Darth Vader Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the "Star Wars" franchise. He is the main antagonist of the original trilogy, but, as Anakin Skywalker, is the main protagonist of the prequel trilogy. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas has collectively referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader." Originally a Jedi prophesied to bring balance to the Force, Anakin Skywalker is lured to the dark side of the Force by Palpatine, who is secretly a Sith Lord. After fighting a lightsaber battle with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi in which he
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Lucas decided the movies would work best as a trilogy. In the final act of the trilogy's final episode, "Return of the Jedi", Vader is ultimately redeemed through an act of sacrifice for Luke. This was in 1983, more than six years since the release of "Star Wars". Lucas admitted to being "burned out" and announced he would take a break from working on the saga. Throughout the 1980s, George Lucas remarked he had no desire to return to "Star Wars" and had unofficially canceled his sequel trilogy by the time of "Return of the Jedi". Because Lucas had developed