"You were the Chosen One!

It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join
them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness! You were my brother,
Anakin! I loved you!"
?Obi-Wan Kenobi, to the fallen Anakin Skywalker[src]
Anakin Skywalker was a Force-sensitive Human male who served the Galactic Republ
ic as a Jedi Knight and later served the Galactic Empire as the Sith Lord Darth
Vader. Born to the slave Shmi Skywalker in 41.9 BBY, Anakin was conceived by mid
i-chlorians, the symbiotic organisms that allowed individuals to touch the Force
, and he and his mother were brought to the desert planet of Tatooine to be the
slaves of Gardulla the Hutt. They soon ended up as the property of the Toydarian
Watto, and Skywalker exhibited exceptional piloting skills and a reputation for
being able to build and repair anything even at a young age. In 32 BBY, Skywalk
er encountered the Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and Padm Amidala, and he helped them secure
the parts they needed for their starship by winning the Boonta Eve Classic podra
cing event only to learn that he had also won his freedom in doing so.
Reluctantly leaving his mother behind, Skywalker accompanied Jinn and his group
to the Republic's capital of Coruscant and participated in the Battle of Naboo,
helping to free Amidala's homeworld from the armies of the Trade Federation. Whi
le Jinn was killed during the battle, Jinn's student Obi-Wan Kenobi followed Jin
n's wishes and took on Skywalker as his Padawan, and much of the Jedi Council be
lieved that Skywalker was the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy: one who would bring b
alance to the Force by destroying the Sith Order. Skywalker and Kenobi had a num
ber of adventures during the Padawan's decade of training to become a Jedi, but
as the Separatist Crisis threatened to tear the Republic apart in 22 BBY, Skywal
ker was reunited with Amidala when he was assigned to protect her from assassins
. The two grew close during the course of the assignment, though they were caugh
t up in the Battle of Geonosis and the beginning of the Clone Wars between the R
epublic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Losing an arm during the fig
hting, Skywalker received a cybernetic replacement, and he and Amidala were secr
etly married in the days after the battle despite the Jedi Code's restrictions o
n romantic attachments.
During the Clone Wars, which raged for the next three years, Skywalker was grant
ed the rank of Jedi Knight and became known to the public as the "Hero with No F
ear." Taking on the Togruta Ahsoka Tano as his apprentice, Skywalker fought alon
gside Kenobi and his fellow Jedi in scores of battles, and his friendship with S
upreme Chancellor Palpatine deepened despite the Jedi Order's wariness of Palpat
ine's rapid acquisition of further powers during the Clone Wars. Throughout the
Clone Wars, Skywalker's anger and sense of loss pushed him ever closer to the da
rk side of the Force, and his visions of Amidala dying in childbirth in 19 BBY m
ade him desperate to find a way to save his wife. Palpatine, who was in fact the
Sith Lord Darth Sidious, manipulated Skywalker into becoming his apprentice wit
h the promise of saving Amidala, and Skywalker became the Sith Lord Darth Vader
as Palpatine transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire and eradicated th
e Jedi Order.
Vader and Kenobi clashed on Mustafar after Vader attacked his wife in the belief
that she had betrayed him, and Vader was left limbless and ravaged by fire at t
he end of their battle. Encased in a suit of life-sustaining black armor and bel
ieving his wife to be dead, Vader embraced his role as the Emperor's right hand
and enforcer, hunting down Jedi survivors and enforcing the will of the Empire f
or years to come. The Sith Lord trained a number of secret apprentices and Dark
Jedi, though his plans to overthrow his master had not advanced far when the Gal
actic Civil War erupted between the Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Repub
lic in 2 BBY. In 0 BBY, the Death Star the Empire's greatest superweapon was destroy
ed by a young Rebel pilot despite Vader's efforts, and Vader became obsessed wit
h discovering the pilot's identity, only to learn that it was Luke Skywalker: hi
s own son, born before Amidala's death.
Vader continued to pursue both Skywalker and the Alliance over the next three ye
ars, finally luring his son into a trap on the mining colony of Cloud City in 3
ABY where the two dueled. Vader revealed his identity to Skywalker, though his s
on refused to join him and escaped. When Darth Sidious learned of Skywalker's ex
istence, he set in motion his own plans to recruit Skywalker and thereby replace
Vader, but Skywalker surrendered himself to Imperial forces on the forest moon
of Endor in 4 ABY in hopes of redeeming his father and turning him back to the l
ight side. In a final duel on the second Death Star as the Battle of Endor raged
around them, Skywalker and Vader fought each other, and Vader refused his son's
attempts to redeem him, learning that Skywalker had a twin sister named Leia in
the process. Skywalker defeated his father but refused to kill him, and when Si
dious attempted to kill the young man, Vader moved by his son's love abandoned the d
ark side and sacrificed himself to destroy the Emperor, fulfilling the prophecy
of the Chosen One. Mortally wounded, Anakin made peace with his son and became o
ne with the Force, though his reputation, his legacy, and his family endured for
decades afterwards.
Contents[show]
Biography
Before his birth
SwKOTOR25cropped
Q'Anilia's vision
"Is this is this happening now, or in the future?"
?Q'Anilia[src]
Thousands of years before his birth, Anakin Skywalker appeared as Darth Vader, t
he Sith Lord he would eventually become, to the Jedi Master Q'Anilia in a Force
vision. The vision also included the Jedi Zayne Carrick, Skywalker's son Luke, a
nd his descendant Cade; all four of them would be affected by the Sith artifact
known as the Muur Talisman.[23] Similarly, at an unknown period of time, Skywalk
er was also foretold by the Heinsnake Cult to overthrow both the Jedi Order and
the Empire, and leave the galaxy in eternal chaos.[24]
Around 42 BBY, the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis and his Sith apprentice Darth Sidiou
s were able to shift the Force and tip it towards the dark side after months of
intense meditation. Plagueis sought to manipulate the midi-chlorians microscopic l
ifeforms which lived symbiotically within all living things and allowed those wi
th sufficient numbers of midi-chlorians to touch the Force and use them to gain po
wer over life and death. He was able to resurrect the Bith Darth Venamis (whom h
e had been using as a test subject for years) using only the power of the Force.
Using his newfound power to heal his own body, Plagueis decided to take his pow
ers further and reached out to the midi-chlorians across the galaxy in order to
gain dominance over them, but the Force resisted his efforts and refused. In res
ponse, the midi-chlorians acted of their own accord and conceived a child within
the Human slave Shmi Skywalker.[25]
Early life
Life as a slave
"There was no father. I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can't explain
what happened."
?Shmi Skywalker[src]
AnakinShmi
Anakin and Shmi Skywalker arrive on Tatooine.
The Human male Anakin Skywalker was born to Shmi Skywalker in 42 BBY (7:4 BrS).[
2] In 38 BBY, when he was around three years old, Anakin and Shmi were sold to t
he Hutt Gardula Besadii on the desert planet of Tatooine, and the two were broug
ht to the planet by a freighter[26] though they were not permitted to know their d
estination, and the ship's single refresher backed up during the flight, making
the crowded ship's passengers extremely uncomfortable. During the flight, Anakin
had premonitions of podracing, and he saw a vision of himself as an older man,
racing across the flats of Tatooine. He was awoken from his dream by his mother,
who carried him out of the ship when they landed, and they were lined up before
Gardulla and her aides.[27]
However, when a shot rang out in a nearby alleyway, Skywalker did not duck for c
over like the others in the area and instead watched as an Arcona slave rushed t
hrough the area to escape his pursuers. The Arcona's slave transmitter exploded
moments later, killing the slave and showing Skywalker what would happen should
he ever try to escape. Shortly afterward, Skywalker was implanted with his own t
ransmitter. In the city of Mos Espa, the Skywalkers were forced to share quarter
s with six other slaves while they were owned by Gardulla,[28] but the fact that
he was coupled with his mother allowed Skywalker to endure slavery with relativ
e good humor.[29] Though Anakin was not altogether fond of Tatooine, he set abou
t learning as much about the desert world as possible. He listened to traveling
spacers and Gardulla's attendants, learning about the history and function of th
e planet in the galaxy. He heard of the Tusken Raiders, apparently bloodthirsty
savages that roamed the wastelands, Jawas, krayt dragons, but the element that i
nterested the boy the most was Podracing, descriptions of which matched his prem
onition.[27] He tired quickly of Tatooine, however, and one day hoped to visit C
oruscant, the galactic capital.[30]
While he was a slave of Gardulla, he became friends with fellow slaves Kitster C
hanchani Banai and Pala Kwi'teksa, a Human and Twi'lek. Though the three were ev
entually sold to other masters, they remained friends, as they all lived in Mos
Espa.[31] Several months after his arrival on Tatooine, while repairing a vapora
tor outside Gardulla's residence, Anakin decided to take the initiative, and mod
ify the device. His handiwork was observed by Watto, a Toydarian junk dealer who
frequently gambled with Gardulla on podraces. Impressed, the Toydarian gambled
for custody of the Skywalkers and won, becoming the pair's owners two days later
.[27] Skywalker began working at Watto's Shop as a mechanic,[9] and Watto reluct
antly allowed the two to move into a small hovel on Slave Quarters Row in the ci
ty of Mos Espa, though he intended to quarter the rest of the slaves he intended
to purchase with the Skywalkers when he could afford to buy more.[28]
At an early age, Skywalker exhibited signs of Force-sensitivity; he could sense
things before they happened, occasionally sensed the emotions of others, and had
exceptional piloting skills which Watto put to use when he made the child race
his podracer the first Human to survive and excel at the sport. Only Shmi knew of
her son's abilities, and by the age of nine, Anakin was strong, quick, an expert
driver, and an expert at building things.[32] A child prodigy,[33] Anakin excel
led at mathematics and engineering.[34] Skywalker did not mind working for Watto
as a mechanic, as he enjoyed building and repairing machinery and droids, and h
is room was filled with a workbench, tools, and various projects in different st
ages of completion.[31] Skywalker always had something to do at Watto's junkshop
; with his mechanical aptitude, he was often called upon to fix the unfixable. W
atto kept the Skywalkers in line by threatening to let other slaves share their
hovel, should they disobey him. Over the years, Skywalker became familiar with t
he Mos Espa locals, picked up alien languages, and would often familiarize himse
lf with the controls of starships, by "practicing" with derelict cockpits found
in the junk yard.[27]
Even at a young age, Skywalker had a reputation for being able to repair or buil
d anything. Around 34 BBY, Skywalker began to build both a podracer from the pie
ces he could salvage from the junkyards, restoring a junked podracer cockpit and
a pair of Radon-Ulzer 620C racing engines. Knowing Watto would try to take it i
f it was valuable, Skywalker purposely kept the podracer in a state of seeming d
isrepair underneath a tarp. Watto gave Shmi an aeromagnifier that she used to cl
ean computer memory devices, allowing the Skywalkers to have a modest income, bu
t Anakin refused to give up on his dreams of freedom, making plans to create a s
canner that could locate the transmitter in his body.[27]
Amee and Anakin
Skywalker and Amee
Around 34 BBY, when Skywalker was seven, Watto traveled to Anchorhead in order t
o bid on parts from a recent crash, leaving the boy with a long list of chores t
o do. However, Skywalker was able to program the droids around the shop to finis
h the chores by midday, allowing him to take his pack that his mother had filled
with meat pies and fruit and meet with his friend Amee for a picnic. In a small
canyon near the city that had a strange tree with flickering leaves, the two at
e Shmi's meat pies and turnovers made by Amee's mother Hala, but when they retur
ned to Mos Espa, they found the city almost empty. From their neighbors, the two
children learned that the pirate Krayn had conducted a slave raid, capturing a
number of slaves and overriding their transmitters with their own. Terrified for
his mother's safety, Anakin raced home but was relieved to find Shmi safe and s
ound at their house unlike Amee's mother Hala. When the boy noticed Amee and Hala'
s master, Yor Millto, dismissing the abduction of Hala as a "nuisance," Skywalke
r resolved to remember every moment of that day, save the look of terror on his
own mother's face, in order to fuel his ongoing struggle as a slave, and his eve
ntual quest to free slaves.[35]
Around 33 BBY, Skywalker met a retired pilot who told him about the moons of Ieg
o and the angels that supposedly lived there. That year, Skywalker was searching
through Watto's junkyard when he came across an ancient battle droid. Curious,
the boy dragged it behind Watto's shop and then once Watto was gone hooked it up
a power source. The droid was too rusted to move, but its holoprojecter was abl
e to display a damaged and chaotic recording of a battle that involved the Sith.
Disturbed by the recording, Skywalker headed home later that day and encountere
d the pilot, who panicked and thought that the boy was saying the Sith had retur
ned when Skywalker questioned him about the Sith. The pilot explained the histor
y of the Sith Order and the New Sith Wars, a thousand-year conflict between the
Sith and the Jedi, though the pilot also noted the rumors that some Sith had sur
vived their defeat in the conflict.[30]
The Ghostling children
"Mom. What if you want to do something good, but it's hard? Or what if you want
to help someone, but you're afraid?"
"Helping others isn't always easy, is it? If people paid us to be good, the gala
xy would be overflowing with kindness. But most of the time there isn't much rew
ard, and sometimes it even costs us dearly to do good things."
"Yeah. What if it costs so much that it hurts?"
"I think we should do it anyway. Make it a habit, like eating or breathing. Once
you do, you'll hardly even notice the cost."
?Anakin and Shmi Skywalker[src]
Skywalker continued to race for Watto, frequently encountering the Dug racer Seb
ulba and losing to him, as the Dug was prone to cheating. One afternoon in 32 BB
Y, Skywalker was working in Watto's shop when Banai arrived and told his friend
about the arrival of Sebulba and another racer named Gasgano in the spaceport, a
nd Banai was able to convince Watto to let Skywalker investigate by telling the
Toydarian about a mysterious crate that Sebulba had brought on his freighter. Th
e two joined the growing crowd at Mos Espa's spaceport to watch the two racers'
freighters unload. Studying Gasgano's podracer, Skywalker could instinctively se
nse that nothing was new or important about the changes Gasgano had made, but Se
bulba's podracer drew his attention, and he soon noticed the new Kuat 40-Z stabi
lizers that had been installed.[31]
ShmiAnniemoment
Anakin and his mother as slaves in Watto's shop
However, Skywalker's friend Kwi'teksa was uninterested in his discovery, and the
other children nearby gathered to listen as she told them how she had been sold
to the pirate Lord Tantos so that Tantos could train her as an assassin. Angry
and saddened, Skywalker questioned Kwi'teksa as to Tantos's location so that he
could go study Tantos and try and figure out a way to help his friend, but he su
ddenly realized that he had failed to investigate the crate when it was moved to
a secure warehouse nearby. Kwi'teksa and the other children then served as a di
straction to lure away the Gamorrean guards at the warehouse door, allowing Skyw
alker and Banai to slip inside and look at the crate, which they soon realized w
as an energy cage that was holding captured children. One of the children, Princ
ess Arawynne, told the two boys that they were Ghostlings from the planet Datar
and begged for their help, but Skywalker was unwilling to do so until she stated
that the Ghostlings had not yet been implanted with transmitters.[31]
However, the Dug Khiss entered the warehouse at that point and opened fire on th
e two boys, who were wearing hooded cloaks and who he thought were trying to fre
e the slaves. Banai and Skywalker fled into the darkness of the warehouse and es
caped via another entrance, and the two returned to Watto and told him of their
findings about Sebulba's pod though Skywalker did not explain in detail about the
Ghostlings. Dismissing Banai, Watto then ordered Skywalker to head out into the
Jundland Wastes region, where he was to barter with a tribe of Jawas scavengers th
at were one of Tatooine's two native species. Taking his sandskimmer out into th
e Jundland Wastes, Skywalker reached the towering rock known as the Market after
a few hours, where hundreds of the sandcrawlers that the Jawas used to traverse
Tatooine's deserts were parked in the shadow of the monolith.[31]
Searching through the endless array of junk that the Jawas had laid out on the s
and, Skywalker found the items he needed within an hour and negotiated a good pr
ice, though he decided to wait until nightfall before heading back to Mos Espa.
In order to preserve his money and buy a present for Kwi'teksa before she left T
atooine, Skywalker settled for a hubba gourd to satisfy his hunger and thirst, a
nd then he began exploring the junkyard in order to find a present. However, he
was drawn to a Jawa who was offered a large Radon-Ulzer podracer engine, one tha
t Skywalker believe he could use to repair his podracer, but the Jawa insisted o
n selling it for cash. When Skywalker was heading back to his sandskimmer, he no
ticed an old Jawa who was offering a pile of random items, and his attention was
drawn to an ancient-looking cube that was small enough to fit in his hand.[31]
ShmiTucksAnakin
Anakin and his mother Shmi
Studying the device, Skywalker noticed a number of pictures on the cube's sides,
including two Jedi Knights battling each other, a star map, and a lamp with a k
nife blade through it a symbol of forbidden knowledge. Unnerved by the darkness th
at he could sense in the cube, Skywalker was about to set it down when the Jawa
offered to sell it for three wupiupi, which was the exact amount that Skywalker
had in his pocket. Despite his reservations, the boy purchased the cube and head
ed back to Mos Espa, though he was unable to open it through any means. He was s
urprised to find his mother still awake and working on a maintenance droid when
he arrived, and Shmi explained that she was helping her sick friend Matta finish
her quota of repairs so that she would not be sold by her master Dengula. Anaki
n stayed up with his mother to finish the droid, though he continued to think ab
out the Ghostling children and what he could do to help both them and Kw'teksa a
s the night went on and as he went to sleep.[31]
The following day, Banai and the Bothan child Dorn, both of whom were slaves of
Gardulla, came to him with Pala and told him how they had hacked into Gardulla's
computer network to learn that the Hutt intended to use the Ghostlings as lawn
ornaments in her underground pleasure garden. Disgusted by Gardulla's disregard
for how the Ghostlings would die in less than a year in those conditions, Skywal
ker agreed to help his friends break the Ghostlings out of Gardulla's dungeons.
Donning Jawa robes and disguises, the three approached Gardulla's fortress on th
eir sandskimmers, taking advantage of the dusk shadows to hide them, and Kitster
led them to a narrow chasm that allowed them to reach the walls of the fortress
unseen. An enormous cliffborer worm attacked them as they passed through the ch
asm, though the three escaped unharmed and reached the fortress, which they infi
ltrated through a ventilation grate in the outer wall.[31]
However, their plans went awry when Kitster was forced to stay with Gardulla the
Hutt in the fortress's pool room, forcing Skywalker and the others to find thei
r own way to the dungeons, and Dorn went ahead to scout around while Skywalker a
nd Kiw'teksa stayed behind. When Kitster avoided being eaten by Gardulla, the fo
rtress was thrown into chaos, and Skywalker and Kiw'teksa fled deeper into the d
ungeons when a Gamorrean guard pursued them but Skywalker was unaware that his cur
rent route was taking them straight to the security control room. Skywalker mana
ged to prevent the security chief from setting off the alarm by using his ion bl
aster, and Kiw'teksa closed the door just before the chief shot at him, causing
the blaster bolt to ricochet and strike the man.[31]
The four children rendezvoused at the slave infirmary, but when Dorn opened the
infirmary, they were confronted by an enormous Abyssin whom Skywalker was able t
o convince to leave, as he claimed that they were replacement guards for the Gho
stlings. However, the four accidentally locked themselves in the infirmary, and
Arawynne came up with a plan to use a box of bomb transmitters to blow open the
door. Taking the rest of the transmitters, Skywalker and the others led the Ghos
tlings through the fortress to the open hangar, but the young slaves soon realiz
ed that they needed to hide the children and come back for them later, so Banai
hid the Ghostlings in Gardulla's pleasure garden. The four slaves then snuck out
of the fortess alone, with Skywalker using the transmitters to destroy the pass
age and a seeker droid that was pursuing them with a group of battle droids, and
they then headed back to Mos Espa and their homes.[31]
Annie and friends
Skywalker and his friends
The next day, Watto berated Skywalker for his lethargy, and the boy showed his o
wner the box he had bought at the Jawa market the previous day. Watto allowed Sk
ywalker to go home and take a nap, but on his way, he encountered Banai, Dorn, a
nd Kiw'teksa, who told him that Gardulla's security had a sample of Kiw'teksa's
skin and would soon identify her as one of the perpetrators of the break-in. The
old woman Jira brought the four of them into her apartment and began to scold t
hem for trying to free the slaves, but told them that she knew someone who might
take the Ghostlings off-world for a high price. Skywalker then offered to make
a signal jammer so that Kiw'teksa could evade capture, and he split up with his
friends to head back to Watto's in order to make the jammer. As he was heading b
ack to his friend in the market, Skywalker had a strange sense that he was being
followed, and Dorn confirmed his suspicions by pulling him aside and pointing o
ut a Sakiyan tracker with a seeker droid who was searching for him.[36]
Donning a Jawa robe, Skywalker hid in a crowd of Jawas while Dorn distracted the
hunter Djas Puhr and his partner, Sebulba, and Kiw'teksa sent him toward the po
drace hangar before she disabled the seeker droid with a bucket of ganno juice t
hat blocked its olfactory sensors. Grabbing his goggles from Watto's podracer, h
e heeded Banai's advice and stole Sebulba's podracer as a getaway vehicle, dodgi
ng the seeker droid's stun darts and destroying it by catching it between the po
dracer's energy binders. The reinforced podracer was able to smash straight thro
ugh the partially open hangar doors, catching the Dug Khiss on one of the stabil
izer fins as Skywalker struggled to slow down. To prevent the Dug from reaching
him and Banai in the cockpit, Skywalker toggled a random lever that caused the e
ngine to vent fire, sending the Dug flying.[36]
However, Sebulba began to pursue the two in Brant Rumble's podracer, and when Se
bulba prepared to ram the podracer and kill the boys, Skywalker gave Banai the s
ignal jammer and let him leap off the vehicle before he tried to open the thrott
les and escape. When they responded slowly, Skywalker realized that the reinforc
ed engines Sebulba used as battering rams meant that he could not rely on speed
alone, so a smaller and faster vehicle would be able to beat Sebulba. Evading Se
bulba's blaster shots, Skywalker realized that the Dug was trying to protect his
own podracer, and he tossed Sebulba's own goggles and hydrospanner towards Bran
t Rumble's podracer where they were promptly sucked into the engine and caused mas
sive damage.[36]
In the chaos, Skywalker escaped and returned to Jira's apartment that evening, w
here Banai, Dorn, and Jira were waiting for him. Banai explained that he had hid
den Kiw'teksa with the Ghostling children, and the three slaves began to pool th
eir money. However, when Anakin returned home, Shmi confronted him about Kiw'tek
sa, and though she did not say it outright, Shmi knew that Anakin had been one o
f the children who had broken into the fortress. That night, Skywalker had a dre
am of an evil voice telling him to open the cube, and when he awoke in the middl
e of the night, he was sure that the voice had been real and he realized that the
cube was giving off a small amount of heat, just as living creatures did.[36]
The next day, Jira confirmed that the smugglers would arrive the following sunse
t to pick up the Ghostlings and Kiw'teksa. However, that night, Dorn contacted h
im via comlink and reported that his master Jabba had ordered him to track down
Kiw'teksa. Dismayed, Skywalker told Dorn to meet him at noon so that he could gi
ve the Bothan a signal jammer, and he fell asleep after remembering that he had
just had a dream of a man with intense eyes, a lightsaber, and a tan poncho who
had come to take him away from Tatooine. The next morning, Skywalker headed out
to give Dorn his jammer, but he intercepted Sebulba when he noticed the Dug and
his crew attempting to locate the Bothan. After giving Dorn the jammer, Skywalke
r incited a bar fight in the nearby Racer's Edge Cantina when Sebulba and the hu
nters tried to follow Dorn into the building.[37]
However, when Banai, Skywalker, and Dorn headed out to Gardulla's fortress in di
sguises, they were followed by Djas Puhr, Sebulba, and other hunters. The pursue
rs attacked the children in the pleasure garden, separating them, and Skywalker
evaded the Abyssin Gondry by trapping him in quickclay from the planet Circarpou
s V before Sebulba began to pursue him. Coming across a Myrkr SS-23 sewage canno
n, Skywalker fled into the bushes only to come across an unconscious Dorn while tr
ying to stay ahead of Puhr. When Dorn did not waken, Skywalker encountered a gre
en Wistie, a small radiant creature who led him to the Ghostlings and Kiw'teksa
just as Djas Puhr captured them. At the Wistie's urging, Skywalker fled the gard
en and headed home, leaving the Ghostlings and his three friends in Puhr and Seb
ulba's hands.[37]
Anakin and Jira
Jira, the woman who helped Skywalker's friends escape
When he reached Mos Espa, Skywalker headed straight for Jira and told her what h
ad happened, just as a slave execution was announced for that evening. Jira sugg
ested that Skywalker himself go with the smugglers, and she regretfully explaine
d that she had been unable to gather all of the money necessary for the children
and the Ghostlings to escape. However, the boy refused and told Jira to be read
y at sunset before he departed, determined to rescue his friends. Selling some o
f the valuable junk from his room, Skywalker purchased glowrods, sandmasks, and
a hand-held beamdrill, and he headed to the Mos Espa Grand Arena where his frien
ds were being held. Entering a large drain in the unguarded holding pens, Skywal
ker soon located his friends and freed them, ushering them into the sand-drainag
e system through the drains in their cell just as a guard sounded the alarm.[38]
As they fled through the drainpipes, Skywalker gave the others sandmasks while D
orn led the way with a glowrod and Skywalker followed at the rear of the group w
ith another. The group made their way towards the Podrace hangar, fighting off c
apture droids with Skywalker's ion blaster, but their path was blocked when sand
began to pour into the tunnels and sent the children rushing along the pipes in
a torrent of sand. Fighting off a rock wart that tried to steal his glowrod, Sk
ywalker finally came to a stop with the others in a large catch basin, and Skywa
lker set off to find a way out through the pipes. Using his beamdrill to ward of
f womp rats and to mark his path, Skywalker was nearly detected by two Morseeria
n pirates who heard him through the grates, but he managed to steal their treasu
re from their storeroom after they departed the chamber, giving him enough money
to buy passage for the Ghostlings and his friends.[38]
Searching through the pipes and the various grates, Skywalker was able to convin
ce a slave man to let the Ghostlings and his friends out of the drainpipes by re
moving the grate in his house, but Skywalker was dismayed to learn that Dorn and
an unconscious Ghostling named Coniel had been separated from the rest by slave
hunters and would meet them at Bantha Rock, the place where the smugglers were
supposed to meet the group. Using Watto's landspeeder, Skywalker ferried the Gho
stlings and his friends out of the city, away from the slave hunters and to Bant
ha Rock, where Jira was waiting for them. The smuggler, whom Kitster recognized
as his father Rakir Banai, accepted Skywalker's payment and took the children ab
oard, though Skywalker refused to go with them and leave his mother behind.[38]
However, when Dorn and Coniel arrived, Rakir informed the group that his ship's
life-support systems could not take that many people one of them would have to sta
y behind. A dismayed Kitster decided to let the others go in his place, as he wa
s not wanted by Gardulla and her thugs, and Skywalker, Kitster, and Jira watched
 from a distant plateau as the ship lifted off just as Sebulba and the other hun
ters arrived. Jira gave the two boys the rest of the money, and Skywalker decide
d to save his money in order to one day buy his freedom. When he reached home, S
kywalker found his mother up late working again, and she refused Anakin's offer
of help and instead ordered him to clean himself up. Two days later, Skywalker r
aced Watto's pod yet again, but Sebulba used his exhaust vents to send the boy f
lying out of control as they went over Metta Drop, wrecking Watto's racer once a
gain.[38]
Podracing and looking to the stars
"You want to fly the big ships, I think maybe you will. Yep, Anakin Skywalker, I
do think maybe one day you will."
?The retired pilot[src]
Anakin Skywalker slave
Skywalker as a slave on Tatooine
One day when Anakin was working, Watto kicked W. Wald and another child out of h
is shop before he left to meet with Jabba the Hutt, though Anakin let the two ba
ck in to the shop when he was gone. The others began to explore the shop, and Wa
ld soon came across what he believed to be a lightsaber, the weapon of the Jedi
Knights, but they were interrupted by a passerby who told them that the Dug Sebu
lba's new podracer had arrived. While Sebulba was not looking, Skywalker and his
friends opened up the podracer's engines, and Skywalker was able to identify a
vertigo flux override in the engine before an overeager Wald dropped the lightsa
ber in the open hatch. Skywalker was barely able to pull the lightsaber free bef
ore an angry Sebulba reached them, though Skywalker was unaware that the ancient
weapon had damaged the inner workings of the podracer. The three of them headed
back to Watto's shop, but when the owner returned and found them, he kicked Wal
d and the other boy out. However, as a result of Skywalker's unintentional sabot
age, Sebulba crashed on his next race, ensuring that Watto did not lose his shop
to the Hutt Jabba Desilijic Tiure in their bet on the race.[39]
One day, while chatting in the junk yard with Banai, Skywalker came across a bro
ken 3PO-series protocol droid chassis. Though he surmised that the droid was ver
y old, he was confident that he could restore the droid. Though not totally sure
as to what purpose it would serve, Skywalker smuggled it back to his hovel piec
e by piece, making sure not to alert Watto. Shmi, apprehensive, explained that i
t was a protocol droid, and not very useful in their line of work. Anakin protes
ted, claiming that the droid would be able to help with chores and converse with
those using alien languages. Shmi relented, but explained to Anakin that the dr
oid was his responsibility alone. Skywalker felt that the droid was a sort of ki
ndred spirit, speculating that he had perhaps tried to escape from his masters,
but had been demolished in the process. He named the droid C-3PO, the "three" du
e to the fact that Skywalker considered him a third member of the Skywalker fami
ly.[27]
A few days later, Skywalker dreamed that he won a podrace and was greeted in the
winner's circle by a wise man and an angel, but his mother's voice roused him f
rom sleep, and he told her of the dream over breakfast. Skywalker also told Bana
i of the dream on his way to Watto's shop, where Watto sent Skywalker out to Moc
hot Steep to acquire the thrusters from the pod of a famous racer named Regga th
e Hammerhead. Searching through the junk in Watto's shop to find things to trade
, Skywalker found a vaporator cylinder and decided to keep it after he had a str
ange feeling that it would be useful. After picking up C-3PO to use an interpret
er, Skywalker headed out to Mochot Steep to trade with the Jawas who had scaveng
ed the thrusters. However, the Jawas wanted money or his water pouches, so Skywa
lker gave them the vaporator cylinder and offered to repair it in exchange for t
he thrusters when he realized the Jawas' vaporator was broken.[40]
The grateful Jawas gave Skywalker the remains of the pod, and Skywalker decided
to keep the intact engine for his secret podracer. When he returned to Watto's s
hop that evening, Watto ordered the boy to install the thrusters the next mornin
g, as he would fly Watto's podracer in the next race. The day of the race, Sebul
ba warned Skywalker of a "surprise" he was planning for the Human in Bimmira Can
yon, but Skywalker reached the canyon before Sebulba did during the race. Sebulb
a and the racer Rimkar managed to pass Skywalker, but Sebulba used his afterburn
ers to destroy Rimkar's pod in Metta Canyon, also causing Skywalker to lose cont
rol and crash.[40] An angry Watto demanded that Skywalker repair the pod that ni
ght, though Banai and Wald convinced him to go out for ruby bliels, and the thre
e were discussing starfighters when the retired pilot who had told Skywalker abo
ut Iego intervened to compliment Skywalker's racing skills.[32]
Anakin energy binder
Skywalker in Watto's junkyard
Buying the boys more ruby bliels, the pilot told them of his exploits in the Rep
ublic Starfighter Corps, speaking of other planets and Jedi Knights. The three c
hildren spent so much time listening to the man's stories that Skywalker arrived
home late for dinner, earning a reprimand from his mother. Shmi once again expr
essed her opposition to his racing, but Anakin reminded her that Watto would mak
e him race. A little over a week later[32] by which time Skywalker had C-3PO's int
elligence and communication processors repaired an angry Watto sent the boy out to
Mochot Steep to trade with the Jawas.[32]
Picking up C-3PO from his house in order to use as an interpreter, Skywalker too
k Watto's speeder out to Mochot Steep, where he was able to barter for several m
echanic droids, several multipurpose droids, and a damaged hyperdrive converter.
Skywalker then headed back towards Mos Espa with the droids in tow, heading tow
ards the Xelric Draw canyon that split the Mospic High Range on the Dune Sea's e
dge, but Skywalker stopped when he encountered an injured Tusken Raider a hostile
species native to Tatooine. The Tusken's leg was trapped beneath a boulder, and
the Tusken and the slave stared at each other for several minutes before Skywalk
er decided to use the droids to free the Tusken. By the time they succeeded, nig
ht was falling, so the boy decided to stay the night there and had the droids se
t up a glow unit. C-3PO attempted to communicate with the Tusken when he was awa
ke, but the Tusken remained hostile and wary of Skywalker's intentions. The next
morning, Skywalker awoke to find that there were Tusken Raiders surrounding him
and the droids, but they left in peace after reclaiming their injured kin.[32]
The next day, Skywalker was working in Watto's junkyard, attempting to repair ma
chinery, when a womp rat triggered one of Watto's snares in the junkyard and cau
sed Skywalker to start, hitting his head on the machinery. His friend Amee arriv
ed in time to witness this, and after realizing that the womp rat was very young
, Skywalker freed the creature and began to search for parts for his podracer. T
he pair witnessed a herd of banthas stampeding past the city, leading Skywalker
to realize a sandstorm was approaching. Just as Skywalker was about to return to
Watto's shop, the womp rat he had freed earlier appeared again on top of what t
he boy realized was an energy binder after he shooed the creature away.[41]
Taking the part for his racer, Skywalker raced back to Watto's shop, where Watto
ordered him to go to the market and trade with another group of Jawas who Watto
believed had salvaged Skywalker's crashed podracer. Handing his mother the ener
gy binder, Skywalker headed out to the market, where his friends Wald and Banai
snuck up on him and convinced him to join them for ruby bliels at Maggy the Gorg
on's cantina. Picking up fruits from Jira at his mother's request, Skywalker pro
mised Jira that he would help fix her cooling unit, but the trio encountered Seb
ulba just outside the cantina. Fortunately for Skywalker, their fight was broken
up by the arrival of the retired Republic pilot, whose presence deterred Sebulb
a from making any further trouble.[41] Before he left, Skywalker asked the pilot
if he would tell him about the angels from Iego again the next time they visite
d, since the cantina was currently embroiled in a bar fight.[42] At the market,
Skywalker and his friends arrived just in time to see the parts Watto wanted sol
d to a pit droid, and Skywalker returned to the shop and was ordered to clean th
e junk bins because of his failure.[41]
Discovery
"You should be proud of your son. He gives without any thought of reward."
"He knows nothing of greed. Only of dreams. He has "
"Special powers."
"Yes."
?Qui-Gon Jinn and Shmi Skywalker[src]
While exploring the junkyard a few days later, Skywalker came across the womp ra
t from earlier, which led him to an intact cooling unit for Jira. Looking up in
the sky, Skywalker witnessed a starship flying by overhead, and he sank into day
dreams of Jedi and angels. However, he was roused by Watto's shouting for him to
come inside, and Skywalker entered the shop to find a tall man, a young woman,
a Gungan, and an astromech droid conversing with Watto. At Watto's instructions,
Skywalker manned the shop while Watto took the man, Qui-Gon Jinn, into the junk
yard. Skywalker found himself unable to look away from the young woman, viewing
her as supremely beautiful, and he hoisted himself onto the counter before askin
g her if she was an angel from the moons of Iego. The woman introduced herself a
s Padm Naberrie, just as the Gungan Jar Jar Binks activated a DUM-series pit droid th
at began to wreak havoc in the shop. As Naberrie and Skywalker laughed, he told
Binks to hit the droid on the nose, and after peace was restored to the shop, Sk
ywalker declared that he would one day marry her.[9]
Just then, Watto and Jinn returned to the shop, and Jinn informed his companions
that they were leaving. Fortunately for Skywalker, Watto allowed him to leave a
fter he cleaned up the mess that Binks had made. As he headed home, Skywalker ca
me across Binks, who was being attacked by Sebulba after the clumsy Gungan had d
isrupted the racer's meal. Breaking up the fight, Skywalker greeted Naberrie and
the rest of her group when they arrived to see what was happening, and he convi
nced the group to follow him to Jira's fruit stand nearby, where he told the old
woman about the new cooling unit he had found and then purchased four pallies.
When Skywalker dropped one of his coins and Jinn reached to pick it up, the boy
was astonished to see a lightsaber on the man's waist when his poncho opened sli
ghtly. Masking his surprise, Skywalker realized he only had enough for three fru
its, and he forewent a pallie so the others could have one. When Jira warned the
group that a sandstorm was coming, Skywalker insisted that the unprepared group
come with him to his house.[32]
When they reached his house, he introduced the group to his mother and explained
about the sandstorm before pulling Naberrie into his room to show her his proje
ct. Naberrie was genuinely impressed by Skywalker's work on C-3PO, prompting him
to turn the droid on, and he also told her about the podracer he was constructi
ng. The two spent the rest of the day examining Skywalker's various projects as
the sandstorm continued to rage, and during dinner he began to explain life as a
slave, though a brief argument between Naberrie and Shmi about slavery led Anak
in to the subject of podracing. Mustering his courage, Skywalker asked Jinn abou
t his lightsaber, and he refused to believe the Jedi's statement that he was not
there to free the slaves. As the conversation turned to the group's damaged Nub
ian starship, Skywalker volunteered to race in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace so
that Jinn could get the prize money. When his mother objected, Anakin reminded
Shmi of her belief that people needed to help one another, convincing her to all
ow Anakin to race for Jinn.[32]
Jinn's imagecaster
Jinn wagers his ship as Skywalker looks on.
The next morning, Jinn and the others accompanied Skywalker to Watto's shop, and
the boy began to tell Watto about Jinn's proposal when Naberrie stopped Jinn ou
tside for a brief conversation. To appease Watto, Jinn put forth his ship as the
entry fee, and convinced the Toydarian to front the cost of Skywalker's entry i
nto the race in exchange for splitting the winnings fifty-fifty. Watto accepted
the deal, and Skywalker was dismissed immediately with instructions to check out
Jinn's podracer. Skywalker arrived home before Jinn and the others did, and he
led the group to the bone yards behind the slave quarters to where his podracer
was concealed under a tarp. With the others' help, Skywalker activated the antig
rav lifts and brought the podracer out back behind his house, and there he began
preparing the vehicle for the race. As Skywalker worked, his friends Banai, See
k, Amee, and Wald arrived, but Wald, Amee, and Seek were skeptical of Skywalker'
s chances and left to go play elsewhere. Despite Skywalker's warnings, Binks bec
ame caught between the podracer's energy binders, causing his face to go numb. J
inn then helped the boy into the cockpit, where he used a power pack that Jinn h
ad lifted from Watto's shop to start the podracer, and the group was heartened t
o witness the engines activating and running perfectly.[9]
That afternoon, Skywalker sustained a cut on his arm, though he did not notice i
t until later that night when Jinn tended to it and took a sample of his blood.
Before Skywalker could get Jinn to tell him what he was doing with his blood, hi
s mother called him inside their house for bedtime. That night, Skywalker had a
strange dream of darkness, war, and armies and Naberrie was leading an army into b
attle. When he awoke, he told Naberrie about the dream, though he soon forgot ab
out the dream in the excitement of the pre-race preparations. With the two eopie
s Banai brought to help, Naberrie, Banai, Shmi, Anakin, R2-D2, and C-3PO hauled
the podracer to the arena hangars, where Jinn had gone to meet with Watto. The T
oydarian angrily left the hangar just as they arrived, confusing Skywalker with
a comment about Jinn and betting, but Banai unintentionally revealed to Naberrie
and the others that Skywalker had never actually finished a race, causing Naber
rie to lose hope in the boy's chances.[32]
Racing to freedom
"You carry all our hopes."
"I won't let you down."
?Naberrie and Skywalker[src]
Anakin podracer
Skywalker in his podracer
A little while later, the racers and their pods entered the arena and lined up f
or the race, and Shmi stopped her son to ask him to be safe before he headed out
to his racer. Naberrie reminded him that their hopes were riding on him, furthe
ring his determination to win the race, and not even Sebulba's threats rattled S
kywalker as Jinn helped him into the podracer cockpit. But to Skywalker's dismay
, when the starting light turned green, the pod's engines stalled immediately, l
eaving him stuck at the staring line with only Ben Quadinaros and his stalled ra
cer as the rest of the competitors flew off. Realizing that he had fed the engin
es too much fuel, he rapidly flipped switches and adjusted settings to reset the
engines and succeeded in starting the engines, flying out of the arena and chas
ing after the others.[32]
He soon caught up to the other racers, passing two before they even noticed him,
and he prepared to pass the Troiken Gasgano as they approached Arch Canyon. Gas
gano blocked his first few attempts, but Skywalker overtook him as they dropped
over a short mesa and proceeded to slip into Arch Canyon quickly and without any
trouble. As he left the canyon, Skywalker witnessed Sebulba cause the racer Maw
honic to crash into a rock formation when Mawhonic tried to claim the lead, and
Sebulba took out Xelbree by venting fire from one of his exhaust vents when he t
ried to pass the Dug. Skywalker was in eighth place as they shot through the are
na, completing the first lap of three, but he soon became seventh as Ody Mandrel
l's podracer was damaged in the pits by a clumsy pit droid.[32]
As they started the second lap, Skywalker passed Aldar Beedo and Clegg Holdfast
just before Arch Canyon, unknowingly drawing on the Force to strengthen his perc
eptions and virtually become one with his podracer. When the racers exited Arch
Canyon, they were surprised to encounter a group of Tusken Raiders who began to
potshot the racers from the nearby cliffs of Tusken Turn, taking out Teemto Paga
lies's podracer. Passing Elan Mak and Habba Kee, Skywalker began to creep up on
Mars Guo and Sebulba, but Sebulba damaged Guo's engine and caused him to slam in
to Skywalker's ripping one of his engines lines free. It took a great deal of mane
uvering to keep the podracer stable as Skywalker used a magnetic retriever to ca
tch the engine line that was now loose and reattach it, causing him to fall behi
nd Mak, Kee, and Obitoki. Recovering, Skywalker shot after the four leaders and
passed Elan Mak again, only to see Obitoki put of commission the same way he did
Xelbree.[32]
Anakin Pod
Skywalker pulls ahead of Sebulba.
Obitoki's damaged racer collided with Habba Kee's and caused both to explode, bu
t Skywalker used the Force to guide himself through the smoke and debris cloud,
evading the dangerous wreckage and shooting off after Sebulba. He caught up with
the Dug just as they shot through the arena and began the third and final lap,
but Sebulba tried to eliminate Skywalker as he done to Obitoki and Xelbree just
as they left Arch Canyon. Swerving upward and out of reach, Skywalker was forced
onto a stone ramp covered in warning signs, sending his podracer skyward. To re
cover, he accelerated forward and came down just in front of Sebulba right befor
e they entered a series of caves that led to Tusken Turn. He maintained the lead
until they finally reached open plains again, where Sebulba tried to capture th
e lead as one of Skywalker's horizontal stabilizers on his engines began to shud
der violently. Experiencing a vision of Sebulba sabotaging the stabilizer before
the race, Skywalker jettisoned the stabilizer but was forced to lose ground to
Sebulba.[32]
As they approached the arena, Sebulba blocked every attempt of Skywalker's to pa
ss, and he finally swerved his larger racer into Skywalker's in anger at the boy
's repeated attempts only for the two racers's steering rods to be caught together
. When Skywalker's rod finally snapped completely, his podracer began to shudder
violently but broke free of Sebulba's racer, the engines of which shot forward
and went flying out of control, slamming into rock and sand and exploding. As Se
bulba's pod skidded to a halt, Skywalker shot toward the arena and across the fi
nish line, emerging victorious as the youngest winner of the Boonta Eve Classic
ever.[32]
As he came to a halt, the crowd swarmed Skywalker's racer, and Banai was the fir
st to his pod and began hugging his friend tightly. The crowd hoisted Skywalker
onto their shoulders in celebration, chanting his name, and it was not until alm
ost an hour later that the arena emptied of people and Skywalker could meet up w
ith his family and friends. As Jinn approached, Anakin became embarrassed at Nab
errie and his mother's constant hugs and kisses, but Jinn soon departed with Bin
ks and Naberrie to take their parts back to the ship. Anakin, Shmi, and C-3PO wa
lked home together, and he stored C-3PO in his room and headed out to Mos Espa W
ay only to be confronted by a Rodian child who accused Skywalker of cheating. Skyw
alker attacked the Rodian, but Jinn's timely arrival ended the fight, and the Je
di gave him a pouch of credits that Jinn had received for selling the podracer t
o Sebulba.[32] On their way back to Skywalker's house, Jinn intervened when he s
aw several slaves being mistreated by their master, and the Jedi used the Force
to convince the slaves' owner to treat them better.[42]
Returning home with Jinn, Skywalker ecstatically showed his mother the credits,
and his happiness only increased when Jinn told him that he had been freed and J
inn wanted him to become a Jedi. Anakin was so excited that it was several minut
es before he realized that Shmi had not been freed as well, and he was dismayed
when Shmi insisted that Anakin go with Jinn to a better future without her. Pack
ing his stuff, Skywalker bid goodbye to C-3PO and Banai, but when it came time t
o leave, Anakin's resolve broke and he ran back to his mother. Despite their sor
row at being parted, Shmi convinced her son to go with the Jedi, and he said goo
dbye to Jira as he and Jinn left Mos Espa. However, Jinn destroyed a strange pro
be droid that had been surveying them on their way out of the city, and the conc
erned Jedi urged Skywalker to hurry with him.[32]
As they raced towards the starship that Naberrie and Jinn had come to Tatooine o
n, Skywalker was suddenly ordered to drop to the ground and complied just as a d
ark-robed figure shot overhead on a speeder. The man leapt at Jinn, drawing a re
d-bladed lightsaber and attacking the Jedi as Jinn urged Skywalker to get aboard
the ship and to take off. Rushing aboard, he told Naberrie and the security off
icer with her Jinn's instructions, and Naberrie pulled him aboard to the cockpit
to tell Jinn's apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi what had happened. The pilot Ric Oli fo
llowed Kenobi's instructions to fly towards the fight, and Skywalker scrambled i
nto a seat as Kenobi raced to the landing ramp and helped Jinn escape from the d
ark warrior. Skywalker rushed to help Jinn as the ship took off and left Tatooin
e.[32]
New worlds
"Anakin, this path has been placed before you. The choice is yours alone."
?Shmi Skywalker Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]
Later that night, aboard the ship, which Skywalker learned was the personal star
ship of the Queen of the planet Naboo, Skywalker struggled to fall asleep in the
central chamber, as the ship's temperature was radically different to the const
ant heat of Tatooine that he was used. As he huddled in silence and wondered whe
ther leaving was a mistake, Skywalker witnessed Naberrie enter the room and watc
h a recording of a plea for help from the Naboo official Sio Bibble. She soon no
ticed him and gave him her overjacket as a blanket, and the two discussed the Tr
ade Federation's invasion of Naboo and Naberrie's hopes that the Republic's Gala
ctic Senate could resolve the crisis. Skywalker gave her a japor ivory wood pend
ant that he had carved for her so that she would remember him, and Naberrie comf
orted him as he once again began to cry as he remembered his mother.[32]
When they finally arrived at the Republic capital of Coruscant, Skywalker watche
d from the cockpit in awe as they approached the city-planet, and the ship was g
reeted when it landed by Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, Senator Palpatine of
Naboo, and a contingent of Senate Guards. The Queen and her handmaidens including
Naberrie departed with Palpatine, though they brought Skywalker and Binks along wi
th them to Palpatine's office and left them outside while they discussed the sit
uation. Skywalker soon began to listen at the door, though he began to wonder wh
ere Jinn and Kenobi had gone. Amidala changed into a new outfit before the group
departed for the Senate Building, though Skywalker was unhappy to not see Naber
rie among the handmaidens who accompanied the Queen, Panaka, Palpatine, Binks, a
nd Skywalker to the Senate.[32]
The boy was amazed by the size of the Senate chamber, and he and Binks watched t
he proceedings from a small viewscreen that Rab gave them when Amidala and Palpat
ine addressed the Senate. However, when Amidala's request for an intervention wa
s denied through bureaucracy, the Queen moved for a vote of no confidence in Val
orum just as Palpatine recommended. Less than an hour after the Senate went into
recess, Skywalker was met by Qui-Gon Jinn, who told him he would be brought bef
ore the Jedi High Council. Before he went to the Jedi Temple, Skywalker went to
the Queen's chambers in search of Naberrie, but the Queen promised to pass on hi
s message when the handmaiden was absent.[32] Unbeknownst to Skywalker, however,
the Queen was in fact Padme.[9] However, Skywalker grew impatient at the amount
of time it took for Jinn to meet with the Council at the Jedi Temple, and decid
ed to explore the premises, eventually getting lost after a sparkly pyramid-like
building caught Skywalker's eye.[43]
While trying to find his way back to the temple, Skywalker and Binks encountered
a Coruscanti boy named Finn, who ended up not only lost, but his nanny droid en
ded up malfunctioning. Skywalker and Finn eventually stopped the nanny droid and
repaired it, and returned both the droid and Finn to the latter's mother. In re
turn, the mother directed him to the Jedi Temple, where he met up with Jinn.[43]
High Council Chamber
Skywalker being tested by the Jedi Council
Harboring strong premonitions he had received on Tatooine, Qui-Gon Jinn believed
Anakin Skywalker to be the "Chosen One" of Jedi prophecy who, it was foretold,
would bring "balance to the Force"; Jinn revealed his belief and Anakin's corrob
orative midi-chlorian test results to members of the Jedi High Council before br
inging the boy before them for their consideration of the boy's aptitude for lif
e as a Jedi.[32] At the Jedi Temple, Skywalker faced the twelve Jedi Masters on
the Council who began to question him almost immediately, testing his memory and
knowledge. Mace Windu then began to test Skywalker's abilities by asking him to
determine what images were appearing on a screen that the Jedi was holding but
that the boy could not see. Skywalker found his mind filled with images of what
appeared on the screen, and he was able to name them all with perfect accuracy.
However, when Windu and Master Yoda began to question him about his feelings and
his mother, Skywalker asked how that was relevant. Yoda explained that fear was
 the starting point on the path of the dark side. Staying silent on the subject,
[9] the boy put aside his fear and continued the examination.[32]
As night fell, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Jinn were called before the Council. The J
edi Masters acknowledged Skywalker's great power, but refused to train him on ac
count of his age causing Jinn to declare that he would take the boy on as his own
apprentice. However, Windu declared that the matter would be dealt with later, a
s the Naboo problem was more pressing. The Council permitted Skywalker to accomp
any Jinn, and the three returned to the Queen's starship, where Skywalker questi
oned Jinn about midi-chlorians. The Queen and her retinue departed not long afte
rwards, leaving Coruscant and heading back to the occupied Naboo in hopes of fre
eing the world from the Trade Federation.[9]
The Battle of Naboo
"The Sith Lord was supple and quick ... He was skilled, Anakin saw?more skilled,
perhaps, than the men he faced. And he was confident in a way that was disturbi
ng. He would not be overcome easily... The Sith Lord [drove] the Jedi across the
hangar and through an opening into a room beyond, pressing them backward relent
lessly, pursuing them with a fury that was terrifying. Then they disappeared fro
m view ... and the boy was alone..."
?young Anakin Skywalker's thoughts in an N-1 cockpit, concerning the Zabrak assa
ssin earlier met on Tatooine, who now faced his Jedi friends in the Theed hangar
before Anakin's departure to heroically dismantle the Trade Federation's orbita
l Droid Control Ship[src]
As they came out of hyperspace and approached the Naboo system, Skywalker sat in
the cockpit with Oli and learned about the ship's controls while Queen Amidala h
eld a meeting with the Jedi and her staff and announced her intentions to ally w
ith the Gungans in order to drive the Trade Federation off Naboo. The group land
ed in the swamps of Naboo and sent Binks to the Gungan capital city of Otoh Gung
a, and Skywalker talked briefly with Naberrie while they were waiting for him to
return. He explained that the Council had decided not to accept him as a Jedi,
but he became excited when Naberrie revealed that there would be a battle agains
t the Trade Federation soon. When Binks finally returned, he explained that Otoh
Gunga was empty, but he took the group to the Gungan Sacred Place where the Gun
gans had no doubt fled after the Trade Federation invaded.[32]
When the group was brought before Boss Rugor Nass, the leader of the Gungans, Sk
ywalker was astonished to learn that Naberrie was in fact Padm Amidala, the Queen
, and that she had been posing as her double's handmaiden as a safety precaution
. Skywalker, the Jedi, and Amidala's handmaidens joined the Queen in dropping to
their knees before Boss Nass in a plea for Gungan aid, and Nass agreed to lend
his army to the Queen's cause. In the hours that followed the meeting, Amidala a
nd the Jedi began strategizing with the Gungan generals, leaving Skywalker to wa
nder over to the Gungan sentries who were keeping watch for the returning Captai
n Panaka. Skywalker was dismayed to learn of Amidala's true identity, as it only
furthered the distance between them, but his ruminations were cut short by the
return of Panaka with several speeders of Naboo security officers who had escape
d the Trade Federation's occupation. When Skywalker questioned Jinn as to what h
e would do in the upcoming battle, the Jedi told the boy that he would be safe a
s long as he stayed close to Jinn.[32]
NabooSpaceBattle-EGTW
Skywalker as a pilot during the Battle of Naboo
When the group entered the Theed hangar bay, Skywalker heeded Jinn's command for
him to stay hidden in the cockpit of one of the hangar's N1 starfighters. When
several droidekas cornered the Naboo personnel in a firefight, Skywalker attempt
ed to aid them with the N1's blaster cannons, although he accidentally activated
the ship to go into space in the process.[9]
Ultimately, Skywalker fought in the Battle of Naboo in a vicious starfighter bat
tle above the planet. After accidentally joining the battle in orbit, Skywalker
single-handedly destroyed the orbital Droid Control Ship from within the ship, m
oments after Lt. Gavyn Sykes destroyed the deflector shield generator, thus rend
ering the Trade Federation's ground forces inactive and saving the Gungan Grand
Army from destruction. The following celebration, however, was tainted with the
death of Jinn, slain by Darth Maul.[9]
Anakin Obiwan Quigon
Skywalker becomes Kenobi's Padawan.
The Master's dying wish was for Kenobi to undertake Skywalker's training, which
Kenobi promised to fulfill. The Council reluctantly agreed for Kenobi to begin S
kywalker's training, though they were concerned that Skywalker would be too diff
icult a student for young Kenobi to handle, due to Kenobi's young age.[9]
Meanwhile, Palpatine, the Republic's newly appointed Supreme Chancellor, promise
d Skywalker that he would watch the young Jedi's career with "great interest,"[9
] beginning a long friendship between the young Jedi and the new ruler of the Re
public.[10]
At this age, Skywalker participated in more podraces. He was the racetrack champ
ion on the Naboo-based Lianorm Raceway.[44]
Jedi apprentice
Early years
AniPadawan
Skywalker as a Jedi Padawan
"The boy has exceptional skills."
"But he still has much to learn, Master. His abilities have made him well, arroga
nt."
?Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
As Kenobi's Padawan, Skywalker was given his own room in the Jedi Temple on Coru
scant, in which he soon installed a workbench with tools. He continued to tinker
with machines and droids despite the fact that the Order largely had no use for
them, and his droids could often be found throughout the Temple on various assi
gnments. Skywalker found himself uncomfortable with the fact that the Jedi Counc
il and other Jedi, though they strove to be equitable, treated him differently t
han other Padawans. But it was because the boy's skills and abilities were far m
ore advanced than his fellows, a fact that was impossible to ignore. Skywalker a
nd Kenobi soon developed a bond of mutual love and respect, though Anakin contin
ued to test the limits of their relationship, to reassure himself that Kenobi st
ill cared for him (as had so deeply his mother Shmi). But whenever the boy tried
to look inward with the Force, he was terrified by the great pain and power tha
t he sensed in his future a sensation that he described as "burning like a sun ins
ide" and his fear drove him to recklessness.[45]
Not long after arriving at the Temple, Skywalker met the Cerean Jedi Master Ki-A
di-Mundi and his Tusken apprentice A'Sharad Hett. The newly arrived masked Padaw
an, also from Tatooine, attempted to meditate on a Temple balcony in the cool ni
ght air when Anakin encountered him. The Tusken's Master, Ki-Adi-Mundi, came out
to scold Hett because of the late hour his new Padawan, after all, needed his res
t for a mission that they would embark on the next day. But Mundi thought better
of it, when he saw that Anakin Skywalker might actually be striking up a friend
ship, something that both he and the boy's Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, knew to have
been a difficult thing to do so far, it had seemed, for the young Mos Espa nativ
e.[26][46]
First mission
Anakin training EGtF
Skywalker training at the Jedi Temple
About three years into his training, Skywalker and Kenobi embarked on their firs
t mission together: to investigate cult leader Kad Chun aboard the BioCruiser, a
nomadic ship from Telos IV owned by UniFy, a mining cartel. Chun, calling himse
lf Uni, was the leader of many disenchanted idealists and refugees who wanted to
flee their crime-plagued worlds, whose corrupt bureaucrats were intent on bleed
ing their planets of their natural resources. Some, including the refugees' exte
nded families and members of the Galactic Senate, suspected the idealists were b
eing held aboard the BioCruiser against their will. Kad's father, Vox Chun the cul
t's original inspiration, who'd once been a pawn of the Dark Jedi Xanatos (as ha
d been Vox's other son, Bruck, who was ultimately killed by the then young Jedi
Padawan Kenobi) was killed when Kenobi and Skywalker came to investigate. In the e
nd, Kad Chun was able to finally forgive Kenobi (for his brother's death years b
efore) but also his own scheming father (for his intended betrayal due to greed)
.[47]
Zonama Sekot
Still craving thrills and adventure at the age of twelve, Anakin salvaged a pair
of race wings to secretly participate in the highly dangerous and illegal garba
ge pit races held in the lower levels of Galactic City. But before the race bega
n, and before his Master could reach him, Anakin was nearly killed by a Blood Ca
rver assassin named Ke Daiv (who'd been employed by the Trade Federation to serv
e a vendetta against Skywalker for his key role in their defeat at the Battle of
Naboo).[45]
The next mission the Jedi duo took was to the living planet of Zonama Sekot to f
ind Jedi Knight Vergere, who had recently vanished on a mission there. Unbeknown
st to Kenobi and Skywalker, however, Wilhuff Tarkin and Raith Sienar had followe
d them to exploit Zonama Sekot's ability to fuse organic and high technology int
o living starships, creating them at an astonishing rate and at an extremely hig
h quality and, as such, at a very high price. On the planet, the colonists sold "s
eed-partners," which bonded with their (typically wealthy) hosts and allowed the
planet to customize a starship for the individual. Funded by the Jedi Order in
aurodium ingots, Skywalker attracted many more seed-partners than anyone else ha
d ever done, and thus, had a bigger and more intricate ship. Combining his twelv
e seed-partners with Kenobi's three, he named his new biological ship the Jabith
a. When Tarkin and Sienar arrived, the planet "Sekot" revealed its sentient cons
ciousness to the Jedi, explaining that Vergere had left with the mysterious "Far
Outsiders" in order to protect Zonama Sekot from invasion and destruction. Skyw
alker and Kenobi could not rescue the Fosh Jedi, but they were able to halt Tark
in's attack.[45]
When Ke Daiv, now Tarkin's bodyguard, attempted to kill Skywalker, the boy, in a
fit of uncontrollable rage, telekinetically burned the Blood Carver from the in
side out it was Anakin's "first personal kill." Skywalker, however, was captured a
nd brought before Tarkin. But Kenobi then managed to destroy Tarkin's flagship a
nd rescue his Padawan. During this altercation, Zonama Sekot was able to activat
e its massive planetary hyperdrive, causing the planet to vanish, bound for the
Unknown Regions. Afterward, Sienar and Tarkin returned to the Republic. Skywalke
r's organic ship, unfortunately, had been irreparably wounded in the Tarkin atta
ck, and she later died on the remote Jedi outpost-planet, Seline. After the conc
lusion of the Sekot mission, Kenobi and Skywalker returned to Coruscant. The enc
ounter with Tarkin had been Skywalker's first.[45]
On the occasion of the fourth Temple celebration of his birthday, Padawan Skywal
ker received from his Master the special gift of a river stone that Qui-Gon Jinn
had given to Obi-Wan when he was Anakin's age. The young man came later to rega
rd it as "his most precious possession."[48][49][50]
Pursuing Adas's holocron
Skywalker, now 13 years old, next accompanied Kenobi on his mission to recover f
rom the planet Kodai the ancient Sith holocron of King Adas,[51] which the mad S
ith historian, Murk Lundi, once tried to claim. With Lundi accompanying them, th
e three found that Lundi's pupil, Norval, a dark-side fanatic, had found and tak
en the holocron for himself. Kenobi, after facing and killing the deranged stude
nt, was able to recover the holocron, only to learn that their quest to reclaim
it had exacted a heavy toll on Lundi's body. Skywalker and Kenobi spent the last
moments of Lundi's life at his side, as the old Quermian professor expressed re
gret for his fanatical pursuit of the holocron years ago. With the dangerous art
ifact at last secured, Kenobi and Skywalker returned the holocron to the Jedi Hi
gh Council for safekeeping within the vaults of the Jedi Temple at Coruscant.[52
]
Crafting a lightsaber
"We are not here on a mission. It is a quest. It is here that you will gather th
e crystals to fashion your own lightsaber."
