Highlights
- Anakin’s reliance on father figures ultimately leads him to the dark side, as Palpatine used his need for a fatherly relationship to manipulate him.
- Darth Vader’s loss of limbs prevents him from using force lightning, a common ability among Sith, making him weaker in comparison.
- Vader’s reliance on his mechanical suit weakens him in battle, reducing his agility and mobility from his days as Anakin Skywalker.
The Star Wars Universe is expansive, and with all the extra lore being brought to the forefront by projects such as Ahsoka, many fans are seeing all kinds of weaknesses in characters that they could never have before imagined. Though there are many characters across the galaxy far, far away, very few of them can match up to the legendary status of Darth Vader.
Hailed as one of cinema’s greatest ever villains, and given an entire trilogy dedicated to his origins, Vader has many strengths. However, the Star Wars villain still isn’t undefeatable, and different opponents have showcased his various weaknesses over the years in a variety of fashions.
7 Daddy Issues
A Dependency On Sheev Palpatine
- Leads to the Dark Side
As a child, Anakin Skywalker never had a father. The dark part of being a chosen one and being born “by the force” is that Shmi had to raise Anakin alone, as a slave, on Tatooine. This isn’t an ideal situation for a child, and Anakin attempted to latch onto multiple different father figures to fill the hole in his life that he’d always had.
Of course, this would eventually lead him to ruin. Anakin always had a closer relationship with Obi-Wan than most apprentices and masters have, but Palpatine was easily able to turn Anakin’s need for a father figure against him, becoming a loyal friend who was able to talk him into anything, even turning to the dark side of the force and becoming Darth Vader, all because of Anakin’s need for a fatherly relationship.
6 Loss Of Limbs
Imprisoned In A Machine
- Leads To No Force Lightning
It isn’t often discussed within the Star Wars Universe, but Darth Vader has never performed the force lightning ability that other Sith commonly use. This is explained, albeit briefly, in a Star Wars Legends novel depicting the rise of the Sith Lord, where it is explained that because of his mechanical arms and legs, Vader has never made use of this particular ability.
Whether the lack of real arms is the reason behind Vader’s loss of ability to create force lightning, or whether he can use lightning but doesn’t because of his mechanical reliance, which could be short-circuited by such an ability, is unknown. Either way, the lack of arms has caused Vader to be weaker than other Sith in a similar position, but he makes up for it with his intimidating presence and words.
5 Force Lightning
Causes Suit Malfunctions
- Leads To Mechanical Shutdown
While Vader himself cannot use force lightning, it is something that holds immense power over him. Due to Vader’s mechanical suit, he cannot interact with lightning under the pain of suffering malfunctions in the vital life support systems he uses. This is a rare problem for him to come up against, due to only other Sith commonly utilizing such a capability.
However, in Return of the Jedi, the force lightning used by Emperor Palpatine is shown to be immediately and vitally debilitating to Darth Vader. Despite managing to throw his former master to his supposed death, Vader finally succumbed to death because of the destructive damage done to his suit by the Emperor’s attack.
4 Reliance On Technology
His Limbs & Breathing Are Reliant On His Suit
- Leads To Weakened Battle State
Vader is a terrifying presence any time he is seen on the screen, but he is notably less agile after his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar. The loss of his limbs and the reliance on the mechanical suit to keep him alive severely reduced the abilities of what Vader could do for the Emperor in battle.
As Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, this character was a brute in battle, terrifyingly powerful and agile. Despite still being a force in combat after his transformation, much of his mobility was lost after entering the suit and becoming Darth Vader, feeling like a completely different character. Of course, the changeover in actors is part of why this is the case.
3 Arrogance
He Overestimates His Power
- Leads To Major Failures
Anakin Skywalker always had the same issue that he retained when he became Darth Vader, he felt he was better than many others. In the Jedi Order, it led to him being ostracized by seasoned masters like Yoda and Mace Windu, who felt they couldn’t trust him because of the issues in personality that he showed, and he thought he was better than them, but was likely wrong.
Even after becoming Darth Vader, he continued to overlook danger. The Rebel Alliance wasn’t something he considered dangerous until it had already become a true competitor to the power of the Empire. He never imagined they would be able to bring down the Death Star. Many of his greatest failures, both as Anakin and as Darth Vader, stemmed from arrogance.
2 Gullibility
He Believed Palpatine Had The Power To Save Padme
- Leads To His Downfall
The core of what led to the downfall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader was the influence of Sheev Palpatine. While in the Senate, he appeared as a face of what was good and right about the Republic, at least to an innocent and naive member of the Jedi like Anakin Skywalker.
Unfortunately, this was the cause of his downfall. Never considering that Palpatine might be the true evil, and not listening to the warnings of his fellow Jedi, led to Palpatine getting his claws into the mind of the young Jedi. It was simple from there to find what made him tick and bring him over to his side slowly, dragging him to the dark side, by first helping Palpatine kill Mace Windu and then killing many other Jedi himself.
1 His Family
Shmi & Padme Are The Most Important Women In His Life
- Leads To His Confusion
One of the problems Anakin always had was that he did not follow one of the foremost rules the Jedi set for themselves. He had attachments to people, starting with his mother, whose death led to his first act of true violence and darkness. Then it was Padme. The fear of losing his love made it easy for Palpatine to lure him over to the dark side.
After becoming Vader, his family continued to be a source of confusion for him. The revelation of Luke and Leia being his children forced Vader into confusion, weakening him. Eventually, he found his strength again through them, throwing off the Emperor and leading to his death. Despite also being a strength, his family and love led him to ruin before they led to his salvation, as he has been both a protagonist and antagonist in various media over the years.
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