Anakin Skywalker

"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, to the fallen Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker was a Human male who served the Galactic Republic as a Jedi Knight, and later the Galactic Empire as the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Skywalker was the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, destined to defeat the Sith and bring balance to the Force. After the Battle of Geonosis, Skywalker secretly married Senator Padmé Amidala. As the war progressed, Skywalker saw very little of Padmé but often came into contact with her which often caused suspicion on behalf of Obi-Wan and Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka.

Towards the end of the war, Skywalker was blessed with the news of pending fatherhood when Padmé announced she was carrying their first child, but this joy became sorrow when Skywalker became plagued with nightmares of his wife's demise in childbirth. His desire to protect those he loved drove him to the dark side of the Force, leaving him in darkness for decades until his final redemption.

Childhood on Tatooine
"You're a slave?''" "''I'm a person and my name is Anakin."

- Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker

Conceived by midi-chlorians, the symbiotic organisms that allowed individuals to touch the Force, Anakin Skywalker was born to the slave Shmi Skywalker on the desert world of Tatooine. Anakin and his mother were originally owned by Gardulla the Hutt until she lost them to the Toydarian Watto in a podracing bet. Even at a young age, Skywalker exhibited exceptional piloting and engineering skills, creating the protocol droid C-3PO. When he was ten, Skywalker encountered the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Padmé Amidala, Jar Jar Binks, and R2-D2, and he helped them secure the parts they needed for their starship by winning the Boonta Eve Classic podracing event&mdash;only to learn that he had also won his freedom in doing so. He was known to his friends and mother by the nickname "Ani."

Battle of Naboo
"I'll try spinning. That's a good trick."

- Anakin Skywalker in his Naboo starfighter

Reluctantly leaving his mother behind, Skywalker accompanied Jinn and his group to the Republic's capital of Coruscant and participated in the Battle of Naboo, helping to free Amidala's homeworld from the armies of the Trade Federation. Anakin hid in the cockpit of a Naboo starfighter, and, in an attempt to destroy three droidekas, inadvertently engaged the autopilot. This resulted in Anakin's starfighter, along with the astromech droid R2-D2, launching into space to attack a droid control ship orbiting Naboo. After R2 helped Anakin regain control of the ship, Anakin was shot by a droid starfighter and flew it into the hangar of the droid control ship. Inside the ship, he fired two proton torpedoes which hit the main reactor. This started a chain reaction which destroyed the ship shortly after Anakin's Naboo starfighter had left, killing Daultay Dofine and the crew and causing all droids on Naboo's surface to power down.

During the Battle of Naboo, Jinn was killed during the battle by Sith apprentice Darth Maul, Jinn's student Obi-Wan Kenobi followed Jinn's wishes and took on Skywalker as his Padawan, and much of the Jedi Council believed that Skywalker was the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy.

Return to Tatooine
"To be angry is to be human.''" "''I'm a Jedi. I know I'm better than this."

- Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker

Ten years later, as the Secessionist Movement threatened to tear the Republic apart, Skywalker was reunited with Amidala when her life was threatened by assassins. After two foiled assassination attempts, Amidala was put under the protection of Anakin, and the two went back to the planet of Naboo. While on Naboo, Anakin revealed to Padmé his love for her, but she refused since Anakin was not supposed to form attachments as a Jedi. While on Naboo, Anakin began to have dreams about his mother suffering, and he decided he needed to go rescue her on Tatooine. On Tatooine, Anakin and Padmé located Watto, who told them that he had sold Shmi to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars. Anakin and Padmé visited the Lars farm only to discover that Anakin's mother had been abducted by Tusken Raiders and was feared dead. Anakin took his brother-in-law Owen Lars' swoop bike and went looking for Shmi. He found her in a Tusken village, and she died in his arms. As a result, Anakin allowed his anger to consume him, and he slaughtered the entire village of Tusken Raiders - men, women, and children.

Battle of Geonosis
"You call this a diplomatic solution?''" "''No. I call it aggressive negotiations"

- Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala

After Shmi's funeral, Anakin received a message from Obi-Wan Kenobi telling him of the Separatist presence on Geonosis. Padmé and Anakin then went to Geonosis where they were subsequently captured and placed with Obi-Wan Kenobi into the Geonosian arena to be torn apart by beasts. Anakin managed to gain control of a Reek, but before long the three heroes were surrounded by droidekas. However, a Jedi task force arrived, led by Mace Windu. A battle ensued in which the Jedi began to lose, but then Master Yoda arrived with the clone army. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé were safely loaded onto a gunship, and they soon caught sight of Separatist leader Count Dooku. Anakin and Obi-Wan dueled with Count Dooku, but both were defeated. Obi-Wan suffered minor wounds, but Anakin lost his right arm. Yoda soon arrived and fought with Dooku until the Sith Lord made his escape. Skywalker received a cybernetic replacement for his lost arm, and he and Amidala were secretly married in the days after the battle, in violation of the Jedi Code.

The stealth ship
Sometime after the Battle of Geonosis, the Republic was fighting the Separatist blockade of the planet Christophsis. Anakin was tasked by the Jedi Council to assist senator Bail Organa on the planet's surface. During the battle, Anakin was on the losing end. Obi-Wan contacted Skywalker and told him to retreat from the battle for he had a new ship for him. Anakin was surprised to learn that the Republic had a Stealth ship. Kenobi tasked Anakin with flying it past the Blockade. Anakin thought the ship would be too small to take on the whole fleet but was told by Kenobi that he would not be taking an offensive stance. He was instead to go on a mercy mission to send supplies to Organa. Admiral Wulff Yularen accompanied Skywalker because he had knowledge of who was leading the blockade, Trench, whom Yularen had long thought dead. Impatient at the Republic's refusal to act, Trench sent Hyena Bombers to the attack the planet's surface. Yularen feared that they would hit the ship but they went right past. After being contacted by Obi-Wan to continue his mission, Skywalker decloaked and played a game of "cat and mouse" with the Admiral. He launched torpedoes at the ship but Trench used the thermal shields. Anakin de-cloaked before Trench could trace its magnetic signature and sent a message to the stealth ship. He warned Anakin that he had faced this kind of ship before, and that he should retreat before he was killed. Anakin pursued Trench and used his tracking torpedoes to destroy the bridge with Trench inside. Anakin, after defeating the Trench, sent the supplies to Bail and the relief effort. Bail thanked Anakin and Yularen complimented him on his flying skills.

The traitor
After sending the aid to Organa, Obi-Wan and his troops defeated most of the blockade and landed on the planet with battalions of clone troopers. They watched for the droid army until they attacked Kenobi's position. Anakin, Rex, and his troops broke some glass in the building they occupied and zip lined down to the south tower to help Obi-Wan. Anakin called Hawk to come to their position. Obi-Wan, Anakin, Cody, Rex, and the rest of the clone troopers took an elevator to the roof, where a tactical droid and battle droids were waiting for them. As Hawk landed, one clone troopers grabbed the head of the tactical droid to take in for analysis. Skywalker was confused by the fact that the droids knew where they were going to be at that particular time. Obi-Wan and Anakin saw no evidence in the droid, they took BARC Speeders behind enemy lines, with hundreds of battle droids watching them. Anakin and Obi-Wan finally arrived at the Separatist headquarters, When they reached the library, they met Asajj Ventress. Ventress spoke of a traitor and clashed with the two Jedi. Anakin and Obi-Wan pursued the Sith until she jumped out a window revealing her large army. The three dueled on a Tri-droid until Anakin and Obi-Wan knocked two droids off of STAPs and flew to their command center, just in time to discover that Slick was a traitor to the Republic. Anakin stated even with the traitor captured that they still had a war to win.

Receiving a Padawan
"You're reckless, little one. You never would have made it as Obi-Wan's Padawan&hellip; but you might make it as mine."

- Anakin Skywalker to Tano, following the Battle of Christophsis

After capturing the traitor Slick, the battle raged on. After being able to repel the enemy forces for a while, a shuttle landed. Anakin believed the shuttle to be carrying supplies and Obi-Wan thought it would bring a new Padawan for him. A young Togruta girl named Ahsoka Tano stepped out and greeted the Jedi. She informed them that she was the new Padawan learner assigned to Skywalker. With no time to argue, Skywalker allowed Tano to come along. Trouble started again when an expanding deflector shield was activated for the Droid Army, allowing them to advance through the city. Anakin, along with his new apprentice, sneaked through the shield by hiding under a box and then made their way to the shield generator. Despite having to fight a few droids that protected the generator, the two managed to destroy it, allowing the Republic to finish off the droids and win the battle.

Rescuing Jabba's son
After the battle, Skywaker, Kenobi and Ahsoka met with Jedi Master Yoda, who informed them that Jabba's son Rotta had been kidnapped. Yoda sent Skywalker and Tano to Teth to look for the Huttlet. Kenobi was sent to Tatooine to speak with Jabba himself. When Skywalker and Tano got to Teth, they were informed that they only had one planetary rotation to deliver Rotta to Jabba. When they landed they were flanked by battle droids. Fighting their way up a cliff side, Skywalker and Tano made it a race to see who could get to the top first. After making it to the top, they made their way into the monastery. Once inside they discovered that it was Asajj Ventress who had kidnapped the Huttlet. After fighting their way through the monastery, they reached a cliff. Rotta noticed a ship on a landing platform across the jungle. Anakin and Ahsoka jumped down onto Can-cells to fly over there. They got the ship up and running and took off. They saw that help had arrived and planned to take the Huttlet to one of the Jedi Cruisers for help, as he had gotten sick. Unfortunately, the cruiser was blown up, forcing them to take Rotta to his father on their own. Upon arriving on Tatooine, they were attacked by Magna Guards in starships. They defeated them, but then crashed, forcing them to travel through the desert. Choosing to split up, Tano took Rotta to Jabba the Hutt's palace, while Anakin was confronted by Count Dooku. After a brief lightsaber duel, Anakin sped off on the speeder bike that Dooku rode in on, knowing his Padawan was in trouble. At Jabba's Palace, he was told that Rotta had not been delivered and that he would be killed. Just then, Senator Amidala contacted Jabba and informed him that his uncle Ziro was involved with the kidnapping. Ahsoka arrived with Rotta, resolving matters to Jabba's satisfaction.

The Malevolence
"That's your plan? Just fly there, land, hope they don't spot us and walk in the door?''" "Basically." "''Oh. Brilliant. Let's get going."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker

Later in the Clone Wars, Anakin and Ahsoka rescued Jedi Master Plo Koon and three other clones after their fleet had been destroyed by a new Separatist superweapon, the Malevolence, which was commanded by General Grievous. After narrowly escaping the ion cannon of the Malevolence, Anakin led a squadron of bombers to destroy the superweapon and kill Grievous. Because too many bombers were destroyed or incapacitated, Anakin was forced to change the plan, and the bombers dropped their payload on the ion cannon, forcing it to overload and the Malevolence to retreat from its attack on a Republic medical station. While making his escape, Grievous captured Senator Amidala, and Anakin and Obi-Wan boarded the Malevolence to rescue her. While on the ship, Anakin sabotaged the ship's navigation system to cause the ship to crash into a nearby moon when the hyperdrive was engaged.

A friend in need
After suffering defeat at Falleen, Skywalker attempted to ambush the Separatist forces as they were passing through an asteroid field. Revealing his plan, placing AT-TEs on the nearby asteroids, he managed to destroy the Separatist frigates. This forced Grievous to retreat, taking off in his fighter, resulting in a pursuit by Skywalker. However, debris from the destroyed Separatist frigates damaged his ship, leaving him to be rescued by clone captain Rex, but leaving his droid R2-D2 lost in the battle. Skywalker was supplied with a new astromech droid, R3-S6, but was saddened by the loss of his friend and did not take to the idea of a new droid. He launched a search, scouring the battlefield but was unable to find R2. He took to looking aboard a nearby scavenger ship, unaware that its owner, the Trandoshan Gha Nachkt had promised Grievous the droid.

With all hope lost, Skywalker attempted to continue life without the droid, until R2 sent a message revealing his location at the Separatist outpost of Skytop Station. Upon arrival, Skywalker ordered Tano and Rex to fulfill the mission objectives: to destroy the station, while he went to find his lost droid. He engaged several IG-100 MagnaGuards and found R2-D2, meeting up with clones Rex and Denal. He learned that Tano had gone to engage Grievous alone and sent the clones to complete the mission. As they were leaving the hangar, R3-S6 revealed himself to be a spy for Grievous and activated several vulture droids and called for a squad of Super Battle Droids, which Skywalker engaged. Tano then rejoined the group, only to be scolded by her master for engaging the droid general alone, and sent R2 to open the hangar doors. After defeating the droids, R2 opened the hangar doors and dueled and defeated R3 before being retrieved by happy Skywalker, delighted to have his long-time friend back safe.

The capture of Count Dooku
After the Malevolence crisis, Anakin got was captured by a Munificent-class warship, commanded by Count Dooku in an ice field near Vanqor. He had put up a fight to make his capture seem convincing, though the capture was actually a ruse. He was defeated and taken to a prison cell. Sometime later, Obi-Wan Kenobi came to his rescue. After spotting Count Dooku, the Jedi gave chase, but Dooku escaped in his solar sailer with the two Jedi on his tail in a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle. After taking direct hits to their shuttle, they were forced to crash on the planet. In a nearby cave, the two Jedi began to hunt for Dooku, but the Dark Lord of the Sith ambushed them by causing a sudden collapse in the cave ceiling, causing Anakin to lose his lightsaber, which Dooku retrieved. Obi-Wan tried to help Anankin by using his lightsaber as a flashlight, but it was malfunctioning due to damage sustained from the collapse. Meanwhile, Dooku escaped the cave. The ruckus woke up the "Mother of all gundarks," which they rendered unconscious, only to nearly succumb to poison gas released from a trapped pocket in the cave. They were saved just in time, as Ahsoka Tano and a detachment of clone troopers uncovered the cave entrance.

Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine and his representatives received a message from Hondo Ohnaka concerning a reward for the capture of Count Dooku. At the suggestion of Senator Padmé Amidala, the Jedi Council assigned Anakin and Obi-Wan to verify their custody of Count Dooku, agreeing to the pirates' condition to arrive unarmed. The Jedi were met at gunpoint in the Twilight and escorted to Hondo, who arranged a meeting with their prisoner. The Jedi mocked Dooku's imprisonment, but the Count warned them that the Weequay were "devious and deceitful, and most importantly...stupid." Despite this, he felt that the Jedi "underestimated them at their own peril." After leaving Dooku's cell, the Jedi were invited to a "party" by the pirates. Even though the Jedi switched the drinks they believed to be spiked, they wound up passed out in a cell with Dooku, chained together with him.

With no choice but to work together, the two Jedi and the Sith tried to escape to the hangar, but were caught and re-incarcerated. Obi-Wan used a Jedi mind trick on one of the guards to get him to go out drinking with his friends. They then again attempted escape, pole-vaulting over a wall, but Dooku was shot. Obi-Wan grabbed him, with Anakin forced to hold on to both, only for them to be re-captured by Hondo hanging from the wall. Eventually the Jedi escaped, along with Dooku. Hondo was confused as to why the Jedi didn't kill him and the other pirates afterwards, but Obi-Wan explained "Jedi don't hold grudges. But, the Sith do and Dooku knows where you live."

The Lurmen
Anakin, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex were sent in as reinforcements for Jedi Knight Aalya Secura and Commander Bly during the Battle of Quell. The Jedi attempted to land on the Jedi Cruiser and called for an evacuation of the ship, however heavy Separatist fire caused an inferno that raged throughout. Skywalker sacrificed himself to save the lives of his fellow Jedi and the remaining clones. Wounded by the blast, Ahsoka dragged her injured master onto the evacuation frigate, where Skywalker was given medical treatment for his injuries. As they prepared to dock with the Resolute, an ambush by several Vulture droids caused the ship's hyperdrive to activate, sending them into deep space. After narrowly avoiding an incoming star, Tano managed to crash land the ship on the inhabited planet of Maridun. Leaving Skywalker in the care of Captain Rex; Secura, Tano and Bly set out to find the natives and to ask for medical support. It was then discovered that the planet was also the home of several vicious Mastif Phalones which were fended off by Rex until Tano arrived back with Bly and native healer, Wag Too before another final attempt to fend off the vicious attackers.

Soon after the Jedi's arrival, Separatist forces touched down on the planet with intentions to test out a new superweapon, the defoliator, on the native Lurmen villagers. Accusing the Jedi of bringing war to their peaceful planet, the Lurmen ordered them to leave immediately. However, the Jedi took a shuttle back to the Lurmen village after learning about the Separatists' sinister objective. The group set up a shield generator to protect the village from the blast of the weapon, as well as protect it from incoming waves of battle droids. However, the second wave of droids managed to destroy the shield as the weapon was being reloaded for another shot. Fortunately, Skywalker managed to disable the defoliator weapon along with several droids before capturing the Separatist General Lok Durd. The Jedi then left the planet, now peaceful again, on several Jedi cruisers sent out by Admiral Yularen.

Orto Plutonia
Anakin, along with Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO, R2-D2, Rex, Senator Riyo Chuchi and Chairman Chi Cho, went to investigate a Republic outpost on Orto Plutonia following the mysterious death of clone troopers. Anakin and Obi-Wan deduced that all the clones had been killed, but not by battle droids. Anakin and Obi-Wan went to investigate and met the native Talz, who explained that they were only trying to protect their home. Obi-Wan proposed a peace meeting between the Talz and Chairman Chi Cho. At the meeting, Chi Cho refused to share the moon with the Talz and a battle broke out amongst the clone troopers and the Talz. The battle came to an end when Chi Cho was killed and Chuchi gave a proposal to the Talz to share the moon with them.

The lab
After hearing word of a Separatist lab has been established on Naboo, Anakin arrived with his Padawan Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi. After learning that Padmé Amidala had gone to the investigate the claims without the Jedi and had been captured, Skywalker became more determined than ever to infiltrate the Separatist laboratory. Captain Gregar Typho informed them that before they had lost contact with Amidala she had informed them of the lab's location and that Separatist-allied Dr Nuvo Vindi was plotting to release the dangerous Blue Shadow Virus back into Canon|the galaxy. Tano led an attack on the southern entrance, providing a distraction for Kenobi and Skywalker to enter through the hatches undetected. Upon arrival, Skywalker was confronted by Vindi, who was electrocuting Amidala and Jar Jar Binks, and forced the group to lay down their weapons to save them. Vindi gave Skywalker a choice: to save his friends or capture him, and he made his escape while the Jedi destroyed the remaining battle droids and saved the Senator. Vindi activated his virus bombs before Skywalker and Kenobi found him and engaged him. Upon their arrival, the doctor threw down virus capsules, forcing the Jedi to stop the attack and retrieve them. Despite the doctor's maneuever, Skywalker defeated him with the help of native Gungan Peppi Bow.

The antidote
After capturing Vindi and preparing to take him to Theed for his trial, the alarms went off in the lab. Skywalker contacted Tano and asked what was going on. Tano told him that Vindi's servant droid had set off a virus bomb, liberating the virus before he contacted Amidala. Amidala told him that she would hunt down any remaining droids and stop them from escaping to the surface. Skywalker interrogated Vindi into telling him the location of the antidote, a Reeksa root, only found on the planet of Ieago. Vindi laughed, telling them that it would be suicide trying to retrieve it. Skywalker, however, ignored his warning and set off alongside Kenobi to rescue them.

Upon arrival, Skywalker and Kenobi were greeted by a group of disfigured battle droids that had been reprogrammed to do the bidding of a local boy, Jaybo Hood. Hood told the Jedi that the planet was protected by a deity known as 'Drol' who would not let any who arrived on the planet leave again. They began to scale the cliff to retrieve the root of the plant, which subsequently attacked them to prevent them from attacking the root. After retrieving it they bid farewell to Jaybo before taking off, however they were forced to turn back after encountering a laser web, which Kenobi concluded was the work of the Separatists. On their second attempt, however, Kenobi managed to shoot the laser generator, destroying the laser field and liberating the inhabitants of Iego. Skywalker and Kenobi then arrived in time to rescue their friends on Naboo.

Space battle
Anakin gave his Padawan Ahsoka command of a squad of clone fighters to fend off Mar Tuuk's blockade, giving her encouragement to overcome her nervousness about leading her first squad. During the battle she disobeyed her master's orders and lost many men. When she arrived back at the Resolute she was repremanded by Skywalker. Anakin then had to report his losses to Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi. He gave her some time to recover, but then met her in the hangar, informing her that they need to proceed with the attack on the blockade. As alarms sounded, Ahsoka saw everthing being loaded onto the Resolute. Skywalker piloted the Defrender back to the Ryloth system and offered himself, the ship, and its crew to Tuuk, in exchange for the passage of food and medical supplies to the Twi'lek people. Turk accepted, fueled by his eagerness to capture the famed General Skywalker. Only after a complete scan of the Defender did Tuuk realize that there was only one life form aboard. As Skywalker piloted the Defender full speed at the Procurer, Tuuk ordered the incoming ship destroyed. The cruiser could not be stopped and the Defender smashed directly into the Procurer's central sphere, shortly after Skywalker and R2-D2 fled in an escape pod. After Tano destroyed the Confederate fleet, Skywalker was rescued from the escape pod he was in.

Liberation
After Wat Tambor sent in Hyena Bombers to bomb a villiage, Anakin and Ahsoka came in the nick of time to destroy them in their Jedi Starfighters. Ryloth was free at last.

Heist
On Felucia, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan were evacuated, Anakin ordering Ahsoka to retreat because the group she was chasing was regrouping. Ahsoka, however, disobeyed, forcing Anakin to save her. The group reported to the Jedi Council and, for her transgression, she was relegated to duty at the Jedi Archives.

After sensing that thieves would arrive at the temple, Anakin and Obi-Wan inaccurately deduced that their enemies were after their transmission codes and went to secure their location. They discovered the real plan when the sensors for the fans began to fail. When Todo entered a room with Mace Windu, Yoda and Aayla Secura, Mace noticed that the droid had a bomb used the Force to push it back into the vent. Anakin and Obi-Wan were able to escape the blast. They were then contacted by Tano, who informed them that Cad Bane was after the Holocron Vault, but by this time he had already completed his objective. Tano was able to get one more clue, that Bolla Ropal was the keeper of the Kyber crystal. It contained a listed of all known Force-sensitive children in the Republic.

Pursuit
After the heist at the temple, Skywalker's fleet arrived at the Devaron System, cutting off the Separatist fleet that was assisting bounty hunter Cad Bane. Unfortunately, Bane had already captured Jedi Master Bolla Ropa and the Kyber memory crystal. Captain Rex, Skywalker, and Tano, came up with a plan to infiltrate the frigate with three AT-TEs providing fire support. After killing Ropal, Bane was in need of another Jedi to open the Holocron. As he returns to the bridge, he noticed Skywlker, Tano, and their clones preparing to board his frigate through a viewscreen. Tano and the clones stormed the bridge and destroyed several stationed battle droids. Skywalker's astromech droid, R2-D2, then accessed the ship's computer to locate Ropal. After an explosion rocked the ship, the Jedi spotted Bane. They chased him and, after a duel, Tano was stun-cuffed and taken hostage. Skywalker entered, and faced with Tano's captured, was forced to bow to Bane's demands and open the holocron. Bane then made a distraction by opening the airlock on Tano and escaped. Anakin saved his Padawan and left for a shuttle. The Jedi and the clones aboard a shuttle saw what appeared to be a cloe. They shot Bane and the "clone" entered the shuttle, which they returned to the Resolute.

After returning to the Jedi Cruiser, Anakin noticed some Duros blood in the shuttle. Bane revealed himself after being pestered by Tano and took off in a fighter. Skywalker attempted to stop him by jumping onto the ship, but Bane swerved, causing him to fall off. Helpless, Skywalker contacted Admiral Yularen and told him to deactivate the hyperdrive docking rings, but he, too, was not in time, and Cad Bane escaped.

Skywalker and Tano returned to the Jedi Council to report their failure. They, along with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu and Yoda, meditated in hope of finding the children that Bane was after before he got to them. Skywalker and Tano went to Naboo to set a trap for Bane. Thinking he was getting Roo-Roo Page he picked up a doll, only to be confronted by Tano and Skywlker. With the real child safe, Bane was taken to a Venator-class cruiser. Skwaylker, Windu and Kenobi used the Force to try and get information out of the Duros bounty hunter, who gave them some coordinates. Skywalker then reported the details of the plot to Palpatine.

After taking a look at the Jedi starfighter that Bane was flying, Skywalker deduced from the ashes on it and its refueling record that Bane must have been to Mustafar, a lava world. Skywalker and Tano left for Mustafar. Once there, Ahsoka used the Force to sense the presence of the children. They found them while one of the droids there had set the building to go into the lava on Sidious's command. Skywalker and Tano saved the children and returned them to their homes. Upon their return to Coruscant, Skywalker admitted to the Council that they were unable to find out who was behind the kidnappings. Yoda advised caution on the path ahead.

Farmers of Felucia
After coming out of hyperspace, the shuttle carrying Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano was forced to crash on Felucia. After searching around for a while they came across a small farm. Looking around the farm they found the farmers and the bounty hunters who had been protecting them, Embo, Rumi Paramita, and Seripas. The village elder, Casiss informed them that pirates had been threatening them and taking their crops, so the bounty hunters had been protecting them. After much debate amongst the Jedi, they decided to help the farmers take care of themselves. That night they were visited by pirates, Hondo Onaka's gang, familiar to Skywalker and Kenobi. Hondo told the group that he will be back, but Anakin taught the farmers how to fight with staffs. Though slow at first, they eventually picked up the craft.

The pirates returned as promised. A skirmish ensued between the factions. Skwyalker remained in the fight, attacking Hondo, leaving him hanging off a cliff and begging for mercy. Anakin pulled him up and he shouted to his fellow pirates that their efforts were no longer profitable and they should leave. The Jedi themselves left soon after as well, satisfied that the farmers could now defend themselves.

The Zillo Beast
Skyalker, along with Mace Windu and Palpatine, via hologram, discussed the effects of the new electro-proton bomb in defeating the battle droids on Malastare. If successful, it would allow the Dugs to give the Republic fuel. After the bomb is dropped, a crater is created. Anakin went to investigate and discovered a large creature in the crater that lightsaber would not cut through. He left the crater, reported the information, and the Dugs informed the Jedi that the creature was a Zillo Beast, previously thought to be extinct. They wanted it killed, but the Jedi were reluctant to do so. After a discussion with the Chancellor, they decided to simply make it appear as if the Beast had been killed to satisfy the Dugs and still get their fuel. The plan was to then to take it off the planet to be preserved. They knocked the creature out, convincing the Dugs that they were dead. The treaty was signed and Malastare joined the Galactic Republic. Palpatine then ordered that the Beast be shipped to Coruscant for study, despite Mace Windu's objection to the idea.

