A Tribute to Film Posters

Darth Vader

The character of Darth Vader is one of the most famous pop culture villains of all time. Darth Vader pictures adorn the walls of countless Star Wars fans today as much as they did with the movie’s premier in 1977. With his black helmet and unforgettable deep and menacing voice, the image of Vader is difficult to forget. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, was the scourge of the Jedi, a master of the dark side of the Force, and one of the Emperor's most trusted servants. He didn’t start off this way, however.

He began life as Anakin Skywalker, a young slave from Tatooine skilled in piloting and strong in the Force. Discovered by maverick Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin was taken before the Jedi Council to be trained. While Jinn believed Anakin to be the chosen one spoken of in an ancient Jedi phophecy the council was hesitant to allow him to be trained at the tender age of nine.

He was assigned to Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi which would prove to have dire consequences for the galaxy. Skywalker was seduced by the dark side of the Force. Fueled by rage and discontent with the pace of Obi-Wan's training, Anakin challenged his master to a duel. Despite newfound power bestowed by the dark side of the Force, Anakin was seriously wounded in the fight. His burning anger and feeling of betrayal somehow kept him alive. He abandoned his former identity. When metal coupled with flesh in the form of cyborg implants and enhancements required to sustain him, Skywalker's was no longer now he would be known as Darth Vader.

During this time Vader never knew he was due to be the father of twins. Despite a great effort by Obi-Wan Kenobi to hide the children from the Dark Lord and Vader's master, Emperor Palpatine, Vader somehow discovered that he had a son Luke Skywalker. He never suspected he had a daughter, Leia’s identity was hidden and she was secretly taken to be raised by Bail Organa, Viceroy and First Chairman of Alderaan.

The Emperor entrusted Vadar with the elimination of the Jedi Knights. During these dark times, Vader and his agents destroyed the Jedi order.

When the Galactic Civil War raged across the Empire, Darth Vader’s task was to find the location of the Rebel Alliance's secret base. Vader capture of Rebel operative Princess Leia Organa revealed the location of the hidden fortress. When the princess was rescued, Vader found himself face to face with his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi and defeated the aged Jedi Knight in a lightsaber duel.

Rebel forces launched a starfighter attack on the station. Entering the battle, Vader managed to destroy the most Rebel pilots in the battle, but was forced out of the conflict when his own vessel was crippled by the Millennium Falcon.

Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, Vader led an elite squadron of Star Destroyers to seek out and capture the Rebels responsible for the Death Star's demise. Eventually, Vader tracked the Rebels down to the ice-world of Hoth where he launched a ground attack destroying the base in the ice-world.

The Emperor commanded Vader to track down the "son of Skywalker," and have Vader turn him to the dark side of the Force. He and Luke clashed in a lightsaber duel that Vader won by ruthlessly severing Luke's sword-hand. Vader then revealed to the Jedi that he was his father, and that they would rule the galaxy as father and son. Luke refused to succumb to the dark side, and escaped his father.

Palpatine pitted father and son in another lightsaber duel. Skywalker refused to fight and give into the temptation of the dark side. Vader, probing his mind, learned of his daughter, Leia Organa. He threatened to turn her to the dark side. At this threat, Luke gave into his hatred and attacked his father. In the ferocious assault that followed, young Skywalker nearly killed Vader. Horrified by what he had become Luke proclaimed "I am a Jedi, like my father before me,"

Palpatine unleashed a deadly barrage of dark side energy on the young Jedi. Lightning bolts spawned from pure evil tore into Luke's body with searing pain. Vader stood helplessly, watching his son suffering and couldn’t take it anymore. Vader suddenly turned against his master. He grabbed a surprised Palpatine from behind, hoisted him above his head, and tossed his evil master down a bottomless reactor shaft. Vader was bombarded by the Emperor's Force lightning, mortally wounding him.

As he lay dying, Vader ceased to be. Anakin Skywalker returned. He asked his son to remove the cumbersome, fearsome mask that had concealed his face for decades. His mask and life support removed, Anakin looked upon Luke for the first and last time. He then died, his body disappearing into the light side of the Force. Luke burned the dark armor that had encased Anakin's crippled body in a quiet funeral pyre on the forest moon of Endor that night.

The films achieved remarkable success and made the characters household names. Many different Darth Vader pictures exist, but most fans would say that the famous lightsaber battle between Vader and Skywalker from the original movie is the most memorable.

Birthplace: Tatooine
Children: Luke and Leia
Original on-screen actor who played Darth Vader: David Prowse
Voice of the Darth Vader character: James Earl Jones
Did you know? It is easy to find Darth Vader pictures on Darth Vader posters and other memorabilia, but the most permanent and largest Vader image can be found carved on the northwest tower of Washington National Cathedral.