One of the most iconic lightsabers in the entire Star Wars cosmos is without doubt the lightsaber of the Emperor’s dark henchman. Darth Vader cut down over 65 people with his iconic lightsaber (canon). If you include the executions and murders of the Star Wars Legends expanded universe, the total rises to a drastic 1,285 deaths that can be attributed to Darth Vader! This puts “The Chosen One” at the top of the list of the most people killed in the Star Wars universe!
We take a closer look at Darth Vader’s rarely used deadly weapon.
Chapter 1
Hard facts Hard facts Hard facts
| WHAT | FACT |
|---|---|
|
Manufacturer |
Darth Vader |
|
Owner |
Darth Vader |
|
Type of weapon |
Lightsaber |
|
Fighting style |
Close combat |
|
Size |
28 cm |
|
Energy source |
Cyber crystal |
|
Colour |
Red |
|
Era |
Era of the empire |
|
Affiliation |
Galactic empire |
|
Handle mould |
Cylinder – Straight |
|
Material |
Metal alloy |
|
Blade type |
Dual phase |
|
Blade length |
Adjustable |
Chapter 2
Creation of the lightsaber Creation of the lightsaber Creation of the lightsaber
Many mistakenly assume that Palpatine’s dark henchman was equipped with his iconic lightsaber from the very beginning with the switch from the light to the dark side of the Force. What most people don’t realise, however, is that Vader had to work hard to acquire his deadly weapon. Some stories from Star Wars Legends describe this endeavour in more detail:
Chapter 3
Research Research Research
After Darth Vader survived his surgery, he was sent by his master to obtain a kyber crystal. Determined to master his new empire, the cyborg travelled to an old Jedi outpost. His goal was to search the Jedi archives for powerful Jedi. During his research, the Emperor’s henchman came across the Jedi Master Kirak Infil’a – a Jedi who had turned his back on the Jedi Order years ago and focussed exclusively on the Force itself.
Chapter 4
Confrontation Confrontation Confrontation
The Dark Lord tracked down Infil’a on an unknown planet. When he had left his spaceship, the Jedi living as an Erimite confronted Vader. He reacted with lightning speed and grabbed Infil’a in a chokehold! Infil’a just managed to free himself from the chokehold with a Force blast. Astonished by Vader’s strength, the hermit explained that Vader should follow him up the mountain – if he could…
At the same moment, a training druid from Infila opened a sluice, which released a gigantic waterfall and literally sprayed Vader away.
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Chapter 3
Ascent Ascent Ascent
Darth Vader had to find an alternative route to Infil’a if he wanted to get to the weapon. After a brief inspection of the area, he found a somewhat remote, steep but dangerous alternative ascent. Without hesitation, the waterlogged cyborg took this route. Out of nowhere, Vader was attacked by carnivorous birdsand the Jedi Master’s training druids. Vader, who was unarmed at the time, fought against all his opponents, but with the help of the Force, his anger and his willpower, he was able to clear them out of the way with ease.
Chapter 4
renewed confrontation renewed confrontation renewed confrontation
Once at the top, the Dark Sithlord, scarred from the climb, grabbed the training sword from Infil’a’s druid and a fierce battle ensued between Darth Vader and Infil’a, but it was short-lived as one of Darth Vader’s legs gave way and broke in two due to the damage sustained from the birds’ attacks. Subsequently, the one-legged Anakin was thrown off the mountain by the Jedi Master with a Force push!
Anakin was aware of the consequences that would await him if he returned to Palpatine both without his lightsaber and with damaged armour.
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Chapter 5
The turnaround The turnaround The turnaround
Driven by the desire to gain new powers and, primarily, the will not to disappoint Palpatine, Darth Vader grabbed various parts of the training druid, which he himself had previously thrown off the mountain, and began to repair himself with these foreign body parts.
Visually slightly changed, but more motivated than ever, the Dark Lord, equipped with the new parts of the training druid, paid another visit to Infil’a and confronted the Jedi Master again – only this time with no regard for casualties! The Jedi Master desperately pleaded with Vader to keep the inhabitants of the planet out of their fight, but at the same moment the dark Sith Lord destroyed the city’s large water reservoir. Infil’a desperately tried to prevent the destruction when the Sith in black armour seized the moment and used the Force to pull his lightsaber from the Jedi’s belt! The iconic villain then pushed the unarmed and desperate Jedi Master into the water after breaking his neck.
Chapter 6
The corruption of the crystal The corruption of the crystal The corruption of the crystal
Vader’s journey to obtain his lightsaber is not yet over. The druid on Vader’s spaceship was programmed so that as soon as it detected a lightsaber in the vicinity of the dark cyborg Darth Vader, it would immediately take him to a very specific location : Mustava
Vader took the lightsaber to a remote location on the planet Mustava and began to dismantle the saber. He then channelled all his dark energy and compressed it, projecting it and all his pain and hatred onto the crystal.
But his endeavour failed! When the procedure was almost complete, Darth Vader hurled it from his weapon with a mighty blow. Shortly afterwards, the dark lord tried again to colour the kyber crystal red, but this attempt also failed. “The Chosen One” decided to try colouring the crystal one last time. All the effort, pain and strain were worth it after all! The Supream Commander of the Galactic Empire proudly presented his new weapon to his leader, the Emperor! The Dark Lord will use this version of the lightsaber for many years to come, but its final, iconic form still differed greatly from its current form, as it still resembled that of Infil’a visually.
Chapter 7
the final form the final form the final form
When the Dark Lord was attacked by mercenaries during a mission on Cambaria one day, they cut his lightsaber in two! Fortunately, Vader was able to save the kyber crystal and the loss of this hard-earned weapon encouraged Darth Vader to build a new, much more personalised lightsaber.
During his journey back to Corussant, Vader created a new-final- hull for his lightsaber. When the Emperor became aware of the newly modified hilt of his henchman’s weapon, he was absolutely thrilled!
Chapter 8
Design and technology Design and technology Design and technology
Darth Vader’s iconic lightsaber is made of a shiny alloy with a black carbon composite handle and a red energy blade. The Dark Lord constantly honed his weapon to maximise blade strength and stability.
Darth Vader’s lightsaber is known for its unique aesthetic, which is reflected in its unmistakable red light and classic black hilt.
These elements were specifically chosen to symbolise his connection to the dark side and enhance his intimidating presence.
Dual-Phase Lightsword
The most important upgrade to Darth Vader’s weapon is undoubtedly the dual blade function. With this improvement to his melee weapon, Darth Vader was able to change the blade of his lightsaber at the touch of a button thanks to the fact that there were two kyber crystals in the hilt of the saber! Each crystal produces a separate blade with different properties such as length and blade hardness.
In addition, the design of the hilt reflects Darth Vader’s personal preferences and his pragmatic approach to combat.
Chapter 9
Use in combat Use in combat Use in combat
With the unique self-produced dual-phase lightsaber, the Sith Lord was able to surprise his enemies during battle and could often use the adjustment of his blade length and hardnessto his advantage in battle.
Most Jedi and Sith mastered their lightsaber with a single blade, which had unique properties. But ‘The Chosen One’ wanted to use both blades with the same level of skill. The Sithlord favours a defensive fighting style that relies on solid blocks and parries as well as counter-attacks. Vader also uses the weight of his iconic armour to make his attacks particularly powerful. Lightsaber duels usually consisted of blocks and counterattacks, typical of his fighting form of V Shien and Djem So.
Number of kills
Murders
0
YOU ARE IN DEMAND YOU ARE IN DEMAND YOU ARE IN DEMAND
What do you think? How would the plot have continued if the story of the Star Wars epic had been told in this direction?
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