?Obi-Wan Kenobi, to 13-year-old Anakin Skywalker at the Crystal Caves of Ilum[sr
c]
The Path to Truth JQ
Thirteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker
In 28 BBY, when Anakin was thirteen, Kenobi took his Padawan on a journey to the
ice planet Ilum and the Temple above the Crystal Caves to construct his first l
ightsaber, though he did not tell Skywalker where they were going at first. When
they arrived, Skywalker landed their ship on a small ledge below the Crystal Ca
ves, their final destination. When Kenobi told him the name of the planet and th
eir purpose there, Skywalker became excited at the prospect of finally fashionin
g his first lightsaber, and the two pulled on their winter survival gear before
departing ship. They used cable launchers to climb the icy cliff face nearby, wh
ich led to the caves' entrance, but the two encountered there a group of sleepin
g gorgodons large, hulking predators native to Ilum. One of the creatures awoke su
ddenly and immediately attacked, striking Skywalker with its enormous tail and t
ossing him back towards the cliff edge, though Kenobi was able to pull him to sa
fety.[35]
Using his training lightsaber, Skywalker aided his master in battling the gorgod
ons, though when Kenobi slipped on a hidden patch of ice and was in danger of be
ing pinned, Skywalker used the Force to leap to Kenobi's aid, only to be swatted
by another gorgodon into a far wall. Recovering, Skywalker rushed to Kenobi's a
id while failing to notice the predatory approach of yet another gorgodon; Kenob
i, who did notice, jumped protectively in front of his apprentice, but was ultim
ately pinned against the cliff by the beast that initially threatened him. Using
his cable launcher, and remembering what his Master had told him of gorgodons,
Skywalker was able to climb the creature's back and, after a momentary struggle,
to stab the beast with his training lightsaber at a vulnerable point in the gor
godon's neck, killing it. The other gorgodons fled the cave when they caught the
death scent of their fellow.[35]
Removing their survival gear, the Jedi duo prepared now to enter the cave. Kenob
i, who stopped just inside the cave entrance as Skywalker went on alone, first w
arned his student, however, of the "visions and voices" that he would face withi
n, as part of his rite-of-passage Trial. Striding confidently into the caves, Sk
ywalker at first ignored the voices that he heard whispering in the darkness, bu
t when he encountered a vision of himself at the age of seven or eight seated on
the ground, he stopped dead. A small, silver bell that his child-self had been
playing with (very much like that of Hala of Tatooine) suddenly rolled towards S
kywalker, stopping near his feet; blood suddenly began pouring from the bell's o
pening, spilling out over Anakin's boots, though Skywalker reminded himself that
it was all just an illusion. But it became terrifyingly real when he next behel
d a vision of his mother being attacked by a shadowy, indeterminate, yet strange
ly familiar figure a slaver from his past which drove the boy to charge the illusion
in desperate anger.[35]
The visionary Trial finally ended when Anakin, glancing down, saw formations of
lightsaber crystals protruding from the cave floor. Suddenly, Kenobi was there a
t his side, and, at his Master's urging, Skywalker reached out and chose three c
rystals that "seemed to speak" to him. Following Kenobi's instructions that it w
as now time to enter a state of trance, Anakin began to meditate. But as he did
so, Kenobi's form suddenly began to twist and contort into that of the evil Sith
Lord who had killed Qui-Gon Jinn at Theed. The menacing Sith began to taunt Sky
walker. He tossed him a red-bladed lightsaber, stoking the boy's rage as he trie
d to lure Anakin to the dark side. But Skywalker resisted the Sith's attempts that
is, until the horned Zabrak mentioned Skywalker's mother, accusing Anakin of ab
andoning her. Enraged, the Padawan attacked the specter, but the Sith Lord quick
ly destroyed the boy's training lightsaber and sent him flying into the cave wal
l.[35]
Determined and undeterred, Skywalker summoned his will to finally banish the vis
ion, despite the Sith's ominous warning that his darkness would ever remain with
in Anakin's soul, to taunt and torture the Jedi aspirant. When the boy opened hi
s eyes, he found that the lightsaber the Sith had thrown him one identical in aspe
ct to the one Skywalker had envisioned for his own remained in his lap. Its blade
glowed blue when he activated it.
Returning now to the cave entrance, Skywalker showed his new weapon to Kenobi, w
ho was astonished at the short period of time in which it had been produced. Ana
kin told his Master that he must have constructed the weapon during his entrance
d state, though he could not remember fashioning it, and he did not tell his Mas
ter about the vision of the Sith. Just then, Kenobi was contacted on his comlink
and informed that they were being summoned back to Coruscant for a mission.[35]
Indeed, their next adventure was to be a Colicoid escort mission. But that missi
on unexpectedly turned into a joint mission with undercover Jedi Siri Tachi to N
ar Shaddaa, in 29-28 BBY, at the conclusion of which Anakin killed the T'surr sl
ave trader and crime-lord, Krayn, by impaling him with his new lightsaber. Befor
e Krayn's demise, the notorious slaver had not only kidnapped and enslaved Anaki
n, but also imprisoned him with Tachi, Obi-Wan's childhood comrade and friend. K
enobi, too, then went undercover as an advisor and slave-operations inspector fo
r the Colicoids in an attempt to rescue Tachi and his Padawan. The death of Kray
n by Skywalker effectively freed all the moon's slaves, and brought an end to th
e undercover mission of Tachi, who was soon thereafter Knighted.[35][26]
Mission to Radnor
"You are thinking of Qui-Gon." Anakin's voice was soft.
Startled, Obi-Wan turned to his Padawan. "How did you know?"
"Your face. It changes." Anakin shrugged. "Some knot inside you loosens. Somethi
ng smooths out. I see it happening."
"Stop being so perceptive," Obi-Wan chided gently.
"Now you are not thinking of him at all," Anakin replied, mischief in his eyes.
"The knot is back."
"And you have tied it," Obi-Wan answered, accessing the Council room door."
?Fourteen-year-old Anakin startles Obi-Wan with his already prodigious gifts of
Force perception[src]
AnakinSkywalker-JediQuest1
Skywalker during his mission to Radnor
In 27 BBY, the young Jedi and his Master were called upon?along with Siri Tachi
(who was now a Knight), Soara Antana, Ry-Gaul, and their Padawans, Ferus Olin, D
arra Thel-Tanis, and Tru Veld, respectively?to embark on a mission to Radnor to
help with the evacuation of the planet, known for its development of high-tech w
eaponry. The evacuation was due to a deadly toxin that had spread because of a b
io-weapons leak. The Jedi later discovered that the toxic leak was connected wit
h Radnoran raiders and their sponsors, the imminent Avoni invaders from a neighb
oring world. The path of guilt led to Galen, a traitorous Radnoran scientist, wh
o was taken into custody for his treachery on behalf of Avon and its ambassador,
Dol Heep. However, ultimately, the Avoni did not pay for their genocidal crimes
; the Galactic Senate never thereafter forced them to make amends. To fourteen-y
ear-old Skywalker, it almost seemed as if the planet was worse off than when the
y'd found it, but in the end, it was not their mission nor their mandate to rebu
ild Radnor.
The Outbound Flight project
"Sometimes a Jedi's most important duty is to stand and wait. I presume you've m
entioned that to Anakin on occasion?"
"Not more than twice a day."
?Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
Outboundflight Anakin1
Skywalker during the Outbound Flight mission
Skywalker and Kenobi were next sent to Barlok to monitor the overbearing Jedi Kn
ight Jorus C'baoth and his timid Padawan, Lorana Jinzler, in their negotiation m
ission between the Corporate Alliance and the Barlok. Unbeknownst to them, Kinma
n Doriana, on behalf of Darth Sidious, had planned for the negotiation to work s
plendidly in C baoth's favor, gaining him enough prestige to go ahead with his pet
project, Outbound Flight.
Skywalker and his master were then sent to observe the self-proclaimed Jedi Mast
er C'baoth on this extra-galactic venture, at least until the Outbound Flight's
last stop within the known galaxy. Kenobi did not approve of C baoth's overseeing
the project, butting heads with the Jedi Master on numerous occasions. However,
the hardheaded and arrogant C'baoth would not listen, and was satisfied when Ken
obi and his Padawan disembarked the venture on Outbound Flight's last stop, Roxu
li. Despite the problems his master and C baoth had had, Skywalker greatly admired
C'baoth, whom he saw as an example of a great leader. This perception and asses
sment would later shift Skywalker's view to an infinitely improved and better-ma
naged galaxy under the harsh rule of Palpatine.
Trouble on Ragoon VI
The Trail of the Jedi JQ2b
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Ragoon VI
Also in 27 BBY, a simple Jedi training mission to Ragoon VI caused Skywalker and
Kenobi to get tangled up with a mysterious man whose mission in life seemed to
be to track them down and kill them. Further research on Granta Omega revealed t
hat he was from Nierport VII, collected Sith artifacts, and was extremely wealth
y though he had no traceable sources of income.
Anakin and Obi-Wan met also on Ragoon the brother-and-sister bounty-hunter team
Floria and Dane (bounty hunter). There were four other bounty hunters also Teleq,
Mol Arcasite, Hunti Pereg, and an unknown hunter.
The Galactic Games
"Watch it, you gravel-maggot!" [Anakin] yelled.
Beside him his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, cleared his throat.
"I know, I know ... 'Feel my anger, and let it go.' But do I have to be a Jedi a
ll the time, even in space traffic?"
?Fourteen-year-old Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, piloting a Galan starfighter,
fires an expletive at a cruiser pilot cutting in the line waiting to land on the
planet Euceron[src]
Skywalker and Kenobi were then dispatched to the planet Euceron for the Galactic
Games of 26 BBY in order to keep the peace during its events. Skywalker found o
ut about an illegal podrace taking place, and decided to participate in order to
help a fellow Tatooine native free his sister from her master, Sebulba. Meanwhi
le, Kenobi, with the help of Siri Tachi and apprentice Ferus Olin, unraveled a G
alactic Games Council plot to ruin several senators' careers by framing them in
false-gambling bets made on several rigged events.
The plan was orchestrated by former Games champion and Council member Maxo Vista
. Kenobi learned from Vista that the podrace was also rigged so that the lead po
dracer would lose control of his pod and, via that sabotage, possibly kill hundr
eds of spectators. Too late, Kenobi set out to warn Skywalker: his Padawan, howe
ver, had already begun racing. While Skywalker eventually took the lead, Kenobi
could only watch helplessly as Skywalker's pod malfunctioned. Calling upon the F
orce, however, in combination with his matchless piloting skills, Skywalker mana
ged to gain control of his craft and avert a terrible tragedy, while also securi
ng the freedom of a slave.
Student and warrior
Mission to Haariden
"There is one Sith still alive ... I'm not Force-sensitive. I can never be a Sit
h. I have found something at last that I cannot buy. But I can be close to that
power. I can sit at his side, as I am sitting by your side."
?Force Blank Granta Omega to Anakin Skywalker[src]
When Anakin was fifteen, the Galactic Senate and the Jedi High Council dispatche
d a team of Jedi Knights to the planet Haariden a world embroiled in civil war to re
scue and retrieve five Republic scientists who had traveled there on an environm
ental research expedition that emphasized titanite mapping, sponsored by the Gal
actic Senate.
Anakin and his Master were assigned to the Jedi rescue mission, along with Maste
r Soara Antana and her Padawan Darra Thel-Tanis, who was wounded in a fierce bat
tle as they protected the expedition team. Unknown to all, however, was the fact
that among the scientists was an impostor "Tic Verdun" whose real identity was Forc
e Blank Granta Omega.
Soon Obi-Wan learned from a Haariden troop commander that Omega was indeed on th
e planet. After first returning the scientists to Coruscant, further investigati
on on the man who had previously tried to kill him and his Padawan led Kenobi to
the alarming revelation that Omega and "Verdun" were one and the same. More ala
rming still, he was trying to take over the entire galactic market of bacta prod
uction through a titanite-monopoly mining venture, which would cause millions ne
edless suffering and death from a financial inability to secure it due to inflat
ed prices.
Meanwhile, Omega had deceived and captured Skywalker, who came to the same reali
zation almost too late, saved only by Kenobi's rescue. Anakin also discovered th
at Omega was trying to draw the attention of, and to impress, a Sith Lord: he to
ld Skywalker that he would accomplish this by gaining even more wealth and power
in the galaxy than he already had (and what he had was formidable) and by also
achieving the personal kill of a Jedi Master (Kenobi).
Notwithstanding, by mission's end, peace was restored to Haariden when its great
volcano erupted and when Omega's machinations were stopped through the actions
of Kenobi and Skywalker. But Omega himself once again escaped their grasp.
Mission to Andara
"You had a responsibility! Just as I had one to Siri. You betrayed me and the Or
der by your actions. And your inability to see that troubles me the worst of all
."
?Obi-Wan Kenobi, berating Skywalker[src]
Not long after, in 25 BBY, sixteen-year-old Skywalker and his Master were given
a mission to investigate a senator's son's disappearance, which they suspected w
as linked with an elite leadership school for children of the galaxy's rich and
powerful. In order to investigate a squad of renegade mercenary students harbore
d within the school itself, the Jedi Council gave Skywalker and Ferus Olin the t
ask of infiltrating the school, which was located on Andara, by posing as privil
eged, high-profile transfer students. Soon, Skywalker had located the renegade s
tudents and acquired their trust. He decided to join them in a mock attack on a
Senator's ship, which in Skywalker's view would be helping those who were unrepr
esented under the Senator's jurisdiction. Olin did not like the plan and warned
Skywalker of its problems; however, Skywalker dismissed his caution due to his r
ivalry with Olin.
Later, Olin suddenly disappeared also, but Skywalker neglected to inform his Mas
ter. Before the "mock" attack could begin, he found out that the attack would in
fact be real, and it threatened to start a war. Before he could leave to inform
Kenobi, the leader of the group revealed as Gillam Tarturi, the Senator's missing
son informed Skywalker that the Padawan would have to die in order for Gillam's p
lan to proceed. Left with no choice, Skywalker disarmed Gillam and the rest of t
he squad members, shut down the lasers of the starfighter the group was planning
to use, and, at the same time, destroyed ten attack droids. At this point, Keno
bi, along with Siri Tachi and Ferus Olin, had arrived to aid Skywalker, but he h
ad already finished the fight. Skywalker's level of skill, already nearly equal
to some great Jedi Masters, left Kenobi unnerved. Moreover, Skywalker's master w
as furious that Skywalker had not told Kenobi that Olin was missing, and for the
first time, Kenobi shouted at his Padawan, in unbridled albeit righteous anger.
The incident unfortunately widened the emotional gap between Skywalker and Keno
bi one that both had theretofore striven to lessen or close, in emulation of their
 personal hero Qui-Gon Jinn.
The Poisoned Jedi
Kenobi and Skywalker were later sent on a mission to find out what had happened
to the Consular-class cruiser, the Radiant IX, which was carrying the Jedi Et Re
x and Alysun Celz back to Coruscant to be punished for falling to the dark side.
They discovered that, while on their flight, a large group of mynocks had fed o
n energy from the ships electrical couplings, causing the ship to plummet into t
he gravity well in the Hoth system, and crash landed on an asteroid known as the
Poison Moon. The distress signal was sent even as Celz killed everyone on the s
hip. Rex managed to escape Celz and befriend a group of mynocks. When the Jedi f
ound Celz on the bridge of the ship, she insisted that it was Rex who did it. Ke
nobi went to find Rex, leaving Skywalker with Celz. When Kenobi found Rex, Rex c
onvinced him that Celz was framing him, and the two hurried back to save Skywalk
er. In the meantime, Celz tried to convince Skywalker to leave his master, but f
ailed. Celz angrily knocked out Skywalker with her Force lightning, revealing to
the Jedi as they entered that she had killed everyone on board. Kenobi engaged
her with his lightsaber, only to be knocked back by a dose of Force lightning. R
ex sent his mynocks after her lightning, feeding on it like they would electrici
ty. The Jedi left the moon on Kenobi and Skywalker's ship, with Celz as their ne
w prisoner, and headed back to Coruscant.
Yaddle's sacrifice
Anakin The Shadow Trap2
Skywalker with Kenobi and Yoda during the mission to Mawan
"When you look back, lose your place on the path, you do. Learn, you will, Anaki
n, that stars move and stars fall, and nothing at all, do they have, to do with
you."
?Anakin and Yoda discuss the death of Master Yaddle[src]
Later, that same year, Skywalker, Kenobi, Yoda, and Yaddle were sent on a negoti
ation mission to Mawan to settle a devastating gang war, in which three criminal
organizations fought one another. These gangs, led by Decca the Hutt, Feeana Ta
la, and Striker, caused the remainder of the population to take refuge undergrou
nd. During the mission, Skywalker was kidnapped by Striker's men. Striker, revea
led to be Granta Omega, tried tempting Skywalker to leave the Jedi Order and com
e with him, offering visions of freeing the slaves and his mother on Tatooine. W
hen he saw that Skywalker would not yield, he made Skywalker arrange a meeting w
ith himself and Yaddle. Unbeknownst to her and the rest of the Jedi, the chaotic
planet was a trap set for the Jedi by Omega. He released a fatal chemical weapo
n that killed Yaddle when she absorbed it through the Force. However, through he
r sacrifice, she saved the capital city of Naatan. The weapon was intended by it
s vengeful maker to kill Skywalker and Kenobi, but it failed because of what Yad
dle had done. Kenobi and Skywalker immediately contacted Master Yoda, who knew Y
addle had died, and so prepared his own transport to Mawan. Skywalker and Kenobi
managed to bring peace to Mawan, but even after Yoda's words of comfort, Skywal
ker still felt responsible for the death of the Jedi High Council member.
The Zone of Self-Containment
Skywalker's guilt about Yaddle's death caused friction between him and Kenobi, w
ho felt that he was less than capable of teaching the mischievous Skywalker prop
erly. When sent on a rescue mission in the Uziel system to TY44, one of the moon
s of the planet Typha-Dor, the two were afforded the opportunity to try and reco
ncile their differences. When forced to crash land on the planet Vanqor, they pa
ssed through several tribulations, including a run-in with a nest of gundarks. S
kywalker was then put under the influence of a drug called the Zone of Self-Cont
ainment, and taken prisoner by the insane and fanatical scientist Jenna Zan Arbo
r. Siri Tachi, Ferus Olin, Garen Muln, and Clee Rhara, who were engaged in anoth
er mission entirely, received a distress signal from Kenobi while en route to th
eir own destination. They picked up Skywalker and Kenobi on Vanqor.
Trailing Jenna Zan Arbor
Anakin- The Moment of Truth
Skywalker fighting the forces of Granta Omega and Jenna Zan Arbor
Zan Arbor escaped, however, and did not resurface again until Skywalker was seve
nteen. From information given to them by Tyro Caladian, they discovered that she
had reappeared on Romin, a focus of corruption and villainy and a shelter for c
riminals. In order to infiltrate the planet, he, his Master, Tachi, and Olin dis
guised themselves as a band of thieves looking for refuge on the planet. They di
scovered that Zan Arbor had allied herself with Roy Teda the ruler of Romin and Gran
ta Omega, Kenobi and Skywalker's old adversary. The Jedi were about to be captur
ed when civil war erupted. The underworld was trying to overthrow Teda, and, in
the midst of it, Teda and Zan Arbor fled. The two criminals contacted the Jedi thi
nking they were actually criminals to try to find a way offworld. Unfortunately, Z
an Arbor recognized Skywalker from their previous encounter, and Teda ordered hi
s men to seize the Jedi. Before they could do so, Mace Windu and a team of Jedi
arrived, arresting Teda and Zan Arbor. In spite of this, since the Jedi were try
ing to get to Omega, and they knew the two would lead them to him, they set the
two captives free.
Trouble on Coruscant
Only a few weeks later, Kenobi and his apprentice trailed Zan Arbor and Teda to
Falleen, where the rogues had managed to set up the Blackwater Systems facility
to mass-produce her drug, the Zone of Self-Containment. When they were found, Za
n Arbor was forced to destroy the facility and they once more fled.
Skywalker and Olin were again paired when the trail of Zan Arbor and Teda led ba
ck to Coruscant. Sano Sauro a friend of Granta Omega and Bog Divinian started to mak
e anti-Jedi accusations in order to convince the Galactic Senate to lessen or co
mpletely dissolve its support of the Order. This vote, which was about whether o
r not the Jedi should be involved in the Senate's activities, was all a part of
Sauro and Omega's plan to leak the Zone of Self-Containment drug into the Senate
's vents and assassinate Chancellor Palpatine. Skywalker and Olin, who were lear
ning to forget their rivalry and understand each other, managed to prevent the a
ssassination attempt on the Supreme Chancellor. Omega's plan was uncovered, but
not in time to save twenty-one Senators and several other Senate employees from
being killed by seeker droids programmed by Teda. Unbeknownst to the renegade, s
ince Zan Arbor and Omega had no more use for the man, a seeker droid killed him,
as well. Afterward, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tachi set off to find Omega, leaving
Olin to protect the Senators and Palpatine.
Confronting old adversaries
AnakinObiWanOmega-NEC
Kenobi and Skywalker confront Granta Omega.
Tracking Omega and Zan Arbor to Korriban, four Jedi pairs Skywalker and Kenobi, Ta
chi and Olin, Ry-Gaul and Tru Veld, and Soara and Darra journeyed there to confron
t and stop them. During the course of the hunt, the apprentices were split up fr
om the Masters to better accomplish the mission. The investigation of Dreshdae l
ed them to the Valley of the Dark Lords. Because of the dark side power of the p
lanet, the Padawans, instead of working as a team, started fighting amongst them
selves. When Skywalker found out about Olin's opportunity for advanced training,
he was extremely jealous of him, and, because of all of the friction, their jou
rney to find Omega was catastrophic. They were caught and halted by numerous tra
ps that they would have been able to avoid were they able to function as a team.
Because of this, the confrontation with Omega was a complete and utter disaster
.
Previously, during the fighting, Veld's lightsaber was damaged, and Olin decided
to repair it. Skywalker, who was more mechanically adept than Olin, noticed tha
t the repair job would not work. Instead of speaking out and properly repairing
the saber himself, he kept quiet, hoping to humiliate Olin. During a battle in o
ne of the tombs, Veld's lightsaber began to fail. Olin switched lightsabers with
Veld in order to protect him. Darra noticed the faulty lightsaber and leaped to
 protect Olin. However, she was riddled with blaster fire from Omega and killed.
This caused friction between Tru Veld and Skywalker, her death being partly Sky
walker's fault. Kenobi, who showed up just in time, was forced to kill Granta Om
ega with a stroke of his blade. Zan Arbor managed to elude capture once more, an
d was not seen again by the Jedi or the Republic.
Olin, blaming himself for Darra's death, resigned from the Jedi Order.
Growing up
JQFalsePeace
Skywalker in 24 BBY, alongside Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
Sometime later, Skywalker and his Master were sent on a diplomatic mission to a
planet wishing to join the Galactic Republic. They soon found out, however, that
the planet's indigenous population considered thievery an important social asse
t. During their stay, Skywalker's lightsaber was stolen. The Padawan searched fo
r it, ashamed to tell Kenobi that he'd lost it, but soon had to admit defeat. As
king Kenobi for help, he found that the Jedi Knight knew the lightsaber had been
stolen, and, using a trick of the Force, had "acquired" it from the thief. Keno
bi had merely been waiting for Skywalker to admit that he had lost it.
Kenobi and his apprentice, who was sixteen at the time, were then assigne the ta
sk of protecting Senator Simon Greyshade from assassination. Greyshade had recen
tly filled the station of Senator of the Commonality; a Senatorial seat left by
his assassinated cousin. Simon's cousin, Jheramahd Greyshade, had been thrown of
f of the roof of 500 Republica in an attempt to stall the passage of the Financi
al Reform Act, which the Senator had supported. The act was a bill that addresse
d and was meant to reduce the amount of corruption that was causing the Senate,
and, through them, the Republic, to disintegrate.
Senator Greyshade, who had received a death threat for his stand, was now under
the protection of the Jedi duo. Commander Zalin Bey of the Senate Guard and her
unit were assigned to investigate Jheramahd's assassination. Skywalker and Kenob
i had their hands full protecting Simon from myriad assassins: droids; Keluda, a
Dug; and Princess Tsian, whom they could not seriously investigate because of h
er diplomatic immunity. Despite these hurdles, Tsian was arrested and Keluda was
killed.
Sagoro Autem and Isaru Omin continued the investigation of the Senator's murder,
turning up several disturbing facts. Sagoro's brother, Venco, had assassinated
Jheramahd, and convinced Reymet Autem, Sagoro's son, to unwittingly help him in
another assassination, this time an attempt on Simon's life, but this second att
empt failed. Sagoro managed to let his son escape, but, unfortunately, when Omin
discovered his obstruction of justice, too late for him to arrest Reymet, he ar
rested Sagoro. The man took the blame and disgrace for what his son had done, an
d was removed from the office of Senate Guard. Simon Greyshade was safe once mor
e.
Because it was found that the assassination and attempted assassination was beca
use of the Financial Reform Act, it never got a vote. Some say that this was the
cause of a good portion of the seceding planets that would soon make up the Con
federacy of Independent Systems, and could have prevented the Clone Wars had it
been passed.
War on the horizon
"A fine student, Barriss. The Force flows strongly within her."
"So it does, but not like it does in young Anakin. He is a wild river, your Pada
wan, full of repressed energy that needs channeling."
"He's often impetuous, which is worrying. Sometimes it carries over into impatie
nce, which is dangerous. But he has gone through and survived a great deal, and
he is an avid student of Jedi lore. There are subjects in which he excels, such
as lightsaber combat. And he's a natural pilot. But he has little time for the i
ntricacies of history and diplomacy, and politics positively make him ill. Yet h
e perseveres. A trait he gets, I believe, from his mother, whom Qui-Gon knew but
briefly as a quiet yet strong-willed woman."
"If anyone can turn such unwieldy raw material into a polished Jedi Knight, I su
spect it is you, Obi-Wan."
?Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luminara Unduli reflect upon their Padawans on
the secession-threatened planet Ansion.[src]
At the age of nineteen, in 22 BBY, Skywalker and Kenobi, along with Luminara Und
uli and her apprentice, Barriss Offee, were sent to Ansion to settle a border di
spute that had the potential to cause the extremely strategic planet to secede t
o the Confederacy. If Ansion fell, so would countless other worlds. The Jedi neg
otiated a settlement with city dwellers to remain in the Republic, provided they
also convinced the nomadic Alwari to allow expansion into the grasslands. Littl
e did they know that Presidente Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild was pulling the st
rings to cause Ansion to secede. Arriving early, Kenobi and Skywalker were just
in time to rescue Unduli and Offee from a mob of killers. Thanks again to Shu Ma
i and her minion Soergg the Hutt, the Jedi were in constant danger from attack b
y hired killers, including a successful kidnapping of Offee by two Ansionians, K
yakhta and Bulgan. Offee healed the two killers of injuries, though, and they be
came guides for the Jedi to find the nomadic clans, particularly the Borokii ove
rclan. Traveling on suubatars, the Jedi braved hazards such as flying chawix, ky
ren hordes, capture by the Yiwa clan and shanhs. On one occasion, the Jedi were
required to publicly entertain their hosts, each in turn and in their own way. W
hen called up himself, Skywalker chose to sing a ballad he had known and often s
ung in childhood, impressing both the Ansionians and his fellow Jedi with his de
ep and resonant voice.
The Jedi eventually made contact with the Borokii overclan, who, after requiring
the Jedi to retrieve a tuft of rare albino surepp wool, agreed to the Jedi's se
ttlement provided they help wage war against their rivals, the Januul clan. Skywal
ker was shocked when Kenobi agreed, but he had a plan. When the battle lines wer
e drawn, the Jedi marched out into the middle and refused to fight either side,
calling on both clans to negotiate a settlement. Kenobi, Skywalker, Unduli, and
Offee were subsequently attacked by both sides, but they deflected the assaults,
and amazingly parried only the weapons' strikes or blasts, defeating both armie
s with no loss of life. In the wake of the following peace between the tribes, t
he Jedi journeyed back to the capital of Cuipernam to inform the Unity Council c
ontrolling the planet's fate of their success. While they were attacked again by
thugs, the two clans sent an Alwari honor guard to help the Jedi, and Ansion re
mained in the Republic, thanks to the efforts of Skywalker and his companions. B
ecause of her status as Presidente, Shu Mai was not discovered to be a key mover
behind the matter.
Reunited with Amidala
"Ani ? My goodness, you've grown."
?Padm Amidala to Anakin Skywalker, upon their reunion[src]
"You're asking me to be rational. That is something that I know I cannot do. Bel
ieve me, I wish I could just wish away my feelings, but I can't."
?Skywalker, to Amidala[src]
AnakinPadmeKiss-AOTC
Skywalker and Amidala share their first kiss.
Just one day after his twentieth birthday,[53] the bounty hunter Zam Wesell made
an attempt on the life of Padm Amidala, now the Senator of the Chommell sector.
Skywalker was personally assigned to protect and escort Amidala back to her home
world. To avoid looking conspicuous, the two traveled as refugees. Skywalker had
not seen her in ten years, though he had thought about her almost daily since t
heir parting at Naboo. His childhood fascination with her had turned into a powe
rful infatuation. In conversation, Skywalker revealed his affection for her, his
frustration with Kenobi's training methods, a distrust of the political process
, and his view of the need for one strong leader. Over a short time, his infatua
tion for her blossomed into something more: love. And soon Amidala reciprocated
the feeling.[11]
At Amidala's lake retreat, the two lost their inhibitions and shared their first
kiss. Both seemed entranced with the other despite their different social caste
s. However, Amidala eventually came to her senses, and while Skywalker was conce
rned with his feelings and living in the present moment even suggesting they could
keep their relationship a secret Amidala was more concerned with duty and obligat
ion. She had enough foresight to know their current situations would not allow f
or a relationship between them. Skywalker's pursuit of a romantic relationship w
ith her was in violation of Jedi tradition, which held that although Jedi were n
ot required to be celibate, they were to avoid attachment to all but the Force i
tself.[11]
Return to Tatooine
"Why'd she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have!"
"Sometimes there are things no one can fix. You're not all powerful, Ani."
"Well I should be! Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever! I p
romise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying!"
"Anakin "
"It's all Obi-Wan's fault! He's jealous! He's holding me back!"
?Anakin Skywalker and Amidala[src]
Anakin Vengeance
Skywalker attacks the Tusken Raiders in revenge for killing his mother.
Skywalker had been suffering from recurring nightmares about his mother, Shmi, f
or several months prior to meeting Amidala again; and, because of them, went aga
inst the spirit of his orders to protect Amidala by bringing her to Tatooine to
find Shmi. Upon landing on Tatooine, Skywalker made his way straight for Watto's
shop, where he discovered that a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars had freed an
d married his mother.[11]
While speaking with Lars, Anakin learned, to his horror, that Shmi had been abdu
cted by Tusken Raiders. He immediately set out in pursuit of her on Owen Lars' s
woop bike. That night, the young Jedi discovered the Tusken village beyond the B
'Thazoshe Bridge, and slipped into the tent that contained his mother, locating
her with his Jedi sense of Force empathy. Though he freed her from her bonds, it
was too late: Battered, sleep-deprived, and dehydrated, Shmi Skywalker died in
her son's arms, but not before regaining her consciousness and briefly seeing an
d speaking with him for the last time.[11]
Skywalker allowed the shock of her death to catalyze an explosion of his long-nu
rsed anger, fear, and selfishness. He flew into a berserk rage, slaughtering all
present in the camp without mercy even, as he confessed to Amidala later, the wom
en and children. A number of Jedi, including Yoda and the deceased Qui-Gon Jinn,
sensed the shock of this massacre as well as Skywalker's powerful Force presenc
e, which bordered on the dark side.[11]
When Skywalker told Amidala that he had killed the tribe, he justified his actio
ns at first. Amidala was clearly troubled by what Skywalker had done, but had in
vested herself too much in him to be truly repulsed. She tried to soothe him wit
h sympathy and told no one of Skywalker's hideous act. In his anger and sorrow,
he rashly claimed that one day he would have the power to stop people from dying
, and that Obi-Wan was jealous of his power and was holding him back. He then ex
pressed his hate for the Sand People before remembering that he was a Jedi, and
he broke down in remorse for killing them. Amidala told him that his emotions ma
de him human, but Skywalker responded that he was a Jedi and was better than tha
t and should be above revenge.[11]
Battle of Geonosis
"I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten my message."
"I retransmitted it just as you had requested, Master; then we decided to come a
nd rescue you."
"Good job."
?Anakin and Obi-Wan in the Geonosian execution arena[src]
While still on Tatooine, Skywalker discovered that Kenobi had been taken hostage
by the Geonosian-engineered Confederacy of Independent Systems's droid forces.
He initially decided to honor Mace Windu's order to protect Amidala at all costs
and to stay on Tatooine, the episode with his mother having caused him to lose
confidence in himself. However, Amidala convinced him that rescuing his mentor w
as the right thing to do and they traveled to Geonosis. Once on the planet, Skyw
alker and Amidala infiltrated the droid foundries, but they were attacked by Geo
nosians, and Skywalker's lightsaber was caught in machinery and destroyed. The t
wo were captured and sentenced to die in a gladiatorial execution arena. Faced w
ith their impending fate, they finally confessed their love to one another and k
issed for what they thought was the last time. Skywalker, Amidala, and Kenobi ea
ch faced ferocious arena beasts, but were able to escape them. Skywalker tamed t
he reek set to attack him but they were surrounded by droidekas. However, a team
of Jedi led by Mace Windu attacked the droids gathering in the arena, and the t
hree escaped. Skywalker took up a green lightsaber and fought the droids alongsi
de Amidala. The Jedi remaining were herded into the center of the arena, having
taken huge casualties despite killing Jango Fett. However, the newly discovered
Clone Army arrived to rescue the Jedi, and the trio were airlifted out of the ar
ena. The clone troopers allowed all three of them to escape and fight in the ens
uing battle.[11]
Duel in the Geonosian Hangar
Skywalker fights Count Dooku on Geonosis.
Skywalker and Kenobi pursued Count Dooku, the mastermind of the Confederacy and,
unbeknownst to them, a Sith Lord. They gave chase across the vast Geonosian san
ds, where he led them to a CIS-owned hangar. Once they caught up with Dooku, Sky
walker, against the better advice of his Master and with a headstrong attitude,
foolishly charged the Sith. It was the Padawan's undoing: Dooku unleashed a powe
rful barrage of Force lightning on Skywalker, knocking the youth unconscious and
leaving Kenobi to face Dooku alone. Kenobi put up a valiant fight; however, his
skills proved no match for the more powerful and experienced Dooku, and he was
soon incapacitated. As Skywalker recovered, he witnessed Dooku raising his light
saber to deliver the final blow against the fallen Kenobi.[11]
No arm annie
Skywalker loses his right arm to Dooku's blade.
Skywalker, calling upon the Force, leaped into the path of Dooku's lightsaber, b
locking it with his own, saving his Master's life in the process. Taking up his
fallen master's weapon, Skywalker unleashed a flurry of attacks, which caught Do
oku off guard at first. However, despite the tactical advantage the second blade
granted, it was short-lived. Without more than basic training in Jar'Kai, Skywa
lker's use of two blades simply wasn't good enough to pass through Dooku's guard
, and the Sith eventually managed to destroy the green blade, leaving Skywalker
with only his blue. At that point, Dooku's adeptness and greater experience with
Makashi allowed him to regain the upper hand, and, despite holding his own for
much of the duel, Skywalker lost the battle and his right arm to Dooku. After being
rescued by Yoda, Skywalker, Amidala, and Kenobi were transported back to the Jed
i Temple for healing.[11]
Marriage to Padm Amidala
APwedding
Skywalker marries Senator Amidala.
"One day they'd get some lovesick Jedi doing something crazy, whatever the train
ing was supposed to knock out of them, and it wouldn't end well."
?RC-1136, speaking of Jedi and love[src]
After Skywalker's forearm was replaced with a mechno-arm[11] crafted by the Chie
f Healer Vokara Che, he remained in the Halls of Healing as he grew accustomed t
o the replacement. Meanwhile, Kenobi was sent by Master Yoda to forcefully petit
ion Amidala to end her relationship with the Chosen One. Lying, she agreed to th
e request, yet asked to formally accomplish it and speak with Anakin herself. Sh
e suggested having Skywalker escort her back to Naboo, and said that she would e
nd their romantic relationship there.
However, the escort was a ploy, and Skywalker married Amidala, even though that
meant breaking the Jedi Code; but Anakin had gone past caring, and swiftly set t
he marriage at Varykino on Naboo, in a secret ceremony performed by a Naboo holy
man. C-3PO and his counterpart, R2-D2, were the only witnesses. The newly marrie
d couple would later struggle to keep their illicit relationship secret.[11]
The Clone Wars
Early battles
CWAV1-FC
Skywalker and Kenobi during the start of the Clone Wars
"You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you. I have trained you
since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know, and you have b
ecome a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be."
?Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
With the onset of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker started on his way to becomin
g a legendary hero. He was an unparalleled starfighter pilot, flying missions ov
er several worlds, including Kamino, Balamak, and Virujansi, solidifying his rep
utation. He even earned the seldom-heard title of Tan in recognition of his exce
ptional piloting skills. He custom-modified his Delta-7 Aethersprite starfighter n
aming it Azure Angel as a tribute to his wife into a unique and deadly vessel that
time and again outperformed any ship on the battlefield. He also proved his wor
th outside the cockpit, destroying the ancient Sith weapon known as the Dark Rea
per[54] and helping to drive back a Separatist invasion of Coruscant that even b
reached the Jedi Temple itself.[55] Skywalker also captured more than half of th
e prisoners of the Ghost Prison during the War.[56]
War molded Skywalker into a man and honed his combat ability, but it continued t
o nourish his ego. While Skywalker, dubbed the "Hero With No Fear," had no fear
for his own life, he was terrified for the lives of his Master, Supreme Chancell
or Palpatine, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, the troops under his authority, and even
R2-D2, who accompanied Skywalker whenever he could. It was difficult to rein in
Skywalker as he increasingly had trouble following the strict doctrine of the Je
di Code, especially when the Order itself was complicit in ambiguous moral acts
by waging a full-scale war. But, above all, Skywalker feared for his beloved Pad
m Amidala. He wrote to her whenever he could, and also tried to meet with her on
several occasions, but because of their duties they saw each other very rarely.
And the few times they did, Amidala was usually in danger, which fueled his prot
ectiveness for her and his fear.[57][58]
The Dark Reaper
"You go to the Map Room when you are troubled by something. Do you want to talk
about it?"
"What is the good of talking?"
"It can be very good ... Anakin, I see that the past [weeks][59] have marked you
. I am your Master. I am here to help you in any way I can."
"I have seen things I wish I had not seen. I did not think so many Jedi could di
e. I did not think a once-great Jedi Master could fall so far."
"Count Dooku's fall has troubled us all" ...
"We missed him on Raxus Prime, but we won't here. If we kill him, we kill the Se
paratist movement."
?Master Kenobi and apprentice Skywalker, antecedent to their diplomatic mission
to Null to persuade the members of the Station 88 planetary alliance to side wit
h the Republic, and to reject Dooku's overtures that they side with the Confeder
acy and give up their gateway-spaceport to the Mid Rim star systems.[src]
One month after the start of the Clone Wars, Skywalker and Kenobi were involved
in an operation to stop Count Dooku from obtaining the Dark Reaper, a powerful s
uperweapon of mass destruction constructed during the Great Sith War and lost af
ter its conclusion. Skywalker and Kenobi helped to evacuate the Republic outpost
on Rhen Var and then went to Raxus Prime where Dooku had found the Force Harves
ter a major part of the Dark Reaper. After his encounter with Dooku on Raxus Prime
, Skywalker was captured and sent to Alaris Prime, to be executed by the Force H
arvester, the power source of the ancient Sith weapon, which drained the life es
sence or Force from all living things within its range. But he escaped and trave
led to Rhen Var. On Rhen Var, Skywalker fought his way to the tomb of Ulic Qel-D
roma for information on how to withstand the effects of the Dark Reaper and the
Harvester. Shortly after the Dark Reaper was revived on Thule, Skywalker led an
attack on the capital city of Kessiak and destroyed the Reaper using his TX-130S
fighter tank. Although Skywalker did manage to destroy the Reaper, the knowledg
e he gained from Qel-Droma caused him to act more arrogantly toward Kenobi, and
indirectly led him to take a greater step toward the path to the dark side of th
e Force.[54]
Battle of Ohma-D'un
When the planet Naboo lost contact with a Gungan colony on one of Naboo's moons,
Ohma-D'un, Skywalker was sent along with a squad of four Jedi to investigate. T
hey quickly found what had become of the Gungan colony. Every single Gungan had
died of a mysterious chemical weapon. The Jedi were infected by the poison, but
luckily its effects took longer to work on non-Gungans. They soon encountered Oh
ma-D'un super battle droids, B2 super battle droids and the bounty hunter Durge,
and attacked them. Skywalker defeated many droids during the battle and helped
to save the prisoners located in the nearby camp. It was the first time Skywalke
r encountered Asajj Ventress, who would be his nemesis throughout the war.[60]
Battle of Muunilinst and Duel on Yavin 4
"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done."
"Come, Padawan. Your fall will be my ascension to the Sith."
?Anakin Skywalker and Asajj Ventress Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]
HeKnowsHeKnows
Skywalker battling above Muunilinst
At the request of the Supreme Chancellor, Anakin was made a commander and was ch
arged with leading the Republic's space forces against the Separatist fleet in o
rbit above Muunilinst, homeworld of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, a pivotal me
mber of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, during the Republic's attack on
the planet. His piloting talents and leadership of a group of clone pilots led t
o a victory.[61]
A mysterious vessel caught his eye that wiped out Blue Squadron during the fray,
[61] and he was drawn from the battle after determining that the Force was with
the pilot, despite Obi-Wan Kenobi's admonition and suspicions that the fighter w
as leading him into a trap. He followed the enigmatic Fanblade starfighter throu
gh an intense chase through the streets of Muunilinst's capital city, back to sp
ace[62] and through hyperspace to Yavin 4. Beneath the jungle canopy and amongst
the remains of ancient Massassi temples, a mysterious assassin slew all the clo
nes sent by Kenobi to follow Skywalker and destroyed the Azure Angel II. Skywalk
er came face to face with the fanblade pilot, the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, and
dueled with her. Their battle progressed into and onto the temples of Yavin 4.[6
3][64]
Anakin vs Asajj Yavin4
Skywalker battling Asajj Ventress on Yavin 4
In the end, Skywalker was disarmed by Asajj, but was able to defeat her by takin
g one of her curved-hilt lightsabers, and repeatedly striking her, having brief
visions of Jinn, Kenobi, and Yoda deeply troubled by what he was doing. His stri
kes caused the temple stone beneath her to crumble, and she fell through the led
ge into a chasm apparently to her death, but she would escape. As he stood victo
rious, Skywalker gave a loud yell of rage, knowing that he had won. This had onl
y been accomplished, though, by tapping into his dark side.[65]
Anakin vs asajj
Anakin and Asajj in combat
Skywalker and Kenobi then participated in the Mission to Nivek, where they destr
oyed an entire droid construction facility,[66] and the Battle of Terra Sool, wh
ich was won thanks to Skywalker's skills.[67]
Battle on Skye
Kenobi temporarily took Halagad Ventor as a Padawan in addition to Skywalker, fo
llowing the demise of Ventor's former master. He and Skywalker soon became frien
ds and as a sign of their trust, they engaged in the Concordance of Fealty, a Je
di tradition where they temporarily swapped lightsabers as a sign of trust. They
traveled to the planet of Skye, where they fought against the genetic terrorist
Zeta Magnus. They foiled the terrorist's plot that threatened the planet with t
otal destruction. Following the battle, Skywalker discovered the 13 year old S'k
ytri Kharys, who proved to be strong in the Force. He wished to take her back wi
th them for training, but Kenobi and Ventor believed she was too old to start on
the path of a Jedi and refused to take her. However, Skywalker promised Kharys
that he would return one day to train her.[68]
Rise of the Cortosis Battle Droids
Ten months after the Battle of Geonosis,[source?] a report reached the Jedi Coun
cil that a new type of battle droid was being deployed on Tatooine. Skywalker wa
s sent to investigate and contact the Republic spy Raala Ponchar. However, he wa
s captured by Aurra Sing and one of Dooku's Dark Acolytes, Saato, and imprisoned
in Jabba's palace. He managed to escape, rescue Ponchar and kill Saato before l
earning that Count Dooku had infiltrated Coruscant with a small force on a missi
on to destroy the Jedi Archives in the Jedi Temple. Skywalker returned to Corusc
ant and killed another Dark Acolyte, Trenox, but was delayed long enough for Doo
ku to steal at least one Holocron and escape. Skywalker then traveled to Metalor
n to stop production of the Cortosis battle droids. There he single-handedly def
eated bounty hunter Vandalor, Dark Acolytes Karoc and Vinoc, and even a Doppelgng
er of Dooku; captured Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor; and destroyed the facilit
y.[55]
Battle of Jabiim
Jabiim2
Skywalker fighting on the rain-soaked world of Jabiim
On the rain-drenched world of Jabiim, during the battle that took place there, S
kywalker came into his own. As Kenobi was thought to have been killed by a Separ
atist attack, Skywalker led a cadre of similarly "orphaned" Padawans. The loss o
f his Master and the horrors on the battlefield of Jabiim would have lasting eff
ect on his life; and because of it he became even more fiercely independent and
more frustrated by his failings. However, in the thick of the battle he received
an urgent transmission from Palpatine to personally evacuate the planet. This p
loy may have been made to save Skywalker from being killed on the battlefront.[s
ource?]
Respecting the Chancellor's power and friendship, Skywalker complied with his wi
shes, though it was hard for him to desert his friends on the final front. Befor
e leaving, the thirteen-year old Padawan Aubrie Wyn gave Skywalker her Master's
holocron to return to the temple. Sadly, in the following five days as Skywalker
left the front, all of the members of the Padawan Pack were killed in action. W
hen the transports arrived, only a few had made it through the storms. Skywalker
was faced with a hard and painful decision as the last surviving Jedi on Jabiim,
he ordered the evacuation of the planet. Enraged, Captain Orliss Gillmunn pulled
a blaster on Skywalker, who reacted instinctively with Force choke, strangling
the officer. Such horrific acts were becoming far too natural for him; it was th
e first time he had used the Force in this manner but it would certainly not be
the last. Gillmunn, leader of the disenchanted Jabiimi loyalists, swore to never
forget this betrayal as the Loyalist Jabiimi was left to their fate. Once again
, Skywalker had failed, and the battle for Jabiim was lost. His actions during t
he battle would spark the subjugation of Jabiim nearly twenty years later, where
his children were captured by rogue rebels.[source?]
Two days after the evacuation, the wounded were taken to New Holstice, where Sky
walker would first meet A'Sharad Hett, the Tusken Jedi, and his apprentice, Bhat
Jul, who practiced as healers.[source?]
One of the wounded was Master Sora Mobari, who was injured in an explosion by It
horian terrorists and who was not responding to treatments. Skywalker, unable to
 accept even one more Jedi lost, tried a different method he used the same Force t
echnique that he used to crushed Gillmunn's windpipe, and used it to massage Mob
ari's heart. Hett was horrified, so he tried to reason with Skywalker, saying th
at she was suffering needlessly. Skywalker insisted she would live, but in spite
of his efforts she succumbed to her injuries. Skywalker was unable to accept th
at he could not save people from death; this experience would reinforce his desi
re to save the people he loved from dying.[source?]
Hett later showed Skywalker a memorial created for all the Jedi killed since the
birth of the Republic. It was composed of supposedly immortal memory moths that
whispered the names of the Jedi over and over again. Skywalker released a few m
onths for all members of the Padawan Pack Kass Tod, Mak Lotor, Tae Diath, Elora Su
nd, Vaabesh, Windo Nend, Zule Xiss, and Aubrie Wyn and his own master, Obi-Wan Ken
obi. As Hett released one for Sora Morbari, he reassured Skywalker that she was
severed from the Living Force days ago and nothing could have stopped her from d
ying. Because of his Master's apparent death, Skywalker came under the tutelage
of Ki-Adi-Mundi as a campaign began on the world of Aargonar.[source?]
Battle of Aargonar
On the desert world of Aargonar, an unimportant world, the Republic and Confeder
acy fought; the lines were drawn. During one of the skirmishes, Skywalker, Hett,
and his apprentice, Jhul, were lost behind enemy lines.[source?]
BhatDying
Skywalker attempting to heal Jhul with the Force
Jhul had been seriously injured from a crash, and as he lay dying, Skywalker tri
ed to use the Force to heal him, but it was to no avail; Jhul died from the fata
l wounds. Skywalker, frustrated with the Nikto's death, chastised Hett, saying t
hat had they been with him, they might have been able to save him. Hett replied
that he had felt Jhul become one with the Force, arguing that Jhul had known tha
t he was there with him in the Force, and that his physical presence would have
made no difference.[source?]
As Skywalker and Hett began to work their way back to their army, Skywalker's pr
ejudice against the Tuskens for killing his mother was beginning to demonstrate
itself against the Tusken Jedi. He was insulted and angered when Hett spoke of t
he similarities between them: coming to Coruscant later in their lives, being ra
ised on a desert planet, and having known only one parent. Skywalker's fury was
intensified when Hett commented that Skywalker would have made a good Tusken.[so
urce?]
When they reached a Separatist station, they began working on transport to retur
n to their own base. So they could hijack a transport, Hett gave Skywalker the p
ower cells from his and the Tusken Jedi's father's lightsaber to get the transpo
rt moving. That completed, they started the search for weapons to arm themselves
. As the hours rolled by, Skywalker began to relive the memories surrounding his
mother's death. When Separatist guards located the Padawan, who was slipping to
ward the dark side, he mistook them for Tuskens, and, in a fit of rage, slaughte
red them all. In a blood haze, Skywalker turned on Hett, but the Tusken Jedi man
aged to disarm him and talk some sense into him.[source?]
Hett told Skywalker that, as a Tusken, he understood the vehement desire to take
revenge, but because of his training as a Jedi he had learned that vengeance wa
s not theirs to take. The Tusken Jedi also knew the lure of the dark side, knowi
ng it needed to be avoided. After recounting to Hett his painful memories of his
mother's death, Skywalker remembered that his mother's death and the slaughter
that had followed it was something he had never told his old master, Kenobi.[sou
rce?]
Seeing the turmoil the boy was in, Hett concluded that if they were to survive a
nd get along together, Skywalker must see him as a Jedi, and not a Tusken Raider
. Hett removed his mask, surprising Skywalker, who saw that he was totally Human
. He insisted that he was Tusken at heart, but also wholly a Jedi. Skywalker apo
logized to him, finally seeing Hett as an ally instead of an old foe. The two su
rvived the trip back to the Republic lines.[source?]
Hett, contemplating the episode, decided to have people see him first as a Jedi,
then as a Tusken. He also never told anyone else of Skywalker's secret, insisti
ng that it was his burden and that Skywalker would have to face the repercussion
s of what he had done, believing that Skywalker would tell his master about the
massacre, himself. Skywalker never did.[source?]
Not long afterward, Skywalker discovered that his master was indeed alive and ha
d only been captured by Asajj, and was soon joyfully reunited with Kenobi, who h
ad escaped from captivity.[source?]
Battle of Zaadja
The Battle of Zaadja was one of many emotional milestones for Anakin Skywalker,
who increasingly encountered difficulties with the sacrifices he witnessed. Acti
ng as a diversion, Kenobi and Skywalker led the Third Systems Army onto the fiel
d of battle to draw the Separatist forces away from the droid factory on Zaadja;
concurrently, the young Jedi Tohno was tasked to infiltrate the droid factory a
nd destroy it using military-grade explosives. After she planted all explosives,
Tohno was ambushed by Geonosians. When Skywalker rushed to help her, Tohno real
ized that she would not survive her mission. She was able to convince him that i
f he came after her, it would cause needless casualties among the troopers of th
e Third System Army. Though he was reluctant to accept it, Skywalker agreed with
Tohno's decision to end the Zaadja mission with as little loss of life as possi
ble. Nonetheless, Skywalker would continue to struggle with the need for so many
young, even promising, Jedi to sacrifice themselves throughout the course of th
e war.[69]
KnightingCeremony-CW21
Skywalker's Knighting
Knight of the Republic
"Step forward, Padawan. Anakin Skywalker, by the right of the Council, by the wi
ll of the Force, dub thee I do Jedi Knight of the Republic."
?Yoda[src]
After his heroic actions at the Battle of Praesitlyn and upon returning from the
Mission to Vjun,[70] Skywalker was endowed with the title of Jedi Knight, despi
te the fact that he never went through the traditional Jedi Trials before being
Knighted. It was a controversial decision; Kit Fisto and Ki-Adi-Mundi openly and
zealously supported him, while Oppo Rancisis and Adi Gallia questioned whether
Skywalker was mature enough. But in the end, the decision fell to Yoda, who deci
ded to have him Knighted in a secret ceremony. Skywalker later sent his Padawan
braid, which had been ritualistically severed by Yoda, to Amidala as a late devo
tion gift.[71]
Battle of Rendili and aftermath
Shortly after his knighthood, Skywalker participated in the Battle of Rendili. H
is idea was to use his starfighter to place concussion charges on critical weak
points of the Rendili Dreadnaught-class cruisers. Although Jedi Master Saesee Ti
in objected to it, Skywalker's pride could not let him pass up any chance for a
victory. Without permission, he proceeded to carry out his plan during the battl
e. It was a success, and helped achieve a Republic victory, fueling his ego and
self-importance. After the battle, Skywalker returned to Coruscant, where he tes
tified before the council regarding Quinlan Vos's involvement in the battle, hel
ping the former Jedi regain his position in the order.[source?]
Immediately afterward, Skywalker journeyed to the Senate Building to meet Amidal
a, but as she wasn't there, he gratefully received a holographic message from on
e of her handmaidens. Traveling to the Galactic City's industrial sector to list
en to the recording privately, he was ambushed by the Dooku-trained Asajj Ventre
ss.[source?]
Asajj eavesdropped on Skywalker as he listened to the secret holodisc recording,
thus discovering his relationship with Amidala. She destroyed the holodisc, and
taunted Skywalker with threats to kill Amidala, after which the two engaged in
a vicious lightsaber duel. It was during this battle that Skywalker received a v
ertical scar which ran above and below his right eye, and two small scars on his
left cheek, from her lightsaber.[72]
Anakin maimed
Skywalker is scarred over his right eye by Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress.
Despite being painfully blemished, Skywalker persevered. Ventress had made the m
istake of underestimating the young Jedi Knight's fierce desire to protect the o
nes he loved from harm, and, during the battle, Skywalker used the Force to enta
ngle her in electrical cables and send her plummeting to the depths of Coruscant
. As on Yavin IV, she survived the fall, but was too weak to pursue Skywalker.[s
ource?]
Sometime after becoming a Knight, Skywalker and Kenobi were confronted by bounty
hunters on an unknown planet. The two managed to escape on a swoop thanks to Sk
ywalker's piloting and ingenuity, as he used the lightsaber's battery to give th
e swoop more speed.[73]
Skywalker also rescued fellow Jedi Serra Keto from the Separatist droids on a sp
ace station somewhere in the Outer Rim, after he received a distress call from h
er.[74]
On a heavily forested planet, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker were confronte
d by a battle droid fleeing from something. Instead of fighting, the droid recom
mended that the Jedi flee, as well. They soon discovered that the whole planet w
as full of dangerous monsters, which attacked them. However, Kenobi and Skywalke
r managed to survive.[75]
Mission to Christophsis
AnakinStealthShip
Anakin Skywalker pilots the stealth ship against Admiral Trench.
When Senator Bail Organa's relief force became trapped on Christophsis, Skywalke
r, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Admiral Wullf Yularen were sent to break the Separatist b
lockade and free Organa. Leading the initial assault, Skywalker was quickly repe
lled by the Separatists' new and devious tactics and rendezvoused with Kenobi be
hind one of Christophsis' moons to regroup. His former Master lent him use of on
e of the Republic's newest weapons, a stealth ship to sneak behind enemy lines.
