Did you know that Star Wars is a horror movie? Ok, not really. But thanks to the wild imagination of fans all over the galaxy, there have been all sorts of stories told about the armor and the insides of a certain Dark Lord Of The Sith? When Obi-Wan skewered Anakin into a Tatooine Shish Kebob is when the nightmare truly begins for Anakin Skywalker. Due to his own choices, not only did his bestie leave him for dead, but he left him with only one limb - his fake one at that!
“Saved” by Emperor Palpatine, Anakin is put into the lifesaving suit of armor that became the most terrifying visage in the galaxy. But what was going on underneath all of the metal? Obi-Wan famously said once “he’s more machine now.” How much of aching was he? How do you build a better Sith Lord? What horror lurks beneath the surface? Here are 10 Weird Facts About Darth Vader's Armor.
The Actual Innards
The guy not only got sliced and diced, but terribly burned and scarred. He was on the verge of death when Palpatine found him, there was simply no time to heal all of Vader’s skin before getting him into the suit.
His limbs were replaced with a material, durasteel, mechanical appendages and skin grafts. The dead skin also needed to get routinely scrubbed to avoid any kind of infections. In his chest was a voice modulator implant to give Vader his iconic voice.
He Needs A Monthly Alignment
It sounds contrite when you’re watching the movies, but remember Anakin is inside a complex heavy piece of machinery. Even in the Star Wars Universe, these complex machines need all sorts of routine maintenance. Modifying existing tech, replacing fluids and cervos.
The suit not only needs monthly check-ups but cleanings, too. It’s probably one of the only times Anakin enjoys since he needs to go in a Bacta Tank for his own bath while the most ominous suit in the galaxy is getting washed, waxed, and polished.
Reinforces His Skeleton And Organs
With all of the restructuring and rebuilding of space-Humpty dumpty, you would think that It would have been easier for Palpatine to just find another Sith apprentice. Between the battle with Obi-Wan, the dismemberment, and the horrendous burns and scars, Anakin IS more machine than human.
The suit’s various Mandalorian alloys and Sith Chemistry help to reinforce and make Vader’s skeleton strong enough to withstand the weight of the suit. The Sith Lord also has plenty of steel-reinforced organs, all totaled he probably weighs about a quarter-ton Earth pounds.
Constant Suffering
According to Yoda, “fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” It’s an easy way to find the Dark Side Of The Force. Anakin went straight down this path.
Once inside the suit, he’s in a constant state of suffering. There are pins and needles all over some parts of the suit keeping it propped up onto his rotting skin, the pins aren’t there just to torture Vader - they collect neurological data for diagnostics. Anakin himself has to have a pretty severe case of Phantom Limb Syndrome.
Escaping His Armor
Anakin was always such a strong-willed person. He would never just accept his mechanic prison, even if it’s the very thing keeping him alive. He had meditation chambers set up in various places throughout the galaxy.
The chambers allow him to remove his helmet and calm his mind, but also breath freely. He would attempt to stay out of the helmet for longer and longer periods of time. He was once able to reboot his systems when they were hacked through sheer will of the Force, he was definitely gearing up for a life that would one day, at the very least not need the helmet to breathe.
Surviving The Elements
One of the coolest shots of Vader nowadays is this one - taken from the show, Rebels. He’s as menacing as ever standing atop an advanced TIE Fighter. Not only does his armor sustain Darth Vader’s life, but it helps him to survive any and all elements, including magnetized boots.
Imagine if needed one of those Rebel parkas on Hoth? Those elements also include the depths of space, as evidenced in a few comics and Rogue One.
Ancient Sith Armor
Part of the beauty of Star Wars is just how much content the author-fans have created over the years. There is huge and rich history - “Knights Of The Old Republic,” detailing the days where Jedi and Sith were all over the place!
Vader’s armor is designed to pay homage to the Sith Lords of the past that terrorized the galaxy. One of his gauntlets is actually Mandalorian armor that once belonged to Lord Kaan, a Sith Lord who existed before the rule of two and actually had many followers.
New Fighting Style
“Anakin was a cunning warrior,” Obi-Wan once said in A New Hope. We finally got to see just how fierce a fighter he was in the prequels. Anakin was all about the acrobatic skills. He had to drastically refine his fighting style at Darth Vader.
The armor is so heavy, that he can’t even lift a lightsaber far above his head. Long gone was his agility, replaced with a fighting style that complemented his strength and endurance. Vader’s new fighting style would never win any style points, but he has taken down a lot of enemies with it all the same.
The Helmet
The Force may be with Anakin but having a crazily powered helmet certainly helps too. Besides keeping his brain in his head and having a breathing apparatus which is connected to the rest of the suit.
The eyelids allow protection, considering his retinas were burned. There’s even a HUD. The heads-up display allows Vader to quickly learn about new environments, any possible heat signatures, not to mention diagnostic data for the rest of his suit.
How Does Vader Eat?
While he probably has no interest floating pears around anymore, Anakin still needs to eat. While he could chew, that would also involve removing his helmet and risk dying. But he’d rather let people know that he’s basically a Terminator.
So when he does get hungry, he just has to slurp on a feeding tube in his helmet. The tube is connected to a food paste that supposedly tastes disgusting.