After the Zillo Beast has been brought to Coruscant, Kenobi and Padmé Amidala asked Anakin to speak with Palpatine about the fate of the Zillo Beast. Reluctantly, Anakin agreed. When both he and Padmé met with the Chancellor, the Chancellor and Mas Amedda tried to justify that killing the beast was the greater good. Amidala objected to their claims, but Skywalker chose to stay neutral. Some time later the Beast escaped from Dr. Boll's lab, where it was being held. Skywalker, Amidala, Palpatine and R2-D2 evacuated to the Chancellor's escape shuttle, but were grabbed by the Beast upon take-off. Skywalker hatched a dangerous plan to free them, slicing off the front part of the shuttle while Yoda and Aayla Secura distracted the beast. Unfortunately, when he did this, everyone fell out of the shuttle, but Skywalker saved them. The Beast was then defeated when gunships fired gas at it.

Senate spy
After returning home to his wife, Skywalker was called in by the Jedi Council. Believing Rush Clovis to be a Separatist supporter, they decided they needed a spy. The next day, Skywalker met Amidala in the Senate and asked her about Clovis. She admitted that they were close in the past, but have not seen in each in some time. They both went to the Jedi Council where the Masters encouraged her to find out about his possible treachery. After learning that he planned to go to Cato Neimoidia, Anankin dressed himself as the pilot of Padme's starship and took them there. After seeing Clovis trying to get close to Padme, Anakin jerked the ship, making Clovis land in a seat away from her. Amidala stole a disk from Clovis and gave it to Skywalker, but was poisoned by Lott Dod had given her begin to set in. Anakin rushed her back to her ship to be taken back to Coruscant for care. He then forced Dod to give him the antidote.

Second Battle of Geonosis
The Republic was forced to return to Geonosis after the Geonsosians had built new droid factories. In order to take down the new droid foundry, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ki-Adi-Mundi each led a group of clone troopers. The three groups were separated and only Obi-Wan's group managed to arrive at the landing zone. Anakin, Ahsoka, Captain Rex, and troopers of the 501st Legion were forced down by enemy fire and made their way to Obi-Wan's position by foot. On the way, they met up with Ki-Adi-Mundi's forces. After uniting their forces, the Republic forces were able to destroy the shield generator protecting the droid factory.

Anakin and Ahsoka then met up with Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and her Padawan Barriss Offee. Barriss and Ahsoka were sent into the Geonosian catacombs under the factory in order to plant bombs to destroy it, while Anakin and Luminara distracted the droid army. Poggle the Lesser, archduke of Geonosis, foiled Ahsoka and Barriss's plan. As a result, Ahoska and Barriss were forced to use a tank to destroy the factory, burying themselves under the rubble in the process. Anakin, confident Ahoska was still alive, attempted to remove the rubble, but Luminara told Anakin their Padawans were dead, and that he needed to let go of his attachment to her. It turned out Ahsoka and Barriss were alive, and both were rescued.

Luminara left in search of Poggle, but she was captured by Queen Karina of Geonosis. Anakin and Obi-Wan, along with clone troopers, rescued her and captured Poggle. In the process, they discovered parasitic brain worms were controlling undead Geonosian warriors. After the Queen's lair was destroyed, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Luminara brought Poggle into Republic custody. Unfortunately, some brain worms acquired clone hosts on a Republic ship containing Ahsoka and Barriss. Anakin found out about the parasites and interrogated Poggle the Lesser for answers on how to defeat the worms. When Poggle was unwilling to talk, Anakin gave into his anger and began to Force choke the Geonosian leader. Poggle told Anakin through a translator droid that the worms hated the cold. Ahsoka was able to defeat the worms, and she and Barriss were rescued.

Rescuing Eeth Koth
After the Jedi Council received a message from General Grievous that he had Eeth Koth hostage, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Adi Gallia went on a mission to rescue him. After Obi-Wan's fleet blasted out of hyperspace, Adi Gallia and Anakin Skywalker arrived in a Jedi ambassador shuttle and boarded Grievous' Separatist cruiser. Skywalker and Galia made their way to the back of the cruiser. Once there they encountered a tactical droid with a group of commando droids. Adi Gallia and Skywalker destroyed all the droids and rescued Jedi Master Koth. Later, Skywalker took the injured Koth back to the shuttle, when Kenobi reported that Grievous had defeated him and escaped. Gallia left Skywalker and Koth in order to find and help Kenobi, flank Grievous and capture him once and for all. Kenobi and Adi were unsuccessful and Koth was taken by Adi Gallia to a medical station, while Skywalker and Kenobi started a search mission for General Grievous.

Protecting Duchess Satine
Anakin joined Obi-Wan aboard Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore's ship the Coronet, to help escort her to Coruscant. While there, Anakin's droid R2-D2 picked up readings in the cargo hold. The clone troopers there with him helped search the area. They discovered and were attacked by assassin probes. Anakin informed Obi-Wan that there may be a traitor on board the ship. After Obi-Wan's trick to lure the traitor out, they figured out it was Tal Merrik who was the traitor. Anakin and Obi-Wan chased after him. After fighting many droids, Anakin killed Merrik while he had the Duchess held hostage and was giving Kenobi a monologue about his plans. Obi-Wan and Satine did not approve, but Anakin responded that "He was getting annoying." As they arrived back on Coruscant, Anakin told Obi-Wan that Satine was, in fact, a "very remarkable woman."

Revelation on Mortis
After receiving a 2,000 year old distress signal, the Jedi Council sent Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan to investigate. After reaching the location of the distress signal and finding nothing, all three were somehow brought to land on a strange world called Mortis. There, they met three Force-using beings: the Father, the Daughter, and the Son. It was revealed to Anakin by the Father that he was the Chosen One, and only he could balance his two children: his daughter (the light) and his son (the dark). Anakin demonstrated his ability to control both of the beings. After the Son, in trying to kill the Father, accidentally killed his sister with the Dagger of Mortis, he later showed Anakin the evil that he would do as Darth Vader. Anakin, horrified at the things he would do, submitted to the Son who said that if Skywalker joined him, then his future would be different. The Son wanted Anakin to join with him so that he could use the Jedi's starship to escape Mortis and wreak havoc on the galaxy. The Father erased Anakin's memory of the future, saying that the Son broke a rule by showing Anakin his future. The Son came, but to his surprise, the Father stabbed himself with the dagger. The Son ran to his father, but according to the plan, Anakin stabbed the Son in the back with his lightsaber. After the Son died, the Father explained to Anakin that he had restored balance to Mortis, and that he now needed to do the same for the galaxy. Before dying, the Father told Anakin to be wary of his feelings as they might lead to his downfall. After this, the planet seemed to break apart, and Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan found themselves back in the shuttle in outer space.

Loss of Ahsoka
Anakin and Ahsoka were participating in a battle on Cato Neimoidia when they received a an urgent mission recalling them to the Jedi Temple. The Jedi Temple's hangar had been bombed and they were ordered to investigate. Their investigation implicated a woman named Letta Turmond, who under pressure admitted to being involved in the bombing, but would not reveal her motives. Later, Turmond asked to speak to Ahsoka alone, only for her to be murdered by someone using a Force choke as Ahsoka watched helplessly. As Ahsoka was alone with Turmond at the time, she was implicated in the crime and by association believed to be involved in the bombing as well. She was arrested, but when Anakin came to rescue her, she instead escaped, beginning a massive manhunt for her. Ahsoka was eventually caught and brought to trial before the Galactic Senate, but the trial was little more than a show designed to find her guilty. Additionally, she was expelled from the Jedi Order and forced to sever her Padawan braid. Anakin conducted his own investigation and discovered that it was really the Padawan Barriss Offee who was behind the bombing. He forced a confession from her and, with this, Ahsoka was allowed to go free and invited back into the Order. Ahsoka, however, declared that she felt she couldn't stay with the Order. Despite Anakin's protests and his mentioning that he had considered leaving the Order before himself, she chose to walk away.

Turning to the dark side
"Every single Jedi, including your friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is now an enemy of the Republic.''" "I understand, Master." "''We must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless. If they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end. First, I want you to go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough with the dark side to save Padmé."

- Sidious gives a mission to his new apprentice, Darth Vader

Throughout the Clone Wars, Skywalker's anger and sense of loss pushed him ever closer to the dark side of the Force. While rescuing Supreme Chancellor from the Separatists during the Battle of Coruscant, Anakin defeated Count Dooku, stealing his lightsaber and cutting off both of his hands. Palpatine insisted that Anakin kill Dooku, but Anakin refused as it was not the Jedi way. The Chancellor, however, continued to insist and Anakin complied without further hesitation, though expressed regret afterward, saying that it was not the Jedi way. After Obi-Wan regained consciousness, the two Jedi and the Chancellor were captured by General Grievous. Anakin and Obi-Wan freed themselves and confronted Grievous, who broke a window on the bridge of the Invisible Hand and escaped out into space. Anakin was forced to crash land the Invisible Hand on the surface of Coruscant. After this, his wife Padmé told Anakin that she was pregnant. Anakin began to visions of Amidala dying in childbirth. This made him desperate to find a way to save her. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine met with Anakin, telling him he wanted him to be his eyes and ears on the Jedi Council. The Council allowed Anakin to sit on the Council, but they refused to grant him the position of Master. This angered him and he was further angered by learning from Obi-Wan Kenobi that the Council had asked him to spy on Palpatine, thinking that the Chancellor's choice to place him on the Council had given them an opportunity. Later, Palpatine revealed that he knew the dark side of the Force, leading Anakin to realize that he was a Sith Lord. Palpatine told Anakin that if he turned him over to the Jedi, then he would be unable to save Padmé from certain death. Despite this, Ankain, still having some loyalty to the Jedi Order, told Mace Windu, who went with Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar to arrest Palpatine. Palpatine killed three of the four Jedi, but was still fighting with Windu when Anakin arrived in his office. Anakin pleaded with Windu not to kill Palpatine, saying that he should be left for the Senate to judge, but Windu felt Palpatine was too dangerous to leave alive, as he essentially controlled the Senate. When Windu moved to attack and finish Palpatine, Anakin cut off his lightsaber hand, allowing Palpatine to blast him out a shattered a window with Force lightning. With this, Anakin pledged himself to service under his new Sith Master, Sidious, taking on the name of Darth Vader. Sidious declared all Jedi enemies of the Republic and ordered Vader to wipe out the Jedi at the Jedi Temple while he executed Order 66 to eliminate the remaining Jedi. Vader and the 501st Legion carried out this order, and Vader himself killed younglings. Afterwards, Vader was sent to Mustafar where he killed Nute Gunray and the rest of the Separatist leaders. Amidala followed Vader to Mustafar, with Obi-Wan as a stowaway on her ship. Vader, convinced that his wife had sided with Obi-Wan, began to force choke her until Obi-Wan told him to let her go. The two former friends dueled until Obi-Wan cut off Vader's remaining natural limbs and left him for dead. Palpatine found Vader and put him into a life-sustaining black suit of armor. Vader asked Palpatine what had become of Amidala, and he told Vader that he had killed her in his anger. Believing his wife to be dead, Vader embraced his role as the Emperor's right hand and enforcer. Vader would never be able to live up to his full potential, as the injuries he had suffered at Obi-Wan's hands greatly limited his ability to access and control the Force. Despite this, he would still become one of the most powerful Sith Lords ever to have existed.

Together with Tarkin
"We haven't stood on Coruscant in some time, Governor." "The needs of the Empire keep us elsewhere occupied, Lord Vader" "Just so."

- Vader and Tarkin at the first meeting in years.

About five years after the founding of the Galactic Empire, Moff Wilhuff Tarkin had been overseeing the construction of the Emperor's Death Star for over three years when he was attacked by Separatist era droid technology by an unknown force. The attackers utilized Shadowfeed technology to slice into a HoloNet relay station and attempted to fool Tarkin into throwing his resources to another location. Though the Moff saw through the rouse and quickly gained the upper hand, forcing the terrorists to retreat into hyperspace, this, and the discovery of technology that could be connected to the attack found on the former Separatist world of Murkhana, brought Tarkin back to Imperial capital; at the Emperor's request; for the first time since the Proclamation of the New Order.

When Tarkin arrived at the Imperial Palace court room, Vader was holding court with the Deputy Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, Harus Ison. Vader berated the gathering of several non-human criminals for ignoring the Emperor's decrees on their allotted freedom under the Imperial Regime. He wanted to make an example of a certain lieutenant for his blatant disrespect, so he curled his fist and crushed the red skinned Twi'lek Phoca Soots heart by ways of the Force, killing him. Vader decided his point had been made and adjourned the court&mdash;after telling the others they'd be better off moving their enterprises away from Coruscant. Tarkin and Grand Vizier Mas Amedda had witnessed the execution from the sidelines and approached the Dark Lord. Amedda was angry, but politely asked Vader to refrain from killing all those who displeased him. Vader told the Vizier he would give thought to the matter. Vader greeted Tarkin, they had not worked together in quite some time due to the Governor's business at Sentinel Base in the Western Reaches. Tarkin was surprised that the Crymorah syndicate had not been represented in the gathering. Vader admitted that the Empire had reached an accommodation with the crime families of the Crymorah.