Before leaving for the mission, Skywalker was approached by Yularen, who volunte
ered himself for the mission, citing past experience with their dangerous foe, A
dmiral Trench. Zipping past Trench's flagship, Skywalker unleashed a torrent of
missiles, which were quickly absorbed by the admiral's shields. Trench sent back
a volley of his own shots, which were rendered inefficient as Skywalker disappe
ared under his ship's capabilities of remaining undetectable. At an efficient st
alemate, Trench contacted Skywalker through a general hail, attempting to goad t
he Jedi into attacking. When the admiral revealed that he had dealt with stealth
ships previously, Skywalker guessed that he had defeated the ship through use o
f a magnetic signature. Using the same knowledge against Trench, Skywalker allow
ed the Separatist to send out homing missiles, then skimmed along the bridge of
his ship, sending the missiles slamming into the Separatist flagship and knockin
g Trench out of commission. With the blockade broken, Republic aid was able to r
each Organa, and a lasting bond between Skywalker and the stalwart Yularen was f
orged.[76]
Battle on Christophsis
Menage a trois
Skywalker and Kenobi engage Asajj Ventress in a duel.
"This way is clear!"
"How did you get over here?"
"I improvised."
?Skywalker and Kenobi, as Skywalker enters the room to help him against Separati
st forces Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]
When Christophsis was invaded by the Separatists, they put out a call for help t
o the Republic, and Skywalker and Kenobi were quickly dispatched to aid the plan
et, along with Commander Cody and Captain Rex. They set up defense in two towers
and prepared as the droid forces advanced, seemingly unaware of the Jedi's pres
ence. However, the droid army suddenly split up, and before Kenobi knew what was
happening, droids arrived in his tower and started to attack. Skywalker called
Hawk for an evacuation, and he and Rex proceeded to aid Kenobi. They managed to
escape, and also managed to steal a tactical droid's head.[77]
However, the tactical droid did nothing but confirm that the Separatists knew of
the Jedi's location. Kenobi suspected that someone in their squad had turned su
it and betrayed the Republic. Kenobi and Skywalker instructed Cody and Rex to fi
nd the traitor while they went on a secret mission behind enemy lines. On the wa
y, they discovered that an increasing number of droids were watching them but no
t attempting to fire, and Skywalker concluded that they were being led into a tr
ap. Upon arrival, they encountered Asajj Ventress, and the three engaged in a du
el. The Jedi managed to knock Ventress down, but she merely used her lightsabers
to cut through the floor, pushing the Jedi a floor down. Ventress taunted them
before leading them to see a complete army of droids preparing to attack the cit
y. The Jedi escaped on STAPs, and Ventress ordered General Whorm Loathsom to mar
ch on the city before leaving.[77]
Upon returning to the Republic base, Skywalker and Kenobi discovered that Rex an
d Cody had found Slick to be the traitor. Skywalker questioned why Slick would b
etray his brothers, and Slick replied that it was the Jedi who kept his brothers
enslaved. Cody and Rex, however, said that if he loved his brothers, he wouldn'
t put them at risk, and Slick was taken away to lockup.[77]
Skywalker and Kenobi managed to fend off the first wave of droids, and sent thei
r shuttle back for reinforcements. A second wave of droids soon advanced, and wh
ile Kenobi and Cody drew the droids' attention, Skywalker, Rex and Torrent Compa
ny took out the advancing tri-droids. This, along with the Republic's use of hea
vy cannons, forced Loathsom to retreat.[78]
Anakin's apprentice
"Ahsoka, a very wise Jedi once said, "Nothing happens by accident." It is the wi
ll of the Force that you are at my side. I just want to keep you there in one pi
ece."
?Anakin reassuring his Padawan[src]
Ahsoka nonCGI
Skywalker met his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, for the first time on Christophsis.
After the Confederacy's retreat, a shuttle arrived with a young Togruta Jedi nam
ed Ahsoka Tano. She had a message from the Jedi Council to get back to Coruscant
immediately, and had also been assigned as Skywalker's new Padawan, much to Sky
walker's shock and dismay. After unsuccessfully trying to get the message from Y
oda, Skywalker went to check on Rex at the lookout post, taking his new Padawan
with him.[78]
Unfortunately for the Republic forces, Loathsom had activated an expanding defle
ctor shield with his armies advancing behind it. Skywalker and Tano managed to s
neak behind the shield by hiding beneath a box. After Tano bumped into a droidek
a and alerted retail droids, the two still managed to destroy the shield generat
or, allowing Republic artillery to finish off the droids. The Separatists on Chr
istophsis surrendered to Kenobi, and Skywalker finally accepted his new Padawan.
[78]
Rescuing a Hutt
Tano: "You've got that "we're in trouble" look."
Skywalker: "There's a look?"
Tano: "You can't miss it."
?Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano aboard the Twilight[src]
Skywalker and Tano were reassigned on another vital mission: to rescue Jabba the
Hutt's son, Rotta, from the planet Teth. On Teth, pursuant of their objective,
along with Captain Rex and Torrent Company, Skywalker scaled a high mesa under S
eparatist fire to reach a clifftop monastery. After destroying the droids in the
courtyard, Skywalker and his men secured and searched the monastery for the Hut
tlet. Skywalker and his Padawan found the Huttlet on the detention level. Discov
ering that Rotta was severely ill, they put the Huttlet in a backpack. After con
tacting his former master, Skywalker and his men were attacked by droid reinforc
ements under Dooku's assassin, Asajj Ventress, who kidnapped and had been holdin
g the Huttlet captive. After closing the door, Anakin was convinced by his Padaw
an to find another way out of the monastery. After R2-D2 found a backdoor landin
g platform, the pair escaped from Ventress. The two Jedi then took a beat-up spi
ce freighter, the Twilight, and tried to dock on the Spirit of the Republic. How
ever, when its hangar was destroyed by Separatist fire, they were forced to take
the Twilight all the way to Tatooine. Rotta was saved from near death by some m
edicine on board the Twilight.[78]
The Twilight was shot down over Tatooine by two IG-100 MagnaGuards in Rogue-clas
s starfighters and forced to crash-land. The Jedi split up, with Skywalker actin
g as a decoy for his young apprentice. Dooku, who had been negotiating with Jabb
a, intercepted Skywalker and sent MagnaGuards to intercept Tano so that they wou
ld not reach the Hutt and reveal Dooku's Sith deceptions.[78]
Anakin vs Dooku TCW01
Skywalker duels Dooku once again on his homeworld of Tatooine.
After a fierce duel on the Dune Sea, Skywalker stole Dooku's speeder and flew to
Jabba's palace to save Tano from his wrath. While Jabba was pleased to see his
son returned, he still ordered both Skywalker and Tano to be executed. Fortunate
ly, the intervention of Senator Amidala, who had found that Dooku had been worki
ng with Jabba's uncle Ziro, saved the negotiations. Furious that Dooku had decei
ved him, Jabba permitted the Republic to use Hutt hyperspace routes into the Out
er Rim, and asked the Jedi to bring Dooku to justice for his crimes against the
hutts.[78]
Slaves of the Republic
"He was raised as a slave, Ahsoka.[ ]Ever since I've known Skywalker, he's struggl
ed to put that part of his life behind him. He must get past it eventually. Perh
aps now is the time."
?Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
Skywalker, Kenobi and Tano later traveled to Kiros, a Togruta colony world under
the control of the Separatists, where they learned that the whole city was full
of thermal bombs. While Kenobi, "negotiated" with Commander Xerius Ugg, Skywalk
er and Tano disabled all the bombs around the city, except the one near Ugg's es
cape ship. Afterward, they discovered that the entire planet's population had di
sappeared. Meanwhile, Ugg's computers indicated that he was talking to someone i
n the Zygerrian system, a system of slave traders.[79]
Skywalker and Kenobi then contacted Yoda, who informed them that according to th
e Separatists, all of Kiros's inhabitants had been killed. He also told them abo
ut the nature of the Zygerrians. Remembering his past as a slave, Skywalker orde
red his men to set the course for the Zygerrian system immediately, but Kenobi p
roposed another plan. In order to get the exact information about slaves, they h
id in the remains of the former homeworld of Shi'kar until a Zygerrian slave ves
sel arrived. Posing as the slave traders, Skywalker, Kenobi, Tano and a group of
clones infiltrated it, but because of Skywalker's "aggressive negotiations" a f
irefight ensued, during which Tano was separated from the rest of the group and
captured by the Zygerrians, while Skywalker, Kenobi and the clones along with a
group of captured slave traders were sealed from her on the Twilight. Zygerrians
tried to smash the Jedi's ship in the asteroids, but Skywalker managed to disab
le their engines. Tano soon contacted her master and told that it was a part of
her plan, but the Zygerrian commander Onyx intercepted her transmission and prop
osed the Jedi to trade Tano for his people being held on the Twilight. Using the
space suits and rocket jets, Skywalker, Kenobi and their men flew into the open
space, but were attacked by a creature that Onyx had released. Meanwhile, Tano
with the help of the Force opened the rear airlock. Skywalker and Kenobi killed
the beast and breached the ship, capturing Onyx, who revealed that the queen of
Zygerria was going to have a grand auction, that would change the slave trade in
the galaxy forever.[80]
Soon, posing as slave traders, Skywalker, Kenobi, Tano and Captain CT-7567 nicknam
ed "Rex" infiltrated the auction and tried to rescue the Togrutas[81] However, the
y ended up being caught by the Zygerrians and becoming slaves themselves.[82]
Skywalker was left in service of Queen Scintel, Tano was imprisoned on Zygerria,
and Kenobi and Rex were transferred along with the Togrutas to the Zygerrian La
bor Processing Hub on the planet Kadavo. Skywalker and his Padawan, however, esc
aped from the Zygerrians and headed for Kadavo to rescue Kenobi, CT-7567, and th
e Togrutas, who had been transferred to the Zygerrian Labor Processing Hub on th
e planet. Fearing that the liberation of the slaves could prove him a liar as he h
ad spread word that the Jedi had eradicated Kiros's population the Confederate lea
der Count Dooku sent his assassin, Asajj Ventress, alongside General Grievous, t
o kill everyone at the Kadavo facility.[83]
After both the Republic and the Confederate forces arrived at Kadavo, a battle e
nsued on and above the planet. While Grievous's fleet battled the Republic Venat
or-class Star Destroyers, Ventress led a squadron of Hyena-class bombers to dest
roy the Labor Processing Hub. Hoping that the Separatists would spare him if he
killed the Togrutas himself, the facility head the Keeper tried to dump the slaves i
nto the lava but was prevented from doing so by Kenobi and CT-7567. Soon, Republ
ic reinforcements arrived, forcing the Confederate fleet to retreat. Ventress, h
owever, chose to continue the fight alone and made a last ditch attempt to kill
the Jedi with her starship, the Trident, but was repelled by the Republic V-19 T
orrent starfighters. Having won the battle, the Republic returned the people of
Kiros back to their home.[84]
The Malevolence Crisis
"Ever since I've known you, you've been playing with droids."
"I used to put them together. Now, I only take them apart."
?Skywalker and Amidala aboard the Malevolence[src]
Later, Skywalker and Tano were with their task force in the Bith system protecti
ng the staging area there. Skywalker was then contacted by Master Plo Koon who h
ad tracked the Separatist mystery weapon in the Abregado system. Master Koon ask
ed Anakin for reinforcement, but Anakin had to ask the Jedi Council for approval
. Skywalker then lost contact with Master Koon. Skywalker and Tano then briefed
the council on Master Koon's last known location, but surmised that Koon's fleet
was destroyed like the others. Though Skywalker was preparing a rescue mission,
the council wanted to reassign his task force to protect their supply lines. De
spite this, Skywalker and his Padawan went to rescue Plo Koon, when he got stran
ded in an escape pod in the Abregado system with a small group of clone troopers
. Only Tano's ability to sense Master Koon through the Force kept Skywalker from
giving up on him after an unsuccessful search, as well as the fact that she gra
bbed the controls of the Twilight and began piloting it herself. She found Maste
r Koon and his clones and rescued them. Koon informed them that the "secret weap
on" that the Separatists were using was an ion cannon that rendered their ships
defenseless. At that point the ship passed by, forcing them to shut down all sys
tems before it could detect them. They, however, forgot to shut off the medical
droid, which was detected by the Malevolence, which responded by firing the ion
cannon. The Twilight managed to escape the ion wave by jumping into hyperspace,
taking knowledge of the Separatist weapon with them.[85]
Shortly after, Skywalker created a plan to utilize Y-wing bombers in a daring at
tack on the Malevolence, primarily seeking to take out General Grievous and ensu
re a speedier resolution to the war. The Republic plotted the course of the Sepa
ratist super weapon to the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, and in an attempt to a
rrive there before it, the strike force made its way through the Balmorra Run; h
owever, the small force had not reckoned on being confronted by Neebray mantas.
After barely escaping with their lives, the strike team engaged in battle with t
he Malevolence, taking several casualties. When it became apparent that the orig
inal plan would fail, Tano, acting as her Master's gunner, suggested a change in
tactics. With this in mind Master Koon devised a plan that sought to cause the
Separatist warship's ion cannons to overload; this tactic proved successful and
shortly after destroying the ion cannons, Master Kenobi arrived in system with t
hree Republic ships that began pursuit of the fleeing Malevolence.[86]
Skywalker, Kenobi, Tano and Master Plo Koon began the final attack on the Malevo
lence when they received an incoming transmission from Amidala and Threepio, who
were being pulled aboard the Confederate heavy cruiser via a tractor beam. Skyw
alker, Kenobi and Artoo piloted the Twilight and entered the superweapon through
an airlock. Separating, Skywalker found Amidala and the two went to the ship's
bridge, where Skywalker rigged the navicomputer and programmed the ship to crash
into a nearby moon. The two then met with Kenobi, Threepio and Artoo, and the f
ive escaped in the Twilight. With the Malevolence destroyed, they returned to th
e Republic fleet.[57]
AnakinPadme-DM
Skywalker and Amidala aboard the Malevolence
Some weeks later, while searching for General Grievous and his fleet, Kenobi and
Skywalker were forced to come to the aid of Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and a
squad of shinies after the clones engaged Separatist forces on the Rishi moon. T
he Jedi's fleet arrived just in time to force Grievous' ships out of the system,
foiling the cyborg's plot to launch a surprise attack on Kamino.[87]
Attack on the Separatist shipyards
The Republic decided to attack the shipyards at Gwori, but the droids had develo
ped a machine where only droids could pass through harmlessly, not to mention a
whole blockade of Munificent-class star frigates. Skywalker thus proposed that t
hey freeze themselves in carbonite in order to bypass the Separatist blockade. O
nce there, Skywalker, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi delivered the
shipyard coordinates to Jedi Masters Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin.
In order to bypass the Separatist blockade, the two Jedi masters and the Republi
c bombers had to perform a precision hyperspace jump. In the meantime, Skywalker
, Kenobi, Tano, and Rex were captured, but escaped with the help of R2-D2. Once
the bombers arrived, the Jedi decided to escape on a Separatist frigate. However
, the bombs took out their shields. Moments after Skywalker led the stolen friga
te away from the shipyards, Tiin was about to blast it, but Kenobi contacted him
and stopped him. Plo Koon then ordered the bombers to strike the construction s
upports, and once they were done, the shipyards collapsed. Out in space, they we
re almost killed by the Separatist's radiation beam, until Plo Koon and Saesee T
iin destroyed the beam.
Podracing battle
The Jedi High Council dispatched Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi to investigate a corru
pt senator, who recently smuggled a data disk, which contained Republic strategi
c battle plans. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the senator pledged his allegiance to C
onfederate Head of State Count Dooku. Dooku's Dark Acolyte, Asajj Ventress, land
ed on Coruscant to collect the disk. However, Mundi and his squad of clone troop
ers attacked Ventress, but after she killed the senator, Ventress escaped to the
planet of Mon Gazza. After discussing the matter with Chancellor Palpatine, Mun
di and Grand Master Yoda contacted Skywalker and his Padawan, Tano, on Queel to
give them their assignment to Mon Gazza.
On Mon Gazza Skywalker, Tano, and Rex went undercover to find the stolen datadis
k. The datadisk was stolen by the deceased senator's aide, Messo, who soon was k
illed by Skywalker. While the disk was not with the aide, the Jedi Knight conclu
ded that the disk was with another Confederate spy on Mon Gazza. The group notic
ed a Twi'lek podracer, named Kidd Kareen, won a podrace. Kareen and his closest
friend, San Maxus, became Skywalker's suspects. Telling Tano to become friends w
ith Kareen, Skywalker soon began to snoop around Kareen's pit inside a podrace h
angar. Soon after, the first Mon Gazza podrace began. Skywalker entered Tano int
o the race, however she crashed her pod. After Kareen gave the Togruta a spare p
od, Skywalker and Rex followed Maxus to a cantina, where they found him contacti
ng Dooku.
The following day, Tano was racing in the Mon Gazza Maze with Kareen and Maxus.
Skywalker and Rex watched her progress when they noticed Maxus had the data disk
. Maxus soon began to bump into Tano's pod, threatening to kill the revealed Jed
i. However, Kareen saved Tano by allowing her to jump onto his pod. Confronting
the racers, Ventress jumped onto Maxus's pod and engaged Tano in a duel. Skywalk
er left Rex to save his Padawan on a speeder bike. Ventress soon grabbed the dat
a disk, though it was soon Force crushed by Skywalker. As Ventress escaped the s
cene; Skywalker, Tano and Kareen met up with Rex near the hangar. After leaving
Kareen, the group departed Mon Gazza. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi contacted Skywa
lker via hologram and discussed about Skywalker's successful mission.[88]
Mission to Taloraan
The Republic forces traveled to Kothlis to negotiate with the Bothans, but were
confronted by a Confederate fleet upon arrival. After a brief battle, however, t
he Separatist forces retreated. Jedi Grand Master Yoda, Kenobi, Skywalker and Ta
no then entered negotiations with the Bothans' first secretary Desark Fey'lya, w
ho thanked the Jedi for their efforts in repelling the Separatist attack. Tano,
however, sensed that the secretary had probably invited the Separatists himself
and expressed her concerns to the rest of the Jedi. Fey'lya felt insulted by Tan
o's words and declared that the Bothans and their Spynet would be open to both s
ides of the conflict.
Kenobi, Skywalker and Tano traveled to the planet of Taloraan to secure the ship
ment of tibanna with the Galactic Republic. They were unaware that the magister
of Taloraan City, Orlin Denache secretly signed a treaty with Count Dooku, who w
as interested in making Taloraan a member of the Confederacy of Independent Syst
ems. A Munificent-class star frigate under the command of Captain Canteval was s
ent to the planet and local CIS supporters led by Rynert began to smuggle B1 bat
tle droids and droidekas into the city.
Denache realized that the Jedi would detect his lies with the Force, so he prete
nded to became ill and his emissary Sech Govlinder was sent to negotiate in his
place. After the first round of negotiations Ahsoka Tano went into the city and
accidentally discovered battle droids stocked within a guarded warehouse. Cantev
al ordered the droids to attack her and the other Jedi, revealing the Confederat
e presence within the city. Kenobi and Skywalker accused Govlinder of treachery
and tried to reach their Nu-class shuttle, but were incapacitated when the shutt
le was blown up and taken into custody.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka Tano managed to leave the city of Denfrandi and persuade a tri
be of Wind Raiders to join combat against Separatist forces. Govlinder himself f
elt manipulated by Denache and remained loyal to the Republic. Once he had the c
hance, he immediately freed both Jedi and returned to them their lightsabers. Af
terward he led them to the city's central communication tower, where the Jedi we
re able to patch a message to their Star Destroyer, Resolute. Without the elemen
t of surprise Canteval's Munificent was unable to overpower the Venator on its o
wn. With its shield weakening, the Munificent took several direct hits into its
engines and, unable to maintain altitude, was sucked into the gas giant's core.
Meanwhile, the Resolute had sent several LAAT/i with clone reinforcements to hel
p the loyalists regain control of the city. Rynert and his followers tried to ho
ld, but against the combined strength of the Jedi, clone troopers, Denfrandi loy
alists and the Wind Raiders they were outmatched and soon defeated. Facing a dea
d-end, magister Denache committed suicide by stepping off the edge of the city a
nd falling into the care of the gas giant. Temporarily taking the rule of the ci
ty, Govlinder continued negotiations with the Jedi and acknowledged the support
of the Wind Raiders, who also played a small part in the skirmish.
Battle of JanFathal
Skywalker agreed to let Tano to travel with Rex in a mission to the Leveler, a s
hip commanded by Gilad Pellaeon. Tano, Rex and a group of clones would go to Jan
Fathal to rescue Hallena Devis. Skywalker rescued the group with a CR-20 troop c
arrier.
A missing friend
"Hey! We'd like to buy a droid. You sellin'?"
?Skywalker aboard the Vulture's Claw Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]
After Republic forces were bested at Falleen, Grievous' fleet headed to attack t
he Both system. Skywalker and Tano prepared to defend the strategic system. Grie
vous headed through the asteroid belt, and Skywalker led a fleet of V-19s in his
starfighter with R2-D2. As the Separatist fleet started to attack the cruisers,
it seemed that the Republic had been beaten, but Skywalker unveiled his "surpri
se" for Grievous: pre-dispatched All Terrain Tactical Enforcers in the asteroid
field. The AT-TEs attacked the Separatist frigates from behind, and the Venator-
class cruisers attacked from the front. Beaten, Grievous boarded his fighter and
fled the battle. Skywalker pursued him in his starfighter, but flying debris fr
om the disintegrating frigates caused damage to his ship. Fortunately, Rex was a
ble to rescue him, but after recovering he learned that Artoo had gone missing.[
89]
With Artoo missing, Skywalker was given a replacement astromech droid, R3-S6, bu
t was convinced that Artoo could never be replaced. In an attempt to find his fr
iend, Skywalker went with Tano on board the Twilight to search the battlefield.
Finding his damaged ship without Artoo, Skywalker then proceeded to dock to a ne
arby scavenging ship, unaware of the fact that Trandoshan Gha Nachkt had already
promised the droid to Grievous.[89]
After returning to his cruiser, Skywalker reported to Kenobi that he wasn't able
to find Artoo. Kenobi then instructed Skywalker to find the Separatist listenin
g post that was apparently listening in on them, explaining the Separatists' int
el on their strategies. Skywalker went to scout ahead with R3, but the astromech
activated his starfighter's tracking beacon, alerting Grievous to his position.
Skywalker managed to evade an attack by Vulture droids, and Tano and Rex came t
o his rescue aboard the Twilight. After chastising R3 for nearly getting killed,
Skywalker held onto the belief that Artoo was still somewhere out there.[89]
AnakinAhsokaFreefalling-DotD
Skywalker and Tano free falling toward Skytop Station
Mission to Skytop Station
"You have something that belongs to me."
?Skywalker, rescuing R2 from MagnaGuards Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[sr
c]
After receiving a message from Artoo, Skywalker managed to track his droid to Sk
ytop Station, the listening post they had been looking for. Skywalker sent Tano
and the clones to destroy the station while he went to search for Artoo. Skywalk
er found Artoo being carried away by Grievous's MagnaGuards, and successfully di
spatched the droids. Skywalker then went with Artoo to the south hangar to escap
e with his team, but upon meeting up with Rex and Denal, he discovered that Tano
had engaged Grievous alone and sent the two to complete the mission. As the gro
up started to leave the hangar, they were locked in by R3, who revealed himself
to be a spy for Grievous. R3 also activated three Vulture droids. Super battle d
roids appeared, and a fight broke out. After Tano returned, Skywalker reproved h
er for engaging Grievous alone, and he sent Artoo to find the controls on the ou
ter platform to open the hangar. The group managed to dispatch the rest of the d
roids, and after Artoo opened the hangar door and also destroyed R3, Skywalker w
ent out in his fighter to retrieve him. After conferring with an exasperated Ken
obi, Skywalker told Tano that Artoo was more than a droid: he was a friend.[90]
Capture of Gunray
"I need you to depart for Rodia immediately."
"Rodia?"
"You are to oversee the transfer of Nute Gunray."
?Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano[src]
After Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray was captured during a mission to Rodi
a by Senator Amidala, Skywalker, fearing for her safety, sent Tano to help Maste
r Luminara Unduli escort Gunray to Coruscant for trial.[91] However, Gunray mana
ged to escape with the help of Ventress and a traitorous Senate Commando Captain
Faro Argyus. Skywalker then met up with Tano at a rendezvous point.[92]
Skywalker Ohnaka Kenobi
Skywalker and Kenobi were captured by Hondo Ohnaka
Capturing Dooku
Skywalker: "You should be more patient, Master. After all, the Count is an elder
ly gentleman and doesn't move like he used to."
Kenobi: "I suppose you're right."
Dooku: "I would kill you both right now if I did not have to drag your bodies."
?Skywalker and Kenobi mock Dooku as the three attempt to escape Listen (helpinfo)
[src]
Kenobi and Skywalker managed to track Dooku aboard a Separatist frigate, and Sky
walker devised a plan to get aboard. Once on board, he allowed himself to be cap
tured,[93] and Kenobi came aboard to rescue him. After freeing Skywalker, the tw
o Jedi confronted Dooku as the Resolute attacked the frigate, but Dooku escaped
in his solar sailer, and the Jedi pursued. Unfortunately, both ships sustained d
amage and crash-landed on Vanqor. Dooku trapped the two Jedi in a cave and stole
Skywalker's lightsaber, but as he was taken to nearby Florrum by pirates, he wa
s captured himself. After confronting a Gundark and poison gas, Kenobi and Skywa
lker were rescued by Tano, who was not pleased to find that her master had let D
ooku escape.[94]
Hondo Ohnaka contacted the Republic, seeking to turn over Dooku for one million
credits. Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to Florrum to confirm that Dooku was a c
aptive of the pirates,[94] but after reporting back, they were captured themselv
es,[95] discovering that the pirates were seeking to triple their pay. The two J
edi were forced to strike an uneasy alliance with Dooku to escape from the stron
ghold, but after multiple attempts the two Jedi were tortured. Fortunately, Jar
Jar Binks, sent with Senator Kharrus to deliver the ransom, accidentally destroy
ed the power lines, and Skywalker and Kenobi managed to escape. The two retrieve
d their lightsabers, but left on even terms with Ohnaka. Dooku, however, had esc
aped separately.[96]
Aaylaanakinashoka
Tano and Aayla Secura help an injured Skywalker.
Battle of Quell
"Take care of that clanker! I'll be aboard Aayla's cruiser."
?Skywalker to Tano[src]
When Jedi General Aayla Secura was attacked by the Separatists, the Resolute was
sent to help her. Arriving above Quell, Skywalker and Tano went on gunships to
land on the cruiser, but Skywalker used a rocket droid to land on the cruiser. S
kywalker called a frigate for an evacuation of the cruiser, and met up with Secu
ra and Bly with Tano. However, increasing Separatist fire caused a raging infern
o to run through the cruiser, and Skywalker sacrificed himself to save the other
s, severely injuring himself in the process. Secura and Tano managed to get him
on board the frigate, but as they prepared to dock with the Resolute to give Sky
walker medical attention, an assault by several Vulture droids caused the hyperd
rive to accidentally activate, and they were forced to detach from the cruiser.[
97]
Tano piloted the frigate to narrowly avoid hitting a star, but the ship was forc
ed to crash-land on the remote world of Maridun. Leaving Rex to watch over Skywa
lker, Secura, Tano and the rest of the clones went in search of the planet's inh
abitants for medical support for Skywalker. Rex was attacked by a Mastiff phalon
e, but managed to fend it off. Just as a second group of the creatures attacked
Skywalker and Rex, Tano arrived with Bly and Wag Too, who was a healer belonging
to the pacifist Lurmen colony. They managed to fend off the creatures and broug
ht Skywalker to the Lurmen village.[97]
BringItOn-DoP
Skywalker, Tano, Secura, Rex and Bly defend the Lurmen village on Maridun.
Battle of Maridun
"Ahsoka Stop. If the Lurmen want to remain neutral, we won't force them into war."
?Skywalker to Tano in the Lurmen Village on Maridun[src]
When Separatists arrived on Maridun, Tee Watt Kaa, leader of the Lurmen, accused
the Jedi of bringing the war to their planet. Skywalker, Tano, Rex and Bly left
the village so that the Lurmen would not pay the consequence of their presence.
After discovering that the Separatists planned to test a new weapon on the Lurm
en, the group took a shuttle back to the Lurmen village to defend them. The grou
p set up shields and managed to survive a blast from the weapon, as well as the
first wave of droids. However, the second wave of droids penetrated the shield a
nd destroyed it. As the Separatists prepared to use the Defoliator again, Skywal
ker arrived and destroyed it, along with capturing General Lok Durd. As the Jedi
prepared to leave, a fleet of three Venator-class cruisers arrived on the plane
t: Admiral Yularen was apparently able to find them on his own.[98]
Rex cold assault trooper
Skywalker, dressed for Orto Plutonia's cold climate
Battle on Orto Plutonia
Blue Glass Arrow Main article: Battle of Orto Plutonia
"I thought this planet was uninhabited and therefore it's not aligned."
?Skywalker to Chairman Cho[src]
After losing contact with a Republic base on Orto Plutonia, Kenobi and Skywalker
were sent to investigate with a squad of cold assault troopers under the comman
d of clone trooper Captain Rex. Arriving on the severely cold planet, the Jedi d
iscovered that the planet was inhabited by Talz, contrary to previous belief. Ho
wever, Chairman Chi Cho of the nearby moon of Pantora was insulted by the Talz o
ccupancy of the planet, and declared war, despite the Jedi's efforts to bring fo
rth peace. However, Senator Riyo Chuchi convened with the Pantoran Assembly and
called Cho out of order, and she was able to bring forth peace between the two w
orlds at the cost of the Cho's life.[99]
AnakinAndPadmeInVindisLaboratory-BSV
Skywalker comes to the aid of Amidala after she is electrically shocked.
Blue Shadow Virus scare
"Padm may be lost, Anakin. Don't risk the mission trying to rescue her."
[ ]
"I know what's at stake here."
?Kenobi and Skywalker, as they prepare to attack Vindi's laboratory[src]
Kenobi, Skywalker and Tano traveled to Naboo when there was evidence of a secret
Separatist lab there. When Skywalker learned that Amidala had left without wait
ing for them, he immediately became worried and sent Tano to find them. Captain
Typho reported that they had lost contact with her and Binks, but they had disco
vered that Separatist-allied Dr. Nuvo Vindi was planning to release the Blue Sha
dow Virus back into the galaxy. He noted that Amidala had transmitted the coordi
nates of the secret lab before contact was lost. When Tano reported back, Kenobi
instructed her to lead an attack on the south entrance, while Skywalker and Ken
obi entered the lab through the hatches. Kenobi attempted to convince Skywalker
to not risk the mission just to save her, and Skywalker replied that he knew wha
t was at stake.[100]
Arriving over the lab, the gunships dropped bombs over the hatches, and Skywalke
r entered the lab with his squad. He found that Tano's distraction was working,
and proceeded to break into the main room. Vindi started to electrify Amidala an
d Binks, and forced the group to lay down their weapons to save them. Skywalker
complied without hesitation. Vindi gave Skywalker a choice: capture him or save
his friends, and turned the electricity back on and escaped. Skywalker retrieved
his lightsaber, but instead of going after Vindi, he freed Amidala and Binks. V
indi activated the virus bombs, and Skywalker and Kenobi found him escaping in t
he landing bay. Vindi threw down virus capsules, forcing Kenobi to stop attackin
g and retrieve them. However, with some help from Peppi Bow, Skywalker succeeded
in stopping the mad doctor.[100]
Vindi taunts Anakin and Obi-Wan
A captured Nuvo Vindi taunts Skywalker and Kenobi.
Mission to Iego
"The virus is liberated. You are doomed, young Jedi, along with the rest of the
planet."
?Vindi to Skywalker and Kenobi as the Blue Shadow Virus is released[src]
Skywalker and Kenobi prepared to escort Nuvo Vindi to Theed for trial, but far d
own below, an alarm began to sound. Skywalker contacted Tano and found that Vind
i's servant droid LEP-86C8 had succeeded in liberating the Blue Shadow Virus, an
d he contacted Amidala to make sure she was all right. Amidala stated that she w
ould stop any remaining droids from escaping and setting the virus free, and Sky
walker told her to be careful. Skywalker forcefully interrogated Vindi for the a
ntidote, but Vindi taunted him. Kenobi convinced Skywalker that the quickest way
to save his friends was to go back to Theed and find an actual cure, and Skywal
ker crossly complied.[101]
Arriving back at Theed, Skywalker and Kenobi handed Vindi over, and Typho inform
ed Kenobi and Skywalker that he had found a possible cure: Reeksa root, found on
ly on Iego. He mentioned that would be suicide trying to go there. Skywalker, ho
wever, decided to go there anyway, and he and Kenobi boarded the Twilight. Upon
arriving on Iego, they passed through a graveyard of ships in Iego's orbit, and
when they landed they were greeted by strangely disfigured droids. Skywalker pro
ceeded to eliminate them, but Kenobi alerted him to the fact that they weren't a
ttempting to defend themselves. They met Jaybo Hood, who reprogrammed the droids
once the Separatists left the planet, and told them that "Drol," the phantom ru
ler of Iego, was preventing the inhabitants from leaving the planet.[101]
Drol
The Twilight encounters Drol, "god" of Iego.
Skywalker and Kenobi obtained the root after being attacked by the plant itself,
but as they tried to leave the planet, a laser web activated, and Kenobi conclu
ded that the Separatists planted it when they left. After learning that the Sepa
ratists had stolen Millius Prime, home to the Angels, when they attacked, Skywal
ker concluded that it must be where the laser emitter was. Jaybo gave R2-D2 remo
te control of four Vulture droids, and Artoo attempted to fly them into the lase
r emitter, but all were destroyed. Kenobi then managed to shoot the generator, d
estroying the laser field and liberating the inhabitants of Iego. Skywalker and
Kenobi then returned to Naboo, where they arrived in time to save their friends.
[101]
Battle of Ryloth
Battle over the planet
Skywalker: "It was a trap, Snips. It wasn't your fault."
Tano: "I lost so many of my pilots."
Skywalker: "Take heart, little one. That's the reality of command."
?Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano[src]
After Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor seized control of the planet Ryloth and it
s inhabitants, the Jedi Council devised a plan to invade and liberate the planet
, and dispatched Skywalker and Tano to destroy the Separatist blockade and clear
the way for the invasion forces to land. The Resolute arrived out of hyperspace
over Ryloth, along with the Defender and Redeemer, just in front of the blockad
e. Tano led a squadron for the first time, leading Blue Squadron, and managed to
cut away through the advancing Vulture droids. However, after Separatist reinfo
rcements arrived out of hyperspace, Admiral Yularen and Skywalker ordered Tano b
ack to the Resolute, but she disobeyed, thinking that she could still complete h
er mission. The Vulture droids began suicidal runs on the Resolute, and one droi
d hit its bridge, severely injuring Admiral Yularen. Tano finally returned to th
e Resolute, but lost half her battle group along the way. The Resolute and Defen
der retreated to hyperspace, but the Redeemer was too damaged to follow.[102]
Anakin Ahsoka Storm Over Ryloth
Skywalker tries to bolster Tano's confidence.
After ordering a head count to find how many men they lost, Skywalker reprimande
d his Padawan for disobeying a direct order. She argued that he himself disobeye
d orders all the time, but took full responsibility for her actions, if rather s
everely. Skywalker attempted to console her, stating that loss was the reality o
f command, before leaving to give a report on their progress to Generals Mace Wi
ndu and Obi-Wan Kenobi. After he reported their losses, Kenobi recommended that
Skywalker give his Padawan some time to recover, but stated that he would need h
er to complete his mission. Despite only half his forces remaining, Skywalker wa
s given one planetary rotation to destroy the blockade. He sent Rex to find Tano
, and she met him while he was repairing her starfighter with the help of R2-D2.
After stating that they had to finish their mission without reinforcements, Tan
o started to panic and questioned his readiness. Skywalker ordered her back to h
er quarters to "cool off."[102]
Later, Tano joined him in the hangar bay of the Resolute and discovered that he
had devised a plan to pilot the Defender alone and destroy the lead battleship t
o take out the commander and thereby leave only outmaneuverable droids in comman
d of the blockade. Tano attempted to change his mind, but he left for the Defend
er with R2-D2, leaving her in charge of the Resolute, and responsible for both h
is life and destroying the rest of the blockade. After arriving out of hyperspac
e, Skywalker proceeded to contact the commander of the lead ship, Captain Mar Tu
uk, who had already learned much about him from the archives. Skywalker stated t
hat he had been ordered to surrender himself, his crew and his vessel in exchang
e for safe passage to deliver supplies to Ryloth. However, a scan of the Defende
r revealed his deception to Tuuk, and Skywalker proceeded to gun the engines of
the Defender and head it straight for the ship. Tuuk fled the battlefield, and t
he Resolute arrived out of hyperspace. Tano's plan to angle the hull of the Reso
lute toward the blockade to act as a screen so that the fighters could launch we
nt off without a hitch, and Tano led a team of fighters on a successful attack o
n the blockade. The invasion force arrived out of hyperspace with Generals Kenob
i and Windu aboard, and Tano dispatched a shuttle to retrieve her master.[102]
Retaking the capital city
Tano: "That was close, Master!"
Skywalker: "Isn't it always, Snips?"
?Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, after defeating the bombers Gnome-speakernote
sListen (file info)[src]
Anakin fighter ryloth
Anakin shooting down the bombers
After Kenobi and his men were able to take out the proton cannons and allow the
transports to land,[103] Windu headed for the capital with his forces. During a
holographic conference with Palpatine, Yoda, Admiral Yularen, Senator Orn Free T
aa and Windu, Skywalker reported that his forces had secured the space around Ry
loth, and that the Separatist cruisers were on the run. However, Wat Tambor soon
deployed Hyena-class bombers to destroy the nearby villages and Skywalker engag
ed them in his fighter, accompanied by Tano. Tambor's tactical droid TA-175 and
his shuttle left without him, but Count Dooku still ordered the bombers to destr
oy Lessu, despite the fact that Tambor was still there. However, before the bomb
ers could destroy the Republic forces and the Twi'lek inhabitants, Skywalker and
Tano shot them down. Tambor was captured, and the Republic was victorious: Rylo
th was finally free once more.[104]
Following the liberation of Lessu, Skywalker and Tano were left in command of th
e operations against the remaining Confederate holdouts on the planet. The two J
edi led their 501st Legion clone troopers through the ruined city of Resdin, gra
dually clearing out the droid forces that were encamped there. During the confli
ct, Captain Rex and Clone Sergeant Boomer were captured by the bounty hunter Cad
Bane, who was on the run after stealing the Gravitic Core, a part of Separatist
scientist Kul Teska's newly developed superweapon. The clones were eventually r
escued by Skywalker and Tano, but while trying to escape from Resdin, they and B
ane were attacked by Teska himself, who planned to steal the Gravitic Core from
them. When the Skakoan attempted to seize the Core with a grappling hook, Skywal
ker used the Force to throw it into Bane's ship.[105]
Tano pinned Bane beneath a metal slab, preventing him from running off with his
ship. An enraged Teska engaged the Jedi, charging at them using the enhanced abi
lities of his modified pressure suit and firing volleys of missiles from launche
rs mounted on his back. After Skywalker repeatedly used the Force to redirect hi
s missiles back at him, Teska encased the two Jedi within an energy bubble, inca
pacitating them. However, before Teska could escape in Bane's ship, Rex and Boom
er arrived and confronted Teska until the Skakoan was eventually forced to issue
and ultimatum: either save their Jedi commanders or kill Teska. As the energy b
ubble began to close in on Skywalker and Tano, the clones decided to chose to re
scue the Jedi. While the clones deactivated the bubble, Teska boarded The Sleigh
t of Hand and escaped with his weapon. Cad Bane also escaped, fleeing Ryloth and
the Republic forces.[105]
Skywalker and Tano contacted Jedi Grand Master Yoda and Generals Windu, Kenobi,
Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto on Juma 9. The group was joined by the Jedi Aayla Secura
and Luminara Unduli, who had encountered Separatist forces on the world of Alzo
c III, where Bane had stolen the Core from Teska. During the holographic transmi
ssion, the Jedi received a distress signal from Senator Padm Amidala of Naboo, wh
o was investigating Confederate activity on Behpour, a planet in the Naboo syste
m. Amidala reported that she had been spotted before her connection was severed.
The Jedi prepared to lay siege to Teska's facility on Behpour, from which the S
kakoan had harnessed his gravitic beam to collapse the Naboo sun, with the objec
tive of rescuing the Senator and destroying the Confederate superweapon.[105]
Battle of Behpour
Commander Cody and Captain Rex created a diversion while Skywalker and Kenobi sn
uck into the droid facility and destroyed the shield generator, allowing the mai
n body of troops, commanded by Windu and Tano, to destroy the main building. Ins
ide, Skywalker and Tano faced Teska, while Rex, Cody, and Ponds brought the Twil
ight to the rendezvous point while trying to escape Dooku, who was trying to imp
ede their advance. By the time Masters Kenobi and Windu arrived, the Count was a
lready close to destroying the freighter. After a short duel, Windu and Kenobi d
efeated Dooku, while the clones escaped. Before they could capture him, however,
Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress appeared and took her injured master to a hidden Sh
eathipede-class transport shuttle, in which they escaped. Meanwhile, Skywalker a
nd his Padawan had already diffused the bomb, defeated Teska and saved the Senat
or. In the end, the Jedi escaped with the Senator Amidala, leaving Teska and his
experiments to die in the burning wreckage of the laboratory.[105]
Felucia
"Move it trooper! Come on, double time!"
?Anakin, to an unknown clone trooper[src]
Skywalker, Tano, Kenobi and Master Plo Koon were sent to counter General Grievou
s's attack on Felucia. The Republic forces engaged the Confederate Navy above th
e planet and began to break-up their advancement; however, waves of Vulture droi
ds caused problems for the Republic group. Few clone trooper transports made it
to the planet surface to aid Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. As ba
ttle droids continued to fire on the struggling clone troopers, General Koon cle
ared the skies of Vulture droids, inside his starfighter. Meanwhile, a Vulture d
roid fragment fell from the sky and landed on one of the Republic's AT-TE walker
s. Seeing that the Republic forces had lost much of its reinforcements, Kenobi s
ignaled for an immediate retreat; however, both Kenobi and Skywalker noticed tha
t Tano has been missing. Contacting her through his comlink, Tano revealed that
she has engaged another group of battle droids. The Jedi Master told her that th
e Republic forces are retreating and she needed to return, although the Togruta
Padawan denied and told him that she has broke through the Separatists' defense.
However, Skywalker and Kenobi landed their LAAT/i gunships in front of Tano's J
uggernaut Turbo Tank, which caused her to shout at Skywalker in dismay. After Sk
ywalker forced her to enter his gunship, she complied and entered it. As the Rep
ublic forces aboard the LAAT/i gunships lifted above the ground, the forces within t
hem witnessed the destruction of Tano's Turbo Tank and its reinforcements.
The stolen holocron
After leaving Felucia, the Republic forces returned to Coruscant. Inside the Jed
i Temple council chamber, Skywalker and Tano stood before Jedi Masters Mace Wind
u and Yoda. Kenobi had given the Council information on what the Padawan had don
e on Felucia. After, Windu informed the Padawan if she agrees with Kenobi's clai
ms. Tano agreed, and told the Jedi Master that she is regretful of her actions a
nd only was "caught in the moment." Skywalker defended his Padawan by taking the
blame; however, Windu dismissed his claim. The Jedi Master then announced that
Tano would take time off from the battlefield and become a Jedi Archives guard,
under the assistance of Jedi librarian Jocasta Nu. Skywalker and Tano soon left
the council chamber and headed for the Archives room. Along the way, Tano reflec
ted on her actions and apologized to her master; however, Skywalker told her tha
t he was once a struggling Jedi Padawan not too long ago. The Jedi Knight soon g
reeted Nu, who was near her desk outside the main Archives hall. Skywalker intro
duced Tano to Nu, and told the Jedi Librarian that Tano was to be her new guard
officer.
Felucia-Skywalker
Skywalker fights during the First Battle of Felucia.
Later, Cad Bane would sneak in the Jedi Temple to steal a holocron. Skywalker, T
ano and Kenobi captured Bane's ally, Cato Parasitti. However, Bane managed to es
cape. Windu told the Jedi that Bane wanted the Kyber memory crystal which could
only be read by holocrons and contained information about every known Force-sens
itive child in the galaxy, the future of the Jedi Order. Windu also told them th
at Jedi Master Bolla Ropal was the keeper of the crystal. Skywalker and Tano wou
ld then go to the Devaron system to capture Bane.
Holocron chase
"I don't have the holocron memory and I seem to have misplaced my Padawan."
?Anakin Skywalker[src]
Skywalker and Tano attacked Cad Bane's fleet over Devaron. After disabling his s
hip, Skywalker, Tano, Artoo and a team of clone troopers entered Bane's ship usi
ng AT-TE walkers. The Republic team then entered the bridge and destroyed its cr
ew. However, Bane had escaped through a chute. After clearing the main bridge, t
he Jedi found a hologram recording of Bane's conversation with Gunray, which con
firmed that he was in possession of the kyber crystal. To prevent Bane from esca
ping the ship, Rex and his squad destroyed the ship's supply of escape pods. Adm
iral Yularen witnessed an explosion in the ship's aft section, but Skywalker sti
ll pressed on to find Ropal.
The Jedi and clones searched the ship for Ropal, and Tano found his body in a pr
ison cell. Skywalker ordered a few clones to bring Ropal's body to the Resolute.
They had no other options than to find Bane and retrieve the crystal. Bane had
deactivated the ship's lights using his wrist-com, and so the clones were forced
to use night vision. Bane was spotted, and the Jedi pursued. He led them to the
ship's gunnery deck, where he reactivated the lights to reveal an army of droid
s awaiting. The droids opened fire, and in the midst of the firefight, Bane used
his wrist-com to deactivate the ship's artificial gravity wells, turning the sh
ip into a zero gravity environment. The clones were trained for this type of sit
uation, and were equipped with magnetic boots, as were the droids. To make matte
rs worse, the gunnery deck was full of ammunition canisters, which meant stray f
ire could cause the entire gunnery deck to explode.
Ahsoka and anakin
Skywalker and Tano before the Jedi Council on Coruscant
Bane and Skywalker fought. Skywalker kicked Bane in the face, which caused him t
o float away in a spinning motion, causing the holocron to fall out of Bane's du
ster. Just as Skywalker was about to grab it, R2-D2 reactivated the gravity, sen
ding him, Bane, and the holocron falling to the floor. As Skywalker was dazed, B
ane snatched the holocron and fled. Skywalker pursued, but Bane distracted him b
y causing a clone attached to the ceiling with his magnetized boots to fall. Whi
le Skywalker was distracted saving the clone, Tano gave chase. Bane used his wri
st-com to close the blast door, separating Tano from her master. When Skywalker
attempted to cut through the door, a droid accidentally shot an ammo canister, c
ausing the ceiling to collapse, trapping Skywalker in the rubble.
As Bane reached a dead end in the hallway, he took a shot at Tano, which she eas
ily deflected back to his left arm. Bane managed to disarm Tano, but she still m
anaged to flip the bounty hunter onto the floor. She thought she had beaten him,
but the bounty hunter grabbed her ankle and delivered a massive stun charge thr
ough her body, incapacitating her. Skywalker sensed this, and in his rage broke
through the rubble that surrounded him. When he received the order from Admiral
Yularen to abandon the mission because the ship was about to explode, he in turn
ordered Yularen to move the Resolute a safe distance from the ship and moved on
to save his Padawan.
Skywalker found Tano trapped in an energy field, right in front of an airlock. B
ane threatened to open the airlock unless Skywalker opened the holocron. Skywalk
er accepted and dropped his lightsaber. He then opened the holocron. But then, S
kywalker grabbed his lightsaber and Tano's and attacked Bane. However, Bane open
ed the airlock and escaped. Skywalker rescued Tano and the two went to the hanga
r. The team would later return to the Resolute. Although Bane was presumed dead,
Skywalker still felt his presence.[106]
Rescuing the children
Bane captured
Skywalker captures Cad Bane on Naboo.
Skywalker and Tano returned from their failed mission to recapture the holocron
captured by Cad Bane whom they believed to be dead land on the Resolute orbiting
the Devaron System. Tano followed the clone trooper who supposedly killed Cad B
ane constantly asking questions with no answers from the clone. Skywalker, in th
e meantime, investigated green Duros blood residing inside the ship and was aler
ted to the danger. He warned Tano, but it was too late. She was kneed in the mid
section by Cad Bane disguised as the clone trooper, who ran to another ship to g
et away. Anakin attempted to stop him by jumping onto the ship, but Bane moved t
he ship and Anakin fell off. Anakin then helplessly contacted Admiral Yularen an
d told him to deactivate the hyperspace rings, but he, too, was too late, and Ca
d Bane escaped.
Back on Coruscant, Skywalker and Tano reported to the Jedi Council of the unfort
unate turn of events. With Bane having access to all Force-sensitive children in
the holocron and that the information was in Separatist hands, it could be disa
strous for the Order. Their only hope was to search through the Force to watch f
or any kidnappings.
Yoda, Kenobi, Mace Windu and Skywalker meditated, trying to detect any children
through the Force, as many were being overshadowed by the dark side. Skywalker a
nd Tano then headed to Naboo to secure a Gungan child.
They arrived on Naboo and secured the child, Roo-Roo Page. Bane was captured lat
er that night, but refused to reveal the locations of the other captured childre
n, and his ship's navigation logs had been wiped. Therefore, Skywalker, Windu an
d Kenobi simultaneously used the Force to make him talk, with the risk of destro
ying his mind. The experience was hard on Bane and he cooperated.
With Bane as their guide, Kenobi and Windu prepared to go find the children. Win
du pointed out that they had to report to the Chancellor about this, but Kenobi
insisted that this is a Jedi affair; Skywalker advocated contacting Palpatine.
On Coruscant, Skywalker reported to Palpatine about the plot. He expressed his b
elief that Dooku wasn't behind it, but he didn't know who was. Palpatine told hi
m to have patience.
Back on the Resolute, Skywalker and Tano checked Bane's fighter for any clues. T
ano found volcanic ash on its hull, while Skywalker looked through its fueling l
og, determining that Bane had dropped his hostages on Mustafar. They then headed
out in the Twilight. However, the facility was set to sink in the lava as Maste
r-Padawan team entered it, drawn by Wee's cries. The droids inside used the chil
dren as shields when fighting the Jedi, while the facility tore itself apart. No
netheless, the Jedi managed to snatch the children away from the droids and esca
pe before the entire facility fell into the lava.
When they returned to Coruscant, Skywalker admitted to the Council that they wer
e unable to find out who was behind the kidnappings, and the Jedi Masters reveal
ed to Skywalker and Tano that Bane had escaped.[107]
Defense on Felucia
Monkey toss
Skywalker tosses Hondo Ohnaka's pet Kowakian monkey-lizard on Felucia.
While on a mission to check up on a medical station above Felucia, Skywalker, Ob
i-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano were attacked by Separatist droid starfighters, wh
ich obliterated their ship and forced them to evacuate and crash-land into the p
lanet below. Although all three Jedi survived the crash with minimal injuries, t
hey were left with no means of escaping Felucia or getting into contact with a R
epublic-allied planet. Stumbling into a seemingly abandoned Felucian village, Sk
ywalker, Kenobi, and Tano split up, hoping to find some inhabitants or some mean
s of escape. They were soon able to find a starship sitting in a hangar and, whe
n they finally discovered the hiding place of the villagers, were challenged by
a squad of bounty hunters led by Sugi. When it became apparent that the Jedi cou
ld help the bounty hunters defend the village against another group of marauders
, Kenobi initially disagreed, citing the fact that if any of the opposition were
able to catch a glimpse of the Jedi and had communication off-world, Separatist
forces could be brought down onto the planet. That worry is immediately compoun
ded when the Jedi come face-to-face with the marauding leader: none other than t
heir old captor, Hondo Ohnaka. With the realization that Ohnaka could turn them
over at any moment, Kenobi agrees to let the Jedi help. Skywalker, along with th
e enigmatic Embo, worked on training the villagers for combat. When Ohnaka final
ly rallied his forces to attack the village, Skywalker led the defenses, utilizi
ng the Force to leap atop a cliffside and engage Ohnaka and his Kowakian monkey-
lizard Pilf Mukmuk himself. Despite besting Ohnaka in combat, Skywalker offered
the pirate a helping hand when the Weequay found himself dangling treacherously
off a cliff. Once on sturdy ground again, Ohnaka pushed Skywalker into the traje
ctory of his Mukmuk-controlled cannon, forcing Skywalker to jump to safety and a
llow Ohnaka and his monkey-lizard to make a clean escape with his surviving pira
tes. As an offer of thanks, Sugi offered to transport the Jedi off of Felucia.[1
08]
The Zillo Beast
AnakinRidingArtoo
Anakin Skywalker escapes the zillo beast on R2-D2
Later in the war, Skywalker oversaw the Battle of Malastare with Mace Windu, sup
ervising the drop of the Republic's new electro-proton bomb to destroy the droid
armies. Unbeknownst to either Jedi, the bomb awoke a creature thought to be lon
g dead, the Zillo Beast. When Windu, venturing into the bomb-created pit to exam
ine things himself, found the beast altogether overwhelming, he contacted Skywal
ker, who abandoned his talks with Doge Nakha Urus to pilot his starfighter into
the fray with R2-D2. Despite his extraordinary piloting skills, Skywalker soon f
ound himself swatted aside by the beast, narrowly escaping being crushed altoget
her by the creature's large hand. While defending himself against the zillo beas
t, Skywalker made the important discovery that the beast's scales were imperviou
s to lightsabers. Using R2-D2 to fly him up and out of the pit, he later led the
conference with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, acting as a middleman between Uru
s, who wanted to destroy the beast immediately, and Windu, who adamantly support
ed the Jedi belief that all life-forms should be preserved whenever possible. Al
though Skywalker suggested that the beast should be subdued and transferred to a
planet in the Outer Rim, Urus ridiculed the idea, stating that zillo beasts had
been the enemies of the Dugs for centuries and that it was their sworn duty to
destroy it. When Dr. Sionver Boll proposed that the beast's scales might be used
as a new technology for armor, Palpatine ordered that intense stun rays be used
 to render the beast comatose, fooling the Dugs into believing it dead and trans
porting it off-world for further examination. Although a fierce argument broke o
ut between Windu and Urus, the matter was decided when Urus' method of pouring t
oxins into the pit caused the beast to climb up out of it, forcing the Jedi to u
se their stun rays to incapacitate it and, under Palpatine's orders, transport i
t to Coruscant.[109] Dismayed with the resulting inhumane experiments performed
on the beast, Windu informed Obi-Wan Kenobi of the matter, who in turn persuaded
Skywalker's wife Padm Amidala to convince him to take the matter to Palpatine. W
hile meeting with the Supreme Chancellor, the enraged zillo beast escaped its co
nfinements, intent on pursuing a vendetta after overhearing Palpatine order its
termination in the name of winning the war and science. After Amidala spotted th
e beast making its way towards the Senate buildings, Palpatine ordered the evacu
ation of his office, taking Skywalker, Amidala, and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 d
own to his private shuttle, where they were snatched out of the air soon after t
ake-off by the zillo beast's massive claws. Skywalker was able to slice the shut
tle in half using his lightsaber, allowing a hatch for the occupants to escape o
nto the Senate building's roof. Skywalker saved Amidala from falling off of the
sloped building using the Force, and with the help of Yoda and Aayla Secura prot
ected the escape group from fatal toxin bombs that eventually led to the beast's
demise.[110]
Spy in the Galactic Senate
Skywalker discreetly returned to Coruscant to his wife Padm's apartment, and they
prepared for a long-awaited romantic evening together, when Skywalker was signa
led by the Council to return to the Temple, forcing him to cut his evening short
. He told Amidala that duty comes first, especially in times of war.
Before the Council, he was told that they needed a spy in the Senate to spy on S
enator Rush Clovis, who was suspected of being a Separatist supporter. However,
they couldn't afford to have Jedi taking official action in this, thus they need
ed to convince Amidala to join their cause, as she was close to Clovis. Though S
kywalker did not believe that she would be right for the job, the Masters insist
ed on him appointing her, because she trusted him; Yoda had attempted to enlist
her but was rebuffed.
AnakinNabooPilot-TCWs2BR1
Skywalker disguised as Amidala's pilot
The next day, at the Senate, Skywalker located his wife, who obviously resented
his leaving her the previous night. He asked her about Clovis, and she said she
already told Yoda she didn't want to spy on him, as he was a colleague and an ol
d friend. She thought Skywalker was trying to persuade her to do this mission, b
ut he was merely gathering information for whoever else would end up doing it. H
owever, when Amidala learned that Clovis was collaborating with the Separatists,
she immediately agreed to do it. Skywalker tried to convince her not to, consid
ering that it may be dangerous, but she reminded him that duty comes first.
They both went before the Jedi Council, where Amidala admitted that she hadn't s
een Clovis for a long time. They were close in the past, but she wanted to maint
ain a professional relationship, which he took very hard. The Masters encouraged
her to regain his trust in finding out his treachery.
Amidala and Clovis met at a bar, where he explained that he planned to going to
Cato Neimoidia to negotiate with the Trade Federation; he offered her to come al
ong, for political and personal reasons. As they were preparing to depart, Skywa
lker, being the pilot for Amidala's ship, became jealous when Clovis kissed her
on both cheeks. He assisted them with getting seated on the ship, preparing a se
at for Amidala, and breaking the one next to it, so that it couldn't get fastene
d. On takeoff, he jerked the ship around to prevent Clovis from kissing Amidala
again.
As soon as they arrived on Cato Neimoidia, they were greeted by Neimoidian Senat
or Lott Dod. Amidala was shown to her quarters, while Dod and Clovis discussed "
business" with Poggle the Lesser. Dod and Poggle realized that Amidala was Clovi
s' weakness and planned to poison her to force him to cooperate.
While Skywalker and R2-D2 waited outside for Amidala's signal, she got into an e
legant dress for dinner with the other Senators. Dod tricked her into sharing hi
s drink after smearing the rim with poison. Once dinner was finished, Clovis too
k Amidala on a tour of the palace, both unaware of the symptoms of the poison, i
ncluding thirst and head throbbing. While Clovis went to fetch a drink, Amidala
attempted to access the palace's files, but was barred by the computer's demand
for a passcode. She soon figured out that it is her name, and saw the diagram fr
om Dooku's new droid foundry. She then signaled Skywalker, who snuck into her qu
arters. As soon as she took the disc plans, she hid them from Clovis, who had en
tered the room. When he asked to hold her hand, she spontaneously embraced him t
o hide the disc. She noticed Skywalker in the shadows, his face bursting with an
ger and jealousy, but she calmed him down by brandishing the disc. She discreetl
y gave it to him, but as he slipped away, Amidala passed out. Clovis reported th
is to Dod, but was informed that Amidala was a spy. At first he refused to belie
ve it, but was convinced when he found the disc missing. He angrily confronted h
er for betraying him, but then Skywalker entered, demanding that he step away fr
om her. Clovis ultimately offered to get the antidote in exchange for the disc,
but Skywalker threatened him with dealing with Dod instead. If Dod were told tha
t Clovis lost the disc, he would kill him. Clovis realized that he loved Amidala
enough to save her, and agreed to help them back to the ship before Dod found a
nything out.
