw at the end of his arc, unlike Darth Vader. There was no realization that the way he fought the war he devoted his life to accomplished nothing. Saw died believing he had been right the entire time, and maybe he was to an extent. But in that moment on Jedha, his version of the Rebellion was broken and forgotten, while Darth Vader went on to help defeat the Empire he helped build.