The pair began to make their way to the Palace's central spire to meet with the Emperor, Vader asked why the Governor had been unwilling to return to Coruscant. Tarkin, having deduced the Grand Vizier had told him this information, corrected the Dark Lord: he was not opposed, but merely reluctant. They then discussed the progress of the battle station, Tarkin revealed that the hyperdrive element was near completion, but the superlaser was still causing trouble for the engineers who were building it. Vader offered a remedy for the disagreements: eliminate the multitude of voices all weighing their options and replace them with one voice who could control everything. Tarkin undoubtedly agreed, it was what he had proposed since he had begun heading the project. The pair entered the palace's main spire turbolift and began the ascent to the Emperor's throne room; although Vader exited one floor from the summit, leaving the Governor alone.

After Tarkin's meeting with the Emperor, leading officers and personnel from the Imperial Ruling Council, Imperial Security Bureau, and the Naval Intelligence Agency gathered to conduct a meeting in the palace's audience chamber. Amedda and Vader stood to the side of the gathering where Tarkin soon joined them. Sidious, who was seated in his ten-meter-tall podium, ordered the conference to begin. Director Ison revealed that recently a large cache of Shadowfeed linked devices had been discovered on the former Separatist world of Murkhana&mdash;although it was too early to tell if the devices were in anyway a threat to the Empire, or linked to the attack on the Sentinel Moon. After a thorough debate, Vice Admiral Rancit of Naval Intelligence vouched on Tarkin's behalf; as he was one of the Governor's oldest and most trusted friends. He claimed that if Tarkin called the insurgents a "threat to the Empire's reign", they most definitely were. Amedda then dismissed the gathering at the Emperor's say, stating Sidious would soon decide what should be done.

Hunting rebels
Darth Vader contacted the Inquisitor via hologram with a new mission for him. He informed him that the Emperor had foreseen a new threat: children sensitive to the ways of the Force. He was to hunt down these children and either press them into service of the Empire, or eliminate them. The Inquisitor promised Vader that the mission would be done.

After the Inquisitor's death over Mustafar, the union of several rebel cells was revealed when they rescued the Lothal rebels from an Imperial fleet. As rumours of what had happened over Mustafar became known, riots and uprisings begun to occur on several worlds, including Lothal. The Emperor, concerned at the rise in rebel activity, sent Vader to Lothal with Grand Moff Tarkin to end the growing rebellion.

Searching for the stolen Death Star plans
"Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you.''" "I don't know what you're talking about. I am a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan." "''You are part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor! Take her away!"

- Darth Vader and Leia Organa

When the Galactic Civil War erupted between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic nineteen years later, Rebel spies successfully stole the plans for the Empire's ultimate weapon: the Death Star. Fearing the Rebels could discover a weakness on the battle station, Vader was sent to find them and those who had stolen the plans. He eventually discovered that the plans had been sent to Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. Pursuing the Princess's ship with the Star Destroyer Devastator under his command, Vader's troops boarded the ship over Tatooine and captured the Princess. Although the Princess tried to hide behind her diplomatic immunity as a member of the Imperial Senate, Vader had her arrested as a Rebel and a traitor. When Commander Jir expressed concern that such an arrest could cause sympathy for the Rebels among the Senators, Vader ordered him to activate the ship's distress signal and inform the Senate that all aboard were killed. Vader was then informed that an escape pod was jetisonned during the fighting but that no life forms were aboard. Believing that the Princess had hidden the plans in the escape pod, Vader sent a battalion to Tatooine to recover the plans while he took the Princess to the Death Star for interrogation.

The destruction of Alderaan
When Vader arrived aboard the Death Star with his prisoner, he attended a meeting of Imperial officers which included the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial military: General Cassio Tagge, the head of the Imperial Army, and Admiral Antonio Motti. Tagge was afraid that, with the Rebels in possession of the Death Star plans, they could pose a great threat to them but Motti dismissed his concerns, convinced the battle station was too powerful for the Rebels to even contemplate attacking, even with the Death Star plans. Vader arrived with Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the commander of the Death Star and Governor of the Outer Rim, who informed them that the Emperor had disbanded the Imperial Senate and that, henceforth, regional governors and the Imperial military would rule over the Imperial territories. When Motti once again advocated that the Death Star was invulnerable and that they should use to strengthen their rule, Vader berated him for relying on technology and claimed that whatever power the station could muster was insignificant next to the power of the Force. Motti mocked Vader for relying on an "ancient religion" and "sorcerer's tricks", claiming they had not helped him find the missing plans or the Rebels' secret base. Motti's tirade was interrupted by the Force choke Vader placed on him. Vader was stopped by Tarkin's intervention who told him to release the Admiral, an order Vader obeyed. Tarkin then instructed him to find the location of the Rebel base from Organa so they could use the Death Star to destroy once and for all.

Vader attempted to interrogate Princess Leia but her resistance to his interrogation was such that he doubted he could extract any information from her in any short period of time. When informed that the station was operational, Tarkin suggested another course of interrogation and gave orders to make for Alderaan. When they arrived, Vader brought the Princess before Tarkin where he told her that he would destroy Alderaan if she refused to disclose the location of the Rebel base. Eventually, she told him that the Rebels were on Dantooine. However, Tarkin gave orders for Alderaan to be destroyed anyway, as Dantooine would be too remote to make an effective demonstration of the Death Star's power. Vader restrained the Princess as the Death Star was activated and destroyed the planet, causing a great disturbance in the Force.

Obi-Wan's return
Tarkin then sent out scout ships to Dantooine to find the Rebels but they only found an abandoned base. Furious at the Princess's lie, Tarkin ordered Vader to have her terminated. Before he could go through with the order, a ship was captured in the ruins of Alderaan by the Death Star's tractor beam. Identified as the ship which had escaped from Vader's troops on Tatooine, the Dark Lord concluded that they were trying to return the stolen plans to the Princess and went to inspect the ship himself. Told that the crew had apparently abandonned ship after takeoff, Vader gave orders for the ship to be scanned to be sure. At the same time, Vader begun to sense something in the Force, a presence he was familiar with but hadn't sensed for years. Eventually, he indentified the presence as his old Master, Obi-Wan. Meeting with Tarkin, he told him about his suspicions, suspicions the governor dissmissed believing the Jedi had all been killed. However, when news reached him that the Princess had been broken out of her cell, Tarkin was forced to admit that someone was aboard the station. Vader told him that he would confront Obi-Wan and that he needed to do it alone.

After deactivating the tractor beam terminal, Obi-Wan made his way back to the Millennium Falcon to escape but he found Vader waiting for him before the hangar doors. The former Master and apprentice dueled but Obi-Wan's exile had left him out of practice and he could do little other than defend himself as he retreated towards the hangar doors. Fighting one another to a stalemate, they were soon surrounded by the stormtroopers who had remained in the hangar. When Obi-Wan noticed his crew using the distraction to head for the ship, he smiled at his former apprentice and then let his guard down, allowing Vader to strike him down. When Vader's blade struck Obi-Wan, his body vanished, his spirit becoming one with the Force. Vader was surprised at his former Master's sudden disappearance and tried to find remains in his robes but he could find none. He then tried to stop the crew from escaping but was prevented from getting to them by the closing of the hangar doors. After the Falcon escaped from the Death Star, Vader met with Tarkin and confirmed that a homing beacon had been placed upon the ship and that they could follow the ship wherever it went in the galaxy. Their hope was that the Princess would take them to the Rebel base.

Defending the Death Star
Vader's plan worked and the Death Star followed the Falcon to the hidden Rebel base on the moon of Yavin 4. As the Death Star prepared to destroy the moon, Rebel X-wings and Y-wings attacked the Death Star, having identified a weakness: a thermal exhaust port which led to the reactor systems. A direct hit on the port would cause a chain reaction and the destruction of the station. As the Rebel ships were small in size, the Death Star's weaponry was of little use against them. Realizing the danger while Tarkin remained absolutely convinced in the station's invulnerabilty, Vader ordered all fighters to launch and destroy the Rebel ships. When Gold Squadron broke off from the main group and begun a trench run towards the exhaust port, Vader boarded his modified TIE fighter and, flanked by two TIE fighters, engaged in a trench run to destroy Gold Squadron. He repeated this action several times, destroying most ships of Red Squadron, and killing Red Leader Garven Dreis.

As the last members of Red Squadron engaged in a trench run as the Death Star was preparing the destroy the moon, Vader successfully disabled Wedge Antilles's X-Wing and killed Biggs Darklighter, leaving only the leader of the group. However, Vader quickly realized that the Force was powerful in the young pilot and he was unable to get him into range. When he finally succeeded, the newly-arrived Millennium Falcon destroyed his escorts and Vader's TIE fighter was sent out of the trench into space, preventing him from stopping the Death Star's destruction, killing Tarkin and causing a major defeat for the Empire.

With the Death Star's destruction, Vader escaped as the sole survivor and became obsessed with discovering the identity of the Rebel pilot.

Defending Cymoon 1
"He's here. The Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star. I can feel his presence. He will not escape me again."

- Darth Vader

Several weeks after the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader was called to Weapons Factory Alpha, the Empire's largest and foremost weapons manufacturing facility, on Cymoon 1. His missions was to negotiate, or rather force, an arrangement with an envoy for crime lord Jabba the Hutt about supplying raw materials from Hutt controlled space to the Empire, in order for them to produce more war machines, such as TIE fighters and All Terrain Armored Transport walkers. Vader arrived at the factory shortly after the envoy, and upon arrival was met on a landing platform by a group of stormtroopers who were to escort him to the "negotiations". However, Vader sensed danger through the Force, and rightly so, as the Rebel Alliance had replaced Jabba's envoy with their own; and after being alerted to his presence, attempted to kill him. He ignited his lightsaber just in time to deflect a sniper's blaster bolt, and used the Force to pick up two stormtroopers to use them as human shields as the sniper rained down dozens of shots upon the Sith. Vader went unscathed, however his escorts had all been killed in the attack. He then located the assassin's position, which was in a metal structure overlooking the landing platform, and used to the Force to collapse the sniper's nest, but the assailant jumped from his perch amid the wreckage and survived. Vader recognized the assassin as a member of the Wookiee species and ordered the arriving stormtrooper reinforcements to hunt him down. One of the troopers informed Vader that Overseer Aggadeen was out of contact and the factory's main reactor was on meltdown. Vader conflated the two occurrences, deducing their true nature, and told the stormtrooper that the Rebels were attacking, and to put the entire moon on alert.

Vader felt the presence of the X-wing pilot who he had chased down the Death Star's equilateral trench, Vader realized that the pilot who had destroyed Darth Sidious' battle station was a part of the attack. The Dark Lord would not let the pilot escape his mechanical fingers again. Vader made his way into the factory and came face-to-face with the pilot within a corridor after locating his position through the Force.

The pilot was a young man, and wielded a blue lightsaber. Vader looked upon him as an untrained child who had no right to the weapon of the Jedi. The young man in reality was Vader's long lost son&mdash;Luke Skywalker. Although this family relation was unknown to both father and son. But he Dark Lord could not believe that this "boy" could be the skilled pilot he was looking for. The pair Engaged in lightsaber combat, Vader toyed with the Rebel who wielded a lightsaber, all the while antagonizing his skill using the lightsaber. The boy exclaimed his grievances against the Dark Lord, stating that he had witnessed Vader slay Obi-Wan Kenobi, his master, aboard the Death Star, and that he had intended to get revenge for Kenobi's death. Using the Force, Vader took the boy's lightsaber; having deduced Vader's old master had given the boy the weapon. The Sith Master, now wielding two lightsabers, threatened the Jedi Apprentice to disclose all his knowledge of the Rebel Alliance&mdash;including the nature of the current attack and the identity of the Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star. The boy refused, and Vader raised the two sabers to deliver a killing blow when he recognized the boy's lightsaber: it was that of Anakin Skywalker's&mdash;Vader's former self&mdash;before falling to the dark side of the Force. Before he could sink further into distraction, the confrontation between the two was cut short when the foot of an AT-AT walker came hurdling down into the middle of the standoff; knocking the two apart. The Rebels had hijacked the walker, and were using it to wreak havoc as they made their escape from the doomed factory.

In the ensuing chaos, Vader joined in trying to prevent the Rebel's escape. Vader wielded the two lightsabers using the art of Jar'Kai as he casually mowed down the factory's runaway slaves and commanded his stormtroopers to execute both them and the Rebels, or face his wrath. As they pressed their attack, a trooper informed Vader that they had the Rebels trapped, but an Ion cannon would be required to bring down the AT-AT walker. As Vader lulled the trooper's suggestion, stating that he personally would see to the walker's defeat, the young rebel with the lightsaber suddenly reappeared, having acquired a 74-Z speeder bike, and attacked the group. The laser fire killed all of the troopers, but Vader was again left unscathed. The Dark Lord reconsidered his initial dismissal of the boy, and wondered exactly what Obi-Wan had been up to before his death at Vader's hands. The Rebels again struck back against Vader with the stolen walker&mdash;the Rebels tried to crush Vader using the walker's massive feet. Vader was lost in though and was nearly crushed. The Rebels made another pass, but Vader used the Force to hold the walker's descending foot several meters above his head&mdash;much to the Rebels dismay. Vader used the force to try to tear the walker apart, the Dark Lord was foiled however, when the AT-AT's quad laser cannons unleashed a barrage of laser fire upon him. Vader was flung backwards, causing him to lose possession of the his previous lightsaber. The blast also blew off his mask and helmet, leaving him wheezing and vulnerable buried under a pile or rubble. While Vader was buried under the debris, the young rebel with the lightsaber retrieved his lightsaber and continued onward mounted on the speeder bike to meet up with the commandeered AT-AT. Shortly afterwards, Vader emerged, lifting the rubble into the air in his anger; in being defeated&mdash;in appearing vulnerable. A stormtrooper approached, and upon seeing Vader's scarred face tried to apologize for intruding upon his Lord. The Sith twisted the troopers head around using the Force&mdash;killing the trooper. Vader retrieved his helmet as Overseer Aggadeen, via comlink, informed him that the factory was doomed; the core reactor could not be defused. Aggadeen requested Vader's permission to flee the facility, but Vader vetoed his request; telling him that "If this factory explodes, you had best explode with it." Vader threatened the remaining Imperial forces, stating that any further failure would be dealt with harshly. He again ordered that all the Rebel invaders were to die, except for the boy with the lightsaber, whom Vader had insisted that he would deal with personally.

