There is likely no character in Star Wars more tragic than Darth Vader, who is considered as one of the greatest villains in cinematic history. Born as Anakin Skywalker, he seems to have been doomed to become the Sith Lord he ultimately is known for.
In order to appreciate how sad his life was, both aspects of the Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader personas need to be taken into account. This involves everything from the circumstances of his childhood to his status as the father of Luke and Leia, and how the character is remembered during the events of the sequel trilogy.
He Grew Up Believing Himself To Be Meaningless
Anakin was a gifted pilot and mechanic as a 9-year-old boy who had dreams of being more. However, he was never encouraged to pursue anything due to his status as a slave of Watto. This was a cruel thing to bear for a child who never knew any place other than the desert landscape of Tatooine.
He revealed later to Padmé that he despised sand, which is ironic considering he was surrounded by it in his childhood, but it also makes sense since Anakin couldn’t see the beauty of the galaxy. His eventual turn as Vader, a man hungry for great power, can be justified to an extent considering Vader was made to feel small and meaningless when he was a child.
The Time He He Had With His Family Was Painfully Short
Darth Vader’s only interactions with his daughter were when he held Leia hostage without realizing she was his child. His moments with Luke were similarly in conflict while their reconciliation happened during Anakin’s demise.
Even as a child, Anakin had to leave his mother behind to go with Qui-Gon, which remains one of Star Wars’ saddest scenes. Anakin couldn’t reveal his status as Padmé’s husband, and their marriage was all about sneaking around in fear of being caught. His turn as Darth Vader meant he could never be around to watch his children grow either.
He Was Burdened By A Prophecy That Was Always Unclear
The reason behind taking in Anakin as a Jedi was due to Qui-Gon’s belief that the boy would “bring balance to the Force,” which was a prophecy that was always unclear. Still, Anakin was dubbed as the Chosen One and was burdened by a purpose that no one really cared to explain.
As Darth Vader, he was deemed a disappointment and traitor to the Jedi cause by leaving it in darkness, which caused Vader to loathe the Jedi even more. Vader never asked for the responsibility that came with the prophecy, yet was judged because of it.
He Was Used By The Jedi Order Despite Placing His Faith In Them
Anakin was never truly accepted by the Jedi, and it was only due to Qui-Gon’s dying wish that he was reluctantly trained. From Anakin’s point of view, the Jedi were the only ones he could place his faith in and worked almost all his young life attempting to prove himself to them.
Sadly for Anakin, he was merely a tool to be used as the Jedi granted him a seat at the council without making him a Master. He also realized they simply promoted him to spy on Palpatine, not because of his hard work to be a Jedi. After striving so hard to be accepted, Anakin was ultimately never truly part of the Jedi.
He Badly Wanted A Father Figure But No One Truly Understood Him
The entire prequel trilogy is about how Anakin got closer to the Dark Side of the Force. It might not have happened had Qui-Gon survived, as he was the first father figure Anakin had. Unfortunately for Anakin, his craving for a paternal figure would never be satisfied, and he ultimately lacked direction.
Anakin called Obi-Wan the closest thing he had to a father, but the latter was very young himself and ill-equipped to be more than an elder brother figure at best. Anakin thought Sheev Palpatine was someone who genuinely could be like a father, only for Palpatine to twist Anakin’s faith to corrupt him.
His Reason To Turn To The Dark Side Was For Love
The moment where Darth Vader attacks his own wife is one of the darkest Star Wars scenes in the entire saga, and it represented how far he’d fallen. However, Anakin’s turn into Vader was a result of love, not hate, as he became a Sith to find a way to save Padmé's life.
Anakin’s vision of Padmé’s death motivated him to seek out Yoda’s guidance, only to be given an unconvincing and unclear answer. Palpatine’s false promise of saving Padmé encouraged Anakin to become Darth Vader, and it was too late for the latter to realize where he’d gone wrong.
His First Thought After Becoming Darth Vader Was To Ask About Padme
It’s telling how Darth Vader’s first act after donning the mask and suit was to enquire about Padmé rather than worry about himself. Vader was deemed to be a monster by both Yoda and Obi-Wan but the fact that his first instinct was out of love reveals something different.
There could have been hope for Vader had anyone other than Palpatine found him, as the latter lied that Vader was the one who had killed Padmé in his anger. Vader’s shattered reaction of destroying everything in the vicinity out of his anguish was a very human reaction for a person considered to be a fiend.
He Lived In Constant Agony
Even though Darth Vader was known for showing no mercy to the enemies of the Empire, it’s hard not to feel for the way he lived his everyday life. Vader had to rely on his suit to survive and had a breathing apparatus constantly simply to breathe.
The few moments he spent outside of the suit required him to be in his meditation chamber and Rogue One showed how horrible it appeared to be. Living in constant physical pain while having no loved ones around him effectively made Vader a man with absolutely nothing to be happy about for what was an unenviable existence.
His Redemption Was Twisted To Turn His Grandson Into Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren ignored his grandfather’s redemption and focused on how powerful Darth Vader was with the Force. This was due to Palpatine’s manipulations, as he spoke to Ren using Vader’s voice and corrupted the former to abandon the ways of the Jedi.
Despite the fact that Vader had redeemed himself to become Anakin once more in his final moments, this act of humanity was twisted into ruining the life of his grandson. It turns out that he couldn’t catch a break even from beyond the grave as his family was doomed to repeat his mistakes.
His Legacy Continues To Be A Negative One
Anakin’s status as Darth Vader isn’t widely known in the Star Wars universe, meaning most of the galaxy still considers the Darth Vader persona to be the most significant one. Although viewers were shown his redemption, the in-universe characters still remember him for his crimes.
Vader ultimately did bring balance to the Force by causing his own demise and that of the Emperor, but these aren’t widely known. The celebration at the conclusion of Episode VI was effectively for the death of Darth Vader, with only Luke truly knowing the truth. At the end of it all, people in the galaxy were happy that Vader was dead.