As they carried her back to the ship, they ran into Dod and his aides. Clovis at
tempted to bluff his way out, but Dod refused to let them leave, so Clovis pulle
d out a blaster. Dod was forced to give up the antidote, and the three ran away.
However, Skywalker purposely left Clovis on the planet, as he himself injected
Amidala with the antidote.[58]
Second Battle of Geonosis
Returning to the galactic capital of Coruscant, Skywalker and Amidala reported t
heir findings to the Jedi Council. Afterward, Generals Plo Koon and Skywalker an
d the latter's Padawan, Commander Ahsoka Tano, were assigned to reinforce the pl
anet Dorin, which had been attacked by a Separatist fleet led by Confederate Gen
eral Grievous in an effort to keep the Jedi's attention away from Geonosis. The
Republic defeated the Separatists, with Tano achieving 55 kills, while Skywalker
achieved 76.[111]
They joined the Republic fleet in orbit of Geonosis and prepared strategically f
or the attack on Poggle's droid foundries on the planet. High Jedi Generals Obi-
Wan Kenobi and Ki-Adi-Mundi with Jedi General Skywalker would lead the Grand Arm
y's attack on the primary droid foundry.
When the Republic's capital ships descended upon Geonosis, Skywalker's assault f
orce including Captain Rex and Commander Tano departed after Kenobi's. Skywalker's g
unship was one of the first to be shot down, but the Jedi's team managed to brea
k free from the wreckage and used the fallen craft as cover from the nearby Geon
osian gunners and blaster cannons.
Left on their own, Skywalker, Tano, Rex, and their men traveled on foot to reach
the enemy cannons. They arrived at the massive gun emplacement fortress and wer
e forced to take cover from the assailing B1 battle droids and B2 super battle d
roids high above. With the large amounts of laser barrages from above, Skywalker
and Tano each took a backpack filled with thermal detonators and ran toward the
adjacent cliff, using grappling hooks to scale the face in order to set their c
harges to topple the wall. Captain Rex joined the two Jedi on the top of the bar
rier, helping them to defeat a pair droidekas that were soon deployed from hatch
es. After Skywalker and Tano had tossed their primed detonator-filled backpacks
into the hatches, they and Rex jumped off the wall shortly before it exploded. T
he Jedi used the Force to slow their fall and hold back the rubble. With the wal
l destroyed, Skywalker, Tano, and their forces pressed toward Kenobi's position.
SecondGeonosis
Skywalker and Mundi lead their forces.
Joining forces with Mundi, Skywalker contacted Admiral Yularen to request air su
pport. Having reallocated resources since Commander Jet's previous request, Yula
ren dispatched a free Y-wing squadron to the rendezvous point, where Kenobi and
Cody's forces were suffering numerous casualties at the hands of the Geonosians
initiating flying attacks from the sky and attack runs on the ground. As the Jed
i Master prepared to take up arms alongside his men in what he believed would be
a final stand against the Geonosians, the Y-wing bombers arrived, dropping thei
r munitions on the advancing Separatist tanks. With the rest of his troops press
ing on, Kenobi was greeted by the arrival of Skywalker, Tano, Mundi, and the res
t of the forces.
The Jedi and their clone officers convened on the task still at hand: the destru
ction of the shield generator. Skywalker would lead a small squad into the shiel
d and jam the Geonosians' scanners, rendering them unable to target the incoming
AT-TE walkers. Once the walkers had taken out the shield, Mundi would then brin
g the rest of the troops in with the gunships. After all of the Republic forces
were in position, Skywalker and Tano initiated their attack and charged through
the shield with their men. Exchanging fire with the Geonosians, the Jedi and tro
opers took cover and threw EMP grenades at the proton and LR1K cannons, temporar
ily disabling the Separatist guns. Unopposed by heavy fire, the AT-TE walkers ma
rched through the shield and blasted the artillery stations and shield generator
. As the shield was deactivated, Mundi and his gunships landed with additional r
einforcements, and all of the Geonosians in the area were forced to surrender.
While they were recuperating, Skywalker and Tano tallied their kills: Skywalker
got 55 and Tano got 60. However, Skywalker said that since he called in the air
strike, it was a tie. The injured Generals Kenobi and Mundi were being taken to
the gunships with Skywalker's expectations to see both of them back in action by
the time the main droid foundry had been destroyed. Mundi then stated that his
kills were 65, asking what he won. Skywalker answered, "My everlasting respect,"
to which Kenobi explained that respect was a rare gift for Skywalker to bestow.
[112]
Anakin Interrupting Ashoka
Skywalker finishing Tano's sentences during her briefing
Skywalker's forces combined with Ki-Adi-Mundi's remaining troops and formed a st
aging area across from Poggle the Lesser's primary foundry, which was nearing co
mpletion.[113] The Republic's forces were separated from the foundry by a thin b
ridge that spanned a deep canyon. In anticipation of stiff resistance from the f
oundry's defenders, Skywalker called in reinforcements from General Luminara Und
uli and her Padawan, Barriss Offee. While Tano was briefing her clone squad on t
he battle plan, Skywalker kept finishing her sentences. Once the briefing was ov
er, she demanded of him why he was interrupting her, which made her believe he d
idn't trust her. Skywalker defended himself by saying that he just wanted to get
the job done right, but this only strengthened Tano's irritation. They were arg
uing just as Unduli and Offee arrived to discuss the plan of attack. Although Ge
neral Skywalker had been preparing for a direct assault via the bridge, General
Unduli offered an alternative: the infiltration of the catacombs that ran beneat
h the foundry. By using these complex passageways, the Jedi could reach the foun
dry's control room and plant explosives on the main reactor, destroying the faci
lity from within. It was decided that the mission to destroy the reactor would b
e undertaken by Tano and Barriss Offee, the latter of who had memorized all two
hundred junctions between the catacomb's tunnels in preparation. Skywalker was u
ncertain if Tano was ready for this, but she insisted she was. While the Padawan
s were infiltrating the catacombs, Generals Skywalker and Unduli would lead thei
r forces in a forward assault on the foundry's main entrance as a distraction.
The four Jedi set their plan into motion, with Tano and Offee descending the can
yon wall to reach the catacomb's entry point as the two generals marched their f
orces onto the bridge parade-style, followed closely by AT-TEs. Unduli asked Sky
walker why he didn't want Tano participating, to which he didn't answer. Skywalk
er and Unduli's men were met by a large force of battle droids marching forth fr
om the foundry, followed by Geonosian warriors launching surprise attacks from t
he spires behind the Republic force. Afterward, they were assaulted by several s
quads of droidekas that were quickly destroyed by rockets and AT-TEs. In respons
e, Poggle the Lesser authorized the use of experimental super tanks at the urgin
g of his tactical droid, TX-21. Twenty of the tanks left the foundry, approached
the Republic forces, and were immediately fired upon by AV-7 Antivehicle Cannon
s. The ray shielded tanks were unaffected by the cannon fire and opened fire the
mselves, destroying the AV-7s, decimating the Republic's infantry, and forcing S
kywalker and Unduli to fall back.
Unduli and Skywalker then devised a plan to defeat the tanks on the bridge. The
two climbed onto the underbelly of the bridge and planted explosives along its l
ength. Upon reaching the opposite side of the bridge, they triggered the explosi
ves, causing the bridge to collapse and take the tanks with it into the canyon.
Evacuation ships arrived shortly afterward in anticipation of the explosion that
would destroy the foundry. Later than expected, the Padawans contacted them, sa
ying their explosives had been taken away and their only hope was to use a super
tank they had acquired to destroy the foundry reactor and burying themselves in
the process. Skywalker fervently ordered them not to do it, but they turned off
the comlink. Moments later, a massive chain of explosions issued, leveling the
foundry.
When the smoke cleared, Skywalker and Unduli were standing on the edge of a vast
crater filled with debris that had once been the foundry. After failing to reac
h Tano on her communicator, a determined General Skywalker ordered that the rubb
le be moved. As LAAT carriers began to lift the wreckage, General Unduli argued
that Skywalker should simply accept his student's fate. Deep below the surface,
in the cockpit of the super tank, Tano and Offee struggled to stay conscious. In
an effort to contact her master, Tano fashioned a communicator out of a power c
ell from the tank, something she had learned from Skywalker. Receiving the signa
l, Skywalker deduced where it came from and rushed over to a pile of debris. Wit
h the aid of Unduli, he lifted it with the Force to reveal the tank. The two Pad
awans crawled out, finally reuniting with their masters. Unduli admitted to Tano
that her master never lost faith in her.[114]
Tano and Bariss left the battlefield to recuperate, while Unduli set out on a sp
eeder to find Poggle the Lesser. She and her clone companion Buzz followed Poggl
e's trail, as they braved through a sandstorm. They tracked Poggle to the Progat
e Temple. Unduli then holographically called Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Skywalker
in one of the Republic Acclamator ships, reporting that she had found what seeme
d to be a munitions container. She was advised by Kenobi via hologram to wait fo
r support, but moments later Buzz's scream was heard and contact was lost. Skywa
lker eagerly wanted to go help, but the other Masters advised to wait until the
storm was over.
After the storm, Skywalker and Kenobi brought a squad to the temple. Cody found
Buzz's body and Kenobi found Unduli's lightsaber. They then saw a statue of what
seemed to be a Geonosian queen's head above the archway of a dark tunnel. They
went through the archway, entering a strange maze. Shortly after, Unduli contact
ed Kenobi, telling them not to enter the temple, before she was subdued. Then, K
enobi and Skywalker were attacked by undead Geonosians, who were able to move ev
en if shot or hacked; there was also something worm-like moving through their fa
ce openings. Kenobi, Skywalker and the squad managed to save themselves by going
down a tunnel. Kenobi remembered rumors of a hive mind able to control Geonosia
ns, even after they were dead. Because they were too deep underground to contact
Mundi, Kenobi sent two clones to head back to the surface and call for help. Un
fortunately, they were killed by the zombies before they could do so. Kenobi thu
s suggested that the rest of them should stick together.
JediEscapeKarina
Skywalker and Unduli fight Karina's undead Geonosian warriors.
They eventually found Unduli, held in energy bonds before the Geonosian Queen. S
kywalker prepared to charge in, but Kenobi had a different strategy. He told Cod
y to have his men surround the place, before blinding the zombies and burying th
em. The Jedi approached the queen, her thralls letting them pass. Kenobi diploma
tically told her to surrender, but the queen refused, intending on controlling t
he Jedi with her brain worms. Skywalker activated his lightsaber, but Kenobi ges
tured for him to stay put. One of the zombies approached Unduli with a worm, but
before it could snake its way up her nose, Kenobi gave the signal, and Cody and
his men surprise the Geonosians. They saved Unduli and took Poggle prisoner. Un
duli asked why they had come despite her telling them not to. Kenobi said he fol
lowed Skywalker's example for once, and disobeyed orders.
Kenobi intended to study the worm that was going to be used on Unduli, but Skywa
lker squished it with his boot, saying they should get out. They attempted to es
cape the collapsing temple, with the zombies after them. As they made their way
up the hole that led to the surface, a few zombies followed them. Then, a rush o
f dust pushed them up. They escaped before the entire temple caved in, probably
burying the queen.[115]
Brain worm skirmish
With Poggle under custody, the Jedi prepared to leave Geonosis. However, they re
ceived news that the Ord Cestus medical station needed supplies. While the Jedi
delivered Poggle to Coruscant, Skywalker suggested Tano and Offee to be in a sup
ply ship to the station.
The Padawans set off, but the ship did not check in as schedule reported. Skywal
ker began to worry, but they eventually managed to establish contact with the sh
ip. Tano informed them that the ship's crew had been taken over by Geonosian bra
in worms.
Skywalker interrogated Poggle, but the latter refused to say how the worms could
be defeated. Enraged, Skywalker briefly tapped into the dark side and began cho
king Poggle with the Force. Eventually, Poggle confessed that the worms could be
defeated with cold temperature.
Skywalker managed to contact Tano to relay the information. Later, he found Tano
recovering from a fight with Offee, who had been infected by the worms for a sh
ort period of time. Kit Fisto arrived and told the Jedi Knight and his Padawan t
hat the brain worms in the ship had been contained. After Fisto left, Skywalker
congratulated Tano for saving the crew. However, Tano revealed to her Master tha
t Offee wanted Tano to kill her during their fight. Skywalker consoled his Padaw
an, telling her that Offee would have done anything to save the crew from the wo
rms, even sacrificing her own life in the process.[116]
Conflict on Valahari
"Skywalker? The great hero of the Republic? With one thousand nine hundred and e
ighty starfighter kills?"
?Tofen Vane to Anakin Skywalker[src]
Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to the planet Valahari for negotiations. Although
it had declared neutrality in the Clone Wars, Valahari was supplying the Separa
tists with newer, more advanced ships. While Kenobi negotiated with Harko Vane,
the Viscount of Valahari, Skywalker podraced with Tofen, Harko's son. Eventually
, Harko declined Kenobi's offer to join the Republic and the Republic forces blo
ckaded Valahari. Vane tried to break the blockade, however, the Valiant, Vane's
ship, was suddenly destroyed by Asajj Ventress in an effort to blame the Republi
c. Valahari joined the Separatists and Skywalker was exiled to a remote outpost
on Ryloth.[117]
However, Skywalker returned to active duty when a squadron of Valahari ships cal
led Tofen's Raiders was destroying Republic fleets. The Republic forces faced th
e Valahari's squadron in the Hexus system. There, Skywalker discovered that Tofe
n was the squadron's leader. Tofen shot Skywalker down, but before he could kill
him, reinforcements arrived and drove Valahari's forces off. However, Skywalker
managed to place a homing beacon in Tofen's ship.[118]
Skywalker received a prototype of the Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor, the best st
arfighter created by Kuat Systems Engineering. The Republic found Tofen's base,
Harko Station, in the Veil Nebula. The Republic assaulted the station, but the V
alahari activated a signal that led the local neebrays to attack the Republic fo
rces. However, Shadow Squadron managed to destroy the station and thus disable t
he signal. Skywalker then engaged Tofen in a dogfight. During their battle, Anak
in tried to reason with Tofen, revealing to him that it was Count Dooku who kill
ed his father, not the Republic. But Tofen refused to listen and he kept fightin
g. Suddenly, Tofen's engines were critically hit, setting his fighter aflame. An
akin towed Tofen's fighter to a Republic ship. However, Tofen's burns were fatal
and he died in Anakin's arms, but not before asking him for justice for his fat
her's death. Elodore Vane, Tofen's mother, then exiled Count Dooku from Valahari
, stopped their engagement and announced that Valahari would stop supporting bot
h sides of the conflict.[119]
Hunt for Grievous
When Master Eeth Koth was captured by Grievous in a battle near the Arda system,
Grievous sent a holotransmission to the Jedi Council in which he had one of his
MagnaGuards torture Koth. In the message, Grievous expressed his desire to see
all of the Jedi dead, but Plo Koon noticed a coded message in Koth's hand gestur
es within the message, and the decoded message revealed Grievous to be in the Sa
leucami system. Adi Gallia, Skywalker, and Kenobi were dispatched with a fleet t
o rescue Koth, and they came up with a battle plan: Admiral Yularen and Kenobi w
ould engage Grievous's forces over Saleucami, and Kenobi would allow his light c
cruiser to be boarded by Grievous to distract him. When Grievous fell for the ba
it, Skywalker, Gallia, Rex, and a group of clone troopers would execute a hypers
pace jump into the system in their shuttle that would bring them right alongside
Grievous's destroyer, allowing them to rescue Koth.[120]
AdiAnakin
Skywalker and Gallia aboard Grievous's destroyer
When Grievous boarded Kenobi's cruiser as planned, Skywalker piloted their shutt
le through the ongoing space battle and through the hollow hull plates of Grievo
us's destroyer, landing the ship on the destroyer's underbelly, where Skywalker
carved a hole in the destroyer's hull with his lightsaber for the Jedi and troop
ers to use to access the warship. Boarding the destroyer, Skywalker and Gallia o
rdered Rex and his men to guard their shuttle while they headed to the bridge to
rescue Koth. Cutting through the battle droid patrols that they encountered as
they moved through the ship, Skywalker and Gallia reached the bridge to find the
tactical droid TV-94 and a squad of droid commandos guarding Koth, as Grievous
had anticipated the rescue attempt. When TV-94 attempted to electrocute Koth, Sk
ywalker pulled the droid towards him with the Force and severed the arm that had
the controls to the machinery torturing Koth.[120]
In the ensuing melee, the commando droids attacked Gallia and Skywalker as TV-94
struggled to reclaim his arm and kill Koth, but the two Jedi were able to destr
oy the droids and free Koth before the tactical droid succeeded. Making their wa
y back to the shuttle, the three were contacted Kenobi, who informed them that G
rievous had escaped and was returning to his ship, so Gallia departed to interce
pt the general before he escaped Kenobi's cruiser while Skywalker took Koth to t
he shuttle. Kenobi and Gallia's attempts to capture Grievous with the help of Co
mmander Cody ultimately failed when the Separatist destroyer began to fire on Ke
nobi's cruiser, and the three escaped Grievous's destroyer aboard Skywalker's sh
uttle as Grievous fled his damaged warship to Saleucami's surface.[120]
While Kenobi led the hunt for Grievous on the planet's surface, Skywalker assume
d command of the naval battle, deploying all of his starfighters in an effort to
elimate Grievous's destroyer. Despite opposition from the remaining Separatist
forces and reinforcements in the form of three additional Munificent-class friga
tes, Skywalker's fighters were able to destroy most of the enemy droid starfight
ers, and the arrival of four Republic Venator-class Star Destroyers ensured that
the Republic emerged victorious.[120]
Later, Skywalker and his Padawan went on a mission in the Coruscant underlevels
to capture Car Affa a Weequay arms dealer who sold Republic weapons to the Separat
ists. Skywalker apprehended the criminal in a bar, but Tano had her lightsaber s
tolen while waiting outside. However, she managed to recover it, without telling
her master.[121]
Coronet plot
AnakinAssassinProbe
Skywalker faces off against an assassin probe on the Coronet.
Following speculation that Mandalore had left the Republic for the Separatists,
Obi-Wan Kenobi was sent to the planet to speak to his friend and ruler of the pl
anet, Duchess Satine Kryze. Several attempts were made both on the lives of Keno
bi and Kryze, the Duchess decided to voyage to Coruscant, where she would plead
Mandalore's cause in person in front of the Galactic Senate. Skywalker, accompan
ied by Captain Rex and Commander Cody, led the starship Coronet to Mandalore to
escort Kryze. During the voyage, Rex voiced his concerns from the cargo hold, ci
ting the disappearance of two troopers and the increased jitters of R2-D2. Skywa
lker volunteered to investigate matters himself, and discovered a large cargo ho
ld of assassin probe droids lurking in the darkness. Although he, Rex, Cody, and
R2-D2 were able to hold back most of them, one escaped up into the turbolift, t
o the direct threat of Kryze and her entourage. With the droid in his grasp, Ken
obi used the probe's attacking programming to discover the assassin, Senator Tal
Merrik, although the politician quickly unleashed a blaster pistol and pressed
it to Kryze's head, holding the Duchess hostage. Racing up from the cargo hold,
Skywalker discovered Merrik's reinforcements, shiploads full of super battle dro
ids intent on taking the Coronet and Kryze for the Mandalorian opposition leader
Pre Vizsla. Dispatching the droids with relative ease, Skywalker was able to sn
eak up behind Merrik while the would-be assassin was in the midst of a stalemate
with Kenobi and Kryze and stabbed him in the back, ending the ship's imminent d
anger and allowing Kryze to travel the remainder of the voyage to Coruscant in p
eace.[122]
Sometime after these events, Skywalker and Capt. Rex later dropped off Tano, at
the behest of Duchess Kryze and the Jedi Council, on Mandalore to instruct cadet
s at the Royal Academy of Government. Due to the Jedi's limited resources, Skywa
lker was not able to join his Padawan. Before leaving to join up with Master Fis
to, Skywalker took his Padawan's lightsaber to respect Mandalore's laws. After T
ano exposed Prime Minister Almec's black market, Skywalker returned his Padawan'
s lightsaber to her and congratulated her on a job well done.[123] When Skywalke
r and Tano returned to the Jedi Temple, the Jedi Council ordered Skywalker to co
mmand the Third Legion on Balith to give assistance in their civil war. The coun
cil, however, wanted Tano to stay behind so she could give the council her full
report. Despite pleas from Tano to let her come along, Skywalker told her that s
he should use this time in the library to prove him wrong about the council's de
cision. Skywalker then left with Capt. Rex to Balith. When Tano returned after f
oiling Aurra Sing's assassination attempt on Senator Amidala's life at her refug
ee conference, Skywalker welcomed his wife and his Padawan back, but wondered wh
o paid Sing to kill Amidala. After Tano uses her improved precognitive abilities
to find out who is behind the assassination attempt, Amidala realizes who it is
. Skywalker and his Padawan then went to the Republic Judiciary Central Detentio
n Center to question Ziro the Hutt. Skywalker's Padawan was able to trick Ziro i
nto confessing that he did hire Sing for the job. After Ziro's confession, Skywa
lker and his Padawan left Ziro to his misery.[124]
Trap on Vanqor
VanqorTrap-R2CH
Skywalker approaches Jango Fett's helmet, laden with explosives.
Skywalker, along with Master Windu took a brief respite aboard the Jedi Cruiser
Endurance. The starship was later sabotaged by Boba Fett, who wanted to exact re
venge on Mace Windu for killing his father. His sabotage attempt put many young
clones at risk, but they were rescued by Skywalker and Windu.[125]
Windu and Skywalker then transferred the survivors to a Republic medical ship, b
efore heading down to the planet to look for survivors. Skywalker pointed out up
on coming across the ship that, whilst it was in a terrible shape, the bridge ap
peared to be in one piece. The two Jedi set down behind the ship, at which point
R2-D2 beeped that he had a "bad feeling about this place," and Windu chastised
Skywalker for encouraging individuality in his droid. Windu, Skywalker, R2 and R
8-B7 proceeded to the ship, unaware of gundarks following them.[126]
Once inside, the Jedi came across clone troopers killed not by the crash but by
execution; Windu theorized that those who tried to assassinate him may have come
down looking for his body and killed the survivors. The droids were sent to sea
rch for survivors whilst the Jedi head to the bridge. In the process of their se
arch, R2 and R8 were attacked by a pair of gundarks: R8 was ripped apart and R2
was knocked across the floor.[126]
Meanwhile, Anakin then spotted a Mandalorian helmet. Mace then realized that the
saboteur was none other than the clone template Jango Fett's son, Boba. Luckily
, the Jedi Master was able to save Anakin from the full blast. R2, realizing tha
t Skywalker and Windu were in danger, returned to the bridge and saw Windu uncon
scious and Skywalker wounded, both buried under rubble. Skywalker told R2 to get
a message to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and R2 delivered it to Plo Koon and
Ahsoka Tano, who rescued the two Jedi.[126]
After spending time in a bacta tank at the Temple, Anakin urged Windu to track B
oba Fett down and bring him to justice. Mace did not agree to do this until Koon
and Tano showed them a message from Fett and Aurra Sing, which showed that the
pair took hostages. After seeing Commander Ponds killed in cold blood by Sing, W
indu decided to go. Koon, however, said that he will go, along with Tano, since
both Windu and Skywalker were still recovering from their injuries.[127]
Third Battle of Kamino
Forewarned by the destruction of Rishi Station and an intercepted transmission b
etween Asajj Ventress and General Grievous, Anakin and Obi-Wan traveled to Kamin
o to warn Shaak Ti and Lama Su of an upcoming Separatist attack, with clone troo
pers Captain Rex, Commander Cody, Broadside, Echo, and Fives in their company, w
ith the rest of the 501st.
Shortly, Grievous's Separatist fleet arrived, and a space battle ensued. Anakin
led the Republic space forces against the attackers, scoring several serious hit
s against the enemy or so it seemed. Suspicious, Obi-Wan traveled underwater, wher
e he discovered that the pieces of debris falling into the Kaminoan ocean were a
ctually components for assault craft being assembled by Aqua droids.
The finished Trident-Class attack ships assaulted Tipoca City, depositing many b
attle droids and aqua droids, led by Grievous and Ventress. Grievous attacked th
e barracks to destroy all the clones he could find there, while Ventress headed
for the main DNA storage to secure the prime DNA sample of the clones' template,
Jango Fett. Obi-Wan returned to the city and recalled Anakin, who was fighting
droid forces in Kamino's atmosphere. Meanwhile, Captain Rex and Commander Cody m
et some cadets along with fellow clone troopers Fives and Echo. Together, the cl
ones attacked many droids, until more droids led by Grievous found and attacked
the clones. But then, Obi-wan Kenobi began to duel the cyborg. In the DNA chambe
r, Anakin and Asajj began to duel, using their own lightsabers. After a fairly l
ong lightsaber duel, with the help of a clone trooper platoon, only then was Ana
kin able to recover the DNA sample, but Ventress escaped in a Kaminoan starship
a beaten Grievous stole from a Kamino landing pad near the site of his battle wi
th Kenobi.[128]
Senate hostage crisis
"Young Skywalker Not so impressive without your lightsaber, are you, Jedi?"
?Cad Bane to an unconscious Skywalker Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]
Blue Glass Arrow Main article: Senate hostage crisis
Padme in her office
Padm and Anakin share their feelings
Following a failed assassination attempt on Senator Amidala employing the servic
es of bounty hunter Aurra Sing, Ziro the Hutt was interrogated by Anakin and his
Padawan Ahsoka Tano in his prison cell, during which he confessed his involveme
nt in the matter. This effectively extended his prison sentence;[124] however, b
ecause of sensitive information in his possession, Jabba the Hutt and the Hutt G
rand Council hired the renowned bounty hunter Cad Bane to break him out of the d
etention center.[129]
Visiting his wife, Padm Amidala, in her office at the Republic Executive Building
, Skywalker asked her to sneak away with him on a meditative retreat. Amidala de
nied this request, stating she had a bill to present before the Galactic Senate.
They discussed their marriage, though Amidala thought Skywalker was just teasin
g her. After stating "There's nothing more important than the way I feel about y
ou," he gave her his lightsaber as a sign of trust. The two shared a kiss, then
were interrupted by C-3PO's and Senator Organa's voices. Skywalker hid under Ami
dala's desk, not being able to retrieve his lightsaber. Amidala was forced to hi
de it while she met with other senators about the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill
. Meanwhile, Cad Bane's posse arrived at the Senate Building, and killed the Sen
ate Commandos guarding the landing platform.[130]
Robonino shocking Skywalker
Robonino shocks Skywalker.
The bounty hunters then captured the senators, including Padm Amidala, Riyo Chuch
i, and Bail Organa. Robonino shut off the building's power, catching Skywalker's
attention. Skywalker located the hostages, but got spotted by Bane. He found an
d hot-wired a terminal with his comlink and contacted Palpatine, who advised him
to get to the central power core and turn off the security seals. Skywalker hid
as Bane's men an IG-86 sentinel droid and Shahan Alama came by, the latter of whom
Skywalker used a mind trick on, making them both go check the other floors. Skyw
alker then went searching around the building, ran into the IG-86 sentinel droid
, and beat it to destruction with his bare hands. He eventually found the power
core, but before he could reach it, Alama engaged him in a short battle. Skywalk
er managed to steal his blaster, but it was soon shot out of his hands by Aurra
Sing. Robonino was then able to stun Skywalker with a hand held stun device. The
bounty hunters brought him to Bane, who then had them put explosive lasers arou
nd the senators and the Jedi Knight. After Skywalker regained consciousness, Ami
dala handed him his lightsaber, which he then used to cut a hole in the floor in
order to get the senators to safety.[130]
Political chaos
Farther into the war, Skywalker trained Tano to fight with a shoto along with he
r original lightsaber. Despite the Republic's numerous victories, the clone army
was suffering higher casualties as the battles escalated. The Galactic Senate c
alled an emergency session in the wake of this issue, which Skywalker and Tano w
atched from the Grand Concourse. After the session, Padm pleaded with her husband
to convince the High Council to discuss the ending of the war campaign with the
Chancellor, but Skywalker denies to be involved with the situation. However, Ta
no disagreed, which caused Skywalker to request that Amidala teach his Padawan a
bout politics. However, the two women crossed the boundaries by illegally travel
ling to Raxus, the capital planet of the Separatists. After their return to Coru
scant, Skywalker briefly spoke with fellow Jedi Eekar Oki before scolding his Pa
dawan for her actions.
Skywalker often entrusted Tano to resolving political intrigue; for example, he
encouraged Tano in helping to resolve political intrigue surrounding the kidnapp
ing of Baron Notluwiski Papanoida of Orto Plutonia's daughters Chi Eekway and Ch
e Amanwe. Her resourcefulness led the Council to appoint her to an undercover as
signment on Mandalore following the uncovering of a net of corrupt politicians,
which her master both escorted her to, and then took her away, after she had com
pleted her mission.
Hunting Savage Opress
After the Battle of Sullust, Skywalker assumed that Ventress was killed. After,
Masters Yoda and Windu had shown Kenobi footage of a massacre on Devaron, Anakin
accompanied Obi-wan on his search for this monster presumably a kin of Darth Ma
ul, so they headed for the Sith Lord's homeworld. During their brief battle with
the warriors of the village, Skywalker was able to take Brother Viscus as a hos
tage, who told them that Mother Talzin should know of this monster's whereabouts
. Though Talzin had initially tried to avoid giving them direct answer, she even
tually showed and told them the monster's name and whereabouts. The two Jedi the
n headed to Toydaria where they had a confrontation with Savage, but failed to s
top him from killing King Katuunko. After Savage had destroyed their ship, they
borrowed the king's ship. In space above Toydaria, Skywalker and Kenobi caught u
p with Opress on Dooku's Separtist flagship, but he overpowered them and escaped
. Skywalker and Obi-Wan then retreated and left the ship.
Revelation on Mortis
KneelBeforeZod-Overlords
Skywalker forces the Son and Daughter to kneel before him
When the Jedi Council received a 2,000 year old distress signal from the Chrelyt
hiumn system, Skywalker, along with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Tano, were sent to invest
igate. Fearing a Separatist trap, they were supposed to meet up with Captain Rex
and an armed cruiser at the coordinates. Though they both reached the location,
neither Skywalker nor Rex could see each other. All of a sudden a crystal shape
d structure appeared and pulled the Jedi's ship towards itself. The crew passed
out and when they regained consciousness, they found themselves on a strange wor
ld that was radiant with the Force. Skywalker was then approached by the Daughte
r who asked if he was the One, then told them to follow her. On the way, a rock
slide separated Kenobi and Tano from Daughter and Skywalker. Despite Daughter's
warning to wait there, Skywalker tried to follow her. However, he lost her, and
had to find shelter in a cave from a storm before he spotted a monastery's beaco
n. As soon as the storms let up Skywalker hastened to the monastery where he met
the Father, who gave him shelter.
Later, Skywalker was visited by an apparition of his mother. Skywalker, knowing
that she was dead, could not believe that was her. She told Anakin that she knew
that he defined his guilt by what he had done: massacring the Tusken Raiders an
d his secret marriage to Padm Amidala. When Skywalker tried to confront her, she
changed into a monster, revealing that she was actually the Son. Skywalker confr
onted the Father, pointing a lightsaber at him, under the assumption that he was
a Sith Lord. The Father replied to this by stating he was neither Sith nor Jedi
. He told Skywalker that he and his children were Force-wielders, beings so stro
ng in the ways of the Force that they could not dwell in the material world anym
ore; as a result, they had retreated to this planet to contain their powers by a
ttaining balance within and cutting off any influences from the outside world .
The Father asked Skywalker about the Chosen One, which he believed to be merely
a myth. After hearing Skywalker's reply, the Father gave him an offer. If Skywal
ker would pass a test, he and his friends were free to leave. The following morn
ing he had to face an impossible choice Son and Daughter had kidnapped Tano and Ke
nobi as they went looking for him, and Skywalker had to choose which one to save
. Kenobi reminded him that the planet was actually the Force itself. Skywalker,
using the Force, was then able to tame both the Children, who changed back into
their human form. The old man told Skywalker that while he had passed the test,
he still had to learn about the true nature within himself. He revealed that he
had been dying, and asked Skywalker to take his place as the balancing element b
etween his children, or otherwise endanger the galaxy with his selfishness if he
left. Skywalker chose to leave, although he was strangely hesitant to do so.
However, before the Jedi's ship could exit the planet's atmosphere, Son abducted
Tano, correctly assuming that the Jedi would not leave her behind. After a leng
thy pursuit, Skywalker lost track of Son and almost crashed into a giant tower.
After a none-too-elegant landing, Skywalker decided to go and rescue his Padawan
, despite Kenobi's concern about disturbing the balance of the Force in their ow
n universe as well.
When Skywalker finally managed to climb to the garden of the tower, he found Tan
o, brainwashed by the Son's influence, her eyes bearing the yellow hue of the da
rk side's taint. There she told him Son's message: if Skywalker refused to join
him, he would kill Tano, and if Skywalker tried to stop Son, he would be forced
to kill the girl himself. Then the two engaged in a duel, with Skywalker continu
ously retreating, unwilling to hurt his student. Soon, Kenobi arrived to join fo
rces with his former Padawan while Son and Daughter started their own combat ins
ide the tower's throne room.
When it became obvious that the conflict could not go on any further without inj
ury, Kenobi suggested killing the Son with a dagger in order to cut Tano free of
is control. However, before they act on this plan, Father arrived and interrupt
ed both fights. However, he had grown too weak to fend off Son's Force lightning
. Kenobi in hope of defeating Son threw the dagger to Skywalker. However, Tano was q
uicker to catch it and took it over to Son, who then seemingly killed her with a
touch to her forehead. Then he attempted to murder his father with the dagger.
To his great dismay, his sister took the blow, and he fled, raging. Skywalker as
ked Father to help Tano, but he answered that without Light, there was no hope f
or her either. Skywalker replied, crying, that there was always hope. Hearing hi
s pain, Daughter asked the help of her father, to give her remaining life-energy
to Tano. Not wishing to deny the dying wish of his child, Father showed Skywalk
er how to transfer Daughter's life into his Padawan. After a few frightening sec
onds, Tano came back to life while the glowing of Daughter's body faded away. Se
eing Tano alive, Skywalker knelt to his Padawan and hugged her. He asked her if
she was okay, but she seemed to forget what happened. After this, Father ordered
the Jedi to leave immediately, so Son wouldn't be able to leave Mortis with the
ir ship.
However, the ship had been damaged when Anakin had crash landed it, so the Jedi
were stranded. Skywalker, not convinced that the Son could be easily contained o
n the planet, returned on a speeder to see the Father, offering his help in kill
ing the Son. The Father directed him toward the Well of the Dark Side with the w
arning not to underestimate the Son. On the way, Skywalker encountered an appari
tion of Qui-Gon Jinn. Skywalker confided his doubts to the apparition about what
he should do with the Son. The Force spirit told him to trust his instincts and
that he would find a way.
AnakinVaderVision-GOM
Skywalker having a Force vision on Mortis
When he arrived at the "well," he confronted the Son only to have his lightsaber
pulled out of his hand. The Son then offered to show him the future. Skywalker
tried to resist, but could not keep out the visions that assaulted his mind. He
saw himself killing younglings, choking Amidala as she begged for mercy, the tru
e face of Sidious, fighting Kenobi, destroying Alderaan, and his transformation
into the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. He eventually fell to his knees while the smoke
behind him formed the shape of the face of Darth Vader. Skywalker collapsed, cl
ose to tears and horrified at the revelation of the monster he would become, kno
wing he would go on to do terrible things. The Son agreed, but offered a way to
change the future he saw, asking again for Skywalker to join him. Skywalker hesi
tated, but then submitted at the promise of peace.
Shortly afterward, Kenobi arrived, having gone looking for Skywalker. He found h
im poisoned by the dark side. Skywalker said that there had been "a change of pl
an." He telekinetically pushed the speeder he had arrived on into the surroundin
g lava. Skywalker told Kenobi that he could not understand, and he would try to
stop him doing what he had to do. The Son then blasted Kenobi with lightning. Sk
ywalker told him that the Jedi would get in the way of peace. Skywalker left on
Kenobi's speeder, trapping him.
The corrupted Skywalker approached the shuttle that Tano had recently repaired,
but Tano had received warning from Kenobi to stop both the Son and Skywalker fro
m leaving the planet by sabotaging the ship. As he entered, she escaped with a v
ital part of the ship.
When the Son joined Skywalker, the Jedi told him that no one would be able to he
ar the distress signal he was sending. The Son told him that the Father still ha
d control over the planet, but that he would soon be able to control it himself.
Skywalker said that Kenobi and Tano would probably call the Father for help and
that their combined powers could be enough to defeat them. The Son agreed and t
old Skywalker to wait while he went to find the Dagger of Mortis, which the Fath
er had buried with the Daughter.
After the Son withdrew, Skywalker was confronted by the Father who demanded to k
now why he had joined with his Son. Skywalker said that he did not want what he
had seen to come true, but the Father said that his destiny was not written in s
tone and his son had broken the laws of time by showing Skywalker his future. He
then erased the visions from Skywalker's mind, rendering the Jedi unconscious.
When he awoke, he was back at the monastery with no memory of his visions and br
ief fall to the dark side. They were then joined by Kenobi and Tano, who asked i
f he was alright. He told them he was fine, but that they needed to stop the Son
.
At that moment, the son arrived holding the Mortis Dagger. The Father pleaded wi
th him to renounce the dark side, but the Son simply sneered. The Jedi attacked,
but the Son easily overpowered them. The Father suddenly summoned the Mortis Da
gger to his hands. To the Son's surprise, the Father killed himself instead of t
he Son. As he lay dying, the Father revealed to the Son that their power was con
nected, and that with his death his power was broken. The Son refused to believe
he was dying, saying that he loved his Father and it did not have to be this wa
y. The Father told the Son that he had always believed there was good in him, an
d embraced him. Skywalker than ran the Son through with his lightsaber. The Son
died, followed shortly by the Father whose last words were that now Skywalker ha
d restored balance to Mortis, he had to do so to the entire galaxy, but also war
ned him to beware his feelings, as they might lead to his downfall. The Father t
hen faded into the Force.
With all the Force-wielders dead, the planet began to break apart. A blinding wh
ite light enveloped the Jedi, and they found themselves back in the shuttle, see
mingly moments before they had disappeared. Captain Rex contacted them, saying t
hat they had disappeared of their scopes for a moment. Skywalker told him incred
ulously that they had been gone for more than a moment. Rex said that he didn't
understand, but Skywalker told him that even if he told him the truth, Rex would
not believe him.
Rescuing Master Piell
AnakinClashesWithTarkin-TC
Anakin puts Captain Tarkin in his place
"It's when things do not go as planned that concerns me. What then?"
"It's when things don't go as planned that we Jedi are at our best. Trust me."
"I reserve my trust for those who take action, General Skywalker."
"Then let me remind you, we rescued you back there. And I reserve my trust for t
hose who understand gratitude, Captain Tarkin"
?Captain Tarkin and Skywalker verbally spar about the escape plan[src]
After Master Even Piell was captured due to his knowledge of the Nexus Route, Sk
ywalker, along with Master Kenobi, Captain Rex, Commander Cody, ARC Troopers Ech
o and Fives and three other clone troopers, was sent to rescue Master Piell from
the "impenetrable" Separatist prison, the Citadel. Skywalker forbade his Padawa
n from coming on the mission, saying it would be too dangerous for her. When the
rescue party reached the hangar of the Citadel, Skywalker devised a way to get
past their scanners by being frozen in carbonite, thus stifling their life-readi
ngs. After the team was frozen, they were loaded onto the transport ship by R2-D
2's battle droid squadron. The shuttle was able to get through thanks to Skywalk
er's strategy. When Skywalker was thawed out, he found, to his surprise, that Ta
no had disobeyed orders and followed him. The team reluctantly took her along.
When they reached the Citadel, the team was successful in rescuing Master Piell
just before he would have lost his good eye to an interrogator droid. Skywalker
asked if Piell found the Nexus Route. Piell told him that he memorized half the
information while his captain, Wilhuff Tarkin, memorized the other half as a pre
caution in case he cracked under the interrogation. Skywalker and the rest of th
e team went to free Tarkin. On their way, they were ambushed by commando droids.
The team was successful in defeating the first of commando droids, but when the
second squad of commando droids came, Osi Sobeck activated magnets in the ceili
ng, ripping the team's weapons away and trapping Skywalker by attracting his pro
sthetic arm. As the rest of the team scrambled to defeat the droids with telekin
esis and their bare hands, Skywalker, despite being brutally electrically shocke
d by Sobeck, was able to get his lightsaber and disable the magnet.
After the team defeated the commando droids, they rescued Tarkin and the rest of
the officers. Skywalker and Kenobi then decided to split up to prevent the enem
y from getting either half of the information. Kenobi took Piell and a couple of
his officers with his group and Skywalker took Captain Tarkin and a couple of o
fficer with him. Skywalker was then able to cut into an old tunnel. Skywalker wa
s glad that things were going according to plan, though Tarkin expressed some sk
epticism about this plan and didn't seem grateful for rescuing him. Skywalker to
ld Tarkin that he reserved his trust to those who understood the meaning of Grat
itude.[131] As Skywalker and his team made their way through the tunnels, Skywal
ker watched their rear, leaving his apprentice leading the team. When they reach
ed a dead end, Skywalker destroyed a Recon Droid and then fought against Superba
ttle droids and commando droids armed with shields. Skywalker, Tano and the team
were able to destroy the commando droids and blast the dead end open. Skywalker
and his team then went into a fuel line. Along the way, Skywalker found that he
and Tarkin believed that the Jedi didn't take the initiative and did whatever i
t took. When they reached the exit of the fuel line they were ambushed by battle
droids and Crab droids. Luckily, Skywalker was able to destroy them by throwing
a grenade into the fuel line. Skywalker and his team then moved to Plan B, to m
eet up with Kenobi's team trying to reach the shuttle at the airfield. After the
shuttle was destroyed, both teams fell back to some caves.[132]
After Master Piell contacted the Jedi Temple, Skywalker, Kenobi and the rest of
team moved onto to the rendezvous point. When Skywalker's and Kenobi's team reac
hed the lava lake, they were attacked by a large battle droid force. While R2's
droid team held off the enemy, Skywalker went down a cliff with the rest of the
team down to the lake's shore and escapes into a set of gullies. As they move on
, Skywalker warned Tarkin not to upset Master Piell if he wanted to keep his car
eer. Tarkin stated that the Supreme Chancellor would support him, to which Anaki
n stated that he too knew the Chancellor well.
When Tano asked Skywalker why Piell would share half the information with Tarkin
. Skywalker told Tano that Tarkin felt that the Jedi shouldn't be running the wa
r, to which he replied that the Jedi were keepers of the peace, not soldiers. As
Skywalker and Kenobi discussed Tarkin's haughty attitude towards the Jedi, they
noticed the anooba trailing them, along with a squad of STAPs. Skywalker, Kenob
i and R2 lured the creatures into an ambush, but the rest of the team itself was
ambushed by crab droids and another group of STAPs. When Skywalker and Kenobi r
ejoined the team, Padawan Tano arrived carrying Master Piell's body, and told th
em that she had his half of the information. Skywalker, Kenobi and the rest of t
he team then took a brief moment to consign his body to the lava before moving o
n. When they reached the island, Skywalker and cody fired extension cables, but
were then ambushed by Sobeck and his commando droids on STAPs. After Sobeck's de
ath, Master Koon arrived and picked them up. When they returned to the Temple, S
kywalker shook hands with Tarkin before he left. Skywalker then told Kenobi that
they could use more men like him to help them win the war.[133]
Return to Felucia
"When I was out there, alone, all I had was your training and the lessons you ta
ught me. And because of you, I did survive. And not only that, I was able to lea
d others to survive as well."
?Tano thanking her master for his training[src]
Anakinsearching
Skywalker continues his search for his missing Padawan at the Jedi Temple.
Skywalker, along with Padawan Tano, Master Plo Koon, and their clone officers Ca
ptain Rex and Commander Wolffe, traveled to Felucia to tend to reinforcements di
spatched by General Grievous to an outpost to secure his hold on Felucia. Koon a
nd Wolffe jumped in from one of the sides of outpost while Tano attacked from th
e rear. Skywalker and Rex, aided by Felucian scouts, would stage an ambush at th
e front of the outpost. When the outpost came under fire from the AT-TEs and Tur
bo Tanks, the droids were ambushed by Skywalker's men and the outpost was taken.
When Skywalker asked one of Tano's men where she was, he was told that she was
missing. Skywalker then proceeded to look for Tano, but Koon told Skywalker that
he must return to Coruscant. At the Jedi Temple, Skywalker kept searching for h
er.[134] Eventually, Tano found her own way back and Skywalker apologised to her
for bringing her on the mission and not being to careful, but Tano thanked him
for because of him training her she survived.[135]
The Starcrusher trap
"I've defied the Chancellor's orders. It's that rebellious streak of mine you ke
ep cautioning me about, I'm afraid."
" Bless that rebellious streak! For once, you're right where I want you!"
?Skywalker and Kenobi[src]
During the war, Kenobi and Skywalker infiltrated a Separatist munitions factory
on an asteroid. Skywalker joked that he had forgotten the explosives as Kenobi u
sed his lightsaber to cut into the factory. Once inside they were surrounded by
battle droids, but the two Jedi destroyed them and ventured deeper into the fact
ory. Skywalker threw the explosives into the station's reactor, and the resultin
g explosion brought down the shields.[136]
Three Republic Venator-class star destroyers led by Captain Trask moved into pos
ition to destroy the factory, but the Separatist battleship Starcrusher ambushed
the destroyers. The two Jedi were unaware of the destruction of the Republic fl
eet, and Skywalker called for extraction. The Jedi Knight Jyl Somtay, piloting a
T-6 shuttle, arrived to pick them up. The three Jedi were able to fly past the
Starcrusher and return to Coruscant, where the Jedi Council decided to send a te
am to hunt down the dangerous Separatist vessel, which included Kenobi, Somtay,
Master Windu, Master Mundi, and Skywalker's Padawan. Chancellor Palpatine contac
ted Grand Master Yoda, and asked for the services of Skywalker.[136]
Skywalker met the Chancellor in his private office, where Palpatine presented a
collection of seeds for Skywalker to take to the Daltarri inhabitants as a gestu
re of goodwill. Skywalker took R2 and his starfighter to the planet Daltarri and
met the inhabitants, who agreed to aid the Republic. During his mission, Skywal
ker received a premonition of danger, and cut short his mission to Daltarri by t
wo days.[136]
The Jedi assault team had gotten trapped on a decoy Starcrusher and were on the
verge of crashing into a star when Skywalker arrived. At that time, the real Sta
rcrusher arrived. Kenobi came up with a plan, and had Skywalker fly his fighter
into the battleship's main hold, where he caused damage to the inside of the ves
sel. Skywalker proceeded to the vessel's power generator and destroyed it. Kenob
i's plan involved magnetizing the hull of the decoy to cause the real Starcrushe
r to crash into it. The team then escaped using spacesuits, and Skywalker used a
tow cable to pick up the team as the Separatist vessels disintegrated in the su
n.[136]
The strike team then returned to Coruscant, and Skywalker met with Palpatine, wh
o was not upset that he had cut his mission to Daltarri short. Upon his return t
o the Jedi Temple, he saw Tano and Somtay, who were going for caf and to discuss
Skywalker.[136]
Civil war on Mon Calamari
AnakinfightingQuarren
Anakin fighting during the 2nd Battle of Mon Calamari
After the assassination of Mon Calamari's King Yos Kolina, Skywalker, acting as
bodyguard to Republic Senator Padm Amidala, were sent at the behest of Kolina's c
hief military adviser, Capt. Gial Ackbar, to help steer the troubled planet away
from an inevitable civil war between the Quarren and Mon Calamari. After the fa
ilure of the peace talks between the Quarren and the Mon Calamari, Skywalker, Am
idala, and Captain. Ackbar contacted the Jedi Council. Skywalker informed them o
f how the Separatist ambassador, commander Riff Tamson, stirred up the Quarren a
gainst accepting Kolina's son, prince Lee-Char as their next leader. Master Mace
Windu told Skywalker and Ackbar to prepare for an assault and that they were se
nding a company of Clone SCUBA troopers under Kit Fisto and Ahsoka Tano to reinf
orce them. When the Quarren, backed by Tamson and his Aqua droids, attacked Skyw
alker urged Ackbar to get the prince to safety. When the prince refused to do th
is, Skywalker fought alongside the Mon Calamari troops. Skywalker, along with Am
idala, accompanied the prince as he tried to get troops behind the Quarren and d
roids but failed to do so. When Padm asked for help in getting Mon Calamari senat
or Meena Tills to safety, Skywalker was attacked by a couple of Quarren who grab
bed him and removed his helmet. Skywalker was able to get rid of the Quarren, bu
t couldn't get to his helmet and was slowly drowning. Fortunately, Republic rein
forcements and Ahsoka arrived just in time to save her master from drowning. Whe
n Tano gave Skywalker his helmet back, he told her that he had it under control.
Skywalker then told her to get to prince Lee-Char and keep him safe. When the Q
uarren and the droids retreated, Skywalker regrouped with the Mon Calamari soldi
ers and Republic leaders. Unfortunately, Tamson brought in reinforcements in the
form of Hydroid Medusas. Though he kept fighting against them, Skywalker told h
is Padawan to find a way out to retreat. Skywalker, along with Lee-Char, Tano, T
ills, Amidala, Kit Fisto, and what remained of their army retreated through the
Hydroid Medusa to caves on the seafloor.[137]
After Fisto contacted Masters Yoda and Mace Windu, Skywalker advised the prince
that they should try reaching Amidala's and his ship. Though the prince wanted t
o stay for his people, was able to convince him to make a run for the ship. Afte
r Fisto distracted the Quarren, Skywalker and Tano took a couple of mini subs wi
th the Prince, the senators, and Capt. Ackbar. Unfortunately Tamson anticipated
this move, and he blew up their ship. After their ship's destruction, Skywalker
and the rest of the group grabbed onto the debris. Skywalker and Ackbar agreed t
hat they should split up in order to protect the prince. So Skywalker took Senat
ors Amidala, Tills and Capt. Ackbar with him while Fisto took the prince, Tano,
and Commander Monnk. Skywalker and his group then went to the Mon Calamari centr
al planetary scanner mast. Once there, Skywalker used the power of the Force to
tear apart the building. Skywalker and his group were then surrounded by the Qua
rren and Tamson's forces. Fortunately, the Gungan Grand Army was sent to them as
the Republic's reinforcements. At first the tide was turning in their favor, bu
t Tamson, using Dooku's reinforcements created whirlpools in which they subdued
the Gungans, Mon Calamari, and Skywalker's team. Ackbar then helped Skywalker ma
ke his way through the whirlpool to disable one of the Trident ship's legs to st
op it. Skywalker was successful in this effort, but Skywalker, along with his te
am, the Gungans and Mon Calamari, were taken as prisoners.[138]
Skywalker, Fisto, Amidala, and Binks were taken to Tamson, where he put Skywalke
r and Fisto into Eel cages. Tamson started to interrogate them on the whereabout
s of Prince Lee-Char, torturing them. When Tamson couldn't get an answer out of
them, Tamson cracked Amidala's helmet to make it slowly leak. Though it convince
d Tamson that Skywalker and the others knew nothing of the prince, the Prince wa
s found and Tamson left, leaving Amidala's helmet leaking. Skywalker and Fisto u
sed the Force to create an air bubble around her helmet. When Skywalker was bitt
en by one of the eels, he thought of Amidala, but luckily Binks used Gungan wate
r sealant to seal her helmet. Skywalker and the others were then taken to the ex
ecution of the Prince. Skywalker was reunited with his Padawan shortly later, th
e two discussed the plan to rescue the Prince, though Tano told him that unfortu
nately the situation is out of there hands, with Skywalker stating that he was n
ot sure he likes the plan after all. With the Prince about to be killed, the Qua
rren betrayed Tamson and then gave the Jedi and the captured Mon Calamari back t
heir weapons and joined them in winning the battle. After winning the battle, Sk
ywalker and the others then attended Lee-Char's coronation and installation as t
he 83rd King of Mon Calamari.[139]
Skirmish on Naboo
NeeyutneeLeaves-SW
Anakin after his Encounter with Count Dooku
When the Naboo heard rumors that the Gungans and their army were going to march
on them with the Separatists, Skywalker went with Senator Amidala to help Repres
entative Jar Jar Binks in trying to figure out why Boss Lyonie was rallying his
people to rise up against the Naboo. After witnessing a rally, they arranged for
 a private meeting with Lyonie, and found out he was kept under hypnotic control
through a strange necklace. Lyonie said that the necklace had been given to him
by a Gungan mystic, Minister Rish Loo, who actually was an agent of Count Dooku
. When they confronted Rish Loo, Skywalker sensed that Rish Loo was trying to hy
pnotize Lyonie again. Skywalker and Amidala went in to arrest him, but Rish Loo
revealed Commando Droids and battle erupted. Skywalker quickly dispatched the co
mmando droids, but Rish Loo managed to escape after stabbing Lyonie. Skywalker p
ursued him till Rish Loo got to a Gungan transport and made a run to the surface
.[140]
After taking Lyonie to medical facility in Otoh Gunga, Skywalker and Amidala tri
ed to figure out how to convince the Gungan army not to ally with the Separatist
s. Skywalker and Amidala then saw an eerie resemblance between Jar-Jar Binks and
Lyonie once the former donned the latter's ceremonial apparel. Thus Skywalker t
ook Binks (posing as Lyonie) to the army and got him to convince the army to sta
nd down and to arrest Rish Loo. Rish Loo escaped again, commandeering a speeder
bike, and Skywalker gave chase on a kaadu. Skywalker kept on his tail, but his m
ount was shot down by two recon droids. Anakin destroyed them and then continued
on foot, following Rish Loo's trail to an old, abandoned temple from which Coun
t Dooku was overseeing the operation in person.[140]
Skywalker entered the temple, and witnessed Dooku executing his Gungan agent for
failure. Skywalker and Dooku then engaged each other in lightsaber combat. Anak
in initially took the advantage, forcing Dooku to break off the bout by telekine
tically barraging Skywalker with lamp droids. Dooku then revealed his trump card
, four MagnaGuards, ordering them to capture Skywalker. The MagnaGuards joined t
he fray, and gave Dooku the upper hand when he managed to disarm Skywalker. The
Magnaguards then pinned Skywalker to the ground, but calling upon his anger, he
knocked them away with a Force Repulse. Dooku ultimately subdued him using a com
bination of Force choke and Sith lightning. Anakin was then latched to a rack, a
nd Dooku contacted Amidala, proposing a prisoner exchange. If Amidala gave Gener
al Grievous up, Skywalker would be spared and released. Dooku gave her one hour
to respond. Thus Amidala gave Grievous up for Skywalker and the droid army left
Naboo.[140]
Battle of Umbara
After the Umbaran sided with the Separatists after the death of Senator Mee Deec
hi,
RexSkywalker-Umbara
Skywalker leading the 501st Legion into battle against the local Umbaran militia
forces
the Republic launched a massive campaign to retake Umbara. Sending Skywalker, Po
ng Krell, and two high Jedi Council members, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Saesee Tiin to l
ead the clone troopers to retake the planet. After smashing through the Separati
st blockade that guarded the planet, Skywalker and his 501st Legion troopers pre
pared to land on the shadowy world after just attending a mission briefing. Shor
tly thereafter, Skywalker and his troops entered the planet's atmosphere and eng
aged the local Umbaran militia forces.
After defeating the Umbara resistance for a short while Skywalker and Rex waited
for the rest of their men, hoping to move out soon and reinforce General Kenobi
's battalion and push for the Umbaran capital. Dogma headed over and reported th
at all platoons have reported in. Skywalker told him to get some rest, but Dogma
replied that he was fine. Rex stepped into the conversation and told Dogma that
General Skywalker gave him a direct order. Dogma did as he was asked. Rex told
Skywalker that Dogma was wound tight but loyal and Skywalker made a joke that he
reminded him of Rex. Rex, not thinking so, replied that was him in the old days
. Shortly after this, the Umbarans executed an ambush on Skywalker and his troop
s. Fortunately an airstrike by Master Pong Krell and Oddball saved them in the n
ick of time. After the quick save, Krell approached Skywalker with a disconcerti
ng message: Skywalker was to return to Coruscant and meet Supreme Chancellor Pal
patine, for reasons unknown. Reluctant to leave his troops in the midst of battl
e, Skywalker nevertheless was forced to relinquish command over his troops to Ma
ster Krell and make the journey back to the Coruscant.[141]
Battle of Kiros
RepublicAssault-Kidnapped
Skywalker and his troops lead BARC speeders into battle against battle droids on
Kiros
Ten rotations of Yoda's last contact with the Togruta colonists on Kiros, Skywal
ker, his Padawan, Captain Rex, and Kenobi went to this world to liberate it from
the Separatists. After their landing, Skywalker, with Tano as his gunner took a
squad of BARC speeder to break through the city. After Skywalker and the squad
took out the commando droids on Flitknot speeders and the AATs, Skywalker's and
Kenobi's forces then surrounded the Governor's tower, where the Separatist Headq
uarters were at. Commander Cody then told that the enemy commander, Darts D'Nar,
wished to discuss terms of surrender. Skywalker then took D'nar's message out o
f Cody's hand and called D'nar Zygerrian slaver scum. Though Skywalker wanted to
negotiate with D'nar, Kenobi told him to wait while he negotiated. Skywalker th
en contacted Admiral Yularen to conduct a bio scan to find the missing colonists
.
Skywalker then overheard Kenobi's negotiations on his comlink. Skywalker and Tan
o were surprised when D'Nar refused to surrender. When D'Nar said that he had pl
anted bombs in the city, Skywalker and Tano did not believe it at first until D'
Nar blew up one of the buildings. Skywalker and Tano then rode on a couple of AT
-RTs to defuse the bombs while Kenobi continued his Negotiations. Skywalker and
Tano diffused the bombs quickly. When Skywalker and Tano got to the last bombs,
they came under fire from Sniper droidekas. Fortunately they were able to destro
y the snipers and diffuse the last bombs. After that, Skywalker and Tano then to
ok their AT-RTs back to the tower. When Kenobi informed them that D'Nar was esca
ping, They took their AT-RTs and jumped onto D'Nar's ship, the Tecora.