Obi-Wan's last hope
"The boy. The boy is your last hope, isn't he Obi-Wan? He is what you died to protect. He may be strong in the Force, but he is untrained. And who is there left to train him now? No one but me. When I find him...And I will find him...He will be my weapon, not yours. The dark side always wins, Obi-Wan. You should know that by now."

- Vader to Obi-Wan after realizing his plan.

Darth Vader strode out of the factory while flanked by several stormtroopers riding 74-Z speeder bikes. His target was the stolen AT-AT, as he closed in on the lumbering walker Aggadeen called to inform him that they had been successful in defusing the core reactor after all, crisis had been averted. Vader let him know his life may be spared for his success. He then commanded the Overseer to send all troops&mdash;available or not, to his position. The Dark Lord ignited his lightsaber and began to cut through the back left leg of the walker. He took several strokes to cause the AT-AT to fall, and when it did, it was catastrophic. It crumbled, legs splayed outward, Vader ordered the Imperials to move in for the kill, the Rebels were vulnerable.

Aggadeen's reinforcements arrived: stormtroopers, combat speeders, and assault tanks. Vader ordered his troops to ignore the slaves and focus their efforts on the Rebels. A trooper informed his Lord that the Rebels were fleeing into the trash fields. Another told him that a lone rebel appeared to be returning to the factory. The Sith Lord had decided that the boy with his old lightsaber was truly the Force sensitive pilot who had blown up the Death Star. And as such used the Force to throw a trooper out of a combat speeder so he could hurry and confront the boy. Vader soon caught up with him inside the factory, Vader considered the chase to be a rematch of the chase he failed through the Death Star's equilateral trench and fired on the boy. Although the boy evaded Vader's fire long enough to fire on the power core. The core was overheated and beyond saving this time. Vader continued to pursue the boy&mdash;nearly killing Aggadeen by running him over with the speeder in the process. Vader managed to hit the boy's speeder bike, but he flew from the exploding factory before Vader could land the killing shot. Vader remained trapped inside, using the Force Vader manged to survive as Weapons Factory Alpha exploded in a fireball all around him. Vader emerged from the carnage, using the Force to move debris and wreckage out of his path. He located the boy's speeder bike abandoned before seeing the Millennium Falcon&mdash;the same ship that had escaped the Death Star with Princess Leia Organa shortly before it was destroyed, blast free from Cymoon 1 with all its crew aboard.



As Vader pondered his defeat, Captain Kronn of the Star Destroyer Adjudicator informed him that the Falcon had evaded their blockade and escaped into hyperspace. Before the captain could finish Vader applied a Force choke to the captain for failing him. Vader, having pieced together the puzzle of why Obi-Wan had returned, why he had let himself be killed by the Dark Lord and why his body had disappeared into nothingness. He had become one with the Cosmic Force as Master Yoda had explained to Anakin shortly before the end of the Clone Wars. SO Vader began to speak with his old master from beyond, telling him he now knew his plan&mdash;it was all for the boy. Though Vader reveled in the fact that he and Sidious had destroyed the Jedi, leaving Vader the only one left to train the boy. And when Vader succeeded in turning the boy to the dark side of the Force&mdash;and he would succeed, he would be Vader's weapon, not Obi-Wan's. Believing the dark side would triumph over all.

Punishment for failure
"But you are the only one living to suffer my anger. You, an isolated survivor of the greatest military disaster in all my Empire's history? Oh, you are truly the Chosen One Lord Vader. Chosen to be the one responsible." "I will make it right. I will crush the Rebels." "No. I think not."

- Sidious and Vader discuss Vader's failings.

After being defeated on Cymoon 1, Vader returned to the Imperial Palace on Coruscant to report to the Emperor. Palpatine bid Vader to explain the events of Cymoon 1; Vader recounted how the Rebels had posed as the Hutt's envoy to infiltrate the factory, how they had rigged the facility's core reactor to explode, and how they had been successful in destroying the facility.&mdash;against all odds&mdash;destroyed the facilty. Sidious told him that the destruction of first the Death Star, then Weapons Factory Alpha, put the Empire very near disaster&mdash;easier than ever to be overthrown by the Rebel Alliance. Vader had brought the facility's Overseer with him to the palace, so he and Sidious made their way to the palace dungeon to see to him. Vader considered Aggadeen responsible for the Rebel assault; and as such had him tortured to insure he was not withholding any information he could use to locate the boy who had wielded his old lightsaber. Palpatine let his apprentice know that he would rather talk of Vader's personal failings; he told Vader that, because of him, twenty years of planning had gone to waste: the Death Star was to hold the galaxy in order after the Emperor disbanded the Senate. But with Vader's failure at both Yavin and Cymoon, the Empire was becoming weak of resources.

Vader took responsibility for his actions, although he pleaded that it was not his fault alone: Tarkin, Motti and the other officers who'd believed in the Death Star should also suffer the blame. Palpatine agreed, but reminded him that he was the sole survivor of the disaster, the only one left to suffer the Emperor's anger. In a mockery of Vader being conceived by the Force as the legendary "Chosen One", Vader was "chosen" by Sidious to be the one responsible. Vader promised the Emperor he would correct his mistakes by obliterating the Rebel Alliance. Palapatine disagreed, telling Vader that he had proved himself to be a better tool to be directed than to be the mechanism directing the tool. Grand General Tagge, who had left the Death Star before it was destroyed, would be Vader's commanding officer for a time. As the only one who had properly feared what the Rebels could do, Tagge's philosophy would be dominant while the Second Death Star was constructed in secret. But before travelling to to meet Tagge, Sidious ordered Vader to take a "sentimental" trip to his homeworld of Tatooine to continue the negotiations that were supposed to have taken place on Cymoon 1. Palpatine believed that the Empire needed Jabba the Hutt's support for their conquest of the Outer Rim.



Returning to the Emperor's office, Sidious greeted an Imperial agent who had arrived in their absence. Vader asked the man's identity but Sidious denied him that knowledge. The Emperor asked Vader if he had anything else to report before his apprentice departed. Darth Vader thought back to Obi-Wan's return, to the Force sensitive X-wing pilot who destroyed the Death Star, to the boy who confronted the Dark Lord on Cymoon with his old lightsaber. Vader, thinking that his Master was hiding things from him, chose not to tell Palpatine any of this and left for General Maximillian Veers' Star Destroyer in orbit over Coruscant.

Later aboard the Star Destroyer, Veers informed Vader that they would need to travel across the Outer Rim to gather goods to be used in the negotiations. However Vader overruled the General and ordered them to first stop at Tatooine, before collecting the goods. This would strain the Star Destroyer's crew and engines in order to meet the deadline. But Vader threatened the Destroyer's crew and Veers agreed to meat the deadline. Satisfied, Vader left for his meditation chamber.

Return to Jabba's palace
"Hmmm. I see you know enough to tread carefully. But tell me...are you brave or foolish." "That is not the question, Hutt. The question is: Are you?" "Oh, Jedi...always making everything so difficult."

- Jabba and Vader, just before Vader kills several of Jabba's thugs during the negotiations.



Darth Vader arrived at Jabba the Hutt's palace where, upon entering, he killed two of Jabba's Gamorrean guards who would not allow him passage. Bib Fortuna, Jabba's Major-domo, would not let Vader pass either but was intimidated by the Dark Lord's lightsaber and woke his master. Jabba rebuked the Sith for arriving a day early of the planned meeting and for the loss of his two guards. Vader stated that he was being generous in only killing two of them. Jabba refrained from arguing and asked what he could do for the Empire.

Vader ordered the Hutt to dismiss his court of criminals and musicians that crowded Jabba's chamber. The Hutt did so as Vader reveled that on this day he was not there on behalf of the Empire&mdash;but on a personal issue that would end to the Dark Lord's satisfaction. Jabba, knowing that Vader had a connection to the Force, reminded him that Jedi mind tricks would not work on the great Hutt. Vader assured him he would not use them; mind tricks were the way of the Jedi, not of the Dark side of the Force. Jabba considered collecting a bounty that the Rebel Alliance had placed on him by dropping him through a trap door to his pet rancor that was held below. Although he did not, upon the realization that the Dark Lord was aware of the trap and "stepped carefully". They continued to negotiate until Jabba misidentified Vader as a Jedi; this angered Vader who ignited his lightsaber. Several of Jabba's cronies arrived to protect their master but the Dark Lord killed them all using his lightsaber and the Force. As the bodies lay heaped on the floor, Vader began to Force choke Jabba. As the Hutt struggled, Vader let him know his mistake: Darth Vader was a Dark Lord of the Sith; he was a Jedi no longer. The Sith preferred force to achieve their ends, unlike the Jedi, who preferred peace. Vader released Jabba, who admitted he found it hard not to respect the Dark Lord. As Vader's anger subsided, the Sith Lord and the crime lord came to an agreement; Vader needed to hire two of Jabba's best bounty hunters. Jabba complied and sent the pair to meet Vader in the desert.

Vader left the Hutt's palace and sought out a Tusken Raider camp. He mercilessly slaughtered his old enemies; men, women and children alike. Vader basked in their deaths when he was approached by the two bounty hunters: Boba Fett and a Wookiee named Black Krrsantan. Vader told Fett that his bounty was on an X-wing pilot who was associated with the smuggling vessel the Millennium Falcon and that he needed the boy alive. Black Krrsantan would hunt down Sidious's mysterious agent, capture him and bring him to Vader so he could question him. Both bounty hunters agreed to take their missions, before Vader, having spent longer on Tatooine than he would have liked, departed the desert planet.

Servitude unto Tagge
"You should think of yourself as your lightsaber. A singular weapon from an older time&mdash;and one that is dangerous to everyone around them without a skilled hand to wield it. In time you will understand that I am the skilled hand you've been waiting for."

- Tagge to Vader

Darth Vader met the Grand General on his Super Star Destroyer, the Annihilator. Soon after, a distreess call was recived from an Imperial shuttle. The shuttle was under attack from pirates. Vader boarded his TIE advanced and went to their aid. He arrived just as the crew of the shuttle killed themselves, rather than let their cargo of Imperial weapons fall into the hands of the pirates. Vader fired on the pirate CR90 corvette&mdash;that proved to be robotic&mdash;destroying a torpedo, before ordering two TIEs to follow his lead to prevent the corvette from escaping. Both the TIEs were destroyed quickly while Vader managed to evade the laser fire long enough to move into range and disable the corvette's engine block, preventing the ship from fleeing. He then called the Annihilator to let them know his mission had been successful.

Upon returning, Vader reported to Tagge, letting him know the pirate vessel had been captured; and that the ship was powered by very high quality robotics. While discussing the attack, the pair both agreed that the party behind the raids needed to be stopped as soon as possible; as the raiders were not foolish. Vader suspected a spy was leaking information, but Tagge disagreed, the surplus of raids was not out of the ordinary in the wake of the destruction of the Death Star&mdash;according to Tagge's graphs. The Grand General admitted to seeing the Death Star as "Tarkin's Folly", thinking of how the Empire could have expanded its fleet rather than put all its resources into one battle station. Vader noted that Tarkin had had vision, while Tagge had mere graphs. Tagge went on to admit his plans weren't as grand as Tarkin's or even Vader's, but he insisted they were still effective. He continued, saying the Empire could not be based around a single asset like the Death Star, or even Vader. And on the importance of his star fleet, how it could&mdash;given enough time&mdash;crush any obstacle in its path. Tagge informed Vader that he intended to repair the corvette and use it to attack its base of origin, with their greatest warrior, Darth Vader, heading the attack. Although Vader believed the raiders would destroy themselves and their base, rather than have their full organization under the Empire's radar. Tagge proceeded to explain all he was doing was for the best; that Vader was similar to his lightsaber, dangerous and unpredictable without a skilled hand like Vader's to wield it. Tagge believed he was the hand who would "wield" the Dark Lord. However, Tagge did not fully trust Vader, and assigned to him an Adjutant. Lieutenant Oon-ai would be reporting their progress directly to the Grand General. Vader was unsure if the arrangement would pose a problem.



Vader left to prepare for the mission and oversee the repairs on the corvette. Oon-ai followed, asking permission to look into Vader's personal communications to provide information to Tagge. The Dark Lord stood over the Adjutant, stating he did not require a "clerk's meddling fingers," Oon-ai was intimidated, but insisted, they were his orders. Vader explained that he served under Tagge for the Emperor willed it; Oon-ai would watch Vader for it was was Tagge's will. He turned and left, before telling Oon-ai his patience was being tested. Vader began to prepare for the mission while Oon-ai checked his records on a computer. Vader criticized the way Oon-ai was spending his time before the mission, although the Lieutenant noted that storming the pirate's base was the Dark Lord's work, Oon-ai was merely to follow. He then ordered a black astromech droid to follow, and left to prepare. One preparation was to plant treasonable evidence into the droid to be planted in the pirate base; in order to incriminate Oon-ai as the traitor who was leaking information.

