Darth Vader

Prequel trilogy
Main article: Anakin Skywalker

Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, noted Jedi Knight who, tempted by Palpatine/Darth Sidious through the Dark Side of the Force, became the Dark Lord of the Sith. Obi-Wan Kenobi, upon learning what Anakin had become, engaged in a lightsaber duel with his former friend and Padawan learner on the lava planet Mustafar, ending in severe injuries that resulted in his being encased in black armour and mask that sustained him for almost the rest of his life.

Original trilogy
In the original Star Wars trilogy, Darth Vader is the primary antagonist: a dark, ruthless figure, out to capture,, or kill the films' heroes to prevent them from thwarting the Empire.

Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Battling the Rebellion and his son
Events in this section occur in the films A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.

In A New Hope, Vader is charged with recovering the stolen plans of the      Star and finding the Rebel Alliance's secret base. He captures and s Princess Leia and, along with      Star commander Grand Moff Tarkin, destroys her home world of Alderaan. Shortly afterward, he duels his former master, the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has arrived at the      Star to rescue Leia, and cuts him down, turning him into a spirit in the Force. He then encounters his son, Luke, during the Battle of Yavin, and senses in him a great strength in the Force; this is confirmed moments later when the boy destroys the battle station. He was about to shoot Luke down using his TIE-Fighter, but Han Solo disabled his ship using the guns on the Millennium Falcon, and sent Vader spinning into space.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader captures Leia, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and C-3PO on the planet Bespin to lure Luke into a confrontation. He strikes a deal with the administrator of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) to give Han over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch), and has Solo frozen in carbonite. Luke, who has been partially trained by Yoda, duels Vader, but is eventually defeated, losing his right hand to Vader's lightsaber. Vader then reveals his true identity as Luke's father and offers Luke the chance to overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy as father and son. Luke refuses, throwing himself down a mine shaft. He is sucked into a garbage chute and rescued by Leia, C-3PO, Chewbacca and Lando. He is fitted with a robotic hand to replace the one Vader had cut off.

Redemption
Events described in this section occur in the film Return of the Jedi''. More information is available in the plot''.

In Return of the Jedi, Vader is charged with overseeing the completion of the second      Star. He meets with Palpatine on board the half-constructed station to plan Luke's turn to the dark side.

Darth Vader escorting Luke Skywalker to Palpatine in an attempt to turn him to the dark side

By this time, Luke has nearly completed his Jedi training, and has learned from a dying Yoda that Vader is indeed his father. He learns about his father's past from Obi-Wan's spirit, and also learns that Leia is his sister. On a mission to the forest moon of Endor, he surrenders to Imperial troops and is brought to Vader. Aboard the      Star, Luke resists the Emperor's appeals to his anger and fear for his friends, but snaps when Vader telepathically probes his mind, learns of Leia's existence, and threatens to turn her instead. Enraged, Luke nearly kills Vader, severing his father's right hand. He controls his anger at the last minute, however, as he looks at Vader's cybernetic hand and then at his own; he realizes that he is perilously close to suffering his father's fate.

As the Emperor approaches, encouraging Luke to kill Vader and take his place, Luke throws down his lightsaber, refusing to perform the        blow. Angered, the Emperor attacks Luke with Force lightning. Luke writhes in agony under the Emperor's      , begging his father for help. Unable to bear the sight of his son in pain, Vader spiritually ceases to exist and the Anakin Skywalker persona returns. Anakin turns on his master and throws him into the very core of the      Star, where the evil emperor was engulfed and killed.

Anakin Skywalker in his last few moments of life

Moments from    , he begs his son to take off his breath-mask so he could look at Luke "with [his] own eyes". Luke complies and for the first (and as it turned out, the only) time, father and son truly see each other. In his dying breaths, Anakin Skywalker is redeemed, finally admitting to Luke that the good within him was not destroyed after all. Luke escapes with his father's body as the      Star explodes, destroyed by the Rebel Alliance.

That night, Luke burns his father's Sith armor in the manner of a Jedi's funeral. During the victory celebration on the forest moon of Endor, Luke sees the redeemed spirit of Anakin Skywalker, standing once again with Obi-Wan and Yoda.