Skywalker and Tano then disabled D'Nar's ship. The ship's doors then opened and
they boarded. Unfortunately, D'Nar unleashed one of his "pets," the Blixus, upon
them. Skywalker and Tano then fought, but Skywalker then told Tano to stabilize
the ship. Just as the Blixus was about to eat him, Skywalker then killed the bl
ixus and escaped it's grasp as it fell off the ship. Skywalker then went to the
control where his apprentice had just captured D'Nar. Skywalker then started to
question D'Nar, threatening to kill D'Nar with a lightsaber up his throat. D'Nar
told Skywalker that his queen would have an auction to make Zygerria powerful o
nce again. When Skywalker, Kenobi, Yularen, and Tano told the Jedi Council of th
is, Skywalker told them that they must not let this happen.[142]
Infiltrating Zygerria
AnakinSavesMiraj-SotR
"Lars Quell" saved Queen Miraj Scintel from assassination attempt by a slave.
Skywalker, along with Kenobi, Tano, and Rex took D'Nar's ship, the Tecora, to Zy
gerria. There Skywalker, posing as a brigand named Lars Quell, with Tano posing
as his slave would keep the Zygerrian queen busy and distracted while Kenobi and
Rex look for the missing colonists. Skywalker and his fellow Jedi then gave R2-
D2 their lightsabers and then went their separate ways. As Skywalker and Tano ma
de there way through the streets, they then ran into the Zygerrian Prime Ministe
r, Atai Molec. At first, Molec refused to allow "Quell" to see the queen until S
kywalker told that he had news concerning Bruno Denturri.
Skywalker and Tano were then taken to Queen Miraj Scintel's Palace. Skywalker to
ld the queen how he killed Denturi and took one of Denturi's "slaves" as compens
ation. The queen was impressed by "Quell"'s skills as a warrior. When the queen
asked about how much "Quell"'s slave was, Skywalker openly flirted with the quee
n. Skywalker and his apprentice were then taken to the Queen's private chambers.
There, as Skywalker and the queen were about to drink, one of the queen's slave
s tried to kill her. Skywalker was able to stop the slave, but the slave then to
ok her own life. When the queen offered to buy his "slave," Skywalker presented
his slave as a gift to the queen, thus earning the queen's praises.
Skywalker and Tano were then invited to attend the Royal Slave Auction. When Gov
ernor Roshti was presented, Skywalker asked where she got nearly 50,000 slaves.
Just then Molec told the queen of his capture of the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi. When
Kenobi was brought forward to show her customers how her people can even enslave
the Jedi, Skywalker was ordered to whip Kenobi. As Skywalker move to whip Kenob
i, he gave a signal to Artoo and Rex. Skywalker, Kenobi and Tano then got their
lightsabers and tried to fight their way out, to no avail. The queen and her gua
rds were able to subdue Skywalker and his friends. The queen admired Skywalker's
strength, thus she decided to make Skywalker her bodyguard.
When Skywalker came about in the queen's chamber, Skywalker tried to Force-choke
the queen into telling him where his friends are. However the queen tells him t
hat if he continues to misbehave, his friends would die. Thus Skywalker submitte
d himself to being the queen's bodyguard.[143] Skywalker escorted the queen arou
nd her palace until Dooku arrived, unbeknownst to the queen. Skywalker was then
ordered to stay put, without his lightsaber. Two guards watched until Artoo arri
ved and then he vanished. After Skywalker lost the guards, he then went to rescu
e his apprentice, who was in a cage. Skywalker then told Tano to get the ship re
ady, while he would get the location of Kenobi and Rex from the queen. As Skywal
ker entered the queen's quarter, Dooku had just Force-choked the queen. Skywalke
r then fought Dooku with a whip. Then the guards, believing that Skywalker had m
urdered their queen, tried to kill him. Skywalker then took and escaped with the
dying queen to the Tecora. On board the ship, the queen told Skywalker that he
was right and where Kenobi and Rex were.[144]
Battle of Kadavo
Skywalker and Tano took the Tecora to Kadavo, to the Zygerrian Labor Processing
Hub where Kenobi and Rex were held. After their ship landed, Skywalker and Tano
made their way to the front door. Just as they were cutting through the door, Ke
nobi warned him that Keeper Agruss will kill the slaves if he does not stop and
that's he outnumbered. Fortunately, Skywalker contacted Master Plo Koon, the Wol
fpack and Admiral Barton Coburn for help. While Master Koon kept the Zygerrian d
efenses busy, Skywalker and Tano made their way through the facility. Skywalker
then helped Master Koon to destroy the defense turrets while his apprentice help
ed the colonists get to the rescue ship. Skywalker, Kenobi and Rex then joined e
ach other and evacuated the facility as Master Koon's fighters destroyed the fac
ility.[144]
Plot to kidnap the Chancellor
After a meeting of the Jedi Council, Kenobi was "shot" by Rako Hardeen a bounty hu
nter and marksman from the planet Concord Dawn while walking through the streets o
f Coruscant at night with Skywalker and Tano. Hardeen was hired by an anonymous
client to "kill" Kenobi with a sniper rifle.
After shooting the Jedi in the chest and completing the job, Hardeen was pursued
by Skywalker, but escaped on a speeder bike and with the aid of smoke grenades.
Tano and Skywalker attend Kenobi's funeral, believing him dead, and Skywalker s
wears to bring the perpetrator to justice.
SW and AT at a bar
Skywalker and Ahsoka storming into a bar to apprehend "Rako Hardeen"
After celebrating his high-profile kill at Trueping's cantina, his employer call
ed him to a back room for payment. To his surprise, a very much alive Master Ken
obi having assumed Hardeen's appearance and Master Windu arrest and incapacitate Har
deen for secret transport.
Meanwhile, during their investigation of the presumed killer, Skywalker and Ahso
ka find a presumably drunk "Rako Hardeen" at Trueping's, not knowing that it was
really Kenobi in disguise. Skywalker and Tano arrest him and have him transport
ed to the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center, where the Jedi Council ha
d been planning to insert Kenobi undercover in order to uncover a plot involving
Moralo Eval to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.[145]
During his investigation, Kenobi discovered the involvement of Cad Bane in the p
lot and continued to assume his disguise to learn more. With difficulty in convi
ncing Bane of his credibility, and to follow the enemy plot to its source, Kenob
i assisted Bane and Eval in their escape from the detention center.
When Skywalker expressed his desire to track down the killer and return him to c
ustody, Windu denied the request to pursue the fugitives. Not happy with the dec
ision, Skywalker visited the Chancellor, who told him that the fugitives were on
Nal Hutta. There, Skywalker and Tano harshly interrogated locals for informatio
n, which led them to Orondia, the fugitives last known location.[146]
Skywalker and Tano had a brief skirmish with Cad Bane as well as the disguised H
ardeen, but as the criminals fled the scene after incapacitating Skywalker, he i
nformed Tano that Kenobi was indeed alive as Hardeen, acting as an undercover ag
ent. Yoda later confirmed this when he summoned Skywalker to his quarters.
Sometime after that the Jedi Council planned the security for the Chancellor on
Naboo. When Skywalker, Tano and Windu arrived in Theed with the Chancellor and M
as Amedda, Skywalker was greeted by his secret wife, Senator Amidala. At the fes
tival itself, the attempt to abduct the Chancellor struck with Cad Bane and Mora
lo Eval ferrying Palpatine away while Skywalker and Windu captured Embo and Twaz
zi.
Windu and Skywalker saved Palpatine with the aid of Kenobi, apprehending Eval an
d Bane. While walking down a corridor with Palpatine, the two were greeted by Co
unt Dooku, who wished to finish what he started. The duel commenced, with his gu
ards defeated leaving him the chance to engage Dooku. With Kenobi's assistance,
Dooku fled and Palpatine was saved once again.
Onderon Rebels
On Onderon, which was Separatist-controlled, a group of rebels had arisen to tak
e back the planet. Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano went with Rex and some 501st men
to aid the rebels and give them guidance. They taught the rebels sharpshooting,
how to disable a droideka, and more tricks. A group of droids and AATs arrived t
o squash the rebels but were defeated, serving as the first test for the group.
After this, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Rex with the 501st left for the war, but Tano
stayed behind to lead the rebels, getting some guidance herself from Skywalker
and Kenobi. Tano and the rebels, led by Saw and Steela Gerra, eventually achieve
d victory with rocket launchers sent by Hondo Ohnaka and ordered by Skywalker. T
ano returned to Coruscant following the funeral of Steela, who had perished duri
ng the battle.
The Twilight
Obi-Wan Kenobi: "I was wondering if I might borrow that old freighter of yours."
Anakin Skywalker: "The Twilight? Sure. Though you should know "
Obi-Wan Kenobi: "Is she spaceworthy these days?"
Anakin Skywalker: "The engines need tuning, and she's pitching more than I'd lik
e, and there's a list of other little problems. If you give me and R2 an hour "
Obi-Wan Kenobi: "As long as she'll fly and land. I'm not planning on making the Ke
ssel Run, or trying my hand at the five Fire Rings of Fornax."
Anakin Skywalker: "She's all yours, then."
?Obi-Wan Kenobi requests the Twilight from Skywalker.[src]
When Obi-Wan Kenobi decided to travel to Mandalore on a secret mission, he came
to Skywalker requesting the Twilight. Skywalker gave the ship to him, even thoug
h the battered freighter had a lot of problems. Kenobi said that as long as it w
as flyable, he would take it. However, after a minor blaze occurred on the ship
after landing on Mandalore, Kenobi vowed not to borrow another ship from Skywalk
er.
Caridia Incident
Around 20 BBY, Anakin Skywalker allowed the newly formed droid squadron, D-Squad
, to conduct missions for the Galactic Republic under direct Jedi supervision, l
oaning R2-D2 over to the unit.[147] Eventually, Skywalker attended the Republic
strategy conference on the Valor at the Caridia system. As a result, he and seve
ral other Republic military staff were nearly killed when the Venator-class Star
Destroyer Renown, having been laced with Rhydonium canisters and on a collision
 course with the station, hyperspaced out of the system. After learning that R2
didn't make it out of the ship before blowing it up, Anakin had several soldiers
search for any sign of R2 among the wreckage.[148]
Clearing Tano's name
During the defense of Cato Neimoidia, Anakin Skywalker ended up being forced to
withdraw from the battle after his Eta-2 Actic-class interceptor fell victim to
a Buzz Droid attack, as well as due to news of a bombing at the Jedi Temple's ha
ngar requiring his instant return to Coruscant. Tano and Skywalker then proceede
d to investigate the reasons behind the bombing, with Skywalker remarking that "
one can become the other" relating to it most likely being a staffer of the temp
le. They eventually deduce that Jackar Bowmani is responsible for the bombing, a
lthough they find out he was an unknowing accomplice, having been fed nanobots b
y his wife, Letta Turmond. They then proceeded to arrest her and bring her over
to the Jedi Temple.[149] Turmond was later relocated to a Republic-owned militar
y outpost. However, this ultimately turned for the worse, as Tano herself ended
up framed with Turmond's death when she apparently killed Turmond while question
ing her on her motives behind the attack. Skywalker did not bail her out of pris
on, as, although he personally believed her innocence, he realized that bailing
her out of prison would result in her being viewed as being even more guilty tha
n before. He eventually told this to Tano when she broke out of the prison, just
prior to her escaping from a water pipe.[150] Skywalker later participated in t
he manhunt for Tano.[151]
As Skywalker searched, he briefly saw his Padawan with Ventress, giving him grea
t concern. Later Tano was found with the nano droids that were used in the bombi
ng of the Temple and she was arrested. Skywalker tried to find her innocence so
he tracked down Ventress who said that Barriss was the only person besides her t
o know where Ahsoka was heading. Skywalker visited Offee and questioned her, to
test her he attacked her with her own lightsaber, upon which she reacted with th
e use of Ventress' lightsabers. The two fought as Barriss attempted to flee the
Jedi Knight. Anakin continued to fight her until he defeated her with the witnes
s of the Temple Guards to her guilt.
BarrissVsAnakin-TWJ
Skywalker and Offee's duel
Offee was captured and forced to tell the court that Tano was innocent. Tano was
given a place back into the Jedi Order as a Jedi Knight but refused as she coul
d not trust the Council. Skywalker and Tano said their goodbyes and he said that
there were times that he wanted to leave the Jedi Order and Tano stated "I know
" and she walked away from the Temple.
Ringo Vinda campaign
Skywalker then led the 501st at Ringo Vinda alongside fellow Jedi Generals Tipla
r and Tiplee against Admiral Trench's forces. The battle was in their favor unti
l one of Skywalker's troopers, "Tup", murdered Gen. Tiplar in trance-like state.
Tup was to be sent back to Kamino but was captured. Skywalker, Rex, and Fives w
ent to rescue him.[152] After the rescue, he was taken to Kamino. Skywalker and
Rex left for the war, but Fives stayed.[153]
Tup died during treatment,[153] but Fives found a biochip in every clone trooper
[154] and was thus taken to see Chancellor Palpatine. After being accused of att
empting to murder Palpatine, Fives was on the run and, through Jesse, asked to t
alk with Rex and Skywalker secretly. When the two arrived, Fives activated a ray
shield out of fear. As he attempted to inform them about a plot involving the C
hancellor and the Jedi, Commander Fox and the Coruscant Guard arrived and Fives
was shot.[155]
Corruption in the Clan
Later, Skywalker traveled to Scipio to bail Padm Amidala out of jail. She said th
at Rush Clovis was helping her expose corruption in the Banking Clan. Although h
e still didn't like Clovis, he took her to his private residence anyway. As the
bounty hunter Embo shot at them, he protected them with his lightsaber. As they
attempted to take off, Embo shot their speeder down, and a sled chase through th
e snow and ice ensued. They lost the bounty hunter eventually and escaped to Cor
uscant.[156]
Padm was assigned to help Clovis uncover the corruption, and since that meant wor
king closely together, Skywalker decided to go after them. He found Clovis about
to kiss Amidala and beat him up. Amidala's Security arrived, and Clovis covered
for Skywalker. Amidala then said that they shouldn't see each other for a while
.[157]
Later, Clovis exposed the corruption and became the Clan's new head.[157] When C
lovis appeared to have joined the Separatists, and Amidala's clone garrison had
been destroyed, Skywalker led the attack fleet to retake Scipio. He went down to
Clovis' office, where Amidala was at gunpoint. A crashed Vulture droid made the
tower with the office unstable, Skywalker kept his footing but the other two fe
ll. Skywalker grabbed one of each of their hands, and since Padm was slipping, Cl
ovis let go and fell to his death. Afterward, control of the banks was given to
Palpatine.[158]
Shadows of Sifo-Dyas
Soon after, Plo Koon found traces of the dead Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas and his shut
tle. Skywalker and Kenobi traced the information to the Pyke homeworld. They fou
nd a former Chancellor's aide in the dungeon, and when they questioned them abou
t the Jedi, he said that someone wanted to be Sifo-Dyas. When they asked him for
a name, he was Force-choked to death. They turned to find Count Dooku and engag
ed in a vicious duel with him. As the Pykes attacked Dooku, their leader address
ed him as "Tyranus." Dooku escaped, but Kenobi reported to the Council that Dook
u was Tyranus,[159] who Jango Fett said to have hired him for the creation of th
e Clone Army.[11]
Hunting Ventress
Skywalker helped Kenobi during his hunt for Asajj Ventress, on what Skywalker co
nsidered to be a wild bantha chase since he believed himself to have killed Vent
ress. However, after following several clues that pointed to her survival, Skywa
lker became less and less sure of this conviction. After defeating and destroyin
g Durge in the Karthakk system,[160] the two were then found by the Intervention
that was on a survey mission. Skywalker, Kenobi, Senator Bail Organa and the ot
her jedi then went to Boz Pity. Skywalker then piloted the ship to make sure it
would exit between Separatist blockade and the planet. Unfortunately, the Interv
ention was brought too close to the planet's gravitational pull. After the Inter
vention's crash landing, Skywalker and Kenobi found Ventress on Boz Pity in a ba
cta tank. Ventress attacked the two when she came out of her trance but was once
again defeated after Skywalker struck her down after she tried to kill Kenobi w
ith a piece of metal. She was then abandoned by Dooku. Finally Ventress let go o
f her anger and rage and put herself in a trance that made her appear dead. She
was taken aboard a medical ship (along with Alpha 17), awoke shortly after, and
ordered the pilot to take her far away from the war, Dooku, and the Jedi. Kenobi
and Skywalker were left believing that she was truly dead [161] The two later p
articipated in Mission to Ruhe in an effort to lay siege to Dooku's citadel. Tha
t mission, however, was a trap. Their LAAT/i gunship was shot down and hundreds
of battle droids remained waiting for them. It was only thanks to the clone troo
pers who repaired the gunship that Skywalker and Kenobi escaped alive.[162]
Cato Neimoidia
During the Outer Rim Sieges, Anakin and Obi-Wan were deployed on Cato Neimoidia
to capture Viceroy Gunray from his redoubt. It was the closest Obi-Wan and him h
ad been to Coruscant in almost four standard months. He saved Obi-Wan's life by
cutting a battle droid that almost killed Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan would later say that
this was not one of the times Anakin had saved his life.
"Ghost Hand"
VaderVision
Skywalker encounters a vision of his future self.
During the Outer Rim Sieges, Kenobi and Skywalker were only occasionally removed
from one another, being dispatched as a team to various battlefronts, commandin
g the Open Circle Fleet. Shortly before the Battle of Coruscant, Kenobi and Anak
in were sent to the icy planet of Nelvaan to seek out Grievous. The Nelvaanians
hailed Skywalker as "Ghost Hand," and the shaman of Rokrul village sent him on a
quest to save their people from a threat that had vanquished all their champion
s. Skywalker agreed, and entered a cave where he experienced visions of a great
hunter, who lost his arm in battle. However, he fought back, and continued to sl
ay monsters with a new black, spiky arm. As he slew the monsters, his power grew
until it was out of control, the spiky black arm turning into a spiky black lab
yrinth that encompassed and destroyed everything the warrior held dear.[163]
Amidala's voice was screaming as the sinister black labyrinth of evil that had o
nce been the great warrior's arm turned back upon the source and morphed what re
mained of the great hunter into an eerie face the face of Darth Vader, whom Skywal
ker would soon become.[163]
When Skywalker recovered from this vision, he happened upon a Techno Union labor
atory where scientists were experimenting on the Nelvaanian warriors, developing
them into brutish drones with cybernetic blaster cannons in their arms. With th
e help of a Nelvaanian who was not yet completely transformed, he convinced the
drones to assist him in destroying the factory, an act that cost him his robotic
arm. Many of the scientists tried to escape, but Skywalker caught up with and k
illed them in rage. In a display of support, the Nelvaanian men tore off their a
rtificial arms as well.[164]
Final days of war
Rescuing the Chancellor
Fighters in formation
Skywalker and Kenobi pilot their Jedi starfighters over Coruscant.
"Soon I will have a new apprentice one far younger and more powerful."
?Darth Sidious[src]
Shortly before the war's end, the Battle of Cato Neimoidia handed Skywalker and
Kenobi a valuable clue to the identity of the mysterious Darth Sidious: Nute Gun
ray's mechno-chair. This device carried a unique holotransceiver that bore intel
ligence capable of leading the Republic forces to their ultimate quarry, the eve
r-elusive Sidious. Mace Windu took up the lead on Coruscant, while Skywalker and
Kenobi tracked the lead in the Outer Rim Territories. Adventures for both teams
waited as the trail in the Outer Rim led back to the Works on Coruscant, just i
n time for an attack on Coruscant by the Confederacy, causing Skywalker and Keno
bi to rush back to Coruscant after their visit to Tythe. Back on Coruscant, just
as the identity of Darth Sidious loomed ever closer, the battle overhead delaye
d and dissolved the investigation. Windu joined the battle, clashing with Genera
l Grievous. Grievous escaped, although he was injured, his gut sack crushed by W
indu, and captured Chancellor Palpatine, taking him to his flagship, the Invisib
le Hand.[165]
Before the Separatist armada was able to flee Coruscant, however, Skywalker and
Kenobi finally returned from the Outer Rim in an attempt to rescue the "captive"
Chancellor. Moving into the thick of the battle, they stormed the Confederacy's
flagship in their Eta-2 Actis-class interceptors. The two Jedi fought their way
through the ship until they reached the General's Quarters atop the command tow
er, where Palpatine was being held hostage. As the two Jedi attempted to free hi
m, Count Dooku entered the room escorted by two super battle droids to confront
the two Jedi.[10]
DeathOfTyranus
Skywalker stands over the decapitated body of Count Dooku.
Unlike their first encounter with Dooku on Geonosis three years prior, Skywalker
and Kenobi fought together against him in a coordinated duel, until the Sith Lo
rd used the Force to choke Kenobi. He then simultaneously back-kicked Skywalker
and used the Force to throw Kenobi across the room, rendering the Jedi Master un
conscious and pinning him with a piece of a walkway dislodged by the Force. Skyw
alker fought on, eventually losing control of his emotions as Dooku taunted him.
He began to unleash all his fear, anger and hatred, beating away at Dooku's Mak
ashi with his own Djem So mastery. The short duel ended abruptly when Skywalker
sliced off Dooku's hands, rendering the Sith Lord helpless; an act of vengeance
from their first duel when Skywalker lost his right arm to Dooku.[10]
Pleased with the outcome, Palpatine urged Skywalker to kill Dooku. After hesitat
ing to give in to the Chancellor's wishes, Skywalker, who had two lightsabers (h
is own and Dooku's) crossed at the Sith's neck, cut off his head, killing him in
stantly. Skywalker did not know at the time that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, no
r did he know that the Dark Lord had chosen him to be his apprentice, and was me
rely using Dooku as a placeholder until he could be turned. Nonetheless, Skywalk
er immediately regretted his un-Jedi-like action, citing that the murder of a de
fenseless foe was not the Jedi way. Palpatine, however, eased Skywalker's consci
ence by claiming that such an action of violence was "only natural" in such a si
tuation Skywalker vowed revenge on Dooku for taking his arm three years ago and that
, as Skywalker himself had confided to him, the young Jedi already was familiar
with murder from his encounter with the Sand People that killed his mother, Shmi
.[10]
FirstDate-ROTS
Skywalker meets General Grievous for the first time
Skywalker then freed Palpatine from his bonds and escaped the Quarters, carrying
an unconscious Kenobi on his back, ignoring the Chancellor's orders to leave th
e Jedi Master behind in order to avoid carrying the extra weight. Their escape w
as short lived, however, as they were soon captured and brought before General G
rievous on the bridge of the vessel, where Skywalker and the General met face to
face at last, after having clashed indirectly many times during the war. Grievo
us commented that he found Skywalker to be too young for a man of his reputation
, to which the Jedi smugly responded that the General was "shorter than [Skywalk
er] expected." Then, at Skywalker's command, R2-D2 created a distraction, giving
the two Jedi enough time to regain their lightsabers, cut off their binders and
attack the general's bodyguards and droids. Grievous eventually escaped the Jed
i and deployed all the escape pods as his flagship began to plummet to the galac
tic capital below, drawn by the planet's gravity. Skywalker managed to pilot wha
t was left of the ship to a crash landing on a platform in an abandoned industri
al area on Coruscant.[10]
Fall to the dark side
"Skywalker was one of the Jedi Order's most skilled generals."
"What happened to him?"
"I killed him."
?Darth Vader, and Laurita Tohm[src]
Upon his return to Coruscant, Skywalker was reunited with his wife. After a brie
f greeting and mentioning of Anakin's potential death, Padm informed him of her p
regnancy, which he was overjoyed to hear. They decided to keep it a secret from
the Jedi Council as well as the Senate for both of their sakes. Later, he was tr
oubled by visions of Amidala dying in childbirth. To save his wife, Skywalker de
sired to look upon and research holocrons of learned Masters, holocrons that wer
e restricted by all but the Jedi Masters. When Palpatine made Skywalker his repr
esentative on the Jedi Council, he naturally assumed that made him a Master, thu
s giving him access to the restricted holocrons. However, the other Jedi on the
Council reluctantly accepted Skywalker's placement, and they denied him the rank
of Jedi Master, infuriating and frustrating him. After the session with the oth
er masters, a tense Skywalker expressed his incensed opinion to Kenobi on the ma
tter, working around the fact he needed to be a Master to save Amidala.[10]
Tragedy
Palpatine tells Skywalker the story of Darth Plagueis.
Further severing his trust in them, the Council urged Skywalker to keep tabs on
Palpatine, although Kenobi was against this decision. Realizing that this was th
e only reason the Council accepted Palpatine's placement, Skywalker began to slo
wly lose his respect for the members of the governing body, a mistrust and plagu
ing uncertainty that he revealed to his wife. Skywalker sought Yoda's counsel ab
out his intense, prophetic visions that someone close to him would die, though h
e did not reveal the identity of the person in question. Yoda, unaware of the in
tensity of Skywalker's love for Amidala, told him to "train yourself to let go of
everything you fear to lose." Skywalker was unsatisfied with this response.[10]
In another meeting with the Council, Skywalker informed the masters that Palpati
ne received a lead that Grievous was in the Utapau system. After being declined
by the rest of the Council to go to Utapau to confront Grievous, Skywalker sat b
ack and listened as Kenobi was chosen to go on this adventure. Just prior to Ken
obi's departure for Utapau to capture or kill General Grievous, Skywalker attemp
ted to come along, feeling Kenobi needed him. Agreeing that he would need Skywal
ker's help, Kenobi declined Skywalker's request, as he didn't want to take the r
isk that the lead was a "wild Bantha chase." Skywalker also promptly apologized
for his earlier behavior to Kenobi, as he was grateful for him being his mentor,
but just had frustrations. Unbeknownst to either of them at that time, this was
the last time Skywalker and Kenobi would converse as friends or as fellow Jedi.
Anakin also began suspecting due to visions showing Kenobi near Amidala at the t
ime of her apparent death that Amidala may have been having an extramarital affa
ir with Kenobi. Either that, or Anakin thought that Kenobi was beginning to real
ize about the secret marriage between him and Amidala, as well as their soon-to-
be child.[10]
As he continued to meet with Palpatine, the Chancellor slowly began to plant the
seeds of the dark side in Skywalker. Playing to his fear of Amidala's death, he
told Skywalker the story of a Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, who was powerful enoug
h to stop others from dying. Knowing this would interest Skywalker with the curr
ent situation that he was in, Palpatine continued to inform Skywalker of the sec
ret dark power that Jedi were not capable of teaching him. As Anakin was letting
off steam that he had revolving around the Council and their decisions, he met
with Palpatine and began to share with him his frustrations. Feeling like this w
as the correct time, Palpatine revealed his true self, and offered Skywalker the
chance to learn the ways of the dark side from him and use the power he had to
save Amidala. Having his lightsaber drawn, Skywalker, out of instinct, contempla
ted killing Palpatine on the spot as soon as he learned his true identity, but d
ecided against it after Palpatine implied that killing him would result in Skywa
lker turning to the dark side and ruin his chances of saving Amidala. Skywalker
instead fled to Mace Windu and promptly reported to him Palpatine's identity, th
ough he regretted his choice as Palpatine's words tortured his mind. Windu, afte
r instructing Skywalker to remain at the Jedi Temple, went, with three other Jed
i Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto to arrest the Chancellor. Sidious fought wi
th the Jedi, slaying three of them almost immediately and leaving only Windu. He
and Sidious continued to fight until the Jedi Master gained the advantage. Back
at the Jedi Temple, meanwhile, Skywalker brooded over an overwhelming thought:
with Sidious' death, he would lose the chance to save his wife from the fate in
his dreams. This torturing time was what made Anakin decide to leave the Council
chambers and go to the scene of the arrest.[10]
A fateful choice
"Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone
he is consumed by Darth Vader."
?Yoda to Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
PalpatineAnakin-JvS
Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, Sidious's new Sith apprentice.
Tormented by thoughts of Amidala dying without the benefit of Sidious' knowledge
, Skywalker rushed out of the Temple, grabbing an airspeeder and hurrying to the
Chancellor's office. Uncertain of what was going to happen, Skywalker made his
way to the sanctuary of Palpatine, where he was supposed to be arrested. Coincid
entally, Skywalker arrived just in time to see Windu standing over the disarmed
Sidious, with his lightsaber held at the Chancellor's throat.[10]
Sidious, upon seeing Skywalker, claimed that the Jedi were indeed trying to take
over the Republic, and proceeded to attack Windu with Force lightning while ple
ading with Skywalker for help, trying to sway him to save his life. Barely manag
ing to deflect Sidious' lightning, Windu shouted at Skywalker not to listen. As
Sidious' own lightning deflected back onto his face, the Sith Lord went through
a physical transformation as he struggled to intensify his dark side powers with
his own life force. His face became deformed and his eyes turned yellow. The tr
ue Sith that was in Sidious was now becoming more and more evident in Palpatine.
Windu managed to reflect the lightning that was being shot at him and claimed t
hat it was time to kill Sidious and end the Sith once and for all. However, Skyw
alker confronted him, stating that Palpatine must stand trial, and that to execu
te him was not the way of the Jedi. Windu stated that despite normal procedures,
Palpatine was far too dangerous to be left alive. With Sidious pleading one las
t time, Windu ignored Skywalker and raised his lightsaber, preparing to kill Sid
ious, but in haste and rashness, the panicked Skywalker drew his lightsaber and
severed Windu's right hand, leaving him defenseless and in agony. Before Windu c
ould respond, Sidious took this opportunity to use his Force lightning ability a
nd send the Jedi Master through the shattered window, his electrified body falli
ng to the ground.[10]
Upon realizing the full significance of what he had just done, Skywalker was str
uck with guilt and remorse and questioned his actions, but was too emotionally d
rained and dazed to resist Sidious, who stated that he was fulfilling his destin
y. Knowing that Skywalker was emotionally unstable, Sidious further encouraged S
kywalker to embrace the dark side and become his apprentice, allowing Sidious to
teach him all that he knew. Anakin then realized Sidious had been manipulating
him and the galaxy all along. However, due to his role in killing Windu and his desi
re to keep Amidala alive, he had no prospect of returning to the Jedi Order. Ove
rcome by emotion and distress, Skywalker agreed to do anything Sidious desired;
all he wanted was to save Amidala's life. While saying that to cheat death was a
power that only one had achieved, Sidious promised Skywalker that, together, th
ey could find the secret, tacitly admitting that he did not have the ability to
hold back death, but Skywalker was too blind to see it. Anakin Skywalker then bo
wed on one knee and pledged himself to the Sith Order, whereupon Sidious endowed
him with his new Sith name: Darth Vader.[10]
Knightfall
"Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate, show no mercy."
?Sidious to Vader[src]
Knightfall2
Darth Vader leads clone troopers of the 501st Legion to slaughter the Jedi in th
e Jedi Temple.
Palpatine assured Vader that every Jedi was an enemy of the state, including Ken
obi, and it would be endless civil war unless the Jedi were destroyed. Vader was
ordered by the Sith Master that if he wanted to gain enough power in the dark s
ide to save Amidala, he was to lead the 501st Legion into the Jedi Temple and ki
ll every Jedi inside to catch them off balance and begin the purge that was to c
ome. Vader did this without question, slaughtering venerable Jedi and younglings
alike. His personal motives, however, were because he felt the Jedi Order would
never understand his reasons for his involvement in Mace Windu's death, feeling
he had gone too far and would never be accepted back. Vader even killed some Je
di Masters such as Cin Drallig. Some of the Jedi children even approached him, u
naware that he was to be their destroyer. The attack resulted in smoke rising fr
om the pillars of the Jedi Temple, easily visible from the Senate building. This
worried Amidala and struck her with fear, not knowing whether Anakin was okay.
After coming back home to assure his wife that things would be okay and that all
he had to do was destroy the remaining Separatist leaders on Mustafar, Anakin f
inished his first mission of wiping out the Jedi at the temple. This would be th
e start of the Great Jedi Purge. He also secretly planned to overthrow Sidious s
hortly thereafter to bring order back to the galaxy.[10]
Battle between brothers
"You turned her against me!"
"You have done that yourself!"
"YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME!"
"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that! You have allowed thi
s Dark Lord to twist your mind until now until now, you have become the very thin
g you swore to destroy!"
?Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
Vader yelloweyes
Darth Vader, deeply immersed in the dark side of the Force
Soon after the completion of Vader's assault on the Jedi Temple, Vader returned
to Amidala to console and inform her of the current situation with the Republic
and the Jedi. Leaving her distraught and confused, Vader continued his mission b
y flying to Mustafar, where he was to kill the Separatist Council.[10]
Vader traveled to Mustafar and used Sidious' codes to pass through the Separatis
ts' security. Vader left R2-D2 with his fighter so that his actions were neither
witnessed nor recorded. He entered the room in which the Separatist leaders wer
e and closed all of the doors, preventing any council member from escaping. At f
irst, several of the leaders warmly welcomed him, before they recognized his ove
rly publicized face. In their surprise, the corrupted Vader then began his massa
cre of the Separatist Council.[10]
After murdering all the members, along with their aides and guards in cold blood
, he turned to the last one left Nute Gunray, Sidious' former ally who had invaded
and occupied Naboo before being defeated by Skywalker thirteen years before, an
d who had tried to murder his wife on several occasions during the Clone Wars. B
efore he died, Gunray pleaded with Vader, claiming that Lord Sidious had promise
d they would be left in peace. Despite Gunray's pleas, Vader proceeded to kill h
im. His mission accomplished, the Sith Lord silently exited the room, awaiting f
urther instruction.[10]
Outside, overlooking the turbulent volcanic terrain, Vader contemplated his tran
sformation and convinced himself that all he had done was for the benefit of the
Republic, although he was still guilt-ridden for his actions, shedding tears of
remorse. Meanwhile, he remembered his Master's order to communicate with him as
soon as the enemy was defeated. During this transmission, he thought of how soo
n he planned for their positions to be changed, and how soon he would kill the D
ark Lord just as soon as he discovered a way to preserve Amidala's life. Darth Sid
ious ordered Vader to send a message to the Trade Federation ships that the enti
re Separatist droid army be shut down immediately before cutting off communicati
on. Seeing his wife's ship arrive, he left the bunker to meet her.[10]
Anakinchoke
Vader employs a Force choke on Padm.
Upon reuniting with Amidala, Vader discovered that Kenobi had revealed Vader's d
ark deeds in the Jedi Temple to her. Though he did not deny the accusation, Vade
r maintained that Kenobi was only attempting to turn her against him. Amidala tr
ied to reason with him, convince him to retire from public service with her to r
aise their child, but Vader countered with his plan to overthrow Palpatine and s
et the both of them up in his place. Shocked and horrified, Amidala refused, sta
ting that he had changed and was going down a path she could not follow. She ple
aded with him to come back, promising she still loved him. However, unknown to A
midala, Kenobi had stowed away on her ship to find Vader, and at that moment he
appeared on the ship's ramp.[10]
Upon seeing his former master, Vader incorrectly assumed Amidala had betrayed hi
m and brought Kenobi to kill him. Overwhelmed by his anger and rage, he lashed o
ut with the Force, choking his wife into unconsciousness, ignoring her tearful p
leas of innocence. Kenobi also tried to reason with his former pupil, but Vader
refused to listen, too consumed by hate. After Kenobi resolved he had no choice
but to fight, Vader told him he would try, and leaped to attack his former Maste
r and oldest friend.[10]
Anakin vs Obiwan
Vader duels his former Master on Mustafar.
Vader and Kenobi fought an intense duel throughout the mining complex and down t
he river of lava outside. The battle ended on the banks of a lava river, where K
enobi leaped to safety in order to claim the high ground, pleading with Vader to
concede defeat and abandon the fight. Goaded on by his overwhelming pride and s
eething rage, Vader ignored his fatal tactical disadvantage and attempted to mak
e the same jump, blade angled for the kill, only to be severely maimed and immob
ilized by Kenobi's blade, which severed both of his legs and his left arm.[10]
Anakin's immolation and Vader's rise
"[Twelve-year-old Anakin] felt the voices of the seeds. They are afraid. The hea
t is baking them. Their shells are crisping...
Perversely, Anakin shivered as if with cold.
Obi-Wan put an arm around his shoulders...
The seeds were afraid but did not move under their burden of embers and flame. T
heirs was courage, and also an awareness of fate or destiny...
This will happen to you.
Anakin gasped. He was not dreaming.
This is your destiny, your fate.
Obi-Wan had said nothing. Anakin knew where the voice was coming from, whom it b
elonged to, but could not believe what he knew.
There will be heat and death and resurrection. A seed will quicken. Will it burn
or shine? Will it think and create or be ruled by fear and destroy?
And then the voice fell silent.
Obi-Wan's arm tightened around Anakin, as if he would protect the boy..."
?Amidst the burning bora seeds of Zonama Sekot, the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn lays b
are to Anakin Skywalker's young mind a fiery future fate[src]
Physically crippled, Vader tried to claw his way up the talus using only his rem
aining prosthetic limb, but succeeded only in sliding closer to the lava river.
As he did this, Kenobi and Vader exchanged their parting words, Vader screaming
his undying hatred for Kenobi, while Kenobi, close to tears, expressed his regre
t and disappointment that Anakin, the man he had loved like a brother, had so sp
ectacularly failed in his destiny to bring balance to the Force.[10]
HunkaBurninLove-ROTS
Vader suffers severe burns after his defeat on Mustafar.
Shortly after, the heat of the lava ignited Vader's clothing, burning his body s
everely. He was nearly immolated as he slid down to the edge of the burning lava
riverbank. Kenobi retrieved Skywalker's lightsaber from nearby and left Vader f
or dead. He would keep this lightsaber until 0 BBY. As the flames began to subsi
de, Vader kept himself alive with the Force, his unbreakable will, and sheer hat
red, clawing his way back up the bank with his still-intact mechanical arm, stru
ggling against his extreme injuries.[10]
Medical capsule
Vader being carried on a medical capsule from his defeat
Darth Sidious, now the newly declared Emperor of the Galactic Empire, soon arriv
ed and found his injured apprentice. He returned Vader to Coruscant via shuttle
and repaired the damage to his body through intensive cybernetic enhancements at
the Surgical Reconstruction Center. The Emperor ordered the medical droids to k
eep him awake during the agonizing surgery so the pain would fuel his rage, and
therefore his power. His new robotic extremities were updated versions of the sa
me technology that transformed General Grievous into a cyborg.[10] Though he wou
ld still remain extremely powerful, Sidious knew that Vader's injuries had robbe
d him of much of his Force potential. In addition, both Vader and one of the med
ical droids, DD-13/HK, speculated that Vader's reconstruction may have been deli
berately shoddy; a ploy by Sidious to prevent Vader from rebelling against him.[
166] Upon his revival as a cyborg, Vader questioned his Master about Amidala. Si
dious told him that he had killed his wife in his anger.[10] In addition, Vader'
s former identity, Anakin Skywalker, was deleted from various databanks upon the
reconstruction being completed.[166]
A36xo
Darth Vader is encased within the shell that will hold him for the rest of his l
ife.
Overwhelmed by his despair in the belief he had killed Amidala and their unborn
child, which fulfilled his prophetic dreams of her death, Vader destroyed the me
dical droids and severely damaged the facility through the Force. He broke his b
indings on the operating table and struggled to walk under the sheer weight of h
is new prostheses and armor. The only purpose that remained in Vader's life was
his service to the new Emperor.[10]
The personality of Darth Vader became even more distinctive from Anakin Skywalke
r's due to the great physical and psychological damage that completely changed b
oth his appearance and his character. His armor limited his vision, restrained h
is movement, and caused extreme frustration for Vader (in the early years, at le
ast), but he would eventually retool his entire fighting style to make up for th
e lack of mobility that his armor imposed on him. As Darth Vader, Skywalker beca
me a powerful asset to the Empire, serving as an enforcer, Jedi hunter, and Supr
eme Commander of the Imperial Fleet of Palpatine's New Order. To cover up for An
akin Skywalker's involvement in the destruction of the Jedi Temple, rumors circu
lated that Skywalker had died trying to protect the children from Vader and the
stormtroopers, which were widely accepted due to few people being aware that Vad
er and Skywalker were the same person.[167]
Serving the Emperor
Moff Tarkin
Vader, Tarkin and the Emperor survey the Death Star.
"You don't know the power of the dark side. I must obey my Master."
?Vader to his son[src]
Now in possession of a great amount of power, Vader began settling into his posi
tion as Palpatine's enforcer. However, several members of the Empire viewed Vade
r as being mad human wreckage.[168] Although in possession of great wealth, Vade
r allowed himself few comforts. Among those were his personal retreat on Corusca
nt and Bast Castle on Vjun. The 501st Legion, the stormtrooper division he led i
n the extermination of the Jedi at the Jedi Temple, became his personal guard. T
he actions they undertook in Vader's name over the course of the Civil War earne
d them the nickname of "Vader's Fist." Vader piloted a black Eta-2 Actis-class i
nterceptor during some of his early missions for Palpatine as the Great Jedi Pur
ge continued, sometimes flanked by Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters. His
personal command ship during this time was the Imperator-class Star Destroyer E
xactor.
As one of his first missions following the end of the Clone Wars, Vader was sent
to Serenno, where he summoned the heads of the great houses and their oldest so
ns to a meeting. There Vader branded them as traitors for supporting the former
Count Dooku and the Separatists, demanding that they answer to their act. Despit
e the protests of the heads of the houses, Vader gave them a choice: each heir t
o each house would assume the title of the house by killing the current title ho
lder, or they would all die. Vader believed that the houses of Serenno would be
cleansed by their blood. Vader watched as Rodas Borgin and the other heirs kille
d their fathers. Vader then stood by as each new head swore fealty to the new he
ad of House Dooku, Count Adan Dooku.[169]
One of the most notable missions undertaken by Vader was to the planet Honoghr,
which had been devastated by the Separatist toxin Trihexalophine1138 during the
Clone Wars. He promised the native Noghri that the Empire would restore Honoghr'
s ecosystem, in exchange for their service to the Empire as assassins.[170] Vade
r would later use Honoghr as a final training ground for Galen Marek, Tao, and E
nnix Devian, the former two being his secret apprentices and the latter under th
e Emperor's orders of refining the Imperial soldier.
At an unknown point, he also participated in the Reconquest of the Rim in one of
the conflicts at the Outer Rim.[171] At another unknown point, he also briefly
re-encountered C-3PO at the Emperor's Ball, although the latter, not recognizing
his former creator due to a memory wipe ordered by Bail Organa (and presumably
not being privy to the information that the towering, armored cyborg was Anakin
even without the memory wipe), initially mistook Vader for a new line of guard d
roid. Despite this mistake, Vader did not destroy C-3PO, presumably because of l
ingering memories of his past self, but instead sentenced him to a year of labor
as a preschool attendant at the Imperial Palace.[172][173]
Murkhana
Vader Officers
Darth Vader, around the time of the mission to Murkhana
One of Vader's earliest missions was to journey to Murkhana to deal with traitor
ous Clone troopers who had facilitated the escape of their former Jedi commander
s, rather than comply with Order 66. Greeted by Clone Commander Salvo, Vader was
ted no time, confronting the traitorous Ion Team. Though they attempted to fight
back, the commandos were ultimately no match for Vader, and were forced to flee
, though Vader managed to kill two of them.[174]
However, immediately afterward, Vader was confronted by the Jedi Bol Chatak, who
had disguised herself as a former CIS mercenary and hid in the P.O.W. lines nea
rby. Chatak wanted to repay the Ion team for saving her life by removing Vader f
rom the hunt, attacking the Sith Lord. Though she inflicted a wound on Vader's f
orearm, he ultimately brought her down, cutting off her sword arm and then decap
itating her. However, defeating Chatak was fairly difficult for Vader, as he was
still adapting to his life-support armor. The armor's cumbersome weight left hi
s dueling abilities heavily impaired, his previously formidable technique reduce
d to a stilted and crude shadow, consisting primarily of vertical power-blows an
d heavy chops. In the end, he only brought down Chatak thanks to his superior he
ight and reach, as well as the increased stamina the suit afforded him. As he re
paired his damaged arm, he lamented that, before his transformation, only extrem
ely adept duelists like Ventress and Dooku had ever been able to wound him. Chat
ak was the first Jedi Vader killed with his new Sith lightsaber, which had been
constructed only a few weeks prior.[174]
However, Chatak's comrades Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone were still able to escape.
Remaining hidden in the P.O.W. lines while Chatak was killed, they managed to b
reak ranks after Vader departed, fleeing to the capital city of Murkhana and mee
ting with one of Shryne's criminal contacts the crime boss Cash Garrulan. Unfortun
ately for them, Vader hadn't given up the hunt; confronting Garrulan, Vader dedu
ced the location of the Jedi by following the opposite course of action suggeste
d by Garrulan.[174]
Pursuing the Jedi above Murkhana in his starfighter, he missed them when their s
hip attached to a hyperspace ring left by Garrulan as he fled. Despite killing o
ne of the Jedi and exposing Garrulan as a traitor, Vader considered the mission
a failure.[174]
Kessel
Purge
Vader confronting the Jedi gathered on Kessel
"WHERE IS OBI-WAN KENOBI?!"
"Not here, Sith. His name baited your trap."
"The first one to tell me where to find him lives. The rest of you die."
?Vader, to Shadday Potkin and the other Jedi on Kessel[src]
As the weeks passed, Vader became increasingly fixated on Kenobi, seeking reveng
e for his defeat on Mustafar. Vader tortured the Jedi Dama Montalvo in hopes of
learning where Kenobi was hiding, but he became enraged when Montalvo refused, a
nd broke the Jedi's neck just as Palpatine entered the torture chamber. Repriman
ding his apprentice, Palpatine ordered Vader not to become obsessed with the Jed
i, but when the Emperor departed, one of Vader's troops reported that surviving
Jedi were gathering for a meeting on Kessel, and Kenobi was supposed to be among
them. However, Vader was walking into a trap Master Shadday Potkin was the source
of Vader's information, and she had lured him there to kill him with the help o
f her fellow Jedi.[175]
Pursuing his quarry into an abandoned spice mine, Vader burst into the chamber w
here the Jedi awaited and demanded to know where Kenobi was, warning the Jedi th
at the first to tell him Kenobi's location would live. Impaling the Jedi Sia-Lan
Wezz when she charged him, Vader, removed her hand with another lightsaber stri
ke before he sent Master Koffi Arana flying with the Force. Vader struck down th
e Nikto Jedi Ma'kis'shaalas, but he was sent staggering when Jastus Farr's doubl
e-bladed lightsaber sliced across the back of his armor, and he leapt out of the
way as a recovered Arana charged him from behind. Landing atop a nearby crane,
Vader crossed blades briefly with Tsui Choi as the diminutive Jedi Master leapt
over him, and Vader's saber was deactivated when he engaged Potkin and her corto
sis blade.[175]
However, Vader simply tossed aside his lightsaber and gripped Potkin with the Fo
rce, pulling her into his grasp before breaking her neck and taking her cortosis
blade. Leaping down from the crane, the Sith Lord once again questioned the Jed
i as to Kenobi's location as he deactivated the blades of Roblio Dart, Farr, and
Arana but the nimble Choi soon sliced off Vader's hand and Bultar Swan delivered a
strike to his leg, sending him stumbling backwards, and the Sith offered to sur
render. Vader's offer drove Arana to kill Butlar Swan for her lightsaber when sh
e refused to allow him to commit murder, and Vader dispatched Arana with the cor
tosis blade in his own severed hand by sending it flying into his chest with the
Force.[175]
Summoning Arana's lightsaber to his hand, Vader once again demanded Kenobi's loc
ation as he advanced upon the three remaining Jedi, who began to pelter him with
rocks and debris until he was forced to fall to his knees. Fortunately for the
Sith, Vader's troops arrived just then and opened fire on the Jedi, killing Farr
before the other two Jedi were able to shield themselves. Master Choi attempted
to sacrifice himself so Dart could escape, but Vader stopped Choi's Force leap w
ith telekinesis and pinned him in midair before Vader's troops, who eliminated b
oth Jedi but in his last moments, Choi sent his saber flying toward Vader and scor
ed a hit across the Sith Lord's visor. The troopers relayed the Emperor's reques
t for Vader to return to Coruscant, where he admitted his disobedience to his Si
th Master but was surprised to learn that the Emperor had spread the rumor that
Vader had killed a group of fifty Jedi on Kessel in order to drive the remaining
Jedi underground and spread fear. Acknowledging Palpatine's reminders that his
fixation on Kenobi was a weakness, Vader received repairs for his damaged armor
and continued to serve the fledgling Empire.[175]
New Plympto
Days later, after observing Palpatine's rule of the Empire (including the new Em
peror distancing himself from Senator Braxis from a local political dispute desp
ite promising aid, confirmation about the results of the Great Purge, and centra
lizing resources from the former Separatist worlds), he awaited a new assignment
from Emperor Palpatine. He also underwent a debriefing on the Cleansing of New
Plympto, which had the Emperor issue a detachment from Vader's 501st Legion to t
he fighting to end it. In the aftermath of the 501st Legion's victory over the N
osaurian resistance cell, and promised Commander Vill that he was certain the Em
peror had a plan for them when he questioned what will be their purpose after th
e conflict. However, the Sith Lord grew despondent when Vill admitted that their
transport was redirected by the Emperor's orders and tasked with selling the su
rviving Nosaurian women and children into the slave market on Orvax IV, due to V
ader's past as a former slave on Tatooine. He was disturbed to the extent that h
e abruptly ended his participation in the debriefing and did not fall asleep. He
later informed Palpatine of what he had learned, to which Palpatine assured him
that the Imperial method was "different." Ultimately, unable to resist the powe
r of the Emperor despite his misgivings, Vader oversaw the slave trade on New Pl
ympto, with his troubled memories keeping him company.[176]
Underlevel duel and dealing with Otakon XII and Vaklin
Sometime afterwards, Vader was set by Palpatine to attack the Jedi survivor Sha
Koon, under the pretense of humoring her request of becoming Palpatine's Sith ap
prentice, although both were not fooled. Vader then confronted her in the underl
evels of the former Jedi Temple. Upon arrival, he was attacked by creatures cont
rolled by Koon known as the Cthons, briefly being overwhelmed by an electromagne
tic net that crippled his armor, although he broke out of the trap. He then enga
ged Koon in a short but intense duel after taking care of the Cthons, which resu
lted in him killing the Kel Dor Jedi Master. Although he believed he had killed
the last Jedi, his victory nonetheless ended up hollow due to sensing that she h
ad been at peace at the time of her death, and reported as much to his master. U
nbeknownst to either of them, the reason she had been at peace was because she f
oresaw Vader's redemption and the recreation of the Jedi Order.[177]
Nonetheless, Vader was later assigned to defend an AT-AT production facility on
the planet of Otavon XII from the Ovoni resistance during a battle there. Ultima
tely, the battle had been a failure due to the Ovoni and their commanders, Order
66 survivors Hylon and Dendro, deliberately exposing their survival to Vader to
lure him away from the facility long enough for the Ovoni to completely destroy
the plant. Vader as a result was forced to remain on the planet to contemplate
his failure by the Emperor as his punishment.[178]
Some time afterwards, Vader ended up travelling to the planet Vaklin to deal wit
h the Vaklin insurgency, caused by pro-Jedi sympathizers due to the Jedi's conne
ctions to the planet. Vader managed to kill a Jedi Master as well as have his ap
prentice imprisoned for four days. However, the Imperials soon met some harassme
nt from the Vaklin's side, via the Jedi Cho'na Bene. After a bombing occurred at
the base, Vader, angered at this development, considered bombing the civilian c
enters as revenge, although Palpatine declined, claiming that the planet and its
subjects were too valuable to afford a bombardment. Vader instead orchestrated
the destruction of all pro-Jedi monuments, also insuring that Bene was publicly
executed by clone troopers when the Vaklin, due to Imperial propaganda-based sch
ooling, refused to aid Bene.[179]
Meeting on Alderaan
Sometime afterward, the Emperor sent Vader to Alderaan to retrieve dissident sen
ator Fang Zar, who had sought refuge with Bail Organa in the wake of the Empire'
s formation. Accompanied by Sate Pestage, he confronted Organa before searching
the Senator's palace. Using his cybernetically augmented sight and hearing to hi
s advantage, Vader came upon Zar, who was being extracted from Alderaan by a smu
ggler team, led by Roan Shryne.[174]
Since escaping Murkhana, Shryne and Olee Starstone had joined the smuggler crew
captained by Shryne's mother; Jula. Their new crew had since been hired by Fang
Zar to extract him before the Imperials did. Pursuing the Jedi and the smugglers
through the palace and out onto the grounds, Vader ultimately brought down Zar
just as he was boarding the smuggler's ship; the Drunk Dancer; by throwing his l
ightsaber into the hapless senator.[174]
Zar succumbed to his injuries shortly afterward. As such, Vader viewed the missi
on as a failure, as he had been tasked to retrieve Zar alive.[174]
Devastation of Kashyyyk
FirstBattleOfKashyyyk-EGTW
Darth Vader prepares to strike down Jedi during the devastation of Kashyyyk
Returning to Coruscant to hone his skills, Vader was given a dressing down by th
e Emperor, who was displeased that Zar had been killed when Vader's task had bee
n to bring him in alive. When Vader grew angry with the Emperor's comments, Sidi
ous challenged Vader to kill him. He then threatened Vader with Force lightning,
as the Emperor evidently was well aware that Vader's suit was vulnerable to ele
ctrical discharges. However, Vader retorted that he would not kill his Master un
til he had learned everything Sidious knew, for he recognized that the Emperor's
teachings constituted "the path to power." Pleased with this response, Sidious
informed Vader that the rogue Jedi he was hunting had been spotted heading to Ka
shyyyk. Devoting himself to hunting these Jedi, Vader began dealings with his ol
d ally Wilhuff Tarkin, who had discovered a suspicious vessel traveling toward K
ashyyyk. The two deduced that the vessel was carrying the Jedi, but Tarkin convi
nced Vader to allow it to reach Kashyyyk, so they could use the vessel's presenc
e on the planet as an excuse to attack and occupy the world. Tarkin's motivation
was the enslavement of the Wookiee race for use as manual laborers in the const
ruction of the Death Star, which had encountered unexpected delays in constructi
on due to a shortage of skilled laborers.[174]
Meeting with the various Imperial admirals who would command the invasion, Vader
overruled their wishes to bombard the planet from orbit, as the goal was the ca
pture of the Wookiees, not their destruction. However, his true motivation was t
o allow himself to hunt the Jedi planetside. As the attack began, the Imperial f
orces were initially crushed, due to the Wookiee's ingenious use of retrofitted
civilian vehicles and captured Separatist war material left over from the Clone
Wars. As Vader approached the city of Kachirho aboard his shuttle to attack the
Jedi holed up there, he was contacted by the admirals and informed of the rapidl
y deteriorating situation. Not only were the Wookiess holding off the Imperial a
ssault, but they were evacuating their civilians deep into Kashyyyk's forests wh
ere they would be extremely difficult to capture. On the advice of his Clone Com
mander Appo, he begrudgingly ordered an orbital bombardment of all Wookiee citie
s, but with orders to save Kachirho for last, as he would be on the ground there
. Landing on a platform high up in Kachirho, Vader and his cadre of stormtrooper
s disembarked and began fighting their way through the Wookiee warriors. Where b
efore the Jedi and Wookiees had been holding off the Imperial forces, Vader now
began cutting the Wookiee warriors down with impunity.[174]
In order to prevent further Wookiee casualties, the Jedi revealed themselves. Ol
ee Starstone had since broken off from Roan Shryne when he joined the crew of th
e Drunk Dancer, and was now leading a ragtag group of surviving Jedi. Vader orde
red the stormtroopers to continue attacking the Wookiees, leaving the Jedi to hi
m. Siadem Forte and Iwo Kulka quickly engaged Vader and attempted to unbalance h
im by using radically different lightsaber forms. However, though he was not yet
completely healed, Vader's technique had improved drastically since his duel wi
th Bol Chatak. As observed by Olee Starstone, Vader's speed and agility were con
siderably greater and, instead of the formless vertical power blows he had utili
zed on Murkhana, his technique now borrowed elements from all lightsaber styles.
With his new form, Vader easily held the two Jedi off, utilizing precision blad
ework and swift power attacks to put an end to their fancy twirling, disrupting
their momentum and sending them reeling. Vader decapitated the two Jedi, and qui
ckly disabled Jambe Lu, Nam Poorf and Klossi Anno.[174]
Olee Starstone was suddenly alone against the Sith Lord. Starstone attempted to
bring down Vader with a sudden offensive flurry, but realized that Vader was mer
ely allowing her to vent. Breaking off to reassess her strategy, she unwittingly
allowed Vader to seize the offensive. However, before he could finish Starstone
, Vader's stormtroopers were suddenly gunned down by a smuggler vessel that just
appeared. Roan Shryne leaped off the Drunk Dancer, summoning Siadem Forte's lig
htsaber to his hand and beheading Appo. Confronting Vader, Shryne provided Stars
tone and the other surviving Jedi with a chance to escape, a chance Vader inform
ed them would be foolish to pass up.[174]
Vader TFU
Darth Vader in a fighting stance
As the two fought, Shryne held his own against Vader's relentless assault, even
scoring a few minor hits. However, their battle was interrupted by the Imperial
orbital bombardment. Though they both survived, Vader's shuttle was destroyed by
the flak. As Vader drove Shryne back with heavy power blows, Shryne deduced tha
t the chest-mounted control panel on Vader's suit was a weak point and as such,
realized that Vader's style gave higher priority to protecting his center than h
is limbs. With this knowledge, Shryne went on the offensive, scoring a superfici
al hit on Vader's lower left leg which Shryne attributed as much to luck as to s
kill. Afterwards, the two exchanged a small verbal back-and-forth until Vader de
activated his weapon, surprising Shryne. Vader then began telekinetically rippin
g apart the wooden ramps in the Wroshyr tree in which the two were fighting. Usi
ng the Force, Vader flung the debris at the hapless Jedi in a continual barrage.
