George Lucas Felt Sorry For “Pathetic” Darth Vader After Spending 3 Films Making Him the Most Feared Villain in Movie History
George Lucas created one of the most pop culture-defining IPs when he released Star Wars in 1977. The space opera was set in a galaxy far, far away, and followed the Rebel Alliance’s fight against the evil galactic Empire, which had the galaxy’s most feared adversary Darth Vader on its side. Vader is often considered to be one of the greatest villains of all time.
Originally a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker, he falls from grace after suffering a loss and turns to the dark side, serving as the right-hand man for the Sith lord Emperor Palpatine. Despite being one of the most feared villains, Lucas considers him a tragic hero and has the prequel series to prove it. Spoilers ahead for the films.
The Tragedy Of Darth Vader
Audiences first witnessed Darth Vader in George Lucas’ 1977 film Star Wars as the formidable foe against the protagonists Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. A representative and the main ‘heavy’ of the Galactic Empire, Vader was one of the most feared Sith lords in the galaxy.
In the second film, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, it is revealed that Vader is Luke Skywalker’s long-lost father. He was a former Jedi knight named Anakin Skywalker, who fought alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi but turned to the dark side after negotiating with Emperor Palpatine to save his wife Padme. He loses her after being defeated by Kenobi in a lightsaber battle in which his limbs are severed and he is turned into a cyborg.
After being rechristened as Darth Vader by Palpatine, he supervises the construction of the Death Star and executes many of the Emperor’s dark bidding. He, however, has a redemption arc at the end of the third film, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. He sacrifices himself to save Luke at the end of the film, killing Palpatine. George Lucas considered him to be a tragic hero.
George Lucas Felt Sorry For Darth Vader At The End Of Star Wars
While George Lucas introduced Darth Vader as a powerful and evil Sith lord who would stop at nothing to kill the Rebels, he is given a more human form by the end of the original trilogy after he shows care for his son Luke Skywalker. Lucas mentioned that he initially based Vader on the Nazi paramilitary organization Schutzstaffel, which served Adolf Hitler.
Lucas mentioned in ‘The Making of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’, that he wanted the audience to realize that Darth Vader was a man who made the wrong choices instead of being completely evil. He said,
“You realize that Darth Vader is this pathetic character. He is not this big, all-powerful monster. He is a pathetic man, who made some wrong choices, and found himself trapped in a world of evil…by adding episodes 1, 2, and 3, people begin to see the tragedy of Darth Vader…I like the idea that a person who you thought was the villain is really the victim.”
Lucas also addressed the plot point of Anakin Skywalker being the Chosen One. Anakin is introduced as a slave in Tatooine in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and he is considered to be the Chosen One to bring balance to the Force, as indicated by an age-old prophecy.
While many consider him to be not the Chosen One after his turn to the Dark side, Lucas argued that he was, saying,
“Darth Vader does become the hero. Darth Vader does destroy the Sith, meaning himself and the Emperor. He does it because he is redeemed by a son…So, the prophecy is true. By doing that he redeems himself and goes from being Darth Vader, back to being Anakin again.”
Whether he is considered to be a ruthless force of evil or a tragic hero, Darth Vader has had a cultural impact that rivals the greatest of villains in history.