Soon thereafter, Vader, Oon-ai and a squad of six stormtroopers set out aboard the appropriated pirate ship to find its base of origin and discover the organization behind the constant raids. The base proved to be a space station partially built into an asteroid on the extreme edge of the Outer Rim. The corvette docked with the station and was greeted by a Twi'lek pirate. Vader killed the pirate after he confirmed that he had brought "a fine haul of Imperial weapons,". He ordered the troopers to secure the core while the astromech droid went outside of the station to make his way to the command center to plant the false evidence. Vader encouraged his troops to hurry before the pirates activated the self-destruct. Although he was surprised when the pirate retaliated with two customized Droidekas who brandished missile launchers. Vader realized the pirates were going to fight for their lives rather than kill themselves outright. The droidekas succeeded in killing several troopers before Oon-ai yelled to ask if Vader could stop them. Vader knew he would be unable to use the technique Shien to block the missiles, for if he did, they would just be cut in two and explode. So, instead&mdash;ignoring Oon-ai's panicked yells&mdash;Vader used the Force to throw the incoming missiles back at the attackers&mdash;destroying them all.

A Mon Calamari pirate survived long enough to activate the self-destruct; confirming Vader's suspicions. Vader ordered the surviving troopers to return the corvette and prepare to launch as soon as he returned. Vader went deeper into the soon-to-be-destroyed station to retrieve the false evidence the droid had planted&mdash;much to Oon-ai's dismay, as he was to follow. The Adjutant pleaded with Vader to hurry as the station exploded around them. Vader retrieved the evidence and calmly strode to the waiting corvette. The ship departed just before the station exploded completely. Oon-ai was surprised that they had made it, Vader was not and patted the astromech for his good work.

Once back on the Annihilator, Vader reported to Tagge, telling him he was impressed with the results of his plan: the intelligence he gathered confirmed the raiders were being backed by the Crymorah syndicate. He also claimed Oon-ai was the traitor; he threw the lieutenant's un-moving body at Tagge's feet. Tagge stood stunned as Vader told him Oon-ai was the leak, noting he must have used his closeness to the Grand General to achieve his ends. The Dark Lord ordered Tagge to vet his next Adjutant more closely, as he would be watching them as closely as they watched him. Shortly after, Vader talked with the astromech droid; he insured the droid had deleted all records of its data uploads on the station. And vented the droid through an airlock and into space, where it exploded. Vader watched, thinking of how droids were the only beings that would always be unquestionably loyal to him.

Gaining an ally
"There was a time I had armies at my beck and call. That time has passed. I need resources of my own. Private resources."

- Vader to Aphra, on why he needed her services. Darth Vader learned from the information he gathered from the pirate base that a Doctor Aphra had supplied the pirates with the top-notch customized droidekas. Vader had been impressed by the droids and wished to add similarly effective units to the personal army he was seeking to build. So the Dark Lord undertook a manhunt to find Aphra. The hunt took him to many locations, gathering information and killing the witnesses, until he finally learned of her being on Quarantine World III in Kallidahin Space. Vader set out to the Quarantined world aboard his TIE advanced. After landing, he was frantically greeted by the dwarf alien Utani Xane and her squad of B2 super battle droids&mdash;who had Aphra in custody. Xane tried to warn him that he was violating treaties by being on-world, but he ignored her and began destroying her droids using the Force and his lightsaber. Xane made a run for it but was tackled by Aphra who had freed herself, she tumbled over a ledge but managed to catch herself. Vader stabbed Xane through the back with his saber before telling the precariously hanging doctor he needed her services. He helped her up and she agreed.

Aboard Aphra's ship, the Ark Angel, Aphra welcomed him and admitted to being a fan of the Dark Lord. Vader let her know their business together was private, and he was impressed with her reactivated droids. Aphra was curious, and asked how Vader had found her; but he didn't answer and left her to realize she probably didn't want to know the Dark Lord's ruthless methods. Later, the rogue archaeologist introduced Vader to the Triple-Zero protocol personality matrix; a personality matrix that could turn an everyday protocol droid into an assassin droid. Aphra estimated it would take hours to unlock the matrix's codes that were restricting it, but Vader interrupted and unlocked it in seconds; leaving Aphra amazed at his abilities. She then installed the assassin droid matrix into a protocol droid's body. The droid introduced himself as 0-0-0, Aphra overrode his commands and implemented she and Vader as Triple Zero's new masters. The archaeologist told Triple Zero he could be of assistance by waking up BT-1, a Blastomech droid assassin disguised as an astromech droid&mdash;although BT-1 was entirely homicidal. Fortunately Triple Zero spoke the R&D language that BT-1 could only understand and woke him up. Unfortunately the Blastomech prototype took hostility towards his new masters, but was quickly shut down by Triple Zero before he could cause any damage.



Aphra was relieved that they had safely activated the droids, but remembered she was talking to Darth Vader, the Emperor's enforcer, who undoubtedly faced worse danger on a daily basis. Vader told her she was overly fond of speaking. She retorted that she spoke excessively only when she was nervous&mdash;and Vader made her nervous. Vader let her know the reason he had sought her out; to secure his own private resources that only she could help him procure. Aphra was supposed to have given the two droids to the Droid Gotra as she was hired, but instead gave them to Vader after realizing Vader was probably going to be her employer for the foreseeable future. The Archaeologist asked what else the Dark Lord needed, Vader said he needed troops of unquestionable loyalty, battle droids. Aphra knew of an unusual droid foundry on Geonosis, she asked how Vader felt about a secret mission to Geonosis. The Dark Lord lied, saying he had no feelings regarding the planet the Clone War was birthed upon. At Aphra's suggestion they left immediately for the red-desert world.

Battle on Hoth
Three years after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebels had once again fled the Empire's notice and hidden out in a new base. Vader was charged with finding and ending the Rebels, with the entire Imperial Navy under his command. Secretly, Vader planned to find Luke Skywalker, whom he knew was his son and who he wanted to turn into his apprentice to destroy the Emperor. Thousands of probe droids were sent out by the Imperial fleet throughout the galaxy to track down the Rebel base. Eventually, a report from one of the probes was sent to Vader's flagship, the Executor, telling them that the Rebels were on Hoth''. ''Although Admiral Kendel Ozzel dismissed the news as a false lead, both Vader and Captain Firmus Piett agreed that they had found the Rebels. Vader gave orders for the fleet to depart for the Hoth system.

When the fleet arrived, Vader was informed by General Veers that orbital bombardment was imossible as an energy shield defended the Rebel base. Vader guessed from this information that the Rebels knew of their presence because Admiral Ozzel had made the fleet exit hyperspace too close to the system. After ordering Veers to prepare his troops for a ground assault, the Dark Lord executed Ozzel for his incompetence and promoted Captain Piett to replace him as Admiral.

As Imperial forces led by Veers engaged Rebel forces on the ground, the Rebels used an ion cannon to breach the blockade and allow their transports to escape. While Veers ably led the assault on the base with a squad of Imperial walkers to disable the shield generator, Vader prepared to lead ground troops into the base. Once Veers and his forces had broken the Rebel lines, Vader and his troops invaded the base. The Dark Lord's objective was to secure the Millennium Falcon in order to capture Skywalker or his friends. However, the Falcon escaped before Vader could capture it. With the Rebel forces on Hoth in complete retreat and the various transports scattered throughout the galaxy, Vader and his troops had secured a great victory for the Empire, turning the tide of the war.

Tracking the Millennium Falcon
In the aftermath of his victory on Hoth, Vader redirected his fleet's efforts to capturing the Millennium Falcon which had escaped from the planet and evaded Imperial forces in an asteroid field when its hyperdrive failed to work. Despite reservations from Piett, Vader ordered the fleet to pursue the ship into the asteroid field. This caused heavy damage to the Star Destroyers but Vader would not be dissuaded from his target; he instructed every ship to clear the asteroids until the Falcon was found. Once he had given his instructions to the fleet, Piett arrived to tell him that the Emperor wanted to talk to him.

Once the Executor was clear of the asteroid field so that the transmission would be clear, Vader contacted his Master. Sidious told him that he had sensed a new threat in the Force: the Rebel pilot who had destroyed the Death Star. Vader acted surprised when Sidious told him that the boy was the child of Anakin Skywalker. The Emperor feared that Skywalker could destroy them if ever he became a Jedi. Vader tried to calm his Master's fears by claiming that Skywalker could no possibly pose a threat to them with Obi-Wan dead and that, if they turned him, he could prove a powerful ally. The Emperor approved but wandered if it could be done. Vader assured him that Skywalker would join them or die.

Determined to find Luke before the Emperor could get his hands on him, Vader summoned several bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, aboard the Executor, to the great displeasure of Imperial officers such as Piett''. He promised a great reward for the one who would find the Millennium Falcon ''but only if they were alive. As he was briefing the hunters, Piett informed Vader that the Star Destroyer Avenger was tracking the Falcon. The Dark Lord requested an update from the ship's commander, Captain Needa. When Needa reported, he had lost the Falcon and he assumed full responsibility for losing them. Vader accepted his apology with a fatal Force choke. He then ordered Piett to have all commands alerted of the Falcon 's disappearance. He also warned the Admiral not to fail him again.

Trap in the Cloud City
The Falcon, which still suffered from a faulty hyperdrive, tried to repair it by going to the world of Bespin, where Solo's friend, Lando Calrissian, could help them fix the ship. However, Boba Fett had predicted Solo's move and tracked them to Bespin. With this information in his hands, Vader and his troops arrived in Calrissian's Cloud City before the Falcon, setting a trap. Calrissian, whose mining operation was keen to evade the Empire's attention, agreed to help the Empire capture the ship in exchange for them leaving his people and his interests alone. When the Falcon arrived, Skywalker was not among them but Vader knew he could use his friends to lure Skywalker to Bespin. After capturing Han Solo, Leia Organa and the Wookiee Chewbacca, Vader had Solo tortured to send a disturbance through the Force so that Skywalker could sense it. He also promised Boba Fett that, once he was done with Solo, the bounty hunter could take him to Tatooine to collect the bounty placed on his head by Jabba the Hutt.

Revelation to Luke
"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side, Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.''" "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!" "No, I'' am your father."

- Darth Vader's revelation to Luke Skywalker

He captured Han Solo and Leia, and he froze Han Solo in carbonite. He used Luke's friends as bait to lure him to Cloud City, where the two dueled. Vader revealed his identity to Skywalker, though his son refused to join him and escaped. When Darth Sidious learned of Skywalker's existence, he set in motion his own plans to recruit Skywalker and thereby replace Vader, but Skywalker surrendered himself to Imperial forces on the forest moon of Endor in hopes of swaying him back to the Jedi.

Fulfillment of the Chosen One prophecy
In a final duel on the Death Star II as the Battle of Endor raged around them, Skywalker and Vader fought each other, and Vader refused his son's attempts to redeem him, learning that Skywalker had a twin sister named Leia in the process. Skywalker defeated his father but refused to kill him, and when Sidious attempted to kill the young man, Vader&mdash;moved by his son's love&mdash;abandoned the dark side and sacrificed himself to destroy the Emperor, fulfilling the prophecy of the Chosen One. Mortally wounded, Anakin made peace with his son and became one with the Force.

Aftermath
Following the events of the Battle of Endor, rumors began to spread throughout the galaxy that both Vader and the Emperor were dead.

Personality and traits
"Cavalier? You're cavalier all the time and no one says anything about it.''" "''I'm just better at it, that's all."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker

As a child, Anakin showed kindness and generosity despite being a slave. In one instance, he extended himself to help Qui-Gon Jinn and his friends get off-planet when they were stranded on Tatooine, even risking his life in a podrace for them. He was not shy to express how he felt and showed a reluctance to leave those he loved behind. However, Anakin did have a deep-seated fear of loss, especially in regards to his mother, which Master Yoda sensed when he was being tested by the Jedi Council. This fear of loss would follow Anakin throughout his life and eventually lead him down the path of the dark side.

As he grew older, Anakin became more reckless, cocky and sure of himself, which Obi-Wan often commented would one day become his undoing. Upon the return of his old friend, Padmé Amidala, Anakin found himself struggling between his love for her and his duties to the Jedi Order, which forbade attachment. Anakin chose to secretly marry Padmé and continue to perform his duties as a Jedi. Despite seeing little of Padmé during the Clone Wars, Anakin often worried when she became involved in the war and found himself struggling to keep his emotions in check whenever she was around in order to keep their marriage a secret. Also, his protectiveness of her became obvious to many, especially Obi-Wan, his Padawan, Ahsoka and rival suitors like Rush Clovis, an old flame of Padmé's.

As a general within the ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic, Anakin was renowned for his leadership skills and admired by clones, Jedi and politicians alike.

As Anakin's journey as a mentor to Ahsoka Tano continued, he, much like his Padawan, matured and became more responsible in many ways, but this didn't stop him from acting reckless at times. His emotional balance was disrupted by the Jedi Order's decision to expel Tano when she was suspected of treachery and her subsequent decision to refuse their offer to welcome her back into the fold when she was cleared. He became more troubled when he began experience visions of Amidala dying in childbirth, eventually convinced to betray those around him and join the Sith.

Upon transforming into Darth Vader, he became utterly ruthless, killing other beings for their failures and taking pleasure in torture. He was the Emperor's enforcer and together with the Empire's other minions, sought out remaining Jedi and resistance and tried his best to crush them. Ultimately, however, his son discovered that there was still good to be found within him. He showed concern for his son, ultimately deciding that he could not stand by while he was harmed, and as he died, he expressed his desire to Luke that he tell Leia that he was right, that there was still good in him.