Shryne surrendered himself to the Force in an attempt to block the onslaught of
Force-propelled objects with his lightsaber, and for a short time was successfu
l in doing so. However, Vader incrementally ramped up the intensity of his assau
lt, throwing steadily larger chunks of wood at Shryne from all sides, faster tha
n the Jedi could stop them. Shryne was struck by numerous planks and sharp woode
n pegs, and was knocked from the suspension bridge on which the two were dueling
.[174]
Fallen to a floor below, Shryne lay critically injured. Knowing Shryne would not
survive his injuries, Vader chose not to finish the Jedi. Instead, in answer to
Shryne's questions, he revealed that Palpatine was in fact a Sith Lord, and tha
t he himself had formerly been Anakin Skywalker. His bloodlust sated, he now sim
ply hoped to allow Shryne to die in misery, knowing that the Jedi Order had been
betrayed by one of its own. Despite these revelations however, Shryne died at p
eace, having foreseen his own death. The defeat of Shryne firmed Vader's belief
in the power of the dark side, greatly increasing his confidence in his abilitie
s and reducing his emotional difficulties with his armor and prosthetic limbs. I
n addition, it also served to temper his hatred of the Jedi Order. Whereas befor
e killing Shryne he had obsessed over hunting down the survivors of Order 66, af
terwards he came to view them as neither different nor more important than any o
ther group that would oppose the New Order. The Empire won the Battle of Kashyyy
k, and Tarkin's plan to capture the Wookiees for use as slave labor was successf
ul. In the aftermath of the battle, Darth Vader's existence and position as Palp
atine's enforcer received public announcement, much to the dismay of Obi-Wan Ken
obi.[174]
Muur Talisman
SWDT-12-FC-FNL
Vader battling Celeste Morne for possession of the Muur Talisman
Aware that he could not bring down Palpatine and become the new Sith Master on h
is own, Vader began a covert search for an apprentice, or something that could i
ncrease his own power. Eventually, he started trailing an ancient Sith artifact
known as the Muur Talisman. After interrogating a sentient named Janks, he learn
ed of a mysterious crate that Janks' ship, the Uhumele, was carrying. Vader cont
acted Fane Peturri, a well known historian, and set a trap for the Uhumele's cre
w. Vader ambushed the group on a remote moon and discovered the crate in their p
ossession was none other than Dreypa's Oubliette, an artifact believed to contai
n the Muur Talisman and the Jedi who wore it.
Vader opened the oubliette, releasing Jedi Shadow Celeste Morne from her 4,000 y
ear sleep. When Morne learned the Sith were in control of the galaxy, she immedi
ately attacked Vader. The Sith Lord easily held her off, and taunted her with an
offer of apprenticeship under him. She vehemently refused, and Vader began cons
idering the idea of taking the talisman to increase his own power. However, he r
emained wary of the idea, concerned that even if he used it to destroy Sidious,
he would become enslaved to the artifact, ultimately just trading one master for
another.
However, before Vader could make a decision, Morne took action. Unwilling to let
the Sith Lord be possessed by the spirit of Karness Muur, Morne used the talism
an to turn all humans within the vicinity into rakghouls. Taken by surprise by t
he turn of events, Vader retreated to his ship and departed. While he considered
this expedition a failure, he refused to give up his search for an apprentice.[
180]
Bandomeer
Returning to Coruscant, Vader concealed the incident from Sidious, a reasonably
simple task, as there were almost no witnesses save Morne, who was stranded on t
he moon, and the Uhumele crew, who were on the run. However, to his shock, he le
arned that a Jedi named Dass Jennir was once part of the Uhumele's crew. Vader's
master assured him that he need not be concerned with the Jedi, who were scatte
red and divided, for Sidious had a plan for them. The elder Sith Lord then sent
Vader to Bandomeer, where the mining crews were refusing to honor their contract
s with the Empire. Vader could only ponder why his master would not involve him
in his plan or if he was aware of Peturri's death. In addition, although assigne
d to the Imperial conquest of Bandomeer, Vader harbored suspicions that Palpatin
e assigned him to the battlefield in order to get him out of the way, as he felt
he should be hunting down Jedi.
After successfully subjugating the miners, Vader met with Commander Vill as the
clone gave a full report. Vader then asked Vill if, as nearly all the clones fol
lowed Order 66, they would attack him if the Emperor commands it. Vill stated th
at if such an order existed, he does not have the authority to divulge it. Seein
g that as good as confirmation, Vader Force-choked him and threw him off a cliff
so he could not report back to Sidious. He told an approaching clone that Vill
slipped and fell.[181]
Pursuing Falco Sang
On the fourth month of Imperial rule, Vader arrived at Imperial Prison ISO-L8 to
interrogate Janks regarding Dass Jennir, ignoring the Emperor's orders. However
, before he could get the chance, an assassin named Falco Sang had interrogated
and murdered Janks, intending to assassinate Jennir due to his earlier involveme
nt in killing Dezono Qua. Despite the failure, as well as the Emperor's irritati
on at Vader's obsession with hunting down Jedi, Vader nonetheless was tasked wit
h locating Sang. He eventually tracked both Jennir and Sang to the desert world
of Prine. Although he had missed his main target of Jennir, he nonetheless manag
ed to apprehend Sang while confiscating his ship, also locking him up in a train
ing facility on Coruscant to train him for the purpose of killing Jennir when th
ey eventually encountered each other.[182]
The search for Garoche Tarkin
"You and Captain Shale will take two battalions of the 501st Legion. Find Admira
l Tarkin and bring him home. Then we shall see "
?Emperor Palpatine, tasking Darth Vader with rescuing Admiral Garoche Tarkin[src
]
DVandtheLostCommand
Darth Vader and the 501st Legion during a mission to rescue Garoche Tarkin
Although Darth Vader had renounced his former identity as Anakin Skywalker in or
der to fully embrace the dark side of the Force, he did so only in appearance. T
he sacrifices he made to ascend to a position of power, second only to the Emper
or, inflicted deep psychological scars that left Vader in a constant state of de
pression and emotional turmoil. In secret, he grieved over the consequences of h
is actions that led to the death of his wife and the near destruction of the Jed
i Order. His guilt caused him to dream about a life that he thought might have b
een his if he had killed Darth Sidious, rather than saving him from Mace Windu.
In his dreams of an "alternate life," Anakin Skywalker struck down the last Dark
Lord of the Sith. With Sidious dead, Skywalker never became Darth Vader and the
Republic was never transformed into the Galactic Empire. Padm Amidala not only s
urvived the birth of their son Jinn Skywalker, but was also pregnant once again,
around the time when Skywalker ascended to the rank of Grand Master of the Jedi
Order.[183]
Outside of his dreams, however, Vader tried to strengthen his severely weakened
body by focusing entirely on all of his rage and hatred, thereby fueling the dar
k side within him. Nevertheless, a part of him still held onto the love that he
had for Amidala, causing him to think of her while enduring the excruciating pai
n of having his prosthetic limbs reattached. In late 19 BBY, barely a few months
after the end of the Clone Wars, Emperor Palpatine summoned Vader to his throne
room with Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and Captain Shale at his side. The Dark Lord info
rmed his apprentice that Moff Tarkin's son, Admiral Garoche Tarkin had recently
disappeared while on an expedition to annihilate a group of insurgents in the At
oa system of the Ghost Nebula. Though the two of them had developed a good worki
ng relationship, Moff Tarkin lacked faith in Vader's abilities to retrieve his s
on alive, as Vader had a tendency to ignore previously assigned objectives if an
opportunity to pursue Jedi survivors presented itself. As this mission was of g
reat personal importance to Moff Tarkin, he requested for Captain Shale to be as
signed to the mission to help keep Vader on track. As a friend of Garoche since
their days at the Imperial Academy, Shale reasoned that he could provide a great
deal of insight into Garoche's behavior. Vader had no desire to have Shale foll
ow him around like a "shadow," but his objection was overruled by the Emperor's
final word on the matter. Hence, Vader and Shale departed from Coruscant in an I
mperial Star Destroyer; the Emperor personally assigned two battalions of the 50
1st Legion to serve Vader during the search for Tarkin's missing son.[183]
Skirmish on Atoa
"We must be prepared for a war. Crush any resistance, but leave the officers ali
ve. For interrogation."
?Darth Vader, issuing instructions to stormtroopers of the 501st Legion[src]
Atoa attack
Darth Vader unleashes the 501st Legion on a settlement of Atoans.
After arriving in the Atoan system four days later, Darth Vader began his search
for Admiral Tarkin on the planet Atoa. Due to the Empire's lack of information
on the Atoan homeworld, Vader brought a company of stormtroopers onto Atoa to pr
epare for battle against hostile natives. Once they discovered a city populated
by the Atoan civilians, Commander Voca reported that the city was also protected
by an armed force of Atoans; Vader promptly ordered the clones to kill the Atoa
n soldiers without mercy.[183]
The stormtroopers obeyed the Sith Lord without question or hesitance. As they un
leashed a brutally efficient assault on the Atoans, Vader took to the front and
led a charge into the city until he was momentarily surprised by a lone sniper.
Captain Shale, escorted by a squad of Storm commandos, assisted Vader by using s
tealth to sneak up on the sniper in order to render her unconscious. When the la
st of the resistance fell, Vader ordered Commander Voca to round up the Atoan su
rvivors and to bring them to the bank of a freezing river just outside of the ci
ty. But his interrogation of the prisoners failed to yield any useful informatio
n on Tarkin's whereabouts. Thus, Vader ordered Voca to execute all of the city's
inhabitants that were old enough to wield a weapon before burning the entire ci
ty to the ground; the prisoners were to be drowned in the river.[183]
However, before Voca could carry out the Sith Lord's command, a trio of Atoan pr
iests approached the Imperials by using a boat to cross the river. Before Voca o
r Shale could open fire, Vader ordered them to stand down. A priestess then came
forward in peace and introduced herself as Lady Saro, the high priestess of Ato
a. She promised to help Vader find whatever he was looking for.[183]
The alliance with Lady Saro
"I agree to your terms. Once we find Admiral Tarkin, this system is yours. But y
ou will swear loyalty to the Emperor."
"Of course. I'll even build temples in your honor should you so desire, Lord Vad
er."
?Darth Vader and Lady Saro[src]
SWVaderLostCommand2
Darth Vader piloting his black Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor while under a
ttack by Atoan insurgents
However, Lady Saro's assistance was not for free. In return for her aid in the I
mperials' search for Admiral Tarkin, the Lady requested that Darth Vader support
her bid to become the sovereign of the Atoan system. Her request only served to
infuriate the Sith Lord, who was too used to receiving unconditional cooperatio
n by then. Yet he could not harm her as there were no other leads to Tarkin. Thu
s, he resorted to his methods of persuasion through fear. After returning to his
Star Destroyer with Lady Saro as his "guest," Captain Shale escorted the priest
ess to the vessel's medical chamber where Vader dissected the body of an Atoan p
risoner. But the more he tried to intimidate Lady Saro, the more she stood her g
round, even to the point where she risked execution after revealing how she lear
ned to speak Imperial Basic by swallowing the tongue of a stormtrooper, thus killi
ng him in the process.[184]
When it became clear that Lady Saro would not speak until Vader agreed to her te
rm, she was sent to Deck Sixteen and placed under guard while Vader returned to
dissecting the Atoan prisoner's body. Once Lady Saro was gone, Shale interceded
with Vader on the Lady's behalf. The captain reasoned that they were wasting tim
e by refusing her only condition and that the Emperor had made Moffs out of less
er men. Hence, there was no real harm in denying her control of the Atoan system
, so long as she swore her allegiance to the Galactic Empire. Vader ignored Shal
e at first, but then lost his temper and grabbed Shale by the neck through the F
orce, reminding him that command of the mission rested in Vader's hands alone. S
hale rebuffed Vader's threat and countered with a warning of his own Moff Tarkin w
ould personally ensure that Vader would never have another command again if he f
ailed to rescue Garoche Tarkin. Although clearly angered and tempted to kill the
outspoken Imperial officer, he released Shale from his grip and left to meditat
e in private on Lady Saro's offer.[184]
Once again, he dreamed about his fantasy life where he was still Anakin Skywalke
r. In his dream, "Skywalker" and his son Jinn were providing moral support to a
nervous Padm Amidala. She was originally convinced that the galaxy was fed up wit
h politicians; that the Senate needed a Jedi to lead the Galactic Republic after
the debacle with Palpatine and his failed attempt to secure unlimited power thr
ough the Clone Wars. Most of all, however, Amidala was afraid that she would mak
e the wrong decisions as the new Supreme Chancellor. But Anakin and Jinn both as
sured Amidala that they not only believed in her, but would also stand at her si
de as she strove to ensure that her time as Chancellor would usher in a new gold
en age of peace and prosperity for the Galactic Republic. But his "picture-perfe
ct" dream and the happiness of his "alternate-self" was far too much for Vader t
o handle emotionally, thus waking him up with the same anguish and regret over h
is actions that destroyed the life that could have been his.[184]
After recovering from the ordeal of his dreams, Darth Vader approached Lady Saro
with an answer to her one and only request in exchange for finding Admiral Tark
in. In exchange for information on the Admiral's whereabouts, Vader grudgingly a
greed to allow Lady Saro to rule over the Atoan system so long as she acknowledg
ed Emperor Palpatine as her lord and sovereign. With Vader's agreement finally s
ecured, Lady Saro directed the Sith Lord in the direction to where Admiral Tarki
n's missing Star Destroyer was located. Upon reaching the vessel's destination,
Vader piloted his personal starfighter to gain a closer look at the remains of t
he immensely damaged warship. He was accompanied by Shale and Voca, as well as a
squadron of V-wing starfighters.[184]
But just as Voca noted that the damage to the Star Destroyer indicated that it w
as destroyed from within by sabotage, the Imperials were suddenly caught in a su
rprise attack by Atoan starfighters. Yet even with the element of surprise, they
were unable to compete against the superior technological assets of the Empire.
Before concluding the skirmish in space, Vader captured an Atoan pilot, whom he
kept alive long enough for an interrogation. After Vader learned everything tha
t he wanted to know before the pilot's death, he contacted Emperor Palpatine via
hologram to provide his Master with an update report on the mission's status. P
alpatine confided in Vader that he personally cared nothing about Admiral Tarkin
, whom he saw as just another expendable asset that could be replaced at a momen
t's notice. The only reason that the Emperor authorized a rescue mission was bec
ause of Garoche's father, Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, who had proven himself to be a va
luable asset to the New Order.[184]
To gain his Master's approval, Vader suggested that he should kill Garoche Tarki
n instead of rescuing him. He believed that the younger Tarkin's death would pus
h Moff Tarkin ever further into darkness, thus enabling him to fully commit to t
he utter destruction of the Empire's enemies. To ensure that the Moff did not su
spect any foul play in his son's demise, Vader stated that he would cover up his
 involvement by placing the blame on the Atoan insurgents. Palpatine was well pl
eased with Vader's proposal and secretly authorized his apprentice to proceed wi
th the new plan. Upon returning to the bridge, Vader ordered Commander Voca to a
ssemble the 501st Legion and to prepare for a ground assault on the unknown worl
d where Garoche Tarkin was allegedly held prisoner. The assault, however, was me
rely a diversion for Vader and Shale to launch a stealth attack on the insurgent
s with the aid of the storm commandos.[184]
A botched "rescue" attempt
"Sink the city. Bring our forces back to the Star Destroyer. And then we will di
scuss these charges against Admiral Tarkin. Your friend."
?Darth Vader to Captain Shale, just after their failure to find Garoche Tarkin[s
rc]
SWVaderLostCommand3
Darth Vader and the 501st Legion fighting against Atoan insurgents
The efforts of the Imperial assault force were hindered by the fact that the ent
ire planet was virtually covered in tar-pits that were dangerously hot and poten
tially flammable. Added to their complications was the fact that their target, a
n Atoan city, was built as a ship that could travel on the tar-pits. This made i
t difficult for the considerably slow-moving Imperial AT-AT Walkers to get withi
n range of the city to inflict damage. Thus, several Walkers and clone squads we
re lost due to the pressure of moving through the tar-pits while under enemy fir
e at the same time. When the Atoans were convinced that they had escaped from th
e pursuing Imperials, Vader and Shale executed their stealth mission by utilizin
g an Imperial LAAT gunship to board the city. While Vader and his squad of storm
commandos infiltrated the city through one route, Captain Shale and Lady Saro f
ollowed a different path to the prison block with their own commando escort unit
.[185]
Both groups killed their fair share of Atoan guards without alerting the entire
city. Upon reaching what they thought was Tarkin's cell, however, Vader only fou
nd the Admiral's protocol droid. The droid was commanded to present a "gift" to
any Imperial that came looking for him. But the "gift" turned out to be a bomb a
nd Vader, realizing the trap at the last possible moment, warned his troops and
Lady Saro to take cover. Although Vader was caught in the middle of the explosio
n, he survived with almost no injury to himself, despite sustaining noticeable d
amage to his armor. Enraged at such an unexpected turn of events, the Sith Lord
disregarded stealth for the direct approach a swift and open assault on the city's
bridge.[185]
Thanks to the skills of Captain Shale and the storm commandos, the capture of th
e bridge crew was easily achieved with little effort; Vader himself personally a
pprehended the female Atoan captain. Yet his latest round of interrogation prove
d to be just as ineffective as the last ones throughout the mission. Despite fai
ling to gain a clear understanding on why Admiral Tarkin had set a trap for his
Imperial rescuers or what his exact relationship was with the Atoans, Vader came
to suspect that the admiral was a traitor to the Empire. After several prisoner
s were mercilessly executed at Vader's hand, the Imperials returned to the Star
Destroyer. Shortly afterward, Vader had another dream of his alternate life, onl
y this time he hallucinated that Padm was warning him to "wake up" because of the
assassins that were coming for him. At that moment, Vader awakened to find hims
elf surrounded by Shale's storm commandos, all of whom had their weapons trained
on him. He activated his lightsaber after suddenly realizing that Shale had bet
rayed the Empire by somehow inciting the commandos into staging a mutiny against
the Sith Lord.[185]
The mutiny
"It's a mutiny, Lord Vader! They've executed all of the officers and locked down
the communications array."
"None of that matters now, Commander Voca. Gather your men and follow me."
?Commander Voca and Darth Vader[src]
SWVaderLostCommand4
Darth Vader strikes back against clone traitors.
The treacherous storm commandos wasted little time and opened fire on Darth Vade
r, intending to kill their former master without hesitation. Vader responded by
unleashing his rage on the clones, all of whom were completely outmatched by the
vengeful Sith Lord. Before the last traitor died, he excused his actions and th
ose of his fellow conspirators by revealing that Shale had warned them about his
suspicion that Vader planned to murder Admiral Tarkin. Vader confirmed that Sha
le was right before executing the clone for committing high treason.[186]
As Vader searched his warship for Shale and the other traitors, he found Command
er Voca and his men pinned down by blaster fire from storm commandos. With Vader
's assistance, Voca and the stormtroopers took their opportunity to kill their a
ttackers. But shortly after regrouping with his loyal soldiers, the Star Destroy
er was critically damaged by several explosions that took place all over the Sta
r Destroyer, thus mirroring the same form of sabotage that destroyed Admiral Tar
kin's vessel. Before heading to the hangar, Vader and Voca tried to retrieve Lad
y Saro, only to discover that her guards were murdered and that she was likely t
ransported by Shale to the nearby unknown planet. With no other reason to remain
aboard the doomed Star Destroyer, Vader and his men hunted down the last storm
commandos that were trying to escape the ship; he killed them all by telekinetic
ally throwing a V-wing starfighter at the commandos. With only a little time lef
t to make it off of the Star Destroyer alive, Voca and the remaining stormtroope
rs boarded a Nu-class attack shuttle while Vader operated as its pilot.[186]
Though they escaped from the final and largest explosion within the Star Destroy
er, the shuttle was nearly destroyed after crashing onto the unknown world where
Shale and Saro fled. Only Vader, Voca and eight stormtroopers emerged from the
shuttle as survivors of the crash. Then they pursued Shale on foot until they fo
und the last of the captain's storm commandos, all of whom had been executed. At
that moment, a large group of Atoan insurgents used the high ground to their ad
vantage and opened fire on the unsuspecting Imperials. Trapped in a hopeless pos
ition and utterly outnumbered, Vader ordered the clones to retreat before they w
ere all cut down. He then faced the insurgents alone with his lightsaber in hand
and introduced himself as "Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith and 'death' its
elf."[186]
But while he was distracted by the insurgents' main force, the path to escape wa
s cut off to Commander Voca and his men by a group of armed Atoans, led by the t
raitor Shale. Exhausted and no longer able to defend themselves, Voca and the st
ormtroopers were executed by Shale's firing squad. Although many insurgents peri
shed by Vader's blade, he too was overwhelmed and severely injured by the Atoans
, who captured him alive in accordance with Lady Saro's orders. When Vader awoke
, he found that his helmet was removed and was replaced with a crude breathing d
evice to keep the Sith Lord alive. He was also restrained by energy cables as Ga
roche Tarkin revealed himself. Tarkin explained that he joined with Lady Saro's
Atoan faction shortly after being assigned to wipe out the insurgents in the Gho
st Nebula. Vader deduced that Tarkin was clearly in love with Lady Saro, which t
he former admiral confirmed when he stated his intention to rule the Atoan syste
m at Lady Saro's side. He also revealed how Vader was an unwitting pawn in their
scheme by killing all of the other major Atoan factions that posed a threat to
Lady Saro's plans. When Tarkin exited the tent, Vader was suddenly struck by a v
ision of his wife, who bore the pregnant appearance that she had near the time o
f her death.[186]
Showdown with Lady Saro, Garoche Tarkin and Shale
"Yes. I killed you. I killed you. I killed the child you carried. And I hate mys
elf for all that I have done."
?Darth Vader confesses his self-hatred to the spirit of Padm Amidala[src]
SWVaderLostCommand5
Darth Vader unleashes the power of the dark side on those who betrayed him.
In Vader's vision of his dead wife, Padm Amidala was heartbroken to see what her
once heroic Jedi husband had been reduced to a broken shadow of the man he once wa
s. Vader tried to excuse his fate by blaming his decisions on his Masters, Darth
Sidious and Obi-Wan Kenobi respectively. But Amidala was not moved by Vader's f
eelings of self-pity and referred to him by his birth name. In that moment, Dart
h Vader angrily rejected his former name and regarded it as something that no lo
nger possessed any meaning for him. He tried to rationalize his frustrations at
himself by declaring that Anakin Skywalker died with his wife. But in rejecting
who he once was, Vader caused Amidala to turn away since she had come for Anakin
, not Vader. The Sith Lord panicked at first, and then flew into a rage. Breakin
g free of his bonds in desperation, he was all but trapped in a hysterical delus
ion as he searched for his dead wife.[187]
His desperate search for Amidala turned into a rampage that brought him straight
to Lady Saro's Cathedral, where she, Garoche Tarkin and Shale were located. As
Vader killed the Atoan guards that stood in his path of destruction, Shale tried
to give Tarkin and Lady Saro enough time to escape from the deranged Sith Lord.
He tried to strike Vader down with the Sith Lord's own lightsaber, only to be q
uickly disarmed, thus finding himself at the mercy of an enraged Darth Vader who
demanded to know where his wife was. Shale was utterly shocked by Vader's words
and honestly retorted that he had no idea what Vader was rambling about. But Va
der was far too lost in his anger towards those who betrayed him, as well as him
self for causing Amidala's death. At that moment, Shale confessed about how the
guilt he carried over the atrocities he had committed led him to deeply resent E
mperor Palpatine and the Galactic Empire. He swore to be a good soldier, but ins
tead became just another slave to a tyrant Emperor. Before he could be killed by
Vader, however, Shale activated several bombs that were hidden under his jacket
, intending to kill himself and Vader in the process. Vader narrowly avoided sha
ring in Shale's fate by throwing the former officer far enough to avoid the resu
lting explosion.[187]
As Vader descended deeper into the depths of the Cathedral, he encountered anoth
er vision of Amidala, whose beauty was overtaken by the decaying effects of deat
h. She forced Vader to stop lying to himself and finally confront the truth Amidal
a did not just "die," she was murdered in cold blood by her own husband. Overwhe
lmed by the indescribable pain and sorrow that filled his entire being, Darth Va
der fell to his knees with tears of remorse in his eyes. He confessed to everyth
ing, from killing his wife to destroying his life as Anakin Skywalker; he confes
sed his belief that Amidala's unborn child died as a result of his actions as we
ll. Ultimately, what he hated most of all was himself for all of the evil that h
e committed as Darth Vader. Amidala forgave her husband, whom she referred to by
his Sith title, causing Vader to shed a final tear for all that he had lost.[18
7]
When she vanished into thin air, Vader became hysterical once more. Lady Saro an
d Garoche Tarkin revealed themselves, causing a shocked Vader to believe that th
e priestess had somehow induced him with hallucinations. However, Lady Saro expl
ained that she possessed the ability to see in ways that most others could not,
an ability that she could share with anyone, thus enabling Vader to see the spir
it of his dead wife. Vader grabbed Tarkin by the throat through the Force and th
reatened to kill the ex-admiral unless Saro brought Amidala's spirit back. But i
nstead, Saro desperately tried to redeem Darth Vader by begging him to put an en
d to his persona as a murderer. She presented him with the chance of redemption,
which he could have by sparing Tarkin and Saro. In her last attempt to reach th
e side of Vader that was still Anakin Skywalker, Saro revealed that she was carr
ying Garoche Tarkin's unborn daughter. The revelation caused Vader to hesitate b
efore releasing Tarkin from his grip. Saro looked at the Sith Lord with hope, bu
t Vader simply couldn't go on living any longer. In a moment of clarity and a de
sire to atone for his sins, he chose to leave his fate up to the will of the For
ce. Thus, Vader used his power to bring the entire Cathedral down upon himself,
Garoche Tarkin and Lady Saro. As Tarkin and Saro embraced each other lovingly fo
r the last time, Vader closed his eyes in a moment of bliss as the entire buildi
ng collapsed to the ground, burying the three alive.[187]
Days later, Darth Vader awoke to find himself on Coruscant and in the presence o
f Emperor Palpatine. As his repairs were nearly finished, Palpatine voiced his s
atisfaction with the results of Vader's mission all of the traitors were dead, the
 entire insurgency was destroyed, the Atoan system was conquered and Vader survi
ved after being buried alive for days. Vader credited the power of the dark side
as the source of his remarkable strength and ability to survive near-death scen
arios. Palpatine also explained how Moff Tarkin was under the impression that hi
s son was murdered by the Atoa's natives, thus fueling his hatred and making him
ever more vicious towards the Empire's many enemies. As such, the Emperor was q
uite pleased to have a much more powerful servant in Wilhuff Tarkin, and thus he
thanked Vader for "failing" to rescue Garoche Tarkin. After Vader's repairs wer
e finished, he was dressed once more in his armor, which had been restored to it
s previous condition. Falling on one knee before his Sith Master, Darth Vader aw
aited his next assignment from Darth Sidious.[187]
The Gentis coup
"But when Lord Vader came to our aid in the courtyard, I realized that serving h
im could earn an officer the only two things that mattered fear and respect."
?Laurita Tohm, recounting his first impression of Darth Vader[src]
In the few months since the formation of the New Order, Darth Vader's reputation
had spread through the military ranks. Aside from crushing local insurrections,
tracking down missing Star Destroyers and hunting down wanted fugitives who sur
vived the Clone Wars, the Dark Lord of the Sith was also known for summarily exe
cuting numerous Imperial officers under his command a fact that made him a dreaded
figure among many within the chain of command. On Coruscant, Vader stood at Emp
eror Palpatine's side as the two Sith Lords presided over an Imperial Academy gr
aduation ceremony, composed of cadets trained by Headmaster Gentis at the milita
ry institute on Raithal.[188]
Hours after the event, Gentis and his students initiated a secret insurrection a
gainst the Emperor's rule. Hundreds of strategically placed explosives were sudd
enly detonated across Imperial City, destroying key targets such as the officers
' club, a communications tower, the supply depot and several military garrisons.
As fire swept through much of the city, Darth Vader and a squadron of stormtroo
pers defended the Imperial Plaza from a group of rebellious cadets. Frightened b
y the Dark Lord's Force powers and combat skills, the students pulled back, thou
gh not before a few were crushed by a large piece of rubble that Vader telekinet
ically threw at them.[188] As the troopers secured the Plaza, Cadet Laurita Tohm
discovered that one of the dying insurrectionists was Shens, his friend and fel
low student from Raithal. Vader watched as Shens was executed for treason by Toh
m, whom he recognized to be the valedictorian from the graduation ceremony. Afte
r Tohm declared his allegiance to the Emperor and the Dark Lord, Vader ordered t
he cadet to accompany him to the Imperial Palace.[189]
Rescuing the Emperor
"We will do as you suggest and spirit the Emperor away before Gentis can find us.
But we will do so under my command."
?Darth Vader, to Moff Trachta[src]
By the time Darth Vader and Laurita Tohm arrived at the Imperial Palace's front
entrance, a large explosion erupted in the higher levels of the building, follow
ed by the contamination of the entire residence by poisonous fumes known as Aort
h-6. Protected by his armor's respiratory system, Vader entered the palace, acco
mpanied by Tohm who equipped his own breathing device, while many Imperial offic
ers fell victim to the gas's lethal effects. Upon reaching the Emperor's private
chambers, the Sith Lord found his Master in a weak condition; Palpatine was inf
ected by the virus and his condition was critical only the Force could keep him al
ive for a while until his condition could be treated. Another survivor that Vade
r discovered was Moff Trachta, also unaffected by Aroth-6 because of his implant
ed respiration system. Though initially resistant to the Moff's recommendation o
f retreat, believing it to be a sign of weakness, Vader grudgingly complied when
Palpatine agreed that he needed to be removed to a safe location for the time b
eing.[189]
Together with Trachta and Tohm, Darth Vader brought the transferred Emperor Palp
atine to an advanced stealth transport that was hidden in a secret hangar known
as the "Crypt." With the Emperor's condition temporarily stabilized by the stars
hip's stasis chamber, Vader and Trachta debated on their next course of action,
between remaining on Coruscant or retreating to an off-world location. At the sa
me time, Trachta aimed his sidearm at Tohm, whom he did not trust because of the
cadet's former ties to Gentis. Darth Vader immediately disarmed the Moff and ag
reed to take the Emperor away from the capital. Once Trachta acknowledged Vader'
s greater authority, Tohm advised that any Imperial location was not safe. Given
the scale of Gentis's revolution, Tohm believed that the entire military wing c
ould not be trusted since they could not account for the exact number of those w
ho sided with the Headmaster's cause. Vader concurred with the cadet, but also r
ealized that there were other facilities that were classified by the Jedi High C
ouncil secret places hidden from both Palpatine and Vader's former self, Anakin Sk
ywalker.[189]
Ruins of the Jedi Temple
"You fools! The Emperor was right about you all! You plotted and schemed against
us from the beginning! Traitors! This is a temple to betrayal. We will raze it
when we return to Coruscant."
?Darth Vader, outraged by the Jedi Council's lack of trust in him[src]
While Gentis and his revolutionaries secured Coruscant under their control, Dart
h Vader and Laurita Tohm journeyed to the fallen Jedi Temple. After a brief skir
mish with several automated training droids, the two reached the High Council To
wer where Vader activated a holographic recording of a discussion between Anakin
Skywalker and the members of the Jedi Council.[189] Throughout the Clone Wars,
Skywalker had apprehended a number of Force-sensitive war criminals that mysteri
ously disappeared once transferred to the Council's authority. He demanded to kn
ow their location, only to be reprimanded for his behavior by Jedi Master Mace W
indu, who also dismissed the young Jedi Knight's accusations of conspiracy and s
ecrecy.[56]
The recording also displayed the conference that took place after Skywalker left
the Chamber, in which the Council revealed the existence and location of the Pr
ism, a secret detention center that contained dangerous Force-wielders, all of w
hom were overseen by a single Jedi warden. Darth Vader lost control of his anger
upon discovering that the Jedi Order had its own penitentiary facility a secret t
hat they did not entrust to Anakin Skywalker. Enraged and bitter toward the holo
graphic representation of his former comrades, the Dark Lord used the Force to h
url the Council seats out of the tower's window.[56]
The Ghost Prison
"How many?"
"Two hundred and eight, Lord Vader. But this can't be correct According to these
records, this man Anakin Skywalker arrested more than half of these prisoners."
?Darth Vader, and Laurita Tohm[src]
Afterward, Vader, Trachta and Tohm followed the Prism's coordinates to the Diab
system on the edge of the galaxy. Due to security precautions, the Prism was cut
off from all communications with the outside world. A female Jedi warden, unawa
re of the Jedi Order's destruction per Order 66, sought to greet her visitor, be
lieving Darth Vader to be her replacement. When she was caught by surprise by th
e Dark Lord's appearance, Vader used the distraction to impale her through the a
bdomen while Trachta and Tohm destroyed the Jedi's security droids.[56]
The ailing Emperor Palpatine was immediately taken to the Prism's infirmary. Its
advanced medical technology stabilized the Emperor's condition, although he req
uired more time to regain his full health. During Palpatine's recovery, the pris
on's inmate files were analyzed by Vader and Tohm, the latter of whom found it u
nlikely that one Jedi Anakin Skywalker was responsible for the arrests of more than
half of the facility's prisoners. Vader confirmed the records' accuracy, and ref
erred to his former self as one of the Jedi Order's best generals during the Clo
ne Wars. When Tohm inquired about Skywalker's fate, the Dark Lord vaguely stated
that he had killed Skywalker. Not long after, Tohm approached Vader with a plan
that revolved around utilizing the Prism's prisoners as an army to recapture Co
ruscant from Gentis's insurgents.[56]
Prison riot
Vader, however, came up with another plan: He arranged to have all 207 prisoners
fight amongst themselves in the Prison yard to find out which of them were wort
hy enough to fight alongside Vader. Of the prisoners, only 33 of them survived i
n good enough condition to join.[190]
Final battle
Afterwards, Darth Vader, alongside Tohm, Trachta, a newly recovered Palpatine, a
nd the 33 prisoners, returned to Coruscant to deal with Gentis and his traitorou
s supporters. As they landed, Vader immediately exited the transport on which th
e strike team was situated and was attacked by Gentis's soldiers. Utilizing a gl
immering Protection bubble to deflect their blaster bolts, Vader then unleashed
a massively powerful Force Wave, killing dozens of his attackers and clearing th
e area so that the rest of the strike team could disembark. After the battle was
won, Vader wanted the prisoners killed to prevent them from later rebelling, bu
t Trachta disagreed, believing that their invaluable service to the Empire warra
nted more than execution. As they argued, Tohm proposed an apparent compromise b
etween the two, suggesting that the prisoners be exiled in honor. In actuality,
Vader and Tohm had planned for them to be killed in the planned destruction of a
transport ship. Afterwards, shortly after Tohm's promotion to Admiral by Palpat
ine, Vader pushed Tohm off the cityscape of Coruscant, in order to "not suffer f
rom rivals."[191]
Observing Falco Sang
In the aftermath of the Gentis coup, Vader arrived at the construction site for
the Imperial Palace, and learned from Gregg's report on Sang that he was being s
ubject to the obstacle course, but Sang had deduced they were using stinger blas
ters and is neither evading nor shooting back, and that he had attempted to esca
pe twice. Vader then ordered Gregg to replace the weapons with live blasters alo
ngside the specific orders to wound Sang, intending to pay a visit to the traini
ng facility the next day.[192]
Making good of his promise, he then visited the training center where Sang was h
eld up at. Sang then angrily confronted Vader while in a hoverchair regarding on
e of the droids shooting his leg, injuring it. He then accused Vader of trying t
o kill him. Vader then telekinetically lifted Sang up and told him that Sang wou
ldn't even be in front of him had Vader intended to kill him, and also threatene
d that if Sang did not improve with his training, and thus proved himself useful
to him or the Empire, he would make sure to kill him in person.[193] His obsess
ion with hunting down Jennir also led him to decline on supplying more manpower
to Imperial Commander Teron at Arkinnea for investigating mistreatment of refuge
es.[194]
Vader eventually learned of the divergence of the Venator-class Star Destroyer T
enacious to Arkinnea from Gregg, and promptly scolded him for bringing it up, si
nce it didn't deal with any apparent immediate relation to hunting Jedi.[195]
At some point afterward, he got into a fight with Sang after he arranged for the
latter's ship to be delivered to the prison facility. After grabbing him by the
neck, Sang admitted that he was trying to impress Vader based on a suggestion m
ade by Lieutenant Gregg. Afterwards, Vader knocked him back and merely commented
the engines needed fixing before leaving Gregg and Sang to fix them.[196] Vader
eventually learned of a potential sighting of Dennir on the Colonies planet Kes
tavel from Gregg and had the Hound prepped to depart within the hour. Unknown to
him was that Gregg had himself secretly learned this information from Emperor P
alpatine himself, and that Jennir was actually luring Vader into a trap.[197] He
eventually arrived on the Hound, albeit aboard Sang's ship instead of his own s
huttle, causing some initial confusion from the crew awaiting his arrival.[198]
Upon arriving at Kestavel, Vader personally led a detachment of clone troopers t
o The Lucky Twi'lek hotel/cantina, stopping briefly only to disarm a booby-trapp
ed archway after sensing the danger. However, while he sensed the engine-fuel fl
ood and jumped up a cliff, his detachment was not as fortunate: they ended up dr
enched in the fuel and ignited by Jenner as part of an assassination attempt on
the Sith Lord.[199] Vader located Jedi Master Kai Huddora (the latter of whom he
sensed earlier), and proceeded to duel with him. Although successful in killing
Huddora and preventing him from detonating the building's reactors, he failed i
n locating Jennir, as Huddora secretly arranged to have him spirited off the pla
net. He instead found the ex-Jedi Master Beyghor Sahdett, who revealed his alleg
iance to the Sith, Sidious more specifically, to handle the Jedi where Vader cou
ld not. Vader in turn ended the life of the Verpine Sith by decapitating him. Bu
t as he did so, he dropped the detonator, causing it to go off. Vader survived t
he explosion and was rescued by Sang, who was dispatched was Gregg to rescue him
. Once on board, he informed the bounty hunter of Jennir's escape. Though Sang a
ssumed that their mission was a failure, Vader corrected that he at least got to
kill two Jedi.[200]
Hunting Olin
"I will watch you, too, Ferus. And if there is a battle between us, I will win."
?Fourteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker, to his Padawan rival, Ferus Olin[src]
A year later, while recovering from his wounds, Vader was forced to return to th
e Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He arrived to find Inquisitor Malorum having difficu
lties with intruders. Vader ridiculed Malorum for having difficulty in capturing
the reported intruders, much to the chagrin of the Inquisitor, who had plans of
replacing Vader as the Emperor's crony. Vader even went as far as to suggest th
at Malorum blow up the Temple to ensure the intruders' deaths, though he knew ve
ry well that the Inquisitor would not even attempt to. The two also quarreled ab
out Malorum's lack of dealing with the secret resistance group, the Erased. When
Malorum mentioned to Vader his findings on Polis Massa, the Sith Lord held him
in a Force choke and his anger started to cave-in the walls of the room, exposin
g Ferus Olin, a former Jedi rival of his, and his companion Trever Flume. As a r
esult of Malorum's failure to capture the intruders, Vader let the pair escape.[
201]
A short time afterward, Vader was ordered by the Emperor to go to the planet Sam
aria, where sabotage of the computer systems had caused the planet to go into ch
aos. While searching for the saboteur, he again ran into Ferus Olin. This time,
however, Olin had the protection of the Emperor and could not be arrested. After
this meeting, though, Vader had much to ponder about Olin's apparent change of
sides. Some time later, Vader was assigned to the Imperial garrison on Bellassa.
However, after cutting down Roan Lands one of The Eleven resistance members and onc
e more exposing Olin's treachery, the Emperor intervened on Olin's behalf and re
assigned Vader to a troublesome garrison under construction in the Bellassan mou
ntains. However, Vader confronted Olin one more time in the Jedi Temple, and eng
aged him in a Lightsaber duel. Olin eventually revealed that he knew of Vader's
marriage to Amidala, it had little effect on Vader, and the two dueled on, both
using the dark side regularly. Eventually, Olin retreated to the Reactor room of
the Temple, and threw a Sith Holocron he had received from Palpatine into the r
eactor. While Olin was distracted Vader caught up with him and used the Force to
throw him against the wall. Vader then used the Force to almost strangle him an
d left him to die. Afterwards he used the prototype Death Star to destroy the se
cret asteroid base used by Olin to shelter survivors of Order 66, the coordinate
s of which had been given to him by spy Eve Yarrow.[201]
Other survivors of Order 66 eliminated by Vader include Empatojayos Brand, who w
as forced to live out the remainder of his life inside a pressure suit, and Hala
gad Ventor, whom Vader interrogated for information on other Jedi survivors. Oth
er survivors found by Vader include Qu Rahn, Rachi Sitra and Kento Marek.[202] W
hile Marek was eventually cut down by the Sith Lord, Rahn and Sitra became some
of the few Jedi who encountered Vader and lived to fight another day, the method
s of how the two survived is unknown. Eventually, the two Jedi eventually aided
the Rebel Alliance and the future son of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, in their f
ight against the Empire.
Operation: Twilight
Blue Glass Arrow Main article: Twilight (operation)
Darth Vader later participated in Twilight, a secret, large-scale operation cond
ucted by the Empire. Part of the operation dealt with creating a serum designed
to wipe away up to 50 years of a person's memory once injected. He personally pa
rticipated in the operation in part to eliminate his memories of Amidala, as the
memories as well as his guilt of killing her continued to haunt him. However, a
fter he learned that not only was any written data for the serum destroyed by a
duo of Jedi, but the head of the project, Jenna Zan Arbor, was injected with the
serum, thus removing any chance of recreating the serum, he executed Arbor for
her failure. Nonetheless, the project was also designed to track down and wipe o
ut the leaders of an early rebel movement in one fell swoop. He accomplished thi
s via a plant in their ranks, and upon capturing them, had a Star Destroyer equi
pped with a superlaser destroy the main Rebel hideout, along with most of the le
adership.
The Heinsnake plot
Evading assassination attempts
Some time later, Vader found himself under the vengeful watch of a wealthy indus
trialist, due to killing the industrialist's son when the latter tried to disrup
t an Empire-enforced business deal. As such, he killed eight assassins that were
hired by the industrialist to kill him, and eventually was tailed by a ninth.[2
03]
Assassination attempts on the Emperor
Swdvna2p2
Vader, in an unorthodox manner, saves Palpatine from an assassination attempt.
Vader was eventually summoned by the Emperor himself. However, shortly after arr
iving, he then unexpectedly Force Pushed the Emperor away and hurled the throne
out of the window. Vader's reason soon became clear when the throne exploded due
to a bomb being placed underneath. Vader then executed two of the royal guards
by hurling them out of the window, citing lack of time as his reason (as they wo
uld normally have been punished by a slow and painful death for their failure to
protect the Emperor). He then berated the remaining five royal guards for being
incompetent or otherwise conspiring against both the Emperor and the Empire. He
then executed the two guards who failed to kneel in guilt, and spared the remai
ning five when they accepted responsibility for the failure, and assigned two of
them to protect the Emperor, two of them to accompany Vader, and the remaining
one to cover up the attempted assassination, he then went to his master's side.
He eventually learned that the Heinsnake Cult was responsible after an encounter
with a cultist who blew himself up during their investigation. Upon learning fr
om his Master the history of the Heinsnake Cult, he then was dispatched to wipe
out the cult of dark side sorcerers, all while the ninth assassin stalked him.[2
04]
Investigating the Heinsnake Cult's moon
While investigating the location of the Heinsnake Cult, he eventually found a de
relict Venator-class Star Destroyer over a moon. Despite protests by the Emperor
's Royal Guard to not investigate the derelict vessel due to dangers, Vader open
ed up the shuttle's airlock and exited into the vacuum of space to personally in
vestigate. He noted that the ship had apparently been taken out by a single blas
t, yet there were surprisingly few corpses on board the vessel, indicating that
most of the crew had evacuated. Vader, during his search, found the ship's datal
ogs, and after transferring the logs to the Royal Guards, requested for them to
pick him off where he had left. Vader and the Emperor's Royal Guards deduced the
point of origin of the energy beam that doomed the vessel: a nearby moon. They
also learned that the captain had encountered a saboteur with a homing device wh
o was apparently a member of the Heinsnake Cult. They then went to locate the ar
ea that the surviving crew had evacuated to, in the hopes of finding the captain
and learning more about the cult's plot against the Emperor, although they only
found abandoned vessels at the evacuation site, with Vader speculating that the
 survivors were most likely eaten by the wildlife. Vader then killed one of the
monsters on the planet, although not before the monster squashed one of the Roya
l Guards to death. He and the surviving guard eventually located the suspected s
ource of the beam: several ancient ruins. However, Vader upon entering the templ
e started suspecting that he was being stalked.[205]
Learning the Heinsnake Cult's motives
Vader eventually entered the temple, and was guided to the basis by an elderly c
ultist. Upon being instructed by one of the cultists that it was only necessary
to look inside the basis, Vader did so, only for vines to encapsulate him, overw
helming him to the extent that he was unable to breathe. Vader then knelt down w
ith his helmet and mask removed and watched as he, donning the mask and helmet o
nce again, dueled Kenobi before cutting him down. Vader then witnessed Emperor P
alpatine torturing him with Force lightning, only for Vader to gradually resist
the lightning and have Palpatine collapse. Vader then looked up and saw himself
among the stars, except instead of his chest box, he was adorned with the Heinsn
ake insignia in its place. However, Vader refused to follow the Heinsnake Cult a
nd wiped them out, also taking the Basis's power source, an energy crystal, with
him.[24]
Tying up loose ends
He later departed from the doomed moon, due to his earlier actions. Upon making
it back to the ship, he eventually fought against the Ninth Assassin when the la
tter ambushed him, but he killed him effortlessly. He then made a trek over to t
he Ninth Assassin's abode and located his associate, killing him and presumably
learning who hired the assassin from him. He then went to deliver the crystal to
Tarkin to complete the preparations of the Death Star. He then left for the ind
ustrialist's home, although he discovered that the industrialist had already com
mitted suicide. He then met up with Palpatine, who admitted that he had actually
orchestrated the events that transpired, even the Heinsnake Cult's attempted as
sassination of him, as a test for Darth Vader.[206]
The discovery of Galen Marek
"Come with me. More will be here soon."
?Darth Vader, to Galen Marek[src]
Kentochoke
The Dark Lord of the Sith prevails against a fugitive Jedi in battle.
During the early years of the Galactic Empire, Darth Vader participated in anoth
er invasion of Kashyyyk following a resurgent Wookiee uprising[16] after the fir
st attack.[174] Aside from a stormtrooper escort, Vader did not personally lead
the campaign as he pursued an objective of his own the hunt for a fugitive Jedi wh
o had taken refuge on the Wookiee homeworld. Despite his disappointment in the o
verall strategy of his subordinate officer, whom he judged to be incompetent, Va
der allowed the Commander to live while he executed his own mission. The Dark Lo
rd of the Sith encountered numerous Wookiee warriors, all of whom fought with fi
erce determination, though none were able to prevent Vader's path into their vil
lage. Soon after reaching a large hut, decorated with banners bearing his target
's family crest, the Jedi Kento Marek confronted Darth Vader.[16]
The Sith Lord dueled the former Jedi Knight, but found his opponent's skills to
be significantly inferior to his own. Aside from a basic knowledge of Shii-Cho,
Marek's combat repertoire contained only rudimentary knowledge of Makashi. As su
ch, Vader quickly overcame him using his refined form of Djem So.[16] The duel c
ame to an end when Marek was disarmed and Force pushed by Vader through the fron
t entrance of his hut.[202] As Vader entered the hut, he sensed the presence of
a being who was far more powerful in the Force than the Jedi he had just defeate
d. Believing the presence to be Marek's Jedi Master, Vader seized him in the gri
p of a Force choke and demanded to know where the other Jedi was hiding. When Ma
rek retorted that his master had fallen to Vader long ago, Vader prepared to kil
l his adversary. At the last moment, however, his lightsaber was telekinetically
 pulled out of his grasp. As the Dark Lord rounded on the culprit, he was astoni
shed to see his lightsaber in the hands of a small boy. He quickly deduced the b
oy to be both the Jedi Knight's son and the other presence he felt upon entering
the hut. When the elder Marek urged his son to run away, Vader casually crushed
his throat. Horrified and in shock, the younger Marek stood still and pointed h
is stolen lightsaber at its owner, who cautiously approached the child.[16]
Starkiller toylightsaber
Darth Vader discovers Galen Marek, a child with a powerful connection to the For
ce.
Before Darth Vader could communicate with the now orphaned Marek, the Imperial C
ommander and a squad of stormtroopers entered the hut. As they approached the tw
o, the Commander signaled his soldiers to execute the boy under the assumption t
hat his Sith leader would approve. Instead, the Dark Lord telekinetically summon
ed his lightsaber back to him, and promptly killed the Commander and his trooper
s in front of Marek, thus ensuring that there would be no witnesses to his next
move. He then commanded the boy to come with him, warning that more soldiers wou
ld soon arrive at their location. Unknown to Galen Marek at the time, he had bee
n chosen as Darth Vader's secret Sith apprentice, although Vader never verbally
acknowledged him as such until several years later.[16] In the aftermath of Kash
yyyk's fall and subjugation, Darth Vader spirited the young Galen Marek to a hid
den location on the Executor, a Super Star Destroyer that would serve as the Dar
k Lord's flagship upon the completion of its construction.[207]
By 17 BBY, Vader had become renowned as a warrior, which eventually resulted in
Hock Malsuum, a clone trooper who had been left for dead in a battle during the
final few months of the Clone Wars, to desire to join him,[208] also doing sever
al battles to earn the Dark Lord's respect.[209] Eventually, Vader, having respe
cted Hock, brought him into the fold and was later dispatched to the planet Osto
r to participate in a mission to assimilate a Separatist holdout discovered on t
he Outer Rim planet. However, the operation ended disastrously due to Vader stay
ing behind on his ship, not conducting reconnaissance beforehand, and giving dir
ect command to an armchair general named Rohn, resulting in Hock having to do so
mething that would risk his life,[210] also flying alongside Vader before ending
up captured by the Separatist forces.[211] Vader eventually managed to attack t
he Separatists due to Hock sabotaging the Separatist forces from the inside, cau
sing Hock to see the ruthlessness of Vader in person.[212]
The secret apprentice
"You were weak when I found you. You should never have survived my training. But
now your anger has become your strength. At last, the dark side is your ally. R
ise, my apprentice."
?Darth Vader acknowledges Starkiller as his Sith apprentice for the first time[s
rc]
Starkiller kneeling
The secret apprentice kneels in the presence of his Master.
In the years that followed his abduction of Marek, Vader trained the boy in the
ways of the Sith, including dumping him unarmed onto Honoghr while sending a Nog
hri Death Commando hunting party after him with the intention of having Marek su
rvive and defeat them as an ultimate test. At first, he controlled his student t
hrough fear, but then taught him to embrace emotions such as anger and hatred. I
n time, Marek forgot about his past; the memories of his childhood became repres
sed and he came to assume that he was merely one of his Master's many experiment
s. In addition, the boy had forgotten his birth name, but soon came to know hims
elf as "Starkiller," a codename provided to him by Darth Vader.[207]
Though Vader was prohibited[16] by the Rule of Two from training an apprentice w
hile still apprenticed to a Master of his own,[25] the Dark Lord discarded the a
ncient tradition and became the mentor of a child whose potential in the Force r
ivaled Darth Sidious.[202] An outwardly loyal servant of the Emperor, Vader secr
etly harbored much anger and resentment for his Master, the Sith Lord who had or
chestrated Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side of the Force.[207] Vader dev
oted years to personally molding Starkiller into a highly trained Sith assassin
with an array of Force powers including Force lightning, which Vader was unable to
harness due to his mostly machine condition that made the young apprentice a form
idable opponent and Sith in all but name.[16] As time passed, Starkiller grew in
creasingly immersed in the dark side to his Master's approval, but also develope
d a strong sense of loyalty to the Sith Lord,[202] whom he came to view as the c
losest example he had to a father figure.[16] Starkiller's loyalty to Vader was
rivaled only by his desire to fulfill the purpose of his existence, as stated by
his Master: the assassination of Vader's own Master, Darth Sidious. The apprent
ice longed for years to be a true Sith Lord, providing him with the motivation a
nd desire to become a greater Force-wielder in preparation for the day when he a
nd his Master confronted the Emperor.[207]
As a Sith Master, Darth Vader's training regimen was both physically and psychol
ogically agonizing to Starkiller. Despite Vader's emphasis on an equation, obey
and succeed versus fail and die, the apprentice detected no hint of malicious cr
uelty in his Master's instructions. The Dark Lord only wanted his disciple to le
arn as a Sith apprentice, or die as a failure. His callous treatment of the appr
entice was motivated by the goal of creating the ultimate Sith warrior, rather t
han a sadist's desire to inflict pain on another for personal amusement.[16]
Among the few items that Vader gave to Starkiller was a prototype holodroid name
d PROXY. Although Vader intended the droid to be a tool for helping the apprenti
ce to refine his lightsaber skills, the Sith Lord unwittingly provided Starkille
r with the only source of friendship he ever had throughout most of his short li
fe. When Vader decided that his apprentice was ready to be sent on assassination
missions in the galaxy, Starkiller was given the Rogue Shadow, an advanced star
ship equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technology, which served as his pers
onal transport. Despite Starkiller's skills as a pilot, his Master preferred tha
t he concentrate on his training while in-between missions. Vader therefore assi
gned several hand-picked individuals to serve as the pilot of his apprentice's s
hip. By 3 BBY, Vader had chosen a total of seven pilots; some had died during th
e apprentice's more chaotic assignments, while others were executed by Vader due
to the perceived shortcomings in their performance.[207]
The following section contains information from a Star Wars Tales 1 20 story that
was referenced in no other Star Wars Legends source. Lucasfilm considered all Ta
les 1 20 content that was not "completely outrageous or intentionally comic" to ha
ve some level of canonicity within the Legends continuity. Editor discretion is
advised.
Although Vader himself never visited Tatooine in 9 BBY, he did appear to his son
Luke Skywalker in two visions: One of his current state, and one when he was a
child. This vision interacted with Luke under the name "Annie" and noted the coi
ncidences about their both lacking known fathers, both being gifted pilots, and
both harboring a desire to leave Tatooine. This vision eventually vanished while
both Skywalkers were fighting a Krayt Dragon that Annie inadvertently lured to
them when trying to use a sabotaged R4 droid to allow a flare to be released sig
nalling where Luke and he were, although Luke was certain that "Annie" was not a
dream.[213]
Star Wars Tales 1 20 information ends here.
Genocide on Callos
"Strike the planetary reactor at the following coordinates, and strike it hard.
Once that is out of action, I will consider the mission complete."
"Thank you, Lord Vader."
"Your gratitude is wasted on me. Give me success, Captain. That is all."
?Darth Vader, and Juno Eclipse[src]
Aside from teaching Starkiller the ways of the dark side, Darth Vader continued
to perform his duties as the Emperor's chief enforcer responsibilities that includ
ed the military enforcement of the New Order on rebellious worlds in the Galacti
c Empire. As a commander, he demanded loyalty and competence from all of his sub
ordinates; the failure to achieve the latter resulted in the deaths of numerous
officers at the Dark Lord's hand. However, those who could pass his high expecta
tions were rewarded with elevation in rank. One such officer was Captain Juno Ec
lipse, a young female Human who graduated at the top of her class as the younges
t cadet from the Imperial Academy on Corulag. Impressed by her record as a highl
y skilled TIE pilot, Vader promoted Eclipse as the leader of his Black Eight Squ
adron.[207]
Darth Vader judged Captain Eclipse to be a capable officer and pilot, but her co
ncern for life convinced him that she lacked ruthlessness, a trait that Vader ex
pected in everyone who served under him.[207] During the Bombing of Callos, he s
ensed Eclipse's hesitation when he ordered her to conduct a full-scale bombing r
un that would have resulted in the genocide of the planet's defeated inhabitants
. Unconcerned with the Captain's disapproval, Vader redirected her to target the
planetary reactor. Eclipse complied with the order under the belief that single
precision strike was preferable to blanket bombing. However, she had been unawa
re at the time that the damaged reactor would contaminate the world's atmosphere
with pollutants, which then resulted in the complete sterilization of all lifef
orms on Callos, as Vader intended when he altered his order.[16]
In the months that followed after the destruction of Callos, Vader removed Eclip
se as commander of the Black Eight Squadron and reassigned her to a top secret m
ission. Having recently executed Starkiller's last pilot, Vader chose Eclipse as
the eighth pilot of the Rogue Shadow. The details of her new assignments were l
eft unclear; Vader only informed her of the ship's advanced design in stealth te
chnology, as well as its enigmatic owner who operated under the call sign "Stark
iller." After providing her with the coordinates to the stealth vessel's locatio
n in a secret hangar on the Executor, Vader sternly warned Eclipse to keep her m
ission a secret and that the consequence of betraying his trust was execution.[1
6]
The apprentice's final tests
"Your training is almost complete. It is time now to face your first true test."
?Darth Vader, to Starkiller[src]
Juno Eclipse's reassignment coincided with Starkiller's progression through his
trials to the point where Darth Vader acknowledged him as a Sith apprentice for
the first time. In recognition of his apprentice's increasing power in the dark
side of the Force, Vader ordered Starkiller to kill his first Jedi target Master R
ahm Kota, a Jedi General who served in the Clone Wars, as well as a survivor of
Order 66. According to his informants, Kota and his private army were in the pro
cess of conducting a raid on an important construction facility for TIE starfigh
ters located above Nar Shaddaa. He also commanded the apprentice to use the utmo
st discretion while in the field in order to avoid detection by the Emperor's sp
ies. Hence, the apprentice was instructed to kill everyone he encountered in the
facility, both Imperials and Kota's insurgents alike. Shortly after his briefin
g, the apprentice met Juno Eclipse in the hangar that contained the Rogue Shadow
.[16] Given that none of his previous pilots were female, Starkiller believed th
at Vader selected a woman as the ship's latest pilot in order to test the appren
tice, although Starkiller feared his Master too much to voice his suspicion.[207
]
Despite the destruction of the construction facility, Starkiller returned to the
Executor and reported to his Master. With Kota blind and left for dead since th
eir last encounter, the apprentice assumed that the Jedi Master would no longer
be a threat to the Empire. He was also disinclined to admit that he had not actu
ally killed his target, and merely confirmed what Vader wanted to hear that Rahm K
ota was dead. Afterward, Vader dispatched Starkiller to hunt down Kazdan Paratus
, a Jedi outcast who lived in self-exile on Raxus Prime; and Jedi Master Shaak T
i, one of the last members of the Jedi High Council whom Vader discovered to be
hiding on Felucia.[16]
At the same time, Vader believed that his apprentice required further training,
and thus sent him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant with orders to participate in
the Jedi Trials, particularly the lessons regarding skill and insight. In additi
on to the apprentice's completion of the tests on Coruscant,[202] Vader was also
 satisfied by the deaths of Paratus and Ti, both of whom had been slain by Stark
iller in single combat.[16]
Crafting a new plot
"Save for PROXY, you must sever all ties to your past. No one must know that you
still serve me."
"Yes, my Master."
"Now go. And remember that the dark side is always with you."
?Darth Vader and Starkiller, shortly before dispatching the apprentice to create
the Rebel Alliance[src]
WhereShouldIStart
Starkiller is given his new mission by Darth Vader.
