Star wars the rise of skywalker darth vader

The sequel trilogy of the Skywalker Saga earned a divisive reaction from fans, but it still honored the characters from the original trilogy in many ways.

Table of Contents Show

WHAT THIS MEANS
Palpatine Could Have Used Darth Vader To Extend His Own Life
Why Palpatine Didn't Use Force Drain On Darth Vader
Does Darth Vader appear in Rise of Skywalker?
How old is Darth Vader in rise of Skywalker?
Why did Skywalker become Darth Vader?
Who voiced Vader in rise of Skywalker?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens managed to highlight Harrison Ford's Han Solo in an emotional arc while Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker earned the spotlight during Star Wars: The Last Jedi . Additionally, the last entry to the saga in the form of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker paid tribute to Carrie Fisher's Leia Organa in a surprising way.

The Rise of Skywalker was the most intriguing among the three movies since it had a massive undertaking by giving a complete resolution to the narrative of the Skywalker Saga. While the film earned mixed reception from fans and critics , the 2019 blockbuster still delivered a conclusion that came full circle for the franchise.

Now, a significant piece of information has surfaced, detailing the film's notable connection to an iconic Star Wars character.

NEWS

IGN revealed Darth Vader's connection to The Rise of Skywalker by breaking down the events of Star Wars: Darth Vader #6. The outlet shared a comic book panel which showed Emperor Palpatine torturing Darth Vader to avoid "the thought of Anakin Skywalker reawakening" within the Sith Lord.

This eventually made Vader helpless with an added burden of not being able to call out the Force, courtesy of Palpatine.

Art by Raffaele Ienco (From Marvel and Lucasfilm)

As Vader heads off to the Techno Union facility to fix his current state, it was revealed that Palpatine sent out Sith Assasin Ochi of Bestoon to hunt down the Sith Lord, marking the end of the current issue.

Art by Raffaele Ienco (From Marvel and Lucasfilm)

The appearance of Ochi of Bestoon is the comic's actual connection to The Rise of Skywalker since the Sith Assassin's corpse made an appearance in the film. The scene in question was during the time Rey, Finn, and Poe stumbled across his corpse on Pasaana. Not only that, IGN also pointed out that Ochi was the one who was tasked with hunting down Palpatine's grandaughter and Rey's parents.

WHAT THIS MEANS

Part of the fun of Star Wars is the franchise's interconnected storylines, and this latest piece of connection to the sequel trilogy is more evidence of that. Darth Vader has been referenced numerous times during the sequel trilogy, serving as Kylo Ren's inspiration to turn to the dark side, but this reveal showcased another interesting connection from the Sith Lord's past.

This might be a small, yet fun connection towards the sequel trilogy, but it shows how closely the narrative ties together. Not only that, the blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo of Ochi from The Rise of Skywalker proves that characters in the background serve a grander purpose in other stories. In a way, this could also hint that the franchise still has plans to explore more characters in the future, maximizing on the trans-media approach of the franchise.

Star Wars is venturing into a whole new narrative in the form of The High Republic , and it's a safe bet that the franchise will lean towards utilizing more connections towards the overarching narrative of the Skywalker Saga by using that medium.

Enter the characters you see below

Sorry, we just need to make sure you're not a robot. For best results, please make sure your browser is accepting cookies.

Type the characters you see in this image:

Try different image

Conditions of Use Privacy Policy

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hints at Palpatine's real purpose for Darth Vader. It's an open secret that Palpatine was disappointed with Darth Vader; he thought he was getting the Chosen One, a force of nature who could not be beaten, and yet Darth Vader was defeated the moment he crossed blades with an adult Jedi. Tie-ins have revealed Palpatine hoped to form a Force Dyad with Anakin, but this attempt proved unsuccessful, and no doubt the Emperor put this down to the injuries he had sustained and the lingering presence of the light side within Darth Vader's heart. And yet, for all that's the case, Palpatine kept Darth Vader around.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker subtly hints at what was probably Palpatine's true motive in letting Darth Vader live. The movie sees the Emperor use a Sith power known as Force Drain to replenish himself by drawing the power of Rey and Kylo Ren's Force Dyad into himself. This ability was brought into Star Wars canon back in 2015, in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath trilogy, when one of Palpatine's loyalists talked about Force Drain while torturing a Republic pilot. "Did you know that the Sith Lords could sometimes drain the Force energy from their captives," he taunted. "Siphoning life from them and using it to strengthen their connection to the dark side? Extending their own lives, as well, so that they could live for centuries beyond their intended expiration?" This secretly reveals the most likely reason that Palpatine kept Darth Vader as his apprentice: as a resource.

Palpatine Could Have Used Darth Vader To Extend His Own Life

Palpatine uses Force Drain in Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

Palpatine considered himself the culmination of the Sith, and thus he had little use for the Rule of Two. To the Emperor, any apprentice was simply a pawn; indeed, he interpreted himself as master of the Chosen One prophecy, for to Palpatine the Chosen One was simply the one he had chosen. Darth Vader had proved a disappointment, but he was still remarkably powerful in the Force, and thus the Emperor - who sought to conquer death and grant himself immortality - could therefore have used him as a battery to extend his own life. When the time came, and Darth Vader's usefulness was at an end, the Emperor could have drained him dry like a vampire.

Why Palpatine Didn't Use Force Drain On Darth Vader

Ian McDiarmid played Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars Return of the Jedi

Force Drain is one of the most terrifying powers wielded by the Sith, and yet it's striking that Palpatine only used it once, towards the end of his life. This is likely a measure of his desperation in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as the Emperor's clone body continued to waste away and his end seemed imminent. He could surely have used the dark side power of Force Drain on Darth Vader at any time, but simply chose not to - simply because Darth Vader was still useful, albeit disappointing.

It's important to remember that Luke Skywalker was right when he claimed the Emperor's overconfidence was his weakness in Return of the Jedi. Palpatine genuinely believed he was unbeatable, and when he confronted Luke in his throne room on the Second Death Star, he thought the outcome was secure. It never occurred to Palpatine that the flicker of light he had often sensed lingering within Darth Vader's soul could be fanned into flame so quickly, and he never saw his apprentice's betrayal coming. If he had, the Star Wars saga would have been very different.

Next: Andor's Sly Moore Reference Expands On Palpatine's Prequel Story

Does Darth Vader appear in Rise of Skywalker?

In The Rise of Skywalker, Anakin makes a vocal cameo, along with other "voices of Jedi Past", where he encourages Rey to "bring back the balance... as [he] did" before she faces Palpatine and his Sith forces. Palpatine uses the voice of Darth Vader to telepathically speak to Ren.

How old is Darth Vader in rise of Skywalker?

And then Vader dies at the age of 45 in Return of the Jedi, which takes place one year later in 4 ABY. If Anakin somehow survived the Imperial Era and lived through the age of the New Republic, he would've been 67 years old in The Rise of Skywalker.

Why did Skywalker become Darth Vader?

Conflicted, Anakin first revealed to the Jedi Council that Palpatine was a Sith Lord ... and then helped Palpatine kill Mace Windu in the hopes that Palpatine would teach him how to save Padme. Though distressed by his betrayal of Windu, Anakin submitted himself to his new master, who in turn dubbed him Darth Vader.