Darth Vader is an all-time great villain in Star Wars, and his death is the final moment in his redemption arc. After defeating Emporer Palpatine in Return of the Jedi, Vader’s suit is damaged beyond repair, and instead of prolonging his life, he asks Luke to remove his mask. In doing so, Vader subtly abandoned his previous motivation in his last moment to look upon his son with his own eyes. Though already impactful in its own right, the way George Lucas rewrote Vader’s death later on is intricate and powerful.
Lucas always insisted Star Wars was like poetry in that it rhymes, and Darth Vader’s death in Return of the Jedi is subtly rewritten in light of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Vader was so intent on saving the love of his life that he fell to the dark side, but when his death finally came, it symbolized similarities with the death of his wife. Vader then chose to die and affirmed Luke and Padmé’s beliefs about him, that there was good in him all along.
Darth Vader Embraced Death Rather Than Defied It
It goes against Vader’s motivations for joining Sidious
During the prequel trilogy, Anakin’s goal was to conquer death in an effort to save Padmé’s life. Star Wars canon has reinterpreted the conquest of death as a core goal of every Sith. Darth Sidious attempted to conquer death through the teachings of his master, Darth Plagueis, and lured Anakin to the dark side of the Force with promises of the same. However, at the end of Return of the Jedi, Vader embraces death when he tells Luke nothing can stop this from happening.
Vader embraces his death by allowing Luke to remove his mask, going against everything Sidious taught him. This moment shows Vader’s growth since Luke started attempting to bring him back to the light side of the Force. By accepting death at this moment, Vader is letting go of the fears that drove him to join Sidious. This allows Vader to finally break the hold the dark side has on him and turn to the light. He vocalizes this through his appreciation for Luke before he passes away, and it echoes the scene of the death of his wife, Padmé.
Darth Vader Lost The Will To Live… For The Best Reasons
Luke believed in him and was proven right
There’s a strange, tragic mirror to Vader choosing death when his beloved Padmé also lost the will to live. The differences between their scenes are distinct, but in his acceptance of death, Vader proves to Luke that there was still good left in him, as he suspected. The emotional turmoil that Vader has gone through would be enough for most to give up. Instead, Vader uses his final moment of strength to save his son and the galaxy and concedes that everything Luke told him while they were on Endor was true.
Luke: I’ve got to save you.
Vader: You already have, Luke.
Even though Vader loses the will to live afterward, it’s for good reason. Vader had finally fulfilled his purpose as the Chosen One and proved his son right. This critical moment was set up in Revenge of the Sith. By losing the will to live after being vindicated by the son he had just saved from his former master, Vader is able to uphold what his beloved wife believed before she died in a somewhat similar fashion. This allusion set up by George Lucas is an ingenious callback to what Padmé declared about Anakin right before she passed away.
“You Were Right About Me” Isn’t Just About Luke
It is also about Padmé’s faith that there was still good in Vader
Although Vader is speaking to Luke when he says this, he is also indirectly speaking to Padmé. Vader’s death speaks so much more powerfully, given the context of the scene involving her death. In her last moment, she was able to hold out hope, professing that she knew there was still good in him. Little did she know that the son she had just given birth to would be the person to prove her statement to be true. This context from Revenge of the Sith adds much more depth to Vader’s death.
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George Lucas’s use of allusion in this scene helps deepen the connection between Vader and Padmé. This callback allows Lucas to strengthen the bond between them, since she was the only one who still had faith in his goodness at the time of her death. Lucas added more impact to the deaths of both Vader and Padmé through their last words, cementing their union with one another. Padmé’s faith was proven just, and Vader was able to live long enough to witness her faith in him be validated.
Darth Vader’s death in Return of the Jedi is a beautifully sad moment that is even more powerful when taken from the context of Revenge of the Sith. When Vader professes his appreciation towards Luke for bringing him back to the light, he chooses death to defy why he turned to the dark side. This is all-encompassed by the duality of the scene involving the death of Padmé and the reason why Vader was willing to die. Despite his lack of belief, Darth Vader‘s son proved Padmé’s dying words true: there was still good in him.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
- Died
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi
- Alliance
- Jedi, Sith
- Race
- Human
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