Today, I decided to write about a character who I am very fascinated about. That character is named Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker was a Child who appeared in episode 1 of Star Wars and he was discovered at a parts shop on the planet Tattooine. The main protagonists, Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi had saved Queen Amidala from the separatists and then together they fled but were stopped due to their hyperdrive breaking down. This led them to look for parts in the nearby Tatooine market and there, they found young Anakin Skywalker.
Later on, Anakin offered for them to stay at his home where they met his Mother, Shmi Skywalker who later revealed to Qui Gon that Anakin had no father and that she had gotten pregnant out of nowhere. This led to Qui Gon becoming suspicious about the boy and decided to check Anakin's blood for Midi-Chlorians. Midi-Chlorians are similar to Microbials which binds the Star Wars universe together and they are also the reason behind the existence of The Force. Obi Wan later confirmed that Anakin's Midi-Chlorian count was "off the charts" and that it exceeded Grand Master Yoda's Midi-Chlorian count. Qui Gon concluded that Anakin was "The Chosen One" who would bring balance to The Force. Anakin would later have to win a pod race for his freedom and he would go on to join Qui Gon to become a Jedi but Qui Gon later died in his battle with Darth Maul and Obi Wan became Anakin's Master. After the time skip, Anakin grew up and fell in love with Padme Amidala and they would later marry but not before Anakin Lost his right arm in a battle against Count Dooku.
The main part of his story is when he was influenced by Chancellor Palpatine who manipulated Anakin through use of his visions and his love for Padme. Anakin had a vision where his wife would die at childbirth and he wanted to avoid it. Eventually Mace Windu would attempt to kill Palpatine after discovering his true identity as a Sith Lord but Anakin would cut off Windu's hand, thus allowing Palpatine to kill him with Force Lightning. Anakin then pledged himself to Palpatine's eachings and became Darth Vader. Soon after, Order 66 was executed and all jedi were killed by clones except for Obi Wan and Yoda. Anakin would kill most jedi and later fight Obi Wan on the lava planet Mustafar.
It is here that Obi Wan cuts off Anakin's legs and left arm after Anakin had attempted to jump across to Obi Wan's high ground. Anakin was left helpless next to the lava river and flames consumed him until he was burnt. Palpatine would then have Anakin fitted with his suit and iconic mask which required surgery because Anakin's lungs and oesophagus roasted, his ears melted, retinas burned. In order to protect the Midi-Chlorians, the medical droids performed the procedure without anesthetics. He would later go on to fight his son, Luke Skywalker decades later and in the end, redeem himself by throwing Palpatine int0 the Core of the Death Star.
The reason why I am fascinated with this character is because I personally feel that what he wanted was just and his motives were pure. The main problem with him was the method he chose in order to achieve those motives. he is both good and bad because he wants to bring peace to the world but he kills in order to achieve it. The most obvious trait that he has is his selfishness. He is hungry for power and recognition as shown when he questions the Jedi Council for not allowing him to become a Master despite being in the Council. He also chooses violence and bloodshed in order to achieve peace and later on becomes an emotionless monster as a result of his wife's death. Much more, he goes on a rampage straight after discovering that his mother was killed by Sand People and even continued to slaughter them as Darth Vader. the most sickening part of this character is his willingness to kill children and his audacity to state it out loud as he said to padme, "I killed them all. Every single one of them. not just the men, but the women and the children too. They're like animals so I slaughtered them like animals. I HATE THEM!!". He also killed the younglings when he led the slaughter of order 66.
The other things that I think about often is the suffering that he endured as Darth Vader. At first, he was just emotionally suffering but then he lost his limbs, got burned, endured surgery without anesthetics and had to deal with his injuries for decades. His synthetic skin itched excessively, his suit's control box was loud rendering him unable to sleep and he could not eat. To imagine such suffering for such a long period of time is traumatising to say the least as it is almost sickening to put someone through such an experience. The fact that he did not die is very fascinating because he supposedly lived on due to his strong rage and hatred towards himself and Obi Wan. He was also Manipulated by Palpatine Who would put him through gruesome trials, endless missions and he would occasionally remind Vader of his failed past and failed missions. The most depressing thing is his constant agony over his lost wife. He would dream of her, see her ghost, be depressed about her and even do everything that he could to try and bring her back to life.
Finally, I am most fascinated about what he felt when he first discovered that his twin children were still alive. The first time this had happened was when he heard about it from Palpatine. In the comics, it says that Vader was very upset with the fact that Palpatine had lied to him about the death of his children and possibly the death of his wife. He was furious and cracked the glass in front of him. He still had humanity in him but only his son could pull that humanity out of his shell. Vader would later bond with his son more and he tried his best to have his son join him in order to not have palpatine kill him. He would then watch as his son whom he had only known for a short while, get shocked with Force Lightning to the brink of death. His humanity finally had emerged when he decided to throw Palpatine into the Death Star's Core. This would be the last moments of his life as he asked to Luke to take his mask off. Luke hesitated as it would kill Vade but Vader insisted saying that nothing could stop him from dying. Luke did so and Vader saw luke with his own eyes and breathed his last breath.
In conclusion, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader is the most interesting character to me and I just hope to see and learn more about him in the Star Wars comics which are currently ongoing. From his story, we learn that we should never be selfish and evil. Bloodshed and violence never solves your issues and they should never be an option.
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