Shmi Skywalker
Born to solely his mother, Anakin loved his mother dearly. The two were close, though she worried over his participation in dangerous activities like podracing. He was sad to have to leave her when Qui-Gon Jinn freed him from slavery and invited him to live the life of a Jedi. He left her only reluctantly, but his mother cared about him enough that she told him that leaving had to be his own decision, one that she could not make for him. Ten years later, Anakin suffered nightmares depicting her death at the hands of Tusken Raiders. Anakin desperately sought her, but was too late, and her slaughter at the hands of the Tuskens led him to massacre their entire village. A couple of years into the Clone Wars, Anakin travelled to Mortis with Ahsoka and saw a vision of his mother. He didn't believe it was her, but found himself bending to its will and admitting his guilt over having to keep his marriage to Padmé a secret.

Padmé Amidala
"I don't know who's in there sometimes. I just know that I'm not happy anymore. I don't feel safe.''" "But Padmé..." "''I think it's best if we don't see each other anymore, at least not for a while. I'm sorry, Anakin."

- Padmé is shocked by Anakin's propensity for violence.

First meeting
Like Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Jar-Jar, Anakin met Padmé at the age of nine on Tatooine. Even as little boy, Anakin was in awe of her beauty while the young queen was disguised as a handmaiden. They become extremely close, with Anakin giving her a japor snippet as a keepsake. After Padmé revealed herself to Gungan leader Boss Nass as being the real Queen Amidala, Anakin was surprised and a little disappointed that he'd been lied to. After the Battle of Naboo, Anakin and Padmé said their goodbyes but this would not be the last time they saw each other.

A reunion
Ten years later, Padmé, now Naboo's senator, was targeted for assassination on Coruscant. Anakin, now 19 and Obi-Wan were assigned to protect her. Padmé quickly recognized Anakin and commented on how much he has grown since the last time she saw him. He in return complimented her on how beautiful she had become, but the comment came off as awkward and Anakin was embarrassed when Amidala replied that he'd always be the little boy that she met on Tatooine. Anakin vented his annoyance to old friend, Jar-Jar Binks, saying that Padmé has forgotten him completely, but Jar-Jar did not believe that this was true, feeling that she was pleased to see him. Anakin and Obi-Wan later prevented an assassination attempt against the senator and the Jedi Council assigned Anakin to go with her back to Naboo as a safety precaution while Obi-Wan investigated matters.

Back on Naboo, they quickly grew close and shared a kiss, but things remained awkward and they decided to keep things professional. Anakin, however, was disturbed by nightmares of his mother's impending death and, with Padmé's permission, traveled with her to Tatooine to seek out his mother. They were told by the Skywalkers' former owner, Watto, that Shmi was freed by a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars and his family. Travelling to the Lars Homestead, Anakin and Padmé were reunited with an old friend: Anakin's now completed yet grubby looking protocol droid, C-3PO, who took them to the homestead of the Lars family. Inside the homestead, Cliegg revealed that Shmi had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders and that search parties had been unable to find her. Padmé was saddened to hear this but Anakin, refusing to give up on his mother, went in search, but not before sharing a moment with Padmé, who warned him to be careful. Upon Anakin's return with Shmi's body, Padmé comforted him when he broke down, confessing his massacre on the Tusken Raiders that killed his mother. After Shmi's funeral, Padmé and Anakin were summoned back to the ship only to learn that Obi-Wan had been taken captive on Geonosis. Anakin was told by Mace Windu to stay on Tatooine, but Padmé who argued that they go to Obi-Wan's rescue and Anakin ultimately did not need much persuading. On Geonosis, Anakin and Padmé with 3PO and R2 in tow, entered the droid factory, but became separated. They were captured and sentenced to death in the arena. Before being led out into the arena, Padmé finally admitted her true feelings to Anakin, which left him surprised. They two kissed and then, together, escaped from the arena. Upon the opening battle of the Clone Wars, they shared a private joke before boarding the gunships. When Padmé was thrown from the ship, Anakin panicked and orderd the ship be put down, but was scolded by Obi-Wan who asked what Padmé would do if she were in Anakin's position. After Anakin and Obi-Wan's fight with Dooku, Padmé arrived and tended to Anakin. After the battle, Anakin was assigned to take Padmé back to Naboo, but unbeknownst to the Jedi Council, Anakin had other plans. Upon their return to Naboo, Anakin and Padmé married with only 3PO and R2 as witnesses.

The Clone Wars
During the war, Anakin and Padmé saw very little of each other, but did come into contact a number of times. Each time often saw Padmé in some type of trouble which worried Anakin. The couple's attraction didn't go unnoticed by Obi-Wan or Anakin's Padawan, Ahsoka, who would come to forge her own bond with Padmé. Whenever Anakin got time off from the war, he would spend his time trying to persuade Padmé to go away with him so that they could act more like husband and wife, attempts Padmé almost always turned down, much to Anakin's annoyance. However, their marriage hit several snags with the reappearance of Rush Clovis, an old flame and friend of Padmé whom she had broken things off with several years before, though Anakin was unaware of this. He later mentioned it to Padmé, who brushed it off, saying that she broke it off and that it was years before she and Anakin were even together. Anakin's over-protectiveness of Padmé didn't go unseen by Clovis, who was still very much in love with Padmé. When Padmé was poisoned by Lot Dodd, Anakin, with Clovis' help, was able to get the antidote, but left Clovis to deal with Dodd. Later, things turned ugly when Clovis made another unwelcome appearance after becoming the leader of the banking clan. Padmé became involved with this matter, despite Anakin's desire for her to keep away. He begged and then demanded as her husband that she stay out of it. She told him he needed to trust her and she knew what she was doing. After several attempts to stop her, Anakin found himself enraged when Clovis attempted to touch her and Force choked him. Padmé, horrified that her husband's jealousy and temper had gotten the better of him, yelled at him to release Clovis. Anakin did as she requested, but she was deeply disturbed. She told him that their marriage was nothing but secrets and lies and that she no longer felt safe around him; that they should not see each other for a while. Later, however, after matters were resolved with Clovis, they forgave each other. When Ahsoka was framed for murder and the bombing of the Jedi Temple, Anakin asked Padmé to represent his Padawan in court while he hunted down who was really responsible for the crime.

Pregnancy and Anakin's fall
Anakin returned from the Outer Rim Sieges, having rescued Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from his capture by the Separatists and General Grievous. Padmé shared with him that she was pregnant with their first child. Overjoyed, Anakin helped Padmé plan the future for their child. However, Anakin became plagued with visions of Padmé's death in childbirth. Terrified for the life of his wife and unborn child, Anakin began to search for a way to save them. Padmé dismissed Anakin's visions and reassured him that she and their child will be all right. However, Anakin's closeness to Palpatine was noticed by Padmé who asked him to get Palpatine to end the war. This angered Anakin, who felt that what Palpatine was doing was right. Padmé was startled, begs him not to shut her out, but Anakin was weary due to sleepless nights worrying about the fate of their unborn child. Anakin, seeking out a solution, turned to Palpatine, who told him of an old legend of one who could stop even death itself. This, in part, led Anakin to become the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the hope of gaining such power. Vader slayed the members of the Jedi Order at the Jedi Temple, then visited Padmé to tell her that he was traveling to Mustafar to deal with the Separatist leadership. He told her not to worry, but she was very concerned and when Obi-Wan visited her to ask after Vader and telling her that he turned to the dark side. Disbelieving, she boarded her vessel to see the man she knew as Anakin on Mustafar, Obi-Wan stowing along. Vader did not deny Obi-Wan's accusations when confronted, leading Padmé to beg him for them to leave together, but he offered her the chance to rule the galaxy together, something she could never accept. He then saw Obi-Wan exiting the vessel and, believing that Padmé had led him there, Force choked her before engaging Obi-Wan in a lighsaber duel. Padmé was badly injured by Vader's attack, but survived long enough to give birth to their children, the twins Luke and Leia. Vader was shocked when Emperor Palpatine informed him of Padmé's death and from then embraced his role as the Emperor's right hand, but the legacy that Padmé had left him, their son, Luke, would help him to see that he still had good within him.

Obi-Wan Kenobi
"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness.''" "I hate you!" "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker

Training
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first met on the planet of Tatooine when Kenobi and his Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had landed there in search of a T-14 hyperdrive generator to replace the broken one on Padmé Amidala's ship. Though Kenobi worried that the boy, just 9 years old at the time, was another stray of the sort that Jinn seemed to collect, similar to Jar Jar Binks, Qui-Gon was convinced that Anakin was the Chosen One of the prophecy. Obi-Wan was not as convinced as his Master and was horrified that Qui-Gon would choose to defy the Jedi Council on the matter, even offering to train Anakin before Obi-Wan's training was over. However, after Qui-Gon was killed at the hands of Darth Maul, Obi-Wan was willing to defy the Council in order to honour his Master's dying wish that he trained Anakin. Despite Master Yoda's reticence, the Council agreed with Obi-Wan and he became Anakin's Master.

Anakin's training progressed swiftly under Kenobi and, after about a decade, his training had progressed nearly enough for him to advance from being a Jedi Padawan to a full Jedi Knight. The two had grown close, though Kenobi still feared in many ways that Anakin wasn't ready because he was impulsive and lacked wisdom. Anakin, meanwhile, often got a rise out of pushing Kenobi's buttons, trying to test the limits of how far he could push his often intensely serious Master. The two were at first like father and son, but later came to form a relationship that was akin to brotherhood.

Though never a Jedi Master himself, Anakin nevertheless was assigned a Padawan learner of his own around the beginning of the Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano. Thus, Anakin began to learn as he saw in his student the sort of things that he had put Obi-Wan through. Training a Padawan of his own made Anakin closer with his own Master, but he was deeply shaken when Ahsoka was expelled from the Jedi Order and later made the decision to refuse the Order's offer to accept her back into the fold. It was clear that Anakin felt that Kenobi should have fought harder against the original decision in the first place.

Downfall
Near the end of the Clone Wars, the two had grown extremely close. They could each tell what the other was thinking and were a force to be reckoned with when paired together in combat. Despite this, Anakin still worried that he couldn't trust Obi-Wan when it came to matters regarding the Jedi Council and Obi-Wan was increasingly worried about Anakin's behavior and the relationship he had perceived between him and Padmé Amidala. Obi-Wan was deeply disturbed when he was forced secretly by the Jedi Council to ask Anakin to spy for them on Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin was appalled by the idea of spying on his long-time friend. He was also upset at being kept off the Jedi Council and when Obi-Wan was sent to Utapau to fight General Grievous, Anakin was worried about their being split apart, feeling that Obi-Wan would need him on the mission. Though the two parted as friends, it would be the last time in life that they would be on cordial terms with each other.

Playing upon Skywalker's fears and concerns, Palpatine turned him to the dark side, anointing him the Sith Lord Darth Vader. When he and Kenobi next met, Vader had slain a large number of Jedi, as well as the Separatist Council on Mustafar. Kenobi had stowed away on Amidala's ship, but Vader believed that she had purposely led him there and Force choked her before engaging Kenobi in a terrible lightsaber duel. Kenobi ultimately won that duel, leaving Vader badly maimed and scarred, requiring him to wear a suit of armor for the rest of his life. Kenobi, meanwhile, rescued Amidala with the aid of C-3PO and R2-D2, giving her time to give birth to her and Skywalkers' children, Luke and Leia, before dying.

Under the Empire
Kenobi moved to the planet of Tatooine to watch over Anakin's son, Luke. The two were drawn together when Luke acquired R2-D2, who was carrying the stolen plans for the feared planet-destroying Death Star. He told Luke of his father, saying that he was a powerful Jedi Knight and the best pilot he knew. He also spoke of Vader, saying that he had hoped he could train him as well as Yoda, but that Vader had turned to the dark side and killed Luke's father. The two later ended up on the Death Star itself after trying to travel to Alderaan by securing passage on the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo and Chewbacca, only to find the planet destroyed by the Death Star. Kenobi disabled the Death Star's tractor beam, but ended up facing Darth Vader afterward. The two dueled for a second and last time. Obi-Wan eventually sacrificed himself to let Luke and his friends escape, becoming one with the Force in the process, confusing Vader.

Kenobi continued to aid Vader's son as a Force spirit, telling him to go to the Dagobah system to train under Yoda. When Luke Skywalker later fought Vader, he learned the terrible truth of Vader being his father and Kenobi was forced to explain the terrible truth that he had hidden from Luke before, that Vader was in fact Luke's father, but from his point of view, when Anakin became Vader, the good man who was Anakin died. Kenobi felt that Anakin was now wholly evil, but Luke refused to believe this, feeling that there was still good somewhere within Vader. This would later be proved true when Vader saved Luke from Emperor Palpatine after Luke refused to join him. Though Vader was badly hurt by Palpatine and died, he died knowing that his son now knew there had in fact still been good in him, and later appeared to his son as a Force spirit alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda.

Yoda
"Send me to kill the Emperor. I will not kill Anakin.''" "To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough, you are not." "He is like my brother... I cannot do it." "''Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is... consumed by Darth Vader."

- Following Anakin's fall to the dark side, Yoda believed there was no good left in him.

Anakin first met the diminutive Jedi Grand Master, Yoda, around the same time that he met Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn, as he was summoned to appear before the Jedi Council for testing. Yoda, strong with the Force, sensed great fear and confusion within Anakin and decided, along with the rest of the Council, that Anakin was already too old and not fit for training as a Jedi Knight. Despite this, Yoda was forced to accept Anakin as a member of the Jedi Order when Obi-Wan Kenobi swore to fulfill Jinn's dying wish by training him, believing him to be the prophesied Chosen One, and the Council chose to accept this decision, despite Yoda's concerns.

