Fortress Vader

"Few people have the honor of seeing Lord Vader in his sanctum."

- Vaneé, to Orson Krennic

Darth Vader's castle, also known as Vader's personal abode, was a stronghold located on the volcanic world of Mustafar. Once the site of a Sith temple, during the reign of the Galactic Empire it served as the personal residence of Darth Vader, a Sith Lord who wore life support armor after sustaining grievous injuries on Mustafar.

Details
The castle occupied by the Sith Lord Darth Vader was constructed by Vader himself as a testament to his own might. It was located on the site of his greatest defeat, and was built over an ancient Sith cave. The complex's location and design came as much from the dark side of the Force as it did Vader's personal history. The central tower was constructed out of obsidian, and its tuning towers served as conduits for the dark side. Within, Vader maintained a bacta tank which he would rest inside.

History
"I suggest you keep all you witnessed to yourself."

- Vaneé, to Orson Krennic before Krennic's departure from Mustafar

By the order of his Master, Galactic Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader was forced to live in an obsidian tower; built over an ancient Sith cave. The castle was located in the unforgiving environment of the volcanic planet of Mustafar.

The Sith Lord's castle was completed as early as 5 BBY. By then, the Jedi fugitive Kanan Jarrus had heard rumors about Mustafar, specifically referring to it as a place where Jedi survivors were sent to die if captured by the Galactic Empire. Before Jarrus could be taken to the surface, however, he was rescued from the Star Destroyer Sovereign in orbit by his fellow rebels.

Sometime between 2 BBY and 0 BBY, members of the Rebel Alliance conducted a mission to infiltrate an Imperial base near the castle. Once Alliance members were inside, they discovered a proto-saber, although Darth Vader was soon able to recover the lightsaber. After a brief engagement with Vader, the rebels were able to escape.

In 0 BBY, Vader was meditating inside the bacta tank in his sanctum when Director Orson Krennic arrived. Sending Vader's assistant Vaneé to retrieve him, Krennic and Vader discussed the Death Star.

Behind the scenes
"Ralph McQuarrie actually drew quite a few small thumbnail sketches [of Vader's castle] that were very intriguing. They were kind of angular versions of a tower, and I saw the potential of where he was going, and I just exaggerated that quite a bit."

- Doug Chiang

Darth Vader's castle first appeared in the Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was released in 2016. Inspired by unused Ralph McQuarrie sketches from Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, the design team for Rogue One gave the castle a tuning fork shape, leading director Gareth Edwards to suggest that it is "tuning the dark side." The concept was also used for the Temple of the Kyber, which represents a mirror image on the light side.

During the concept phase of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, concept art titled "Vader Castle" was created by Erik Tiemens and Brett Northcutt, with the piece depicting TIE/IN interceptors exiting a fortress near a river of lava. In Star Wars Legends, Darth Vader had similar abodes, including a palace on Coruscant and a castle on Vjun.

In the Rebels Recon behind-the-scenes video for "Ghosts of Geonosis," Pablo Hidalgo directly confirmed that Darth Vader's castle is specifically where Tarkin was taking the captured Kanan Jarrus in the Season One finale of Star Wars Rebels. At the time, the series only said that he was being taken to Mustafar, and that Kanan had heard it was "where Jedi go to die." Even in Season One, Hidalgo knew that they were taking him to a castle Vader has on the surface - this wasn't established retroactively but was planned out. Hidalgo also directly established that Vader's castle was definitely constructed on Mustafar by the start of the series, but he stated that he wouldn't reveal exactly when and how it was built.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire
 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization
 * Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel
 * Rogue One Adaptation 4
 * Aftermath
 * Aftermath