With Shaak Ti's death, the last of Starkiller's trials had been completed. Darth
Vader recalled his apprentice back to Executor, where Vader assured Starkiller
that they would finally kill Emperor Palpatine and rule the galaxy together as M
aster and Apprentice. But unknown to Starkiller, the Emperor's spies had been fo
llowing him since Raxus Prime, tracing him back to Vader's flagship. Vader, face
d with certain death for his "betrayal," in turn betrayed his shocked apprentice
by impaling him through the chest with his lightsaber. After a moment of pause,
Vader threw Starkiller into the vacuum of space by hurling him through the brid
ge window, at his master's command. However, Vader made sure that Starkiller's b
ody was retrieved and brought to his science vessel, the Empirical. Upon the app
rentice's full recovery, Vader excused his betrayal as a necessary course of act
ion, both to save their lives and to fool Palpatine into believing that the secr
et apprentice was dead. Starkiller, although clearly bitter over the betrayal an
d denied a chance to finally become a true Sith Lord, nevertheless resigned hims
elf to his fate and obediently submitted once more to his master's will.[16]
With his every move under close observation, Darth Vader charged his apprentice
to create a distraction that would divert the Emperor's attention away from him.
To that end, Starkiller was ordered to create an alliance of rebels and disside
nts. To that end, he ordered the apprentice to take great care in maintaining th
e secrecy of his mission, so as to not alert the Emperor of his survival, nor re
veal his Sith identity to his imminent rebel allies. Before cutting off his tran
smission through PROXY, Darth Vader left the apprentice with one last reminder the
dark side would always be with him.[16]
When Starkiller found a valuable ally in Bail Organa, Starkiller was told that h
e needed a target to show that the Empire was vulnerable to those that silently
opposed it. Seeking his master's council, Vader suggested that the Star Destroye
r shipyard over Raxus Prime would be a perfect target, as the Empire's rule thro
ugh fear was embodied by the awesome might of the Star Destroyers. Although his
apprentice remained loyal, Vader could sense that Starkiller was developing feel
ings for his supposed allies. He sternly reminded the apprentice of where his al
legiance truly belonged, a statement which Starkiller solemnly accepted.[16]
VadervsPROXY
PROXY attacks Vader on Corellia with his Obi-Wan Kenobi combat module.
Afterward, Vader informed the apprentice of the extent of his successful mission
, claiming that Palpatine was greatly displeased at the events on Raxus Prime. S
tarkiller advised that he could not maintain communications with Vader for the t
ime being, mainly so that the Rebels would not suspect his identity or his past
under Vader, which could potentially undo all that he had accomplished in formin
g the Rebellion. Although Vader initially intended to betray Palpatine with his
apprentice at his side,[214] for unknown reasons he later changed his mind and m
ade other plans. He swiftly captured the Rebel senators when they met and signed
the Corellian Treaty on Corellia. After revealing to the leaders of the seeming
ly short-lived Alliance to Restore the Republic that Starkiller was the Sith Lor
d's secret apprentice, Vader once again assaulted his pupil, only this time with
true lethal intent. Unable to bear a second betrayal, Starkiller bitterly lamen
ted that he had been played a fool once again, to which Vader informed him that
he never intended to destroy the Emperor at least, not with Starkiller at his side
. It was then that the apprentice realized the truth; credits, starships, Imperi
al lives, and even Starkiller himself had no value to Vader outside of their use
in fulfilling his plans. Having lured the Rebel leaders into one place so they
could be revealed and arrested, Starkiller had outlived his usefulness. Just as
he was on the verge of killing his apprentice, PROXY, under the holographic guis
e of Vader's former master Obi-Wan Kenobi, distracted him in a short duel. Altho
ugh Vader easily defeated the holodroid, Starkiller was gone, having fallen off
the cliff outside the rebel site.[16]
The master defeated by the apprentice
"I've trained you well, but you still have much to learn."
"You have nothing left to teach me!"
?Darth Vader and his former apprentice aboard the Death Star[src]
Vader brought the Rebel senators to the Death Star I, where they would be interr
ogated through torture in order to reveal the location of their friends and alli
es, only to be publicly executed by the Emperor in order to silence further oppo
sition to Sith domination. To everyone's surprise, Starkiller was still alive an
d had infiltrated the incomplete battle station with the intention of rescuing t
he Alliance leaders, as well as to seek revenge against his former master. As a
sign of his bitterness toward Vader's repeated betrayals, the apprentice dropped
the code name and persona of Starkiller, thus accepting his birth name Galen Ma
rek as his new identity. At the Emperor's order, Vader reluctantly went to confr
ont his former apprentice. As they came face to face, Vader taunted Marek that h
e still had much to learn. Vader then let loose with an all-out offensive barrag
e, assured of his own superiority as a duelist and believing he would quickly de
feat Marek. However, much like Obi-Wan had done decades prior, Marek adopted a d
efensive stance against Vader, countering and dancing around his assault.[16]
For a time, neither combatant was able to gain any sort of advantage. During the
duel, Marek came to realize that he had much in common with his master; they we
re both slaves to a Dark Lord, but while Marek possessed the strength to break a
way from Vader, Vader could not do the same with Sidious. Marek then proceeded t
o taunt Vader with this knowledge, hoping to break his concentration. In additio
n, he informed Vader that with his new understanding of Vader's life circumstanc
es came pity, and that he intended to end Vader's life as an act of mercy. Marek
's taunts, particularly his professions of pity, enraged the already frustrated
Sith Lord and caused him to redouble his attack. Close to being overwhelmed, Mar
ek surprised Vader with a sudden blast of Force lightning, breaking the momentum
of Vader's furious onslaught and forcing him onto his back foot. This move allo
wed Marek to both catch his breath and seize the offensive.[16]
Ifindyourlackofskilldisturbing
Vader is unmasked in his duel with Marek on the Death Star.
Marek pressed his advantage, scoring two hits on Vader with his lightsaber befor
e telekinetically hurling objects at him from every direction. The final such mi
ssile was an energy field generator, which detonated upon contact with Vader. Ba
rely surviving the explosion, his armor and life support systems critically dama
ged, Vader was unable to continue fighting. However, as Marek moved in for the k
ill, he saw Vader's face uncovered for the first time and was shocked into pausi
ng. His master, rather than the terrifying cybernetic monster he appeared to be,
was a pitifully deformed old man, exhausted and in agony.[16]
Darth Sidious was greatly pleased by the outcome of the duel. Shortly after his
reign began, Sidious gradually became as bitter and spiteful of his apprentice a
s Vader was with him. He had spent more than a decade engineering Anakin Skywalk
er's fall to the dark side, only to see his perfect apprentice crippled, with bo
th his injuries and emotional instability limiting his powers. After seeing Vade
r humbled and beaten by a superior opponent, Sidious wasted no time in encouragi
ng the young apprentice to kill his weak and broken master, thus finally becomin
g a true Sith Lord and taking his rightful place at the Emperor's side. Though s
orely tempted by the thought of revenge and the power he could have as a true Si
th Lord, Marek chose to follow the light side of the Force by confronting the Em
peror. Catching him by surprise, Marek quickly attacked the Emperor with a telek
inetic blast. Far from accepting defeat and, much less, death, Sidious goaded th
e apprentice one last time to give in to the dark side by slaying the Emperor hims
elf in anger and hatred. With General Kota's help, the apprentice resisted the d
ark side one last time. Outraged, Sidious struck Kota with Force lightning, refu
sing to let the Jedi and Rebels have someone as powerful as Marek on their side.
However, Marek thrust himself in the way to protect the Jedi and the former sen
ators.[16]
The death of the secret apprentice
"He is dead."
"Then he is now more powerful than ever. He was meant to route out the Rebels. H
is sacrifice will only inspire them."
?Darth Vader and Sidious, after confirming the death of Galen Marek[src]
Starkiller dead
The injured Vader and Sidious stand over Galen Marek's body.
By this time Vader had recovered enough to muster a squadron of stormtroopers in
order to kill the Rebels and his former disciple. As the stormtroopers pursued
Kota and the senators, Vader could do nothing more but watch as his master and a
pprentice locked with each other in a chain of Force lightning. Marek, knowing t
hat he could not survive against the full fury of the Emperor, sacrificed his li
fe and with one last defiant yell, he caused a massive Force explosion that kill
ed all of the stormtroopers in the room and incapacitated the Sith Lords long en
ough for the Rebels to escape.[16]
After regaining his senses, a severely injured Darth Vader slowly approached the
body of Galen Marek, just as Sidious also recovered and looked down at Marek's
corpse with shock and disappointment. Darth Vader, his voice solemn, noted that
the secret apprentice was truly dead this time.[16]
Darth Sidious was displeased and frustrated at having suffered such an unusual s
etback. Not only had he failed to kill the leaders of the newborn Rebel Alliance
when he had the chance, he also realized that Marek's selfless act of sacrifice
would inspire the Rebels and bolster their morale to the point where silent opp
osition would be replaced by an all-out rebellion through force of arms. Vader s
wore that he would hunt down and put an end to this new threat, and crushed Mare
k's lightsaber under his boot heel. In addition, he feigned ignorance at his mas
ter's betrayal, making it sound as if the Emperor had planned for the events sur
rounding the formation of the Rebellion to occur as they had. Having failed to r
eplace Darth Vader with Galen Marek, the Emperor had no choice except to tolerat
e Vader's existence for a while longer, at least until he could find a new appre
ntice of the same caliber as Starkiller.[16]
The Galactic Civil War (2 BBY 4 ABY)
Cloning a new apprentice
Dark Apprentice: "I have memories. Are they mine?"
Darth Vader: "You were cast from the mold of a dead man. You have inherited his
skills, but also his weaknesses."
?The Dark Apprentice and Darth Vader[src]
Starkiller clones
A collection of the original Starkiller's clones.
In the aftermath of Galen Marek's death, Darth Vader salvaged the body of his fo
rmer apprentice and brought it to Kamino, where he stored it in a secret chamber
in the Timira City Cloning Facility.[215] With Marek's body serving as a geneti
c template, the Sith Lord endeavored to create the perfect version of his fallen
disciple a clone that possessed all of Marek's power, but none of his weaknesses.
[216] Due to initial imperfections in the accelerated cloning process and the in
herent difficulty involved in cloning from a Force sensitive template, the first
batch of clones developed extreme mental and physical deformations. As time pro
gressed, the project began to generate superficially stable clones. However, it
was soon revealed that these subjects were haunted by various memories and perso
nality fragments of their template. Although many of these clones made it far in
their trials, none of them were able to develop stable personalities of their o
wn. The clones would ultimately go on to become fixated on one or two elements o
f the original Marek's life, and eventually all of them descended into madness.[
215]
Another failure
"They are the memories of a dead man. A side effect of the cloning process and t
he memory flashes used to train you. They will fade."
?Darth Vader[src]
Starkiller Kamino Training
Darth Vader utilizes several Sith Training Droids to test the strength of a clon
e of his former apprentice.
As Vader's secret project continued to develop through trial and error, one clon
e in particular showed a great deal of promise. The clone progressed far enough
in his training that Vader considered dispatching him to Cato Neimoidia to execu
te Rahm Kota. Although he was impressed with the clone's progress, he knew that
this subject was just as troubled by Marek's memories as all of the other clones
had been. In order to see if the clone was truly strong enough to overcome his
template's emotions, Vader provided the clone with a challenge to destroy Sith T
raining Droids that had taken on the holographic appearance of Rebel troopers. A
lthough the clone easily destroyed the troopers, sparing no feelings for the org
anization that his progenitor helped to create, he was suddenly dumbfounded by t
he droid that had taken on the image of a woman he recognized as Juno Eclipse. W
hen Vader commanded the clone to strike her down and demanded that he hate that
which Marek loved, the clone struggled to obey, but ultimately refused.[216]
His fears confirmed, Vader destroyed the training droid, causing the image of Ju
no Eclipse to disappear. Disappointed with yet another failure, the Sith Lord re
vealed to the confused clone the fact that he had tried many times before to cre
ate a perfect version of his original apprentice,[216] only to fail when it came
to purging them of Marek's emotional imprints.[17] Despite the successful growt
h and progress of a different clone of Marek, Vader lied to the clone, telling h
im that the accelerated cloning process was still imperfect. Before Vader could
rectify his mistake by killing his latest failed experiment, the clone unleashed
a blast of Force lightning at his master after receiving a vision of Vader's fi
rst betrayal of the original Starkiller. While Vader was momentarily dazed by th
e attack, the clone blasted a hole through a wall and jumped outside in order to
escape. In response, Vader alerted the cloning facility's Imperial garrison and
commanded them to kill the clone but none of the troopers succeeded. With his f
orces having little to no success in killing or stalling the clone, Vader moved
to intercept him before he could escape. Vader was too late however, and the clo
ne stole his TIE fighter and escaped from Kamino.[216] During the clone's travel
s, he became known by Marek's codename Starkiller after refusing to go by his pr
ogenitor's birth name.[17]
Hiring a bounty hunter
Boba Fett: "He has a healthy head start."
Darth Vader: "Find the woman and bring her to me. He will follow."
Boba Fett: "I'll need a squadron of stormtroopers. They won't be coming back."
Darth Vader: "The Empire will provide whatever you require."
?Boba Fett and Darth Vader[src]
Shortly after the clone's escape, Darth Vader contacted Boba Fett, the bounty hu
nter whose skills made him a reliable asset to the Sith Lord. When Fett arrived
on Kamino, he surveyed the damage to Timira City and concluded that it would tak
e some time to discover Starkiller's whereabouts. Knowing that the bounty hunter
would never be able to capture or defeat Starkiller directly, Vader commanded F
ett to abduct Juno Eclipse, the former Imperial captain who had joined the Allia
nce as commanding officer of the Salvation. Since the clone had inherited his te
mplate's emotional attachment to Eclipse, Vader anticipated that the clone would
never be able to resist returning to Kamino to save Eclipse.[216]
Despite his own talents, Boba Fett knew that he was not capable of single-handed
ly assaulting a Rebel cruiser and abducting it's captain all on his own. To that
end, he requested that Vader provide him with enough stormtroopers to aid him i
n completing his mission, though he lacked confidence in the troopers' ability t
o survive. Vader's only concern was bringing the clone back to Kamino, regardles
s of how many resources he had to use to achieve this goal. As such, Vader provi
ded Fett with a far greater and more capable force than he had requested, includ
ing Terror Troopers, Terror Droids, Terror Biodroids, and a Terror Walker.[216]
The "perfect" clone of Starkiller
Darth Vader: "Do you understand what this is? What this means."
Dark Apprentice: "Yes, my Master."
Darth Vader: "Good. Very good. You have come far. You may yet survive."
?Darth Vader and the Dark Apprentice[src]
Galen Marek's dead body
Darth Vader reveals the dead body of Galen Marek to the Dark Apprentice, the onl
y perfect clone of the original Starkiller
Around this time, Darth Vader was training another clone that showed a great dea
l of potential. Unsurprisingly, this clone inherited the same disturbing memorie
s and emotions of his genetic template just like his brothers before him. Upon b
eing released from his cloning tank, the clone was confronted by Marek's memorie
s of Juno Eclipse, thus causing the clone to ask about her whereabouts. Vader si
mply stated that Eclipse was irrelevant, and all that mattered was the training
that lay ahead for the clone.[215]
In the early phase of his training, the clone revealed to Vader that he possesse
d memories, but could not tell if they actually belonged to him. Having dealt wi
th enough of Marek's clones suffering from an identity crisis, Vader knew all to
o well what the clone was talking about. He simply explained that the clone was
copied from the cells of Marek's corpse, thus allowing him to inherit the origin
al Starkiller's strengths and weaknesses. Although the clone continued to surviv
e in his trials, Vader was not yet fully convinced that this was the one he soug
ht to create, recalling all of the other clones that made it far in their traini
ng only to fail in the end. Even though the clone was determined to not fail his M
aster, it didn't stop him from becoming curious about the exact number of clones
that came before him, or from wondering about what his progenitor was like as a
person before he died. Vader dismissed the clone's questions as pointless curio
sity. All that mattered to him was if any more clones would be created if this o
ne failed. With Marek dead and his power surpassed by the clone, Vader felt that
delving into the details of his original apprentice's identity was irrelevant.[
215]
To the amazement of both the lead cloning technician and Darth Vader, the clone
was gradually able to compartmentalize his template's memories while forming new
ones of his own. Thus, he succeeded in achieving what none of his brothers were
capable of doing holding Marek's memories as separate from his own experience. By
doing so, the clone had come to know for certain that he was a copy and that th
e original Starkiller was truly dead. Vader greatly approved, and promised to pr
ove what the clone already knew to be true. That proof was revealed by Vader to
be the body of the late Galen Marek, stored within a cold chamber in Timira City
. By seeing Marek's corpse with his own eyes, the clone understood that he had s
ucceeded where all of the clones failed before him, and that he was well on his
way to fulfilling the purpose of his creation much to Vader's delight.[215]
Near the end of his training, the clone had apparently severed the last remnants
of the emotional imprints left behind by Galen Marek. After striking down a Sit
h Training Droid disguised in the holographic image of Juno Eclipse, Vader asked
the clone how he felt. The clone replied that the emotions he felt were hate fo
r his template's weaknesses, disgust for his failings, and pride for rising abov
e them. With the conclusion of this test, Vader's goal had finally been accompli
shed. After a long line of failures, a single successful clone had risen to beco
me his Dark Apprentice. When the Rebel Alliance launched an assault on Kamino's
Imperial defenses, Vader ordered the Dark Apprentice to not interfere unless he
was needed, and only then would his training finally be completed.[215] Shortly
before the battle, Starkiller, the renegade clone who escaped from Kamino, recei
ved a vision of the imminent future. In this vision, he saw that the Dark Appren
tice would kill him if he tried to destroy Darth Vader, who had been disarmed an
d defeated in the vision.[17]
The Battle of Kamino
Juno Eclipse: "Is that ?"
Darth Vader: "He is almost here."
?Juno Eclipse and Darth Vader[src]
When Boba Fett returned to Timira City with Juno Eclipse as his prisoner, Darth
Vader greeted both of them in person. Although he was slightly tempted to summar
ily execute Eclipse for treason, as well as the inconvenience that the Alliance
caused for him, the Sith Lord maintained his focus on using Eclipse as bait to l
ure Marek's wayward clone back to Kamino. Fett wanted to leave the planet before
the battle commenced, as he believed his job to be finished and had no desire t
o encounter the vengeful Starkiller. However, Vader commanded the bounty hunter
to remain planet-side until Starkiller was once again in Imperial custody, and w
ithheld Fett's payment to strong-arm him into doing so. Accompanied by a squad o
f stormtroopers, Darth Vader and Juno Eclipse proceeded to a tower located at th
e top of the cloning facility.[17]
When the battle began, Starkiller directed the Salvation on a collision course w
ith Timira City. While Eclipse and the stormtroopers became increasingly nervous
, Vader maintained a calm stance and awaited the clone's return. While the first
half of the ship crashed into the cloning facility, Starkiller destroyed the se
cond solid fragment so as to not inadvertently harm Eclipse. While the clone mad
e his way to the top of the facility, killing all Imperials in his way, Vader se
cured Eclipse in the tower and moved to confront his former apprentice.[17]
The duel between master and apprentice
Starkiller: "Your training made me strong enough to escape you, not obey you."
Darth Vader: "Yet here you are. My most deadly creation."
Starkiller: "You lie! You never wanted this. You can't have. Once Juno has been
rescued, your facility will be destroyed. You with it, if there's any justice."
Darth Vader: "There is no justice. Only power."
?Starkiller and Darth Vader[src]
StarkillerCloneVsVader
Master versus Apprentice.
Within the cloning facility, Darth Vader and Starkiller engaged in a lightsaber
duel. While Starkiller pressed his attack and demanded to know where Eclipse was
, Vader stood his ground against the clone. Having learned his lesson after near
ly being killed by Marek, Vader refrained from the same sort of reckless offense
that he utilized against Marek. He fought more defensively and cautiously, know
ing that the cloned Starkiller was not to be taken lightly. In order to stall an
d demoralize Starkiller, Vader unleashed various imperfect clones of Marek and c
ommanded them to attack their renegade brother. Starkiller was shocked to see th
at there were other clones of Marek besides himself, and realized that he was wr
ong in believing that Vader had lied about creating other clones before him.[17]
These clones however, presented no real threat to Starkiller, and he easily dis
patched them.[216]
After defeating the aberrant clones, Starkiller pursued Vader all the way to the
cloning tower where he found Juno Eclipse at Vader's mercy. The Sith Lord eleva
ted Eclipse off of the ground and began choking her through the Force. Vader gav
e the clone a final chance to surrender, or watch as he killed Eclipse. Overwhel
med with fear and concern for Eclipse's life, Starkiller dropped his lightsabers
and obeyed, promising to serve the Sith Lord once more as long as Eclipse remai
ned unharmed. Satisfied, Vader released Eclipse from his grip and commanded the
clone to kill General Kota. With nothing but silent compliance from the clone, V
ader told Starkiller that he would go on to become fully immersed in the dark si
de and that he would execute the Alliance leaders; resistance or failure to meet
any of Vader's expectations would cost Juno Eclipse her life.[17]
However, Eclipse refused to be the catalyst for Starkiller's return to the dark
side and attempted to assassinate Darth Vader with one of the clone's lightsaber
s. Warned by his senses at the last second, Vader narrowly dodged her strike, tu
rning her attempted death blow into a gash on his chest panel. In retaliation, V
ader blasted Eclipse out of the tower, causing her to fall on a landing platform
before losing consciousness.[216]
In a rage, Starkiller grabbed both of his sabers and attacked Vader, only to be
thrown out of the tower as well. Before he could get to Eclipse, Vader leapt out
of the tower and landed on the platform, purposely standing between the clone a
nd Eclipse.[216] Although initially Starkiller could not understand why Vader wo
uld risk his life by damaging or even destroying the one tool he could use to co
ntrol him, the clone came to believe that Juno's death was what Vader had wanted
all along. By killing Eclipse, Vader intended to remove Starkiller's only reaso
n for resisting his purpose as a Sith, thus causing Starkiller to fall headlong
back into the fold of the dark side.[17]
Finishing the duel
"It is our destiny to destroy the Emperor. You and me, together."
?Darth Vader to Starkiller[src]
As the two engaged in combat once more, Vader tried to convince the clone to ris
e above his concern for Eclipse, stating that her life was meaningless and that
her death fueled his strength in the dark side. He reminded the clone that his f
eelings for the woman were counterfeit, nothing more than the emotional imprints
left behind by a man who was no longer even alive.[216] Between trying to kill
Vader and get to Eclipse, Starkiller came to suspect that he and his master were
more alike than he first believed. He came to wonder how far the Emperor had go
ne in creating Darth Vader, and how far Vader would go to destroy his master in
order to replace him. With these thoughts, the clone managed to calm himself to
a degree, and he tried to suggest that Vader work with the Alliance against the
Emperor. Vader ignored this statement and continued his attacks with increasing
aggression, making it perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with the Rebe
llion.
As the duel progressed, Starkiller came to the conclusion that, despite his memo
ries of having bested Vader as Marek, Vader's adjustments to his combat techniqu
e had resulted in a situation where the best outcome Starkiller could hope to ac
hieve in their duel was a stalemate. This problem was further exacerbated by the
fact that Vader wished to keep Starkiller alive, and was fighting to disable ra
ther than kill. As such, Starkiller formulated a plan to feign surrender for the
sole purpose of getting Vader to drop his guard, hoping that Vader's desire to
keep him alive would provide him with an opening.[17]
StarkillerIsReallyAngry
Darth Vader is subdued by Force lightning.
The battle nearly ended when Vader managed to disarm Starkiller and destroy his
lightsabers. Vader taunted his weaponless opponent, telling him he had one last
chance to surrender, or he would die. Starkiller appeared to capitulate and Vade
r, believing the fight was over, dropped his guard. What Vader didn't know howev
er, was that Starkiller had been waiting for just such an opportunity. As soon a
s Vader lowered his guard, Starkiller absorbed a lightning bolt from a nearby li
ghtning rod and used it in conjunction with his own powers to unleash an extreme
ly powerful electrical blast at Vader. The blast hit Vader's chest panel, direct
ly striking the gash that Juno had carved into it with her earlier surprise atta
ck. Vader's life support systems were damaged by the lightning to the point wher
e he could no longer defend himself, and Starkiller used the opportunity to tele
kinetically pull Vader's lightsaber from his hand. Vader fell to one knee as Sta
rkiller swept Vader's own lightsaber up at his throat.[17]
Before Starkiller could decide to kill the Sith Lord, Kota arrived with his squa
d and urged the clone to spare Vader's life, but only so that the Alliance could
take Vader as its prisoner. Starkiller, torn between Kota's reasons and the des
ire to take revenge, was conflicted over what to do at first. As he struggled wi
th this internal conflict, he also recalled his earlier vision of what might hap
pen to him if he chose to take revenge. While Kota implored Starkiller to think
of the valuable information that Vader could provide the Alliance with, Vader go
aded the clone to embrace his destiny and strike him down.[216]
Vader captured
Darth Vader is captured by the Rebel Alliance.
In the end, Starkiller spared Vader's life, turning away from the dark side. As
such, the Dark Apprentice stayed his hand as well, since Vader's life was no lon
ger in immediate jeopardy. Vader was subsequently arrested by Kota and heavily r
estrained aboard the Rogue Shadow, while Starkiller tended to Eclipse, who had b
arely survived the Sith Lord's attack on her.[216]
A prisoner of the Rebel Alliance
"As long as she lives, I will always control you."
?Darth Vader to Starkiller[src]
After being secured in a harness that covered most of his body and completely re
stricted his ability to move, Vader was placed inside the Rogue Shadow's meditat
ion chamber. There, Starkiller visited the captured Sith Lord shortly before the
Rebel fleet departed from Kamino. Although he nearly lost his confidence at the
sight of his former Master, Starkiller began mocking Vader by gloating on how h
e chose to spare his life. Although he remained uncertain over his own origins,
he dismissed it as irrelevant, stating that he had succeeded in breaking Vader's
hold over him. Throughout Starkiller's short display of new-found confidence in
himself, Vader remained silent the entire time and did not indulge the clone wi
th the answers he sought. Seeing the pointlessness in his actions, Starkiller tu
rned to leave.[216]
But at that moment, Vader declared to the clone that he would never be free as l
ong as Juno Eclipse was alive. Refusing to give Vader the satisfaction of seeing
the uncertainty in his eyes, Starkiller exited the meditation chamber and left
Vader in the darkness of the room where he was confined. After the Rebel fleet l
eft Kamino, Starkiller and Eclipse took control of the Rogue Shadow and departed
for Dantooine with Vader on board as their prisoner unaware that they were being
followed by Slave I, piloted by Boba Fett (implying that Vader anticipated the p
ossibility that Starkiller would capture him instead of killing him and used the
opportunity to track a Rebel base on the planet).[216]
At some point prior to the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader escaped from captivity a
nd resumed his place at Emperor Palpatine's side. As Supreme Commander of the Im
perial Military, he continued to execute his mandate to destroy the Rebel Allian
ce he unwittingly created through the original Starkiller's actions.
Warning: The following section contains information from a Star Wars Legends sou
rce that was released outside of the Lucas Licensing process, and its licensing
status was never confirmed by Lucasfilm Ltd.
Encountering Tao
Ultimately giving up on recreating Starkiller, but still determined to gain an a
pprentice so he could overthrow Sidious, Vader eventually travelled to the plane
t of Shumari, already being subjugated by the Imperials, under the pretense of c
ompleting the destruction of the planet's Jedi fugitives. The Sith Lord then eng
aged several Jedi and took them down effortlessly, eventually saving their leade
r for last. Although ultimately successful in defeating the Jedi, a surviving Je
di youngling named Tao, enraged at the death of the Jedi leader, sees Vader and
stares him down in rage. Vader ultimately saw use in the boy, and made him his s
econd secret apprentice. He trained the boy in the ways of the dark side, and li
ke Marek before him, he also dropped him on Honoghr to survive and fight a Noghr
i Death Commando party unarmed. Despite his potential, however, Vader wasn't abl
e to get the boy to become fully immersed in the dark side.
Unlicensed information ends here.
Pre-Yavin
DarthVaderbattlestheDarkWoman
Vader fighting An'ya Kuro, the Dark Woman
Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, the Emperor's hand Mara Jade discovered the
location of Jedi Master An'ya Kuro, also known as "the Dark Woman." Both Jade an
d Vader wished to be the one to kill the Jedi, but Palpatine assigned the task t
o Vader. Shortly thereafter, Vader arrived on Cophrigin V and made his way to th
e lush sanctuary that was Kuro's home. After a short debate on the nature and ca
pabilities of the light and dark sides of the Force, the two engaged one another
. Vader killed his opponent, but she immediately re-appeared as a Force ghost, p
roclaiming that, in death, she had proven the light side was greater than the da
rk. She then stated that Vader still possessed the power to turn away from the d
ark side, but Vader exclaimed that he did not seek emancipation and struck at th
e ghost with his blade. Kuro then vanished, and Vader departed.[217] When this w
as done, Palpatine called an end to the Great Jedi Purge, as he believed that th
e few Jedi who remained were of so little importance that tracking them down wou
ld be a waste of time and resources.
At some point during the early stages of the conflict, Darth Vader, after the Em
pire suspected that the travel agency Star Tours was transporting Rebel spies, c
ommanded a task force to commence a raid on Spaceport THX1138 located at the Ear
th system, which had been composed of an entire fleet of Imperial-class Star Des
troyers to apprehend a Rebel agent that had stowed away aboard one of the StarSp
eeder 1000s, as well as hired Boba Fett to track the vessel and capture it in th
e event that the vessel successfully escaped capture during the raid.[218]
Warning: The following section contains information from a Star Wars Legends sou
rce that was released outside of the Lucas Licensing process, and its licensing
status was never confirmed by Lucasfilm Ltd.
After the shuttle the spy was located on was narrowed down as being Star Tours F
light 1401, destined for Coruscant, Vader personally led a contingent of stormtr
oopers and Skytroopers onto the station, located the current route that Flight 1
401 was to depart from, blocked its path, and attempted to use the Force to prev
ent it from leaving while riding on a Hover Platform. However, he was forced to
release it after R2-D2 (at the time on board the ship) fired several laser canno
ns at Vader, although not before sending a squad of four TIE/LN starfighters aft
er it. The ship ultimately escaped into hyperspace.[219]
Later, Vader oversaw the construction of the Death Star over Geonosis. After Fli
ght 1401 had resurfaced and narrowly evaded Fett's Slave I, Vader, commanding a
squadron of TIE Fighters, ordered the StarSpeeder 1000's capture, although it ev
aded their pursuit by going into the inner workings of the then-under-constructi
on battle station and entered hyperspace.[219]
Unlicensed information ends here.
Vader and Palpatine were the targets of a group of treacherous Imperial officers
led by Grand Moff Trachta. Trachta saw the Sith as foolish and archaic, and bel
ieved that the Empire should not be ruled by a two-man cult. They planned to use
a batch of altered stormtroopers loyal only to them to destroy the two Sith Lor
ds. While the Emperor was dealing with the conspirators, Vader set out on a miss
ion of his own to the planet Dargulli to locate a mysterious, powerful Jedi. But
, instead of a Jedi Knight, he was confronted by a cadre of bounty hunters who h
ad come to the conclusion that ganging up on and defeating the Sith Lord would bring
them fame and fortune. With the help of another bounty hunter, Boba Fett, Vader
quickly disposed of his attackers, only to be approached by a female darksider
whom Vader eliminated despite her offering to become his apprentice. Afterward,
Vader returned to find the conspirators' plot dismantled, due in large part to i
nternal fighting between the co-conspirators.
An old enemy
"What could you hate enough to destroy me?"
"Myself."
?Darth Maul and Darth Vader[src]
Resurrection
A clone or dopplegnger of Darth Maul and Vader battle.
With the loss of the stolen Death Star plans during a prison break in 0 BBY, Vad
er was charged by the Emperor himself with retrieving the missing schematics. Wh
en word reached him of a possible Rebel Alliance courier en route to the volcani
c Sith moon of Kalakar Six with the plans in tow, the Dark Lord investigated, sh
adowed by his Master. What greeted Vader was unthinkable: a splinter group of Si
th fanatics who had managed through their Sith alchemy to create a dopplegnger of
Darth Maul.[220]
It is unknown whether this Maul was created by cloning or through other means. W
hatever the case, the Zabrak was no longer a mere specter like the one Vader had
encountered as Anakin Skywalker, and thus Vader was pressed into combat with Ma
ul, who sought to supplant him as Palpatine's new apprentice. In the eyes of Mau
l and the fanatics, Vader's time as a Jedi had "tainted" him, and only a pure Si
th should rule by Sidious's side. Both Sith Lords seemed to be equals in combat,
until Vader cut Darth Maul's lightsaber in two, followed by Maul switching to t
he Jar'Kai style. Now armed with two weapons, Maul held off Vader's lightsaber w
ith one of his blades, and cut into his helmet with the other. Feeling assured o
f victory, Maul prepared to deliver the final blow. However, Maul paid for his o
verconfidence with his life, as Vader took his lightsaber and stabbed it through
his own body and into Maul's.[220]
As Vader met up once more with a suspiciously unsurprised Palpatine, the badly d
amaged Dark Lord could not help but suspect that the encounter was yet another t
est. The distrust between mentor and student, fed by years of such trials, grew.
[220]
Searching for the Death Star plans
"Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know w
hat happened to the plans they sent you."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on
a diplomatic mission to Alderaan."
"You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away!!"
?Darth Vader and Leia Organa[src]
SW-Diplomacy-MagaliVilleneuve
Vader questions Princess Leia on the Tantive IV
With the Kalakar VI mission deemed a wild bantha chase, Vader returned to his tw
ofold priority of both locating the Death Star plans as well as the hidden Rebel
base. After the 501st Legion's failed attempt to recover the Death Star plans o
n Polis Massa, Imperials were able to track where they were sent Tantive IV, a cor
vette belonging to Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. Vader chased after the corv
ette personally, and ultimately captured the vessel near Tatooine's orbit. Organ
a was able to load the Death Star plans aboard R2-D2 and send the droid to Tatoo
ine. Vader once more lost the plans, but gained a partial victory in capturing t
he Princess. However, he was personally displeased that he captured her near Tat
ooine, due to harboring painful memories of his last encounter with his mother.[
168] Upon learning from stormtrooper commander Nahdonnis Praji that a seemingly
empty life pod was released down into Tatooine, Vader then had Praji and Desert
Sands descend to Tatooine, deducing that Organa most likely stashed the plans in
side the life pod. He also planned to keep Leia alive to interrogate her regardi
ng the main base of operations for the Rebel Alliance. In order to ensure no one
got suspicious of Organa's disappearance or that the Imperial Senate did not sw
ay to the Rebels' side, Vader ordered 501st Legion Commander Daine Jir to send o
ut a bogus distress signal from the Tantive IV, and then have the nearest search
-and-rescue vessel report that the Tantive IV was obliterated in an asteroid str
ike, with all onboard killed. Taking the Alderaanian senator to the Death Star,
Vader utilized an IT-O interrogation droid to question Organa about the location
of the secret Alliance base, not realizing he was torturing his own daughter. A
t the same time, Vader ordered the execution of Owen and Beru Lars after the cou
ple refused to give any details about the missing droids.[221]
Afterwards, Vader participated in a meeting aboard the Death Star regarding its
operability and the current status of the missing plans. Vader commented that th
ey were currently working on retrieving the plans, but warned one of the staff a
t the meeting, Admiral Motti, that the battle station's capabilities are still i
nferior compared to the Force. He then demonstrated the validity of his claim wh
en he attempted to Force choke Motti after the latter insubordinately retorted,
only stopping when Grand Moff Tarkin verbally intervened.
When Organa refused to surrender the location of the Alliance's base, even under
torture, Vader brought her to the Death Star's command bridge. There, Grand Mof
f Wilhuff Tarkin gave her an ultimatum; either she would reveal the location of
the Rebel base, or she would watch as the Death Star obliterated her homeworld.
With no way out, Organa attempted to deceive Tarkin by falsely claiming that the
Rebel base was on Dantooine. Though Tarkin accepted the lie without pause, he o
rdered the destruction of Alderaan regardless, as he believed Dantooine was too
remote to serve as an effective demonstration of the Death Star's power. Vader s
tood silently behind his daughter and watched as the Death Star destroyed Aldera
an, killing Senator Bail Prestor Organa and nearly two billion others.
Showdown on the Death Star
"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now co
mplete. When I left you, I was but the learner now I am the Master."
"Only a master of evil, Darth."
?Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
Vaderstrike
Vader strikes down his former master.
When the ship carrying Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca and Obi-Wan Kenobi wa
s seized by a tractor beam and brought aboard the Death Star, Vader sensed the p
resence of his former master for the first time since being left to die on Musta
far. Quietly stalking him through the hallways of the battlestation, he finally
confronted Kenobi just outside the hangar. Challenging him to a second lightsabe
r duel, the two engaged one another. Ignoring Obi-Wan's vague warning that killi
ng him would make him "more powerful than [Vader] can possibly imagine," Vader v
iciously struck him down. However, instead of dying, Kenobi became a spirit in t
he Force who continued to guide Luke Skywalker.[12]
Despite the curious disappearance of Kenobi's body, Vader felt he had finally ki
lled the man that had been the focus for most of his rage for almost two decades
. In addition, Vader got a brief glimpse of Skywalker, although he was unable to
pursue him due to Luke shooting out controls, sealing Darth Vader inside. Befor
e leaving the hanger doorway, he retrieved his former master's lightsaber as a k
eepsake.
Battle of Yavin
"I'll take them myself. Cover me."
?Darth Vader at the Battle of Yavin Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]
To determine the location of the Rebel base, Vader allowed Luke and Han Solo to
rescue Princess Leia and escape with the technical readouts of the Death Star. D
uring the Battle of Yavin, he learned about the progress of the battle from lieu
tenant Tanbris. Realizing that the station's point defense systems were not tigh
t enough to effectively counter the Rebel's snubfighters, he also learned of Tar
kin's refusal to launch any of the station's fighter squadrons. Understanding th
at the Rebel fighters posed a real threat to the station, Vader judged Tarkin's
decision to be foolhardy and immediately scrambled his personal TIE Fighter squa
dron, Black Squadron. While leading Black Squadron, he piloted a distinctive TIE
Advanced x1 fighter. During this time, he also discovered an unauthorized deplo
yment of a Lambda-class shuttle from the station. He attempted to shoot it down,
although he later learned that a pilot had managed to go to the trench, forcing
him to let the shuttle escape. Vader sensed that the young pilot in his sights
was Force-sensitive, putting into motion a series of future events that culminat
ed in the death of the Empire. In addition, he also anticipated that one of the
X-wing pilots, X2, would attempt to save Luke, and ordered the turbolasers to sp
ecifically target X2 to draw him away. Just before he could destroy his quarry,
the Millennium Falcon suddenly appeared and shot down one of his two support cra
ft. Seeing this, his other wingman panicked and veered into Vader's fighter, sen
ding him spinning away from the battle station just before it exploded.
Crash landing on Vaal
Vaal
Darth Vader in his damaged TIE Advanced x1, before crashing on Vaal.
Vader limped to Vaal, where he abandoned his wrecked TIE Advanced. During his jo
urney to the Imperial communications outpost there, he was attacked by a pack of
hyenax. He killed several of the attacking predators, including their leader, e
arning the creatures' respect. Without understanding or intending to do so, he a
ssumed the fallen leader's position in the pack hierarchy and the creatures foll
owed him. Along with the pack, he continued his travel to the relay station. The
re, he boarded a Lambda-class shuttle without a word to the shocked crew, leavin
g them to be slaughtered by the hyenax. He soon arrived at Coruscant, where he e
xpected to dispatch a team to recover the TIE and to re-staff the outpost.[222]
Instead, Sate Pestage ordered Vader to join Captain Sodarra in retrieving the fi
ghter.[223]
Aftermath
Vader's team recovered the fighter, and during this time, the Imperial spy Rogor
contacted Vader and informed him that the Rebels on Yavin 4 were more vulnerabl
e than ever. He launched a surprise attack on the moon, but found it deserted, s
ave for the now-outed spy. Rogor received the brunt of Vader's anger for the was
te of time.[224] Little did Vader know that the Alliance had only evacuated most
of its heavy equipment. The base's command and support staff were trapped by th
e Imperial blockade overseen from Jovan Station. They returned to the Massassi T
emples, but not before Vader and his forces left the Yavin System.
But Vader did not make it out of the Bright Jewel Oversector. The system was rul
ed by Governor-General Nox Vellam, one of Vader's many rivals in the Empire, and
the leader of one of the blockades that impeded the Rebel evacuation. Vellam ne
arly destroyed the Sith Lord, but Captain Sodarra rescued the remains of the fig
hter and Vader's comatose body. He fled the system in a corvette, planning to ta
ke Vader to an Imperial base on Shador. Their flight was interrupted when Vellam
's flagship caught up with them. Sodarra's ship was destroyed, but he and Vader
were rescued by a most unlikely person Han Solo, who was chasing Alfreda Goot, a b
ounty hunter who was holding Leia Organa captive on Tatooine. Vader's life was p
laced in jeopardy once again when Han and Chewbacca decided to place a bomb on t
he crate, but after Solo discovered that Goot was one of Vader's agents, he had
no choice but to travel to Tatooine and exchange Vader's life for Leia's.[223]
Suspicion
After the exchange, Vader decided not to immediately return to Coruscant, instea
d making reports to Palpatine via hologram. The Emperor would be furious, but Va
der wanted to track down the Force-sensitive pilot who had destroyed the Death S
tar first. Vader had sensed a strong Force ability in the pilot, one unmatched b
y any living person in the galaxy save for himself and his Master. If such a bei
ng was serving the Rebel Alliance, the balance could tip in their favor, and so
this pilot had to be hunted down and destroyed.
And yet, after his duel with Kenobi on the Death Star, Vader had spotted a young
man among those who escaped, one who had been distraught at the death of the ol
d Jedi Master. And the ship on which they had arrived had come from Tatooine. Al
l circumstantial evidence, certainly, but it was enough to give Vader an inkling
of the pilot's possible heritage.
Uncovering the identity of the Rebel pilot before the Emperor's agents could do
so became Vader's top priority. His second would be the ousting of the Imperials
who would act against him, as Vellam had done. There were many ambitious men in
the Empire who wished to take Vader's place at the Emperor's side, and the rece
nt incident with Vellam may have convinced Vader that these power-hungry beings
could be a direct threat to him. The Sith Lord began formulating a plan that wou
ld eliminate them, starting with the Fleet Admirals of the Imperial Navy. Eventu
ally, Vader planned to finish dealing with the more powerful Tagge family and th
e crime lord Prince Xizor.
Vader also had a command role in the Blockade of Kashyyyk, intending to root out
the Rebels directly responsible for the destruction of the Death Star, as the I
mperials knew that Han Solo was a friend of Chewbacca, a Wookiee from Kashyyyk a
nd thus would spend time with the Wookiees for Life Day. Ultimately, the operati
on failed due to quick thinking by Chewbacca's relatives.[225]
Construction of the Executor
DarthVader-Hasbro
Vader with ignited lightsaber
However, Vader's plan would require time to come to fruition. In the meantime, t
he Rebels on Yavin could not be ignored. Darth Vader knew now that he would have
to deal with the Rebels carefully. He didn't want them to escape or pull a vict
ory out of the void, as they had at the Battle of Yavin. Vader thought that perh
aps the key to defeating the Rebels would be Executor, which was under construct
ion at the shipyards of Fondor. With this in mind, he ordered a blockade of the
Gordian Reach, the sector containing the Yavin system. This would keep the Rebel
s in place until Vader could return to deal with them. In the meantime, Vader re
sumed his search for the pilot.
The fleet was assigned to the command of General Ulric Tagge, who would maintain
the blockade, while Vader charged Captain Bzorn with the task of persecuting Re
bel worlds. Now free to search for the Rebel pilot, Vader took Devastator to the
Ultaar, where the Sith Lord had learned of a Rebel information retrieval outpos
t. He hoped to interrogate the Rebels there and learn the identity of that elusi
ve X-wing pilot.
En route to Ultaar, Vader detected the passing presence of a Force-sensitive. Th
is new lead was fortunate, for Vader discovered that the retrieval team on Ultaa
r had been wiped out by a bounty hunter named Beilert Valance, who was seeking i
nformation on a boy with two droids apparently the pilot Vader was also hunting. F
ar from being distressed, Vader found the concept of a rival interesting.
On Devastator, Captain Wermis and his crew discovered the Force-sensitive's dest
ination: the Wheel. Devastator raced to the system, where Vader found his prey e
scaping the station in a yacht. The Sith Lord directed his attention toward capt
uring the vessel, only to be attacked from behind by a familiar smuggling ship the
same ship that had ruined his defense of the Death Star. Vader gave orders for
the ship to be destroyed at once, but his firing command was interrupted by a fl
ash of pain emanating from the Force user on the yacht. The pain itself passed q
uickly, but the surprise gave both ships time to escape into hyperspace.
Although his quarry had eluded him for the time being, Vader had gained valuable
information. He knew that the Rebel pilot was part of a group aiding Princess L
eia Organa, a group that included the smugglers who had attacked him at the Deat
h Star.
The next lead turned up when a Rebel spy was discovered, a spy who knew the name
of another Rebel, one who had been at Yavin just before the battle, and who in
turn knew the name of the elusive pilot. Vader tortured a name and location out
of the Rebel: Tyler Lucian, hiding at Rubyflame Lake, a former resort on the pla
net Centares. Vader rushed to the location, only to find that his rival Valance
had arrived first. The bounty hunter had apparently had a change of heart after
wiping out the Rebels at Ultaar. Valance was now convinced that the boy Vader pu
rsued was the galaxy's only hope for a better tomorrow. The bounty hunter perish
ed after a short battle, but not before convincing Tyler Lucian to commit suicid
e. The pilot's identity remained a mystery.
Later, the forces of General Ulric Tagge's blockade engaged a Rebel fleet in bat
tle in the Feriae system. Tagge's flagship was destroyed during the skirmish, as
was a House of Tagge mining explorer containing family members Silas and Baron
Orman Tagge. General Tagge escaped the destruction of his ship, and with the app
arent death of his older siblings, the title of Baron fell to him. The new Baron
claimed that the battle arose as part of a standard blockade action, but Darth
Vader's spies informed him that it was something more. The spies also rescued Si
las and Orman Tagge from the wreckage around Junction. Both were barely alive, b
ut Darth Vader ordered Devastator's medical droids to begin restoring the life f
unctions of the Tagge brothers. The Sith Lord saw this as his opportunity to end
the Tagge family's constant scheming against him.
Vader also wished to continue hunting for the Rebel pilot, but after a fruitless
month of searching, he had no choice but to return to Coruscant and face the Em
peror. Leaving Devastator, the Sith Lord commandeered a Carrack-class cruiser fo
r his voyage to Coruscant, taking with him the salvaged fighter.
Punishment
DarthVader-TotC
Darth Vader
Vader found the Emperor in a bacta tank, recovering from an adventure on Korriba
n. Lord Sidious assigned Vader the task of recovering Admiral Termo, who had gon
e missing in the Yavin system months before. The Admiral, who had sent a distres
s signal from the planet Malagarr, had in his possession data tapes detailing a
final plan of Grand Moff Tarkin's. Vader retrieved the tapes, killed the Admiral
, and returned to Coruscant.
Vader presented the data tapes to the Emperor. Palpatine was not pleased with Va
der's failure at the Battle of Yavin, however. Darth Vader was apparently punish
ed for this failure by losing his already mechanical hand, though the informatio
n on this incident came from a strictly secondary source.
Vader was then instructed to head to Fondor to oversee the construction of Execu
tor while the task of developing Tarkin's project was assigned to others. After
a member of that team was imprisoned, Vader had to hire a bounty hunter for a re
scue mission, and then a Rebel droid destroyed the project headquarters on Malag
arr. En route to Fondor, Vader contacted the Emperor to inform him of these new
developments.
The project underway at Fondor was the Empire's largest undertaking since the De
ath Star. The Imperial military objected to this concentration of resources, cla
iming that it was little better than the Death Star. They also suspected that th
e Sith Lord was using his position with the Emperor to increase his own personal
power, though few fully grasped the relationship between the two.[226] Vader ca
red little for the thoughts of Admirals, but he resumed command of Devastator an
d conducted a fleet test near Fondor to settle the issue in his own mind.
Confronting the past
Vader eventually ended up having to return to Jabiim to oversee an invasion of t
he planet, despite earlier vowing that he'd never return to the planet because o
f his mistake back during the Clone Wars at that time. Ironically, at the same b
attle, the Jabiimi people nearly executed the Rebel pilot he was looking for, Lu
ke Skywalker, due to the actions that Anakin committed years ago. Eventually, he
ordered for the entire planet to be bombarded. His official reason was to depri
ve the Rebels of a valuable ally, but in truth, it was because he was unable to
bear remembering the mistake he made 21 years prior.[227] He also tortured Jorin
Sol, a Rebel mathematician who was left behind during the battle, and proceeded
to torture and then reprogram him into a sleeper agent before the Rebels rescue
d him.[228]
The son of Skywalker
"The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi "
"If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally "
?Palpatine and Darth Vader[src]
SkywalkerRevelation-MSW35
Darth Vader extracts his son's name from a Rebel.
Vader's spies had learned of a Rebel pilot who had returned to his homeworld of
Centares bringing with him a firsthand account of the Battle of Yavin. Vader hir
ed a team of bounty hunters and Ban Papeega to bring the man in. On Centares, th
e Rebel finally revealed the last name of the pilot who had destroyed the Death
Star Skywalker. This was the same name Vader had found on Anchorhead municipal rec
ords for a T-16 skyhopper owned by a nineteen year old human boy who had resided
at the Lars farm. It was also, according to a Mos Eisley-based Kubaz spy called
Garindan, the name found on a Spaceport Speeders sales record for a landspeeder
purchased from a young man who had left Tatooine on the freighter Millennium Fa
lcon.[27]
Vader had gone for months without knowing the name of the one he had sought, but
he now suspected that Amidala had given birth before she died. Vader did in fac
t have a son, in contrast to what Palpatine had told him. This knowledge succeed
ed in touching a side of Vader that had long lain dormant.
The Sith Lord quickly dismissed these emotions, however. Kenobi had gotten to th
e boy first, and he was serving the enemy now. Skywalker would have to be turned
, or he would have to be destroyed. With his son at his side, Vader would have n
o need of Sidious.
But for his plan to succeed, Vader knew his Master could not discover his true i
ntentions. He quickly set about slaughtering the bounty hunters who had captured
the Rebel. While the Sith Lord was busy executing mercenaries and bounty hunter
s, the Rebel pilot who had betrayed the name to him was killed by Mala Mala, pre
venting Vader from discovering anything more.
Vader Sees Luke
Darth Vader sees Luke Skywalker for the first time as the latter surrenders to t
he Empire on Jazbina.
In the Emperor's throne room at Imperial City, Darth Vader came before Palpatine
in person for the first time after the destruction of the first Death Star. The
Emperor inquired after Vader's apparent loss at Fondor, as well as the destruct
ion of Tarkin's project. Vader made no reference to Skywalker, stating instead t
hat he pursued the pilot who destroyed the Death Star for revenge. After his mee
ting with the Emperor, Vader received notice that Skywalker had been given a dip
lomatic assignment on Jazbina, and set out immediately to capture his son.
Vader ordered the ruler of Jazbina, Prepredenko, to hold Skywalker until he arri
ved. The young man managed to escape custody, but Vader cornered him before he c
ould leave the planet. The Sith Lord came face to face with his son for the firs
t time. Skywalker was protected by the Rebels of Jazbina, but surrendered himsel
f when Vader threatened to have his Interdictor bomb the cities of the planet. I
t seemed that Vader's quest had come to an end.
But a single Rebel pilot, Jal Te Gniev, destroyed the Interdictor in a suicide r
un, and a crowd of angry Jazbinans neutralized Vader's stormtroopers. Skywalker
had managed to sway the entire planet to the Rebel cause. Faced with the prospec
t of battling the massive populace protecting his son on his own, Vader returned
to Coruscant without his prize. When he visited Palpatine to inform him of his
failure to capture the pilot, he was addressed by the Emperor, who knew the Rebe
l's identity as well, as "Skywalker."
Now that Skywalker was known to his Master, Vader would have to work quickly. He
departed Coruscant in the Devastator, searching for Rebel bases. The Sith Lord'
s forces decimated a Rebel refueling station, where the torture of a Rebel offic
er revealed Skywalker's full name Luke Skywalker.[229]
Warning: The following section contains information from a Star Wars Legends sou
rce that was released outside of the Lucas Licensing process, and its licensing
status was never confirmed by Lucasfilm Ltd.
Damaged Darth Vader
Darth Vader, damaged by a Tusken Raider, holds Tao's dead body.
Upon discovering this information, Vader let his apprentice, Tao, go free. Tao h
ad been unable to display the anger and hatred necessary to embrace the dark sid
e anyway, and Vader planned to train his newly found son in his place. It was on
ly then that Tao displayed his anger toward Vader but, upon leaving, was capture
d by the Emperor himself. While Palpatine officially conferred upon Vader the ne
wly christened Executor, he also brought Tao before Vader and ordered him to str
ike Tao down to prove his loyalty. Though he did not want to, Vader was unable t
o control his body and soon slashed his lightsaber through Tao's torso.
Vader, distraught at what he had been forced to do, took the near-dead Tao to hi
s home planet of Shumari to die where he had been born. While there, Vader was a
ttacked by KkH'Oar'Rrhr, who had been tracking him ever since Vader had destroye
d his village and killed his family. Hoar quickly gained an advantage over Vader
, damaging his armor and revealing the lightsabers which he had built into his g
aderfii. Just as the Tusken was about to strike Vader down, Tao rose from the br
ink of death and struck it down, saving Vader's life. Just before he died, Tao p
leaded with Vader to let go of his hatred and not let the Emperor control him; T
ao still sensed some good within his master. After carving a small monument to T
ao, Vader returned to his former home on Tatooine briefly to contemplate the fac
t that he now had a son.
Unlicensed information ends here.
Subjugation of the Tagge family
Now Vader moved to bring the Tagge family to heel. Vader confronted the new Baro
n, using the Force to extract a confession: Tagge revealed that he and his broth
ers had planned to destroy the Rebels at Junction with a new invention, in an at
tempt to win the favor of the Emperor from Vader. The General also disclosed the
fact that the Tagge family had known of Skywalker for weeks. Enraged, Vader rev
ealed to the General the survival of his older siblings, and threatened to bring
the entire family before Palpatine if Ulric continued to oppose him.
Monastery
"No more, Luke Skywalker! I've thoroughly tested you Made you perform in a hostile
environment Probed your emotions by placing your friends in jeopardy. I now know
your limits And your limitations."
?Vader to Luke on Monastery[src]
Now satisfied that the House of Tagge was no longer a threat, Vader traveled to
the ringed world of Monastery, home of the Order of the Sacred Circle, to which
the youngest Tagge family member, Domina Tagge, belonged. Vader forced the young
woman into cooperating with him, promising power and prestige in the Order, as
well as revenge on Luke Skywalker, for Domina believed her brother dead. Domina
hated Vader, but she also despised Skywalker.
The Order had remained carefully neutral in the Galactic Civil War, but Vader, i
n hopes of capturing Skywalker, made overtures on behalf of the Empire. The Orde
r wished to hear both sides, and Domina Tagge journeyed to Yavin, where she conv
inced the Alliance to send Skywalker as their representative.
When Luke Skywalker arrived on Monastery, Vader confronted him once more, insult
ing the Rebel and using every opportunity to diminish him in the eyes of the Ord
er's elders. Vader succeeded in goading Skywalker into a lightsaber duel, but be
fore their blades could cross, Domina intervened. She took advantage of the situ
ation, and now schemed to eliminate both the Rebel and the Sith Lord. Luke and V
ader were forced to take their duel to the deadly Crystal Valley.
Vader did not intend to engage Skywalker in combat just yet. First he wished to
test the young man's abilities. He had arranged for Orman Tagge to escape from t
he Devastator, and when the former baron arrived, Vader took his vengeance upon
Tagge. He knew that, above all else, Tagge had valued the innocence of his young
er sister. Vader showed him that he had corrupted Domina, and then forced Tagge
to battle Luke Skywalker, disguising him with the Force so that Orman appeared t
o Luke as Vader, until the illusion was shattered by the death of Tagge.
At the Wheel, Fondor, and Jazbina, Luke and his abilities with the Force had bee
n an unknown factor, but now, after this thorough test, Vader knew the limitatio
ns of the young Rebel. Vader intended to capture his son, but Luke escaped, and
it would be years before they would meet face-to-face again.
Incompetence and pursuit
Vader received word from Sebastian Parnell that his son had been captured on Tol
Ado, and was being held for the Sith Lord. Skywalker escaped, however, and Vade
r executed Parnell for his incompetence.
Luke disappeared after these events, and Vader's many spies could not locate the
boy. Vader chose to travel throughout the galaxy, setting hundreds of traps on
planets Skywalker might visit. One of these worlds was Dantooine. Dantooine was
once home to a Rebel base, and, centuries before, the Jedi Enclave.
Also on Dantooine, Vader was surprised by an ancient trap in the Jedi ruins. The
trap killed his escort of stormtroopers, but Vader survived with only a small w
ound. Vader chose to investigate further, but the discovery of a Rebel outpost b
y one of the Devastator's scout ships forced him to change his plans. He departe
d the ruins, leaving only his shed blood behind.
Revision of methods
Vader Roof
Darth Vader, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet
Vader decided to adopt a hands-off approach to capturing Skywalker. He was sure
that the Force would lead Skywalker to his destiny eventually. Moreover, the man
he had charged with hunting Rebels, Captain Bzorn, had been killed over Kessel.
Vader began to take care of Rebel bases himself, such as the outpost discovered
earlier. Vader ordered the Emperor's Hand Blackhole to infiltrate the Rebel hea
dquarters to learn the latest of the Alliance's plans.
When the Sith Lord received word of a new Alliance base operating near the Panna
system, he decided to utilize Boba Fett to locate the base. Fett befriended Luk
e Skywalker on Panna, and nearly got the location of the new Rebel base out of h
im, but he was forced to retreat, and failed even to capture the young Jedi.
While in battle with an Alliance space fleet, Vader learned from Blackhole that
the Alliance's new plan was to fail in all direct confrontations with the Empire
, while their main efforts would be in gathering new allies, such as the pirates
Griff had spotted near Yavin, to the Rebel cause. Vader instructed Blackhole to
capture those Rebels. Blackhole attempted to kidnap Luke and Leia on Vorzyd V,
but he and his stormtroopers failed.