Yoda, as a member of the Jedi Council, was part of the decision that reunited Anakin with the woman who would one day become his wife. Later, he rescued both Anakin and Obi-Wan when they were badly wounded by Count Dooku, coming into direct conflict with the man who had once been his apprentice, but was now a Sith Lord. The Battle of Geonosis was won, but Yoda witnessed the beginning of the Clone Wars, something that would be pivotal in the life of him, Anakin and Obi-Wan.

During the Clone Wars, Yoda continued to guide Skywalker at times and also assigned him his own Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano. He often contacted Skywalker to take on challenging missions, showing great faith and trust in him despite his previous concerns about his possible unsuitability to be a Jedi Knight. Yoda perhaps saw something of himself in Anakin, at times seeing his spontaneity and willingness to work outside the rules as a positive trait. When he needed to escape from Coruscant in order to commune with Qui-Gon Jinn's force spirit on Dagobah, he turned to Anakin in order to help him sneak away.<

When Anakin began experiencing visions of Padmé dying in childbirth, he turned to Yoda for advice. Yoda advised him to let go of those things that he feared to lose, as the fear of loss was a path to the dark side, but this was not the advice that Anakin wanted to hear. He dismissed Yoda's advice as useless because he could not imagine losing someone he loved so deeply and sought a solution through another means, taking the advice of Palpatine and becoming Darth Vader.

When Anakin fell to the dark side, Yoda gave him up as being lost entirely. He believed that "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny," and advised Obi-Wan Kenobi that Anakin was gone and was now only Vader. When Obi-Wan badly wounded Vader on Mustafar, Yoda hatched a plan, having Obi-Wan take Anakin's son, Luke, to Tatooine, while Bail Organa adopted the daughter, Leia, and he went into hiding on Dagobah.

Yoda continued to believe that there was nothing of Anakin left in Vader. He held this belief up until his death, but when the actions of Vader's son, Luke, proved otherwise, the two met again in the Force and appeared together with Obi-Wan to Luke as Force spirits.

Sheev Palpatine
"I pledge myself to your teachings.''" "''Good. Good. The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth... Vader."

- Anakin Skywalker swears himself to service under Palpatine.

Like with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, Skywalker met Palpatine when he was just nine years old. The man, at the time a Galactic Senator, took an immediate interest in Skywalker. Though he seemed to Skywalker to be a kindly man, he was actually already plotting how to best use the boy who had been named as the Jedi "Chosen One." As Skywalker became a Jedi Knight, he formed a close friendship with Palpatine, able to tell him his darkest secrets that he could never tell the Jedi. Meanwhile, in his position as Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine manipulated the lives of Skywalker and those around them. The time came when Palpatine chose Skywalker to be his personal representative on the Jedi Council. He informed Skywalker that he felt that the Jedi were plotting against him. When Skywalker informed him of the defeat of General Grievous and the Jedi Council's desire that he return control to the Senate, Palpatine revealed that he was secretly a Sith Lord named Sidious and that he could help him with his greatest fear by providing him with the means to save his wife. Skywalker informed the Jedi of what he had learned, but when Mace Windu was about to execute Palpatine, he attacked, slicing away Windu's lightsaber hand and allowing Palpatine to blast him with dark energy. He then swore himself to service under Palpatine and aided in the destruction of the Jedi Order, taking the name Darth Vader. He continued to serve Palpatine under the newly formed Galactic Empire, but ultimately saved his son, Luke Skywalker, when Palpatine tried to kill him.

Ahsoka Tano
"I'm the new Padawan learner. I'm Ahsoka Tano."

- Tano meets Skywalker for the first time.

Several months after the Battle of Geonosis, Anakin and Obi-Wan were assigned to the planet Christophsis. While on mission there, Anakin was surprised by the arrival of Ahsoka Tano, a Padawan learner that had been assigned to him by Yoda despite the fact that he had neither asked for nor desired a Padawan learner of his own. Despite this, Yoda had assigned Tano to him, hopeful that the relationship would be beneficial to both the headstrong young Togruta girl and the sometimes impulsive and reckless Skywalker.

Tano was an unseasoned Padawan who had a lot to learn, but thought highly of her own skills. Her attitude led Anakin to give her the name of "Snips." Despite her struggles, the two completed their mission together, moving on to new adventures. Throughout the Clone Wars, Tano learned a number of important lessons from her master and Anakin in turn came to respect and admire his Padawan, as well as learn from her.

Anakin came to develop a strong bond with his Padawan learner and was devastated when she choose to leave the Jedi Order. Later, on a mission with Obi-Wan Kenobi, he suggested calling in for her help, only to then recall that she was no longer around. He expressed his profound belief that the Jedi Order had made a mistake in not standing by her. Anakin's feelings towards Ahsoka were one of the many attachments that he had been warned were something that could lead a Jedi to embrace the dark side of the Force and though Tano's departure resulted in Anakin spending more time working directly with his old master, Obi-Wan, he would eventually turn against all that he had held dear and the Jedi Order which Tano was training to become a Knight in.

Wilhuff Tarkin
"I wish more Jedi had your military sensibilities."

- Captain Tarkin to General Skywalker

Skywalker and Wilhuff Tarkin first met during the Clone Wars at the Citadel, when Skywalker and Kenobi rescued him. Kenobi then worked out a plan of escape, but Tarkin disagree with Kenobi's methods. The group escaped, but Tarkin was not satisfied with events. He was, however, impressed with Skywalker and told him that he had earned his trust, and both came to have a mutual respect for each other. This respect, however, would become greatly frayed when Tarkin served as the prosecutor of Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano when she was on trial for the bombing of the Jedi Temple Hangar, a crime she did not commit. The trial, little more than a kangaroo court, would have resulted in Tano's conviction had Skywalker not unmasked Barriss Offee as the real culprit. Tano chose to leave the order, which deeply shook Skywalker, and Tarkin felt that Skywalker may have blamed him in part for this. Following the creation of the Galactic Empire, Tarkin correctly guessed that Skywalker had become the feared mechanical man Darth Vader. The two of them were forced to work together on a mission and when Tarkin's personal starship, the Carrion Spike was stolen by rebels. Later, when Leia Organa was on the Death Star, she described Tarkin as the man "holding Vader's leash."

Luke Skywalker
"Now, go, my son. Leave me.''" "No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you!" "''You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister... you were right."

- Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker as Anakin dies

Thanks to the plan executed by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, Darth Vader knew nothing of the existence of Luke as he grew up, believing that the child which he had conceived with Padmé Amidala died when she did, a side-victim of the Force choke he had inflicted upon her. Though unaware of it at the time, Vader first encountered Luke as a Rebel pilot at the Battle of Yavin, a pilot whom he failed to shoot down thanks to the timely intervention of Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. Emperor Palpatine, concerned that Luke could become a powerful Jedi and interfere with his plans for galactic domination told Vader of his existence, hoping that Vader could turn him to the dark side of the Force.

Vader seemingly agreed with the Emperor's idea and put together a trap to lure Skywalker, catching Skywalker's friends on Cloud City and having Han Solo frozen in carbonite. He then hoped to capture Skywalker and do the same to him in order to deliver him before the Emperor. Vader, however, secretly plotted to have his son join him and defeat the Emperor and rule the galaxy as the father and son. The plan worked and Luke was drawn to the city, but Vader found Skywalker a stronger opponent than he expected and was unable to capture him, but managed to cut off his right hand. He then decided to try to twist him by revealing to him that he was his father. Luke was shocked at this revelation and seemingly disbelieving at first, but Vader continued to try to lure him by telling him that it was his destiny to join with him. Luke, however, rather than joining him, chose to try to plunge to his death, but survived and was rescued by Leia, Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca.

Luke consulted with Yoda and the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who confirmed Vader's revelation that he was indeed his father. Luke was troubled by this, but maintained a belief that there was still good to be found within Vader and vowed to face him once more. Vader, meanwhile, under the Emperor's orders, oversaw the construction of the second Death Star and planned to be ready for Skywalker, the Emperor having foreseen that Skywalker would once again come to him.

The Emperor's prediction proved true as during the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker left his team on Endor, believing that he was placing them in danger, and surrendered himself to the Empire. He was brought before Vader and tried to appeal to him, telling him that he knew there was still something of Anakin within him and that he could feel his conflict. Vader, however, did not seem convinced and brought him before the Emperor, telling him that he would teach him the power of the dark side. Luke watched in shock as the Emperor revealed that his friends were walking into a trap and the Death Star was fully armed and operational. When Luke tried to lash out at the Emperor, he claimed Luke's lightsaber, but then gave it back to him, telling to release his hate by fighting Vader. The two once again clashed and Luke proved the stronger, but still refused to kill Vader, refusing to give into the path of the dark side. The Emperor, aggravated, decided that if Luke could not be turned then he would kill him and tortured him with Force lightning, causing him excruciating pain and leading him to plead with Vader to stop the Emperor and save him. Though at first Vader did nothing, as the Emperor continued to revel in cruel pleasure in Luke's torture he found that Luke was right and he could not simply stand by and watch. Rushing forward he seized the Emperor and tossed him down a reactor shaft as he continued to vent lightning from his hands, causing critical damage to Vader's suit of armor.

Vader, now once again with the light side as the Force, asked Luke to remove his helmet so that he could once gaze upon his son as Anakin Skywalker. Luke was reluctant, as this would mean his father's death and he wanted to save him, but Anakin told him that he was dying anyway and he already had saved him. As he passed into the Force, he pleaded with Luke to tell his sister that he was right, that there was, in fact, still good in him. Back on Endor, Luke burned Anakin's armor in a funeral pyre as the spirits of Yoda, Ben Kenobi and Anakin, restored in appearance to that of a youthful Jedi Knight, gazed proudly upon him. Anakin had finally escaped the long nightmare of the Sith and restored balance to the Force.

Powers and abilities
"If you had spent as much time practicing your saber techniques as you do your wit, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman.''" "I thought I already did." "''Only in your mind, my very young apprentice."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker

At the tender age of nine years old, Anakin demonstrated a great aptitude for piloting, mechanics, and use of the Force. He built the protocol droid C-3PO, an advanced droid fluent in over six million forms of communication and with a great deal of personality. Qui-Gon Jinn remarked that he must have the reflexes of a Jedi in order to compete in the podraces in the manner that he did. When Jinn tested Skywalker's blood to check his midi-chlorian count, he learned that his reading was off the scale, even greater than Master Yoda's.

In his later teen years, Skywalker's Force training progressed to the point where he was able to manifest various abilities. Using the Force, Skywalker was able to sense what was happening in another room, and to sense when Padmé was in mortal danger from the poisonous Kouhuns, at which point he burst into the room and deftly killed the creatures with his lightsaber. Skywalker showed aptitude with telekinesis, being able to lift small objects such as fruit or a lightsaber. Also manifesting affinity to animals, Skywalker was able to calm a raging Reek and eventually ride it during the Battle of Geonosis. Skywalker also had the ability of premonitions, as was the case when he foresaw the deaths of both his mother and his wife in dreams. Even at a young age, Skywalker dreamed of someday becoming a Jedi, despite his status as a slave and the lack of Jedi presence on Tatooine. Skywalker had a tendency to use Force choke, a dark-side Force power, especially when angered. Skywalker would go on to use this power to deadly effect when he assumed his Sith persona, Darth Vader.

Anakin initially struggled with his lightsaber training, though he believed in his mind that he could rival the Jedi greats. His training, however, eventually progressed to the point where he was able to duel with the likes of Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress as well as Sith Lord Count Dooku. His skills in lightsaber combat became superb. He was able to duel with and defeat Count Dooku, taking on the Sith Lord alone after he took out Obi-Wan Kenobi and later drawing upon the dark side at Darth Sidious's urging to deal Dooku's final defeat. He later dueled his former friend and master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to a near standstill, losing only when Kenobi proved more clever, tempting Vader into a rash action.

Behind the scenes
Anakin Skywalker was originally portrayed as Darth Vader by David Prowse in the original trilogy, with the iconic James Earl Jones providing the voice of the character. Jones returned to voice the character for a special scene in the ABC television network premiere of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion. Sebastian Shaw played the dying Anakin, his head freed from his cybernetic armor in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, but the scene of him appearing as Anakin's Force spirit alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda was recast with Hayden Christensen for the Special Editions. Christensen played the role of Anakin Skywalker in both Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace featured Skywalker as a young boy of 9, a role that was landed by Jake Lloyd after thousands of auditions. In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film and television series, the character of Anakin Skywalker was voiced by Matt Lanter. Legacy audio of Brock Peters, who portrayed Darth Vader in the Legends radio dramatizations of the Star Wars films, was used for the canon 2015 release A New Hope Read-Along Storybook and CD.

Anakin Skywalker has become a major figure in popular culture, almost entirely in his role as the feared Sith Lord Darth Vader. The American Film Institute named third on a list of greatest film villains as Darth Vader, edged only Hannibal Lecter, originally of Silence of the Lambs and Norman Bates of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

In 2011 and 2012, the luxury car company Volkswagen aired two Super Bowl commercials featuring the character of Darth Vader. The first ad was titled "The Force" and featured a young boy wearing a costume of Darth Vader's armor. The boy attempted to use the Force to pull his parents' car to him, but ran away when the car's alarm sounded, his parents watching from the window. The 2012 commercial aired after a different ad for Volkswagen that did not feature Vader. It featured Darth Vader strangling Doctor Evazan because Evazan had commented that the new commercial was more moving than the Vader one from the previous year.