Phelarion
Still later, while investigating the disappearance of valuable megonite near Phe
larion, Devastator's scouts encountered a Rebel shuttle, which they shot down ov
er Phelarion, home to an Imperial labor camp run by Lady Tarkin, the widow of Gr
and Moff Tarkin. Vader's men backtracked a message sent from the planet's surfac
e, and pinpointed the location of the Rebel from the shuttle. Darth Vader crashe
d the Thirteenth Imperial Diplomatic Conclave being held at Port Tarkin, where h
e found that the Rebel was none other than Leia Organa. Vader's stormtroopers tr
apped her on a landing pad, but she was rescued by the Millennium Falcon. Vader
held Lady Tarkin personally responsible for Leia's escape and the missing megoni
te.
Deception and ambush
Having failed to capture Rebels at Phelarion, Vader prepared a trap for the Alli
ance. Upon hearing that a school on Harix had been using illegal material for it
s curriculum, Vader ordered that the teacher and her students be captured. He tr
ansmitted his intentions to execute the students galaxywide, hoping to draw out
the Rebels.He reluctantly entrusted the Gektl Major Stafuv Rahz with the operati
on, although he made it clear that if the operation was a failure and Rahz was r
escued, he would be killed for his failure. Skywalker himself led the mission to
rescue the children, and beyond all odds, he succeeded. The Star Destroyers wai
ting at Harix were tricked by a faux fleet, while the real Rebel rescue force wh
isked the teacher and the students away.[230]
Before the Harix incident, Vader had chosen to allow others to deal with Skywalk
er. On Harix, as on Panna, Tol Ardo and Vorzyd, Skywalker had continually foiled
his plans to deal with the Rebellion at large, while eluding capture from even
the most skilled of operatives. Vader now decided that it was time to give his p
ersonal attention to Luke Skywalker.
Soon after, Vader learned from one of his spies, Mag Doum, that six flights of R
ebel X-wings were planetside for re-work on Arda-2. Following up this new lead,
Vader discovered that Skywalker was among the pilots. When his Star Destroyer ar
rived, its TIE fighters were attacked by a mere six snubfighters. Before the bat
tle could truly begin, two ships rammed the Star Destroyer in a suicide run, lea
ving it vulnerable. Vader chose to retreat, promising that he would find Luke Sk
ywalker another day.[231]
In addition to trying to find Skywalker, he also had to deal with a defecting sp
y, codenamed Mole, who went into hiding. He contracted Boba Fett to locate and k
ill him. However, Fett failed his assignment due to the efforts of Skywalker, Ch
ewbacca, and Solo.[232]
Vader also developed a new synthetic gas known as pacifog, which was to be used
to enhance various lesser abilities. However, the gas had a costly side effect:
Contact with human flesh would dissolve it. To filter out these effects, Vader i
ntended to acquire a significant amount of Kunda stones, tasking Lord Councilor
of Kadril Lon Prador to find them. He eventually tracked down the highest concen
tration on hills with anti-technology natives on them. Vader eventually captured
Chewbacca and Organa after disrupting the funeral of Mdel. He ordered for Leia
to be unharmed, but implied that they kill Chewbacca. However, the gas only ange
red Chewbacca instead of dissolving him, and the filters ended up destroyed by t
he Vibro-Crystal. After the Rebels used the Vibr-Crystal to eliminate the Kunda
Stones in the vicinity, Vader and the other Imperials were forced to retreat.[23
3]
Preparations for the Executor
Eventually, Darth Vader tracked down what appeared to be the Millennium Falcon n
ear a ringed planet. He ordered his wingmates and the rest of the Imperial fleet
to stay back, making clear he intended to deal with the vessel personally. He t
hen engaged it and maintained his order for his wingmates to stand back, even wh
en the vessel lured itself and Vader into the crushing gravitational pull betwee
n the planet and its rings. Despite the gravitational pull being strong enough t
o interfere with his targeting computer, Vader managed to destroy the vessel via
his use of the Force. However, when destroying the vessel, he learned the "Mill
ennium Falcon" was actually a decoy: a drone only modeled in the likeness of the
Millennium Falcon, and reported it to his wingmates when they praised him, as w
ell as revealed that the drone eluded an entire fleet, before deciding to check
up on the development of the Executor.[226]
Once the tests for the Executor was completed, Vader moved on to Jovan Station,
headquarters of the Imperial blockade. He informed the admirals gathered there t
hat he had decided the course that would be taken against the Rebels, and that t
he Fondor project would go through. He also staged a confrontation between himse
lf and Admiral Griff, hoping to draw out those who would act against him.[226]
Griff convinced the admirals to allow for a Rebel spy to infiltrate the construc
tion yards of Fondor to sabotage Vader's project.[226]
Vader returned to Fondor, where he was informed by Admiral Griff that the Rebel
spy had arrived. Griff escalated the plans of the traitorous Admirals, arranging
for them to meet with the Rebel spy in the tunnels below Fondor's surface. The
Admirals were unwilling to risk more involvement with the spy with Vader present
, but Griff told them that Vader was leaving temporarily. In fact, Vader slipped
off Devastator before its departure, and joined Griff in the tunnels to trap th
e traitors.[226]
But as Vader prepared to strike, he sensed something unexpected the Rebel spy was
Force-sensitive. Not only that, but Vader could clearly sense that this boy was
a disciple of Kenobi. Incidents since the Death Star's destruction had caused Va
der to suspect that such a man served the Rebels the mind-touch near Ultaar, the f
lash of pain at the Wheel, and certain comments made by Valance on Centares but no
w he was sure of it. He was getting closer to discovering the pilot's identity.[
226]
But the Rebel could sense Vader as well. He warned the Admirals, who scattered.
Vader was unconcerned, however. He ordered Griff to forget the traitors and find
the spy, but it was too late. The Rebel succeeded in escaping the system.[226]
While Vader failed to capture the Rebel, Griff's men managed to round up the tra
itorous Imperials. And although the spy could have gained valuable information o
n the systems of Executor, what Vader learned was far more valuable. He had been
unprepared for the Rebel's interference, but no more. The pilot may have been a
student of Kenobi's, but Vader was sure that his own power was stronger.[226]
Admiral Griff soon departed Fondor to return to his duties as system blockade co
mmander, while Vader stayed behind to oversee the Fondor project.
Before long, Griff contacted Vader, informing him that the Rebels were gathering
allies, such as the Freeholders pirates, to their base at Yavin. The Admiral de
emed the Interdictors ineffective; the pirate fleet had slipped past their block
ade. Griff pleaded with Vader to launch a full-scale attack, but Vader wouldn't
hear of it. He would not authorize an attack on the Rebel base until Executor wa
s ready, and certain other events put in motion.
Hired bait
Vader eventually tracked down Skywalker. Tiring of chasing Skywalker from planet
to planet, Vader had already set a plan in motion to lure the boy into his gras
p. The Sith Lord hired a skilled actor, and had Imperial surgeons alter his appe
arance to become the spitting image of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Lord Vader himself traine
d the doppelgnger to imitate his old master, and cutting-edge technology allowed
the impersonator to appear to call upon the Force.[234]
Obi-Wan Impersonator2
Vader communicating with the imposter
The actor traveled to Aridus, where he drew the attention of Luke Skywalker, who
soon came to Aridus in search of his trainer. The actor succeeded in fooling th
e young Jedi, and under Vader's orders, lured Skywalker to the Iron Tower. Vader
was already waiting inside the tower when the actor and the youth arrived. But
the scheme failed; the Sith Lord never even saw his son at Aridus. The old actor
had become so enamored with the role of a Jedi Master that he activated an over
load spiral in the upper levels of the Iron Tower, a move designed to kill Vader
and save Luke. Skywalker escaped once again, and the actor was killed in the ex
plosion. Vader survived, but he was seriously injured in the explosion. The last
thing he saw before passing out was Skywalker fleeing the planet in his ship.[2
34]
Bargain and recovery
When Vader awoke, he found himself in a ship headed for Coruscant. The pilot was
Wrenga Jixton, a former Imperial agent who had been involved with Vader's exper
iments on Falleen years before. Jixton had been sentenced to Kessel after the Fa
lleen debacle, but he had escaped to Aridus, where he had befriended the natives
. Jixton struck a deal with the Sith Lord: if the Empire would leave Aridus alon
e, Jixton would serve Vader.
The Sith Lord spent the next several months recovering on Coruscant. He received
word from an informant that Lexhannen Torlock, governor of Corulag, was plannin
g to defect to the Rebel Alliance. Vader sent his new agent Jixton to assassinat
e the traitorous governor, and to implicate the Alliance in the deed. Jixton unc
overed the true traitor on Corulag: Admiral Droon, who had forced Torlock to lea
ve the planet. Jixton dragged Droon back to Coruscant, where the admiral was dis
patched by Vader's lightsaber.
Xizor
After leaving Coruscant once more, Vader had to contend with the machinations of
Prince Xizor. Although the Sith Lord had eliminated Baron Tagge and the hubris
admirals of the fleet, Xizor retained the Emperor's favor, and Vader could not a
ttack him directly. In a conference on Coruscant (which Vader attended via holog
ram from the Devastator), the Dark Prince proposed a scheme that would shatter t
he powerful Bounty Hunters' Guild, leaving only the strongest bounty hunters for
the Empire to use against the Rebellion. Vader strongly opposed this plan, but
Palpatine gave his blessing. The Emperor also assigned Mara Jade to the task of
monitoring Vader.
Completion of the Executor
"I am going to destroy their base at Yavin . and nothing they have can stop me!"
?Vader[src]
At Fondor, the Executor was finally completed, and ready for a shakedown cruise.
Darth Vader ordered that the ship be taken to the nearest Rebel installation a de
pot on Laakteen, where Vader officially christened his new ship by obliterating
the depot.[235]
Now Vader's long wait had paid off, and the Executor traveled to Yavin to smash
the Rebel command, eliminating several small Alliance strike forces on the way.
Finally the Rebels seemed to have given up all hope of stopping Executor, but Va
der knew better. Sure enough, one last ship, a tiny attack craft, assaulted his
Star Dreadnought just outside of the Yavin system.[236]
And this was no ordinary ship. The craft carried a power gem, a rare mineral for
mation that could shatter any energy shield. Vader also sensed that someone on b
oard the tiny ship was sensitive to the Force. He suspected that Luke Skywalker,
hero of the Death Star battle, had been sent to stop Executor. The Imperial bat
tle plan did not account for detours, but Vader was determined to capture Skywal
ker who had evaded him enough times already, and so the massive ship swung aroun
d to pursue the Rebel ship. Vader soon sensed through the Force that, somehow, S
kywalker had left the smaller vessel. As the Rebel ship turned around to attack
the Executor head on, all shielding on the Star Dreadnought was transferred forw
ard, smashing the small craft and negating the effects of the power gem.[236]
But the Executor was then attacked from behind by Skywalker on board the Millenn
ium Falcon. With no aft shields in place, the Rebel was able to damage Executor'
s gyro-control systems. With the gyro systems disabled, the mammoth Star Dreadno
ught was unable to maneuver, and Vader was forced to turn command of the Imperia
l assault over to blockade commander Admiral Griff while repairs were carried.[2
36]
Dodonna Captured
Vader and the captured Dodonna
Thanks to Griff's incompetence, Luke Skywalker, the Millennium Falcon, and the R
ebel fleet managed to flee the Yavin system, but Darth Vader chose not to pursue
. He had learned that General Jan Dodonna, the Rebel leader who had masterminded
the attack on the Death Star, had remained behind at the Rebel base, and was le
ading a group of stranded Rebels against Imperial forces. Vader decided to take
revenge for the Death Star's destruction by capturing Dodonna, a traitor to the
Empire, and led a squad of stormtroopers against the Rebels. Vader and his troop
s took out the anti-air turrets protecting the main Rebel base. This allowed a f
light of Griff's TIE bombers to attack the Massassi base directly. But Dodonna h
ad rigged the main base and the surrounding temples with explosives, which he us
ed to wipe out the Imperial ships.[237]
Dodonna's body was recovered from the wreckage by Vader's search teams. A quick
mind probe revealed a Rebel operation geared against the planet Reytha, but gave
no useful information on the whereabouts of the Rebel fleet.[237]
Griff's final failure
With the general captured, Vader waited for Executor to be repaired, allowing Gr
iff to continue directing the Imperial pursuit of the Rebel fleet, even after an
attack by the Mon Calamari on the blockade. Vader's inaction was a clever plot
to capture both the fleet and Skywalker. If Griff threatened the Rebels, Skywalk
er would use the Force to aid them. Vader waited in his meditation pod, searchin
g for any disturbance in the Force. When at last Skywalker opened himself to the
Force, Vader was able to locate him, and brought the fleet under the guns of th
e Executor.
Vader underestimated the ambitious Admiral Griff, however. In a last-ditch attem
pt to corner the Rebels before Vader, Griff attempted a blind hyperspace jump, s
mashing his own Star Destroyer and two others into the Executor's shields. This
allowed the Rebels and Skywalker to escape, bound for parts unknown. Once again,
 Vader was thwarted, but he knew that his inevitable encounter with Skywalker wa
s only delayed.
Shortly afterwards, Vader was dispatched to Reytha after Rebels took over the pl
anet. Vader managed to quell the Rebellion with some difficulty, resulting in hi
s execution of the governor Antes Belladar, although their presence had been a r
use to ensure the Imperial Navy couldn't pursue the Rebels after they escaped Ya
vin.
Dealing with Kell Bircher
Afterwards, Vader ended up being relieved of his status as commander of the prim
ary Imperial fleet, and was reissued to overseeing the construction of the secon
d Death Star over Endor. The reason for this was largely because of his failure
to prevent the destruction of the first Death Star at the Battle of Yavin. Durin
g this time, he also ended up constantly berated and insulted by the Emperor him
self, while his replacement, Colonel Kell Bircher, frequently mocked him from li
ght years away.[238] In addition, his command over the Devastator was confiscate
d as a result.
During his assignment at constructing the Death Star II, Vader encountered one o
f the executives from Kuat Drive Yards assigned to the project, Birra Seah, afte
r he had executed an Admiral for questioning the realism of the Emperor's reques
t. After she pointed out the Emperor could not know the inner workings and day t
o day difficulties the workers were undergoing,Vader closed the meeting and invi
ted her to a private conversation,[239]. Impressed with her boldness and especia
lly her Force potential, he granted her request for temporary Moffship, although
he warned her to please the Emperor as otherwise she would suffer a fate that n
ot even he or the Force could shield her from.[240] Vader eventually ended up ca
lled away, although he managed to telepathically contact Seah before she committ
ed suicide, citing he still had some use for her.[241] He then had her placed on
the Devastator as a lieutenant to keep eye on his replacement, Bircher.[242] He
eventually learned that one of the rebels infiltrating the Devastator was Skywa
lker, and then ordered her to try and capture him.[243] However, his escape made
this difficult, as well as her blowing her cover.[244] This eventually resulted
in Vader executing her.[245] He also covertly left an admiral in charge with th
e Executor, even supplying the codes for accessing the Executor before he depart
ed, warning him to forget the conversation.[246]
Having deduced that his replacement, Bircher, was in fact a Rebel spy, he hired
a graduate on board the Executor, Nanda, promoted to being a commander of a six-
man squad of stormtroopers, and ordered her to go to a data center on Coruscant,
where he personally dealt with a deck officer. He then ordered her to ambush th
e Archer near Bothawui, where he executed the Bothans suspected to be responsibl
e for Bircher's placing among the Devastator. He then travelled to Kuat, specifi
cally the Devastator, and executed the high command on the vessel for falling fo
r Bircher.[247] Immediately afterwards, he went over to the Graveyard, the remai
ns of Alderaan, and proceeded to go to the Audacity and had his stormtroopers ca
pture Tag Rogaren via a kill-or-capture order on the milnet. However, his stormt
roopers planned to return him alive to Imperial Center for questioning. Vader th
en took out the treacherous squad and proceeded to torture Rogaren. He then real
ized that Bircher had a slight Chandrillan accent, and decided to stop off at hi
s estate. He then learned that Bircher was actually a relative of Mon Mothma, an
d had the estate destroyed and relieved Nanda of her duty.[248]
Vader's forces were later dispatched to bombard Arrochar to wipe out the Rebels.
Vader himself, however, could not bear witness to the attack as Emperor Palpati
ne had placed him under house arrest for his earlier actions in hunting down the
Rebels, as he viewed them as mere nuisances.[249]
Culling the military
Vader, now aboard Admiral Quist's Star Destroyer Conqueror, began monitoring rep
orts from the abandoned Rebel base. When the Falcon returned to Yavin with Skywa
lker aboard, the incompetent Quist failed to capture her, and soon joined the ra
nks of late Imperial commanders. Not long after, while revisiting the abandoned
base on Dantooine, Luke fell into the trap Vader had set there. Using his agents
, the Fairfolk, Vader tempted Luke into using the dark side, and even projected
a mental image of himself to Dantooine for Luke to battle. Skywalker was saved w
hen R2-D2 broke the trance, but Vader promised that next time Luke wouldn't be s
o lucky.
Vader then set about punishing Imperial officials, and locking down on Rebel att
empts to gain food and supplies. He followed up on the information stripped from
Dodonna's mind and led an Imperial effort to retake Reytha from the Rebellion.
He killed Moff Antes Belladar for allowing the Rebels to thrive on the planet an
d drove the Alliance from Reytha. Vader also executed Overlord Ghorin for dealin
g with the Alliance, and visited Kiva to put pressure on Borborygmus Gog to comp
lete Project Starscream.
Search for information
Vader-SWEMP19
Vader aboard Void Station about five months after Yavin
Hoping to uncover more information on the whereabouts of the Rebel fleet, Vader
visited Void Station, and demanded that Jib Kopatha gain information on Alliance
activities. Afterward, Vader was set upon by Falleen assassins seeking vengeanc
e for the devastation Vader had brought upon their world. After defeating them,
Vader returned to Coruscant, where he monitored possible Rebel activity in the S
helsha sector and searched the Emperor's databases for more information about Lu
ke Skywalker. There, he again crossed paths with Mara Jade.
Not long after, Vader blockaded the Kashyyyk system in an attempt to capture a R
ebel group that included Skywalker and Organa, but they somehow slipped in and o
ut of the system while evading capture.
Sometime after that, Vader met the survivor of the Great Jedi Purge, Echuu Shen-
Jon, thought to be dead but merely in self-imposed exile following his use of th
e dark side to defeat Separatist General Sev'rance Tann during the early days of
the Clone Wars. Shen-Jon was defending Princess Leia while she was escaping to
her ship on Geddes. Echuu was also carrying the Vor'Na'Tu, an ancient Jedi artif
act. Vader killed him, but Leia escaped, and Shen-Jon broke the Vor'Na'Tu into p
ieces.
Mimban
When Governor Bin Essada learned that Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia were on M
imban in 2 ABY searching for a powerful Force relic known as the Kaiburr crystal
, he contacted the Dark Lord. Vader traveled to the jungle world hoping both to
capture Skywalker and get hold of the powerful crystal. He tracked the Rebels to
the abandoned Temple of Pomojema deep in one of Mimban's jungles. Luke, Leia an
d Halla, a Force-sensitive local Human with whom they had undertaken the search
for the crystal, had left C-3PO and R2-D2 outside the temple while they went in
to look for the crystal.[250]
Leia fighting Vader on Mimban EGF
Leia duels with Darth Vader on Mimban.
Vader coldly deactivated the droid he had created and the droid that had been hi
s faithful companion in the Clone Wars, apparently without even recognizing them
. He then entered the temple to face Skywalker and the Princess. Vader immobiliz
ed Luke by dropping a ceiling stone at him with the Force, but the Kaiburr cryst
al's proximity had intensified the Sith Lord's anger, and he was surprised at be
ing overcome with the desire to kill the two rebels.[27] Leia briefly dueled wit
h Vader using Luke's lightsaber, but the Dark Lord quickly subdued her and slash
ed her body repeatedly with his blade as a form of torture. When Luke emerged fr
om under the stone, Leia threw him his lightsaber, and father and son crossed sa
bers for the first time. In his uncontrolled rage, Vader attempted to kill his s
on with Kinetite[251] but Luke's actions were guided by Obi-Wan Kenobi.[70] This
guidance coupled with the fact that Luke was in possession of the crystal, were
enough to deflect the Kinetite and slice Vader's arm off. However, this act dra
ined Kenobi's spirit to the point that he could no longer aid Luke, and Vader si
mply shrugged off the injury. As he advanced on the two siblings, he caught sigh
t of the lightsaber Luke was holding, which looked just like his own old one, bu
t toppled into a deep sacrificial well, allowing the Rebels to escape. Vader was
unconscious for over an hour at the bottom of the pit, but the battle made him
realize that Luke could help him overthrow the Emperor.[27]
Request denied
Vader was also dispatched to quell Rebellion in the Zaloriis system, where the g
overnor boldly approached Vader and declared independence. Vader Force-choked hi
m to death, callously stating, "Request denied, governor." Vader then proceeded
to lead Imperial forces to destroy the ill-fated independence movement. He also
rescued then-Colonel Maximilian Veers from imprisonment. Veers then put his know
ledge to work and deployed the next generation of AT-AT walkers, which would be
used to great effect in the Battle of Hoth. It was on Zaloriis that Vader learne
d of possible Rebel contacts on Elrood.
Hoth and aftermath
Admiral Ozzel: "Lord Vader, the fleet has moved out of light speed and we are pr
eparing to . *gasps, begins to choke*"
Vader: "You have failed me for the last time, Admiral."
?Vader executes Admiral Ozzel for his stupidity[src]
Vader-on-Hoth
Vader arrives on Hoth.
Now that the Alliance had escaped Yavin 4, Vader dispatched probe droids to remo
te regions of the galaxy to locate the location of its new base. One such probe
eventually detected Echo Base on Hoth. Admiral Kendal Ozzel incurred Vader's wra
th and his death sentence when he ruined Death Squadron's stealth attack by exit
ing hyperspace too close to the planet, allowing the Rebels to detect the attack
and project shields against planetary bombardment. Vader was forced to wage a t
errestrial campaign; its deployment giving some of the Rebel forces time to flee
. Vader himself entered Echo Base to locate Luke Skywalker. He eventually locate
d Han Solo and Leia Organa, although a combination of rebel troopers fighting hi
m and his stormtroopers as well as a cave-in delayed him in getting to them.[252
] He eventually reached a hangar just in time to see the Millennium Falcon escap
e. When the Falcon's hyperdrive failed, Vader ordered pursuit and followed the F
alcon and her apparently unstable pilot into an equally unstable asteroid field.
He would not allow that ship to escape him again. Renegade Squadron was tasked
to stall Vader in a series of assaults, leading to a skirmish in orbit.[253]
While his fighters searched the asteroids for the Falcon, Vader, temporarily aba
ndoning the search upon being commanded by Palpatine (via Piett) to make contact
with him, received a new mission from the Emperor to capture Luke Skywalker, his
own son and the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star. As far as Vader knew, Si
dious was ignorant to Vader's realization that Luke was his son, and his plot's
progression, to do just that. To deceive the Emperor, and thus allow him to cont
inue making motions toward his own plan, Vader suggested that Luke could be turn
ed to the dark side of the Force. The Emperor agreed, noting that Luke would be
a "great asset."[253] Meanwhile, as was the pattern with Sith Lords, Sidious als
o began planning to eliminate Vader in order to take Luke as his apprentice.
Vader continued pursuing the Falcon, and resorted to hiring bounty hunters to co
mplete the task. Ultimately, the Falcon appeared and then quickly disappeared by
hiding in a blind spot on the back of the bridge tower of Captain Lorth Needa's
Star Destroyer Avenger. Captain Needa paid for losing the vehicle with his life
. Death Squadron dispersed into hyperspace, each ship dumping its garbage before
jumping. The Falcon, released from its perch, floated away amid the debris and
then set a sub-light course to Bespin. Boba Fett, one of the bounty hunters hire
d by Vader, deduced Solo's strategy, alerted Vader to his destination, and follo
wed the Falcon to Cloud City, a mining colony located on the gas giant.[253]
Among the bounty hunters summoned by Vader to hunt the Millennium Falcon was Awa
rru Tark, a ruthless hunter with a "reputation for results." Tark, however, was
late for the bounty hunter meeting on the Executor, instead meeting with Vader a
board the Avenger afterwards. Unimpressed with Tark's politeness upon arrival, w
hich he termed "posturing," Vader demanded that they commence with their busines
s. Tark agreed, and blocked the entrance to the observation suite where they met
with a handful of small detonators.[254]
Vaderfettcloudcity
Darth Vader with Boba Fett in Bespin's Cloud City
Brandishing two forearm-mounted energy blades, Tark attacked. Vader managed to h
old off the mercenary's opening attacks with his lightsaber, but Tark over-leape
d the Sith Lord in a blink, scoring hits on Vader's back. Vader whirled to parry
, blocking the follow-up attacks, but opening himself up for a lightning-fast ki
ck to the head. Thrown against the wall, Vader narrowly avoided Tark's next voll
ey, only suffering a hit to the head, which was absorbed by his helmet. In despe
ration, Vader Force pushed Tark against the ceiling of the chamber, telekinetica
lly pinning him. Tark responded by dropping another series of detonators on Vade
r, breaking the Sith Lord's concentration and allowing Tark to leap down and att
ack again.[254]
Vader dropped his lightsaber and seized Tark by the wrists, bending the blades b
ack towards the mercenary's own head. Tark suddenly revealed his secret weapon;
a massive cybernetic augmentation. Tark's torso and hands split open, revealing
a flurry of claw-tipped mechanical tendrils that began chewing their way through
Vader's armor. As Vader began to succumb, he telepathically reached into Tark's
mind, learning of his identity and history as the soldier Stauz Czycz. The Sith
Lord learned of Czycz's loss of his home and family to the Empire, how he now h
eld Vader responsible, and how he devoted himself utterly towards revenge. Czycz
fury drove Vader from the soldier-turned-mercenary's mind, leaving them both te
mporarily paralyzed. Vader recovered first, reclaiming his lightsaber and decapi
tating Czycz.[254]
Vader's wounds from the battle consisted of little more than superficial damage
to his armor, which was easily repaired. However, Vader's encounter with Czycz l
eft the Sith Lord somewhat shaken, as he began reflecting on the similarities be
tween himself and the mercenary, and how he too had sacrificed his humanity in t
he name of revenge. While recovering from the deadly encounter, Vader received a
message from Bespin.[254]
Conflict on Bespin and aftermath
"Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."
"He told me enough! He told me you killed him."
"No. I am your father."
?Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker[src]
Aggression TCG by Jake Murray
Vader battling his son on Bespin
Vader landed on Cloud City and threatened its Baron Administrator, Lando Calriss
ian, a friend of Han's, into an agreement while waiting for the Falcon's arrival
. When the Falcon arrived, Vader captured, with Calrissian's cooperation, and to
rtured Solo. In addition, shortly beforehand, upon seeing the remains of C-3PO a
fter Gamma Squad blasted him, the pain of his reminders of his past self drove h
im to order them to recycle the droid parts, although his parts were ultimately
intercepted by Chewbacca, having witnessed C-3PO's destruction earlier. Vader ev
entually had a change of heart and allowed Chewbacca, while imprisoned, to repai
r C-3PO. Luke, training under Yoda on Dagobah, after seeing a vision of his frie
nd's torture, rushed to Cloud City to save his friends, despite the sternest war
nings from both Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi that by doing so, he would risk falling
to the dark side. Meanwhile, Vader froze Solo in carbonite as a test subject to
see if the method would be viable for the younger Skywalker, much to the chagrin
of Boba Fett, who was already seeking Solo for Jabba the Hutt. Luke arrived at
Cloud City, just in time to take the bait of the trap set for him by his father.
[253]
When Luke found Vader, they fought, the boy not knowing his opponent's true iden
tity. Despite Luke's minimal training, he was able to hold his own for much of t
he duel, without Kenobi's help as had happened on Mimban the previous year, much
to Vader's surprise. Ultimately, however, as Yoda and Kenobi had warned, the in
adequately trained Luke was no match for the powerful and experienced Vader, who
ultimately defeated him, and sliced off his right hand. It was now time for the
Sith Lord to close the lid of this trap.[253]
Vader's revelation
Vader imploring his son to join him
Vader proceeded to beckon Luke to join him in the dark side. When Luke vehementl
y refused, Vader deduced that Kenobi had hid from Luke the truth about what happ
ened to Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker, before revealing that Anakin and Vader
were the same entity. Vader asked Luke to join him so that they could destroy th
e Emperor and rule the galaxy as father and son, harkening back to what he'd hop
ed to have with Luke's mother companionship. He never wanted to rule the galaxy al
one. Profoundly shaken by the news that he was Vader's son, Luke refused to join
his father and plunged into the gas vents of Cloud City. Luke was able to survi
ve long enough to be rescued by Leia and Lando in the Millennium Falcon. Vader,
who had insured that the hyperdrive motivator on the Falcon would malfunction, o
rdered the new Admiral, Piett, to capture the freighter. During the pursuit, Vad
er also telepathically communicated with Luke, in an attempt to get Luke to join
the dark side, assuring him it was his son's destiny. However, they didn't coun
t on R2-D2, Vader's one-time friend and gift to him from his late wife, reversin
g the sabotage, allowing the Falcon to jump into hyperspace. While Vader had pre
viously killed two of his subordinates, he let Admiral Piett live even though he
failed to capture Luke in the Millennium Falcon.[253] In addition, despite his
failure in recruiting Luke, he nonetheless succeeded in retrieving Luke's severe
d hand from Smelting Core D, alongside Luke's and Vader's former lightsaber. He
then had the hand and saber sent to the Mount Tantiss storehouse on Wayland unde
r direct orders from the Emperor, although Vader personally had different plans
for the saber and hand.
Afterwards, Vader continued tracking for signs of the Rebellion and, more import
antly, Luke Skywalker. He was chastised for his failure at Bespin, although he i
nformed the Emperor that while he may not have captured Luke he nonetheless "plant[e
d] the seeds of ambition" within Luke's mind. He also reminded his master that c
onverting Luke to the dark side was his idea when the latter implied suspicions
that Vader did not desire to turn Luke. Vader also informed Palpatine that he re
ceived a lead on the Rebel's location and was planning to intercept. Palpatine i
nformed him that it would have to wait, as he needed Vader to complete shipping
arrangements. In actuality, the shipping arrangements were concocted by Palpatin
e to distract Vader while he had Luke assassinated.[255]
In the following months, Lord Vader found himself in a complex game of strategy
against the scheming crime lord of Black Sun, Prince Xizor. The Falleen, who had
long hated Vader due to the planetary bombardment ordered by the Dark Lord on h
is homeworld of Falleen, was attempting to discredit Vader in eyes of the Empero
r. Xizor had long been a rival of the Dark Lord. He sought to foil Vader's plan
to capture Luke Skywalker for the Emperor by having Luke assassinated before Vad
er could find the Jedi. Vader discovered Xizor's plot and killed him in an assau
lt high over the Imperial Center.[256]
He later uncovered a Rebel-owned station and, alongside then-Admiral Thrawn to t
ake it out. He also learned from the Secret Order of evidence that implicated Ad
miral Harkov of running a black market operation during the Sepan Civil War. Aft
erwards, he attended a demonstration of the TIE Avengers held by Grand Admiral Z
aarin, with Vader promptly reporting its progress to Palpatine. After Harkov was
exposed as turning to the Rebel Alliance, Vader proceeded to personally execute
him for his treachery. He then ordered six TIE Defender prototypes from Zaarin
for Palpatine to inspect before being mass-produced. Vader also spent his time t
racking down Harkov's forces before bringing them to justice. He eventually had
to deal with another traitor, this time Zaarin, who instigated a coup against th
e Emperor and successfully abducted him. He arrived at Coruscant aboard the Ospr
ey, and alongside Maarek Stele managed to rescue the Emperor. Vader then, at Pal
patine's orders, presented Stele with the Emperor's Will medal at a special pres
entation. After ensuring the Rebels did not uncover any of the Empire's true pla
ns at Endor, Vader reported that everything was in place to Palpatine.
Redemption
Anakin: "Now, go, my son. Leave me."
Luke: "No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here, I've got to save you.
"
Anakin: "You already have, Luke. You were right you were right about me. Tell you
r sister You were right "
?Anakin and Luke Skywalker, just before the former dies[src]
Vaderrotj
Darth Vader on board the Death Star II
In 4 ABY, Vader was sent to the incomplete Death Star II to await the Emperor, w
ho was coming for an inspection tour. He also warned the person in charge of com
pleting the Death Star II's systems on schedule, Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod, that if h
e is unable to complete it on schedule by doubling his efforts, he will end up f
acing Palpatine for the failure upon his arrival, implying that the Emperor was
"not as forgiving as [Vader was]" regarding failure. After Darth Sidious's arriv
al, Vader was sent to command the Imperial Fleet guarding the Death Star, keepin
g it on the far side of Endor. Vader also supplied the Emperor with reports of a
Rebel massing near Sullust, although Palpatine dismissed the reports. It was he
re that he sensed the arrival of his son along with the Rebel strike team coming
to destroy the shield generator that protected the Death Star. When he informed
the Emperor of this, although he expressed surprise that Vader could sense Luke
while Sidious himself could not, Sidious nonetheless advised him to go to Endor
and await Luke.[4]
During his departure to Endor, it is said that he looked back on his life and ha
d the first dream he had in many years. This was following visions that he thoug
ht were premonitions of the near future.[257]
Arriving on the eve of Luke's capture, Vader once again attempted to persuade Lu
ke to join the dark side, but this time Vader's interests were tinged by a desir
e to protect his son. Vader, however, still maintained his belief that he was be
yond redemption, and remorsefully told Luke as much, causing Luke to state that
"[Anakin] truly was dead." When this failed, Vader took him to Darth Sidious him
self on the incomplete Death Star II. Vader also discovered Jedi Master Yoda's d
eath when Palpatine mind-probed Luke upon arrival, although he did not display a
ny emotion on the matter.[258] Luke reluctantly fought a lightsaber battle with
Vader, matching Vader's mastery of Form V with his own display of Form V blade w
ork, all the while attempting to persuade his father into renouncing the dark si
de of the Force. In allowing this to happen, Luke Skywalker risked everything in
order to assure the victory of the Rebel Alliance and the redemption of his fat
her to the light.[4]
Lukevaderrotj7
Vader is defeated by his son.
Vader: "You cannot hide forever, Luke."
Luke: "I will not fight you!"
Vader: "Give yourself to the dark side. It is the only way you can save your fri
ends. Yes your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong, especially
for sister. So, you have a twin sister! Your feelings have now betrayed her, too.
Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now, his failure is complete! If you will
not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will."
Luke: "NEVER!!!"
?Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker[src]
During this time, Sidious relentlessly attempted to lure Luke to the dark side,
tormenting him with thoughts of the defeat of the Rebel Alliance and the death o
f his friends. However, Luke continued to attempt to restrain himself from fight
ing his father. Vader, who had been probing Luke's thoughts, discovered that bes
ides Luke he also had a daughter: Leia Organa, Luke's twin sister. Vader, happy
at this new information he had acquired and thus, the final failure of Obi-Wan, d
ecided to use this knowledge against Luke, threatening to corrupt Leia. Enraged,
Luke ignited his lightsaber and viciously attacked Vader with anger and fury. F
inally, Luke knocked Vader to the floor and hacked off his mechanical right hand
, defeating the Sith Lord. Sidious, cackling with triumph, urged Luke to fulfill
his destiny, and take his father's place at the Dark Lord's side.[4] Vader then
realized that Sidious had betrayed him again, just as Darth Tyranus had been be
trayed twenty-three years before, and just as he had been betrayed by Sidious fo
r Galen Marek on the first Death Star.
Luke looked at his mechanical hand and his father's severed right hand, and real
ized that he was about to become Vader's successor. Horrified at what he was abo
ut to do, Luke used a combination of Kenobi's and Yoda's teachings and the light
side of the Force to calm himself down. Luke tossed his lightsaber away, refusi
ng the Emperor's offer to join him as his new apprentice. Instead, he declared h
imself a Jedi, like his father had been. Enraged at the failure of his plans, th
e Emperor unleashed a barrage of Force lightning attacks upon Luke.[4]
Vader-ROTJHD
Skywalker's armor is damaged by Palpatine's lightning.
As Vader watched Sidious savagely torture Luke, his love for his son one of the fe
w parts of Anakin that was still left finally bloomed in full after being reawaken
ed four years earlier. It was enough to finally break the dark side's hold over
him. From that moment on, Darth Vader was no more, and Anakin Skywalker was rebo
rn.[4]
Refusing to watch his son die, Skywalker suddenly grabbed Sidious from behind an
d hoisted him from his feet. Even as Sidious' lightning tore through his body, S
kywalker advanced towards the Death Star's reactor shaft with the struggling Emp
eror. Staggering to his destination, he threw Darth Sidious down the shaft to hi
s death before collapsing. With his life support system shorted out, Anakin Skyw
alker had paid for his act of defiance with his life. Yet this single act brough
t him back to the light side and fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One, bringi
ng balance back to the Force.[4]
Luke dragged his father to the hangar where his shuttle lay, in hopes of saving
his life. Anakin, knowing that he would die whether or not Luke got him onto a s
hip, stopped his son.[4]
Anakinredeemed
Skywalker in his final moments
Nearing death, Skywalker asked Luke to help him remove his mask, so that he coul
d see his son with his own eyes, not through the lens filters of his mask. His l
ast words behind the mask of Vader were especially telling in response to Luke's p
rotest that he would die without the mask, Skywalker responded, "Nothing can sto
p that now. Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes." These words con
stituted a final rejection of the lying promises of the dark side, and a full em
brace of the light once again. Luke helped disconnect the helmet and mask and sa
w his father's face for the first time. Beneath, Anakin was bald, his hair folli
cles having been incinerated in Mustafar's flames 23 years earlier. The wounds f
rom Mustafar's heat had never healed. However, his eyes were no longer the burni
ng crimson-rimmed amber of a Sith Lord, but the shining blue of his former self.
Skywalker told Luke to leave him behind. Luke protested that he had intended to
save his father and did not intend to leave him behind, before Skywalker told h
im that Luke already had saved him by redeeming him. Skywalker then told Luke th
at he was right about him, there was good still in him; and to tell his sister,
Leia, the same. With these last words, Anakin Skywalker died and became one with
the Force.[4]
Luke narrowly escaped the exploding Death Star in a shuttle along with his fathe
r's armor and artificial remains, and reached the forest moon of Endor, where Da
rth Vader's armor was cremated in the manner of a Jedi, since Skywalker's body h
ad passed into the light.[4][26] During the celebration, Luke saw a vision of a
redeemed Anakin in the robes of a Jedi Master whole, and without the artificial bo
dy of Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda were next to him. His destiny fulfilled, An
akin Skywalker had passed on into the embrace of the light side of the Force.[4]
Post mortem (4 ABY and beyond)
Righting wrongs
"Maybe Vader had died heroically, but ten minutes of contrition did not make up
for years of atrocities."
?Leia Organa to the spirit of her father[src]
Anakinfuneral
Luke Skywalker gives his father a Jedi funeral on Endor.
When Vader re-embraced the light side of the Force, his organic body demateriali
zed and became one with the Force; Luke cremated only his father's armor with it
s prosthetics. Though Skywalker did not know about Qui-Gon Jinn's secret of join
ing the Force, and was surprised when Kenobi's body vanished right before he kil
led him, he was still able to retain his personality when joining the Force. Jin
n had been outspoken in life about the Living Force, and taught Yoda on Dagobah
that the secret to eternal life via the Force, was with love. Thus, according to
Jinn, a Sith could never truly attain it. As he passed from life, Skywalker's l
ove for his son consumed him completely, transforming him into a spirit like his
Master had before him.
Anakin Skywalker's specter would continue to appear throughout the years. Shortl
y after the Battle of Endor, Skywalker visited his son once more. He pleaded for
Luke to redeem and undo the damage that Vader had done to the young man known a
s Flint, as he was now unable to do it himself.
During the same period, Skywalker appeared before his daughter, Leia Organa, in
Salis D'aar, the capital of Bakura. There, he begged his daughter to forgive him
. However, Leia had only recently learned of her parentage and was unable to ign
ore that he had committed gross crimes, including the destruction of Alderaan an
d her own torture aboard the first Death Star, while serving Emperor Palpatine.[
259] Skywalker agreed to leave his daughter be but vowed to be there when she ne
eded him and soon disappeared. However, in 8 ABY, upon discovering her grandmoth
er's diary, Leia realized that her father wasn't the evil monster that she thoug
ht he was and learned to forgive him. In 10.5 ABY, Leia Organa Solo named her yo
ungest child Anakin in remembrance of her father's redemption.
Shortly afterward, in 5 ABY, when Qu Rahn, who had escaped Vader's blade so many
years ago, was killed by Jerec, Rahn beheld the Force spirits of Anakin Skywalk
er and Halagad Ventor in his final moments and realized that not a single person
was incapable of redemption. Skywalker, along with Kenobi, would appear before
his son again in order to warn him of the dark-side prophet Kadann.
Twenty-two years later, after the first year of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Anakin Sky
walker would tell his grandson, Jacen Solo to "stand firm," something that helpe
d Jacen defeat the Yuuzhan Vong Warmaster Tsavong Lah in combat and turn the tid
e of the war. Three years after that, near the end of this war, Anakin would giv
e this advice to Jacen again before the latter defeated Onimi, the true ruler of
the Vong, and ended that conflict by achieving oneness with the Force.
Revelations of the past
"The Chosen One. The Betrayer. And the biggest reason I can think of for anyone
named Skywalker to avoid being a Jedi."
?Cade Skywalker[src]
Legacy11cadevader
Cade Skywalker fights Vader in a vision.
In 35 ABY, while Luke Skywalker was fixing R2-D2, the Jedi Master encountered a
hologram of Anakin Skywalker and Padm Amidala in which Skywalker said to his wife
that he had a dream of her, dying in childbirth.
A year later, Luke also viewed a hologram of Skywalker slaughtering Jedi in the
Jedi Temple, yet another hologram recorded by the astromech droid. Not long afte
r, during the Swarm War, the shocking revelation behind the death of Luke and Le
ia's mother, Padm, was revealed when Luke witnessed his father Force-choking her
in another hologram projected by R2-D2.
At some point after Luke had died, in 137 ABY Skywalker appeared in a Force visi
on to Cade Skywalker, one of his descendants. In that vision, he appeared as he
had when he turned to the dark side, then turned into Darth Vader and dueled Cad
e. After defeating Cade, Vader took off his helmet, showing his burnt face, and
warned Cade about the dangers of the dark side. Rather than giving a simple warn
ing about the dark side, Skywalker warned his descendant that he had to control
his power and his anger, lest it turn against him as Skywalker's did when duelin
g Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar.
Legacy
" A special destiny is not always something joyous, or easy to bear. My father ha
d a special destiny, and see where it took him."
?Luke Skywalker[src]
Anakin Skywalker, being the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, left behind a great leg
acy. Since he married and started a family, Skywalker openly defied the Jedi Cod
e to follow his heart. His love for his family turned out to be a double-edged s
word: Darth Sidious, by preying upon the young Jedi's fear of losing his beloved
wife, managed to seduce him over to the dark side. However, in the end, it was
Skywalker's love for his son, Luke, which redeemed his soul. Even though Skywalk
er was the Chosen One, Luke served indirectly as the catalyst that allowed Skywa
lker to fulfill the Jedi prophecy, and slay Emperor Palpatine an act which fractur
ed the Galactic Empire. During Skywalker's tenure as Darth Vader, he helped Palp
atine nearly eradicate the entire Jedi Order. However, this action, in turn, all
owed the Jedi Order to be rebuilt by Anakin's son, Luke Skywalker.
Luke was able to take the little training he received from Yoda and Obi-Wan Keno
bi and carry on the Jedi legacy. In the years following the Battle of Endor, Luk
e Skywalker established the New Jedi Order. In the following years, it would go
on to be a major player in galactic affairs, and would serve the New Republic fo
r many years to come. Skywalker's daughter, Leia Organa Solo, would go on to be
a key figure in the Rebel Alliance, and ultimately serve as the Chief of State o
f the New Republic from 11 ABY 17 ABY. Leia named one of her sons with Han Solo An
akin Solo after her father. After 28 ABY, the Order served to help defend the Ne
w Republic and the Galactic Alliance during the Yuuzhan Vong War, and later the
Swarm War and the Second Galactic Civil War.
AnakinSkywalkerghost
The redeemed spirit of Anakin Skywalker
However, after his death, the Empire refused to believe Vader murdered Palpatine
. They claimed that Luke killed both Sith Lords, and Vader had died heroically d
efending his master. After Emperor Palpatine's resurrection, the details became
clear, and the Imperials saw Vader as a symbol of ultimate treachery. On the rar
e occasion that his name was spoken by those loyal to the Emperor, "Darth Vader"
was said with disgust. In Bast Castle on Vjun, a statue once stood of Vader,[26
0] which the reborn Palpatine ordered to be destroyed, indicative of Vader's rep
utation after his death. Prior to Palpatine's return, one source indicated that
Vader had killed Palpatine, the holofilm Luke Skywalker and the Jedi's Revenge,
although he was killed via his son in that rendition to avenge the fallen Empero
r. In this source, Vader and Anakin Skywalker were treated as separate individua
ls. However, Vader's name was still occasionally used by the Galactic Federation
of Free Alliances, the Imperial Remnant, and even some of the New Republic's Ne
w Jedi Order to symbolize power and to strike fear. Notably, the Empire of the H
and maintained the moniker "Vader's Fist" for its remaining 501st Stormtrooper L
egion soldiers.[source?] Even Vader's grandchildren, on his daughter's side, som
etimes invoked that legacy during the Yuuzhan Vong War.
While Darth Vader may have been redeemed, he still left a dark legacy in the for
m of Dark Lady Lumiya. Upon his death and the death of Palpatine, Lumiya assumed
the title of Dark Lady of the Sith and eventually contacted Vader's grandson, J
acen Solo, in an effort to corrupt him to the dark side. Later, Jacen flow-walke
d back to the Raid on the Jedi Temple, witnessing the events that occurred fifty
-nine years before, to see his grandfather's reasoning for becoming a Sith Lord.
 He came to the decision that Anakin's logic was faulty, and that his own reason
s for joining the Sith were superior: while Skywalker did it out of love, Jacen
was trying to save the galaxy from a great evil. Jacen later climbed to the stat
us of Sith Lord himself, as Anakin had, taking on the name of Darth Caedus.
Little did Vader know, that on Tatooine, A'Sharad Hett had too survived the Purg
e and was banished from the planet by Kenobi after being defeated by Kenobi. Het
t at first regretted that he kept the secret of Skywalker's Tusken slaughter, fo
r that had caused many Jedi slaughters as well. But later in life, he had learne
d of Luke, Leia, and the rest of the family that was to appear. Hett traveled to
Korriban, learned teachings from the ancient Sith holocrons of XoXaan, Darths A
ndeddu, Nihilus, Bane, and others to follow, thus creating the Rule of One. A'Sh
arad Hett was gone and Darth Krayt was born, as Dark Lord of the new Sith Order.
In addition, his earlier refusal to embrace his original destiny as The Father's
successor also led to disastrous consequences in the near future, culminating i
n the release of Abeloth due to a divergence in the timeline caused by Jacen Sol
o as well as the destruction of Centerpoint Station.
Vader's history would be studied by the Sith Lord Darth Azard, who modeled his c
ommand style and philosophy's after Vader's, possibly taking inspiration from th
e late Sith. This included executing subordinates for failure.[261]
When Azlyn Rae was grievously injured during the Battle on Had Abbadon, Cade han
ded her over to Nat Skywalker and Droo Rawk, his uncle and aunt. Droo said she c
ould only save Azlyn if she wanted to be saved, which Cade said she did. He trie
d to help them, but Nat refused to allow it since his healing powers kept pushin
g him toward the dark side. While Droo and Nat tried their best, Azlyn rejected
their attempts to heal her. Nat refused to give up, and decided on a desperate m
easure: placing Azlyn in a life supporting suit for mortally wounded Kiffu guard
ians. Droo didn't like the idea, thinking it would make Azlyn the next Darth Vad
er, as the suit bore a similar disturbing point to Darth Vader's suit. Nat, howe
ver, said his ancestor was evil, and the suit had nothing to do with it. They we
nt through with the plan.
Personality and traits
"For Anakin, there is nothing more important than friendship. He is the most loy
al man I've ever met loyal beyond reason; in fact [ ] abstractions like peace don't
mean much to him. He's loyal to people, not to principles. And he expects loyalt
y in return. He will stop at nothing to save me, for example, because he thinks
I would do the same for him because he knows I would do the same for him."
?Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
AnakinArtoo-SOR
Skywalker maintained a strong bond of friendship with his astromech droid, R2-D2
.
As a young boy, Skywalker was thoughtful and intelligent. He was friendly and ea
sily got along with others despite his status as a slave. He also had a special
place in his heart for his mother, for whom he constantly built inventions to se
ll or to use to lighten her workload. At the coming of the Jedi, he was both hel
pful and generous, doing all that he could to help them off-planet, risking his
life at the podrace as well as giving them the sizable reward money which he and
his mother would have had use for. Though lovable, he also carried grudges and
was vengeful, but he commonly held these two traits in check. He hated being tre
ated unjustly or being wrongly accused. He was fiercely loyal, doing anything to
keep those he was close to from harm, at any cost. His only price for this dedi
cation was loyalty in return.
His separation from his mother was the hardest thing he'd ever done, and it stil
l hurt him for years. Because of his fear of losing even more friends in such a
manner, he kept to himself, fiddling around with his only friends, the Temple dr
oids. During this, however, he grew especially close to Kenobi, considering him
a father and a role model. Due to his sudden escalation from slave to being know
n as the "Chosen One" and the rising star of the Jedi Order, pride and arrogance
set in. He became cocky, self-appreciating, and he grew to hate being reprimand
ed or lectured. He remained most comfortable in warm environments similar to his
 home planet of Tatooine and had a standing argument with Amidala regarding the
temperature of her apartment, which he felt was kept too low.[262]
He was naturally honest and despised lying and deception, and especially hated p
olitics, considering most politicians to be greedy and conceited. Kenobi's conti
nual self-consciousness when it came to Skywalker hurt the boy, who at times was
n't sure whether Kenobi liked him, something his heart craved. Therefore, he tur
ned to a more complimenting, comforting source: Palpatine.
His yearning to be loved, as well as appreciated, came out in his devotion and s
ecret marriage to Amidala, one of the only three people he ever thought apprecia
ted or cared for him. As his fame grew, he became more and more arrogant, and he
knew that he was one of the best Jedi of the Order, believing that he could eas
ily best any Jedi blindfolded with his lightsaber tied behind his back. His tenu
ous trust in the Jedi Order was shattered even further when he learned from a re
luctant Obi-Wan Kenobi that the Jedi Council only intended to place Anakin on th
e High Council as a representative to Palpatine so they could use him to spy on
the Supreme Chancellor's dealings, since he viewed the Chancellor as a friend, n
ot to mention the head of the Republic, as he viewed such an action as treason.
This coupled with his frustration at his perceived injustice at being kept at th
e rank of Jedi Knight made him more and more bitter and distrustful of the Jedi
Council. His belief in them was shattered more and more as Skywalker's closest f
riend, Palpatine, swayed him from trusting them. Slowly, his bond with everyone
except the Chancellor was completely shaken and broken, even that of his wife wh
en he assumed her betrayal of him. Born out of this conflict was the Dark Lord o
f the Sith, Darth Vader.[10]
"I'm not the Emperor. I don't kill for amusement, only when it serves my purpose
s."
?Darth Vader[src]
Char-stub
Darth Vader was a frightening figure to many.
After becoming Vader, Skywalker's personality changed completely. He was now a r
attled man, shaken by the perceived betrayal of his dearest friend, his former c
omrades-in-arms, and his wife. Upon donning the armor that kept him alive, Vader
initially remained uncertain, but regained his self-confidence following his ki
lling of Roan Shryne on Kashyyyk. He also gained a firm belief that love was a w
eakness and was utterly meaningless. This belief was especially prevalent during
the Galactic Civil War, when Vader attempted to persuade the clone of Galen Mar
ek not to hesitate in killing Juno Eclipse during a training session.[216]
Due to the traumatic experiences he suffered on Mustafar, Vader developed a murd
erous obsession with finding and destroying Obi-Wan Kenobi, spending whatever ti
me he had tracking his former master's hiding place. Many fugitive Jedi fell vic
tim to Vader's obsession, being viciously tortured and executed regardless of wh
ether they had information. Vader nearly fell victim to his obsession when group
of Jedi attempted to trap and eliminate Vader by falsely claiming that Kenobi w
ould be among them at Kessel. While Vader managed to kill most of them, he was u
ltimately overpowered and was nearly executed until a detachment of the 501st Le
gion arrived and gunned down the remaining Jedi on the order of Palpatine.[263]
Despite his near-death experience, Vader continued to hunt for Kenobi, although
his duty to the Empire gave him little time to look for his former master. After
twenty years of looking, Vader finally sensed Kenobi aboard the Death Star, a f
eeling which for the first time in years gave him his chance for revenge. Upon m
eeting the elderly Kenobi, Vader viewed the Jedi master as inferior in both skil
l and power, taunting him that despite once being his student, he was now the ma
ster. Although Vader finally defeated Kenobi, his master's mysterious death left
him unsatisfied.[264]
Vader had an extremely low tolerance of failure, and did not get on well with ma
ny of the higher-ups in the Imperial military, nearly choking Admiral Conan Anto
nio Motti to death when he challenged the power of the Force, though Admiral Mot
ti survived due to the intervention of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. Both Admiral K
endal Ozzel and Captain Lorth Needa were not so fortunate, as Vader telekinetica
lly strangled both men to death following blunders they had committed. For their
part, many higher-ranking Imperial officials despised the Dark Lord and his "so
rcerer's ways." He also retained his former identity's distaste for dishonesty a
nd deception, having once gone into a massive rage that resulted in the destruct
ion of a large part of the Jedi Council chamber upon learning that the Jedi Coun
cil, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, had hid the location of the Ghost Prison from him
as well as Palpatine. However, he did develop a tendency to craft some falsehoo
ds, or at the very least half-truths. This was especially evident when he told L
ieutenant Tohm that he actually killed Anakin Skywalker, when he was in fact Ana
kin Skywalker (though he may have been speaking ironically).[56]
Because of his former identity's status as a slave, Vader also had distress when
the concept of slavery is brought up, especially regarding the Empire continuin
g the slave trade. This distressed nature on the topic once had him, during a de
briefing with Commander Vill of the 501st Legion regarding the Cleansing of New
Plympto, abruptly ending the debriefing without a word and walking off to the ba
lcony of his palace, apparently too distraught at the revelation of the Empire r
edirecting the 501st Legion to sell slaves to Orvax IV to fall asleep for the ni
ght, and still was troubled by the discovery the next morning.[176]
While Vader appeared to be completely loyal to Palpatine, he secretly plotted to
eliminate his Sith master on more than one occasion. Knowing that he couldn't t
ake on his master alone, Vader's first attempt to overthrow was through his extr
emely powerful apprentice Starkiller, but his plans were halted by Palpatine's d
iscovery of the boy. To show his loyalty to his master, Vader injured and seemin
gly killed Starkiller, later suggesting that they use him to seek out the rebel
elements within the Imperial Senate and gather them on Corellia. Several years l
ater, Vader attempted to seduce his gravely injured son Luke to the dark side by
suggesting they could easily destroy the Emperor together, although Luke ultima
tely rejected him and fell out of reach from his father.
Despite his rather rocky relationship with higher-ranking officers in the milita
ry, Vader got along quite well with the clone troopers, once remarking, "I was r
ather fond of Commander Appo," following the latter's death at the hands of Roan
Shryne. One reason Vader was popular with the troops that served under him was
his willingness to fight in the front line, and not expect of anyone anything he
was not willing to do himself. One officer who looked up to Vader because of th
is was Erv Lekauf, who often spoke highly of Vader to his grandson Jori Lekauf.
Another military officer to be taken under Vader's wing was Firmus Piett, who su
cceeded Ozzel as Admiral of Death Squadron, and notably survived being under the
Sith Lord's command having erred not once, but twice during his tenure under Va
der. This was due to the fact that both of these failures were caused by unfores
eeable factors, not errors in Piett's judgment.
In addition, although he did execute officers when they failed him, he occasiona
lly promoted military, such as 501st Legion officer Daine Jir, for traits he was
personally impressed with. In Jir's case, it was his brutal honesty to Vader. S
imilarly, he also promoted Birra Seah to temporary moffship for the completion o
f the second Death Star when she backed up an admiral that Vader had killed's as
sessments that there were flaws in the design of the ship.[240] He also held som
e disgust towards individuals who were willing to betray their own words for pow
er, even when such actions were to the benefit of the Galactic Empire. This was
especially evident with his interactions with the Gecktl soldier Stafuv Rahz dur
ing the seizure of Harix, where he made no effort to hide his opinion of Rahz du
e to the latter's betrayal of the Gecktl to the Empire, and made it clear that s
hould they have to rescue him, the rescue transport would lead to his death.
Despite his actions, Vader apparently believed he was doing what was good for th
e galaxy. He also appeared to have had a high sense of self-loathing as a result
of his actions, so much so that he nearly committed suicide during his mission
to Atoa.[187] His self-hate was strong enough to kill the doppelganger of Darth
Maul.[220] He expressed the belief that the Empire was the only way the galaxy c
ould attain peace, justifying his actions and those of the Empire as necessary t
o accomplish this.[source?] In addition, he also makes it clear to Dengar at one
point that, while he did kill when he felt it needed to be done, he did not tak
e amusement at it like his Master.[265] In addition, by the time of the Battle o
f Endor, he also strongly believed that he was irredeemable, which he relayed to
his son with some remorse when capturing him at Endor, in response to his son's
attempts to get Vader to free himself from the grip of Palpatine. Shortly after
sacrificing himself to save Luke from the Emperor, he admitted that Luke was in
deed right about his still having good in him.[4]
Anakinsign
Skywalker's signature
In the end of his life, Skywalker broke away from the dark side, becoming whole
once again. Redeemed by his son's love, father and son made peace before Skywalk
er became one with the Force and was reunited with his loved ones.[4]
Relationships
Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon Jinn was the first Jedi that Skywalker had met. He deduced that Jinn was
a Jedi Knight from a brief glance of Jinn's lightsaber while the latter was tal
king with Watto. He had a great degree of respect for the Jedi Master, having a
lot of concern for him when he barely escaped from Darth Maul during an ambush.
He also was not willing to disobey Jinn, at least in terms of the letter of the
law. This was most evident during the Naboo Space Battle, when he, in response t
o R2-D2 asking whether he should return to Naboo, refused as Jinn had earlier to
ld him to "stay in the cockpit" (even though Jinn meant to keep hidden). Jinn's
death had devastated him, and also left him briefly wondering what he should do
with his life.
Shmi Skywalker
Skywalker's life revolved mostly around two women Shmi, his mother, and Amidala, h
is wife. Having a very close relationship with his mother, it broke his heart to
leave her on Tatooine while he went to Coruscant to chase his dreams, and he ad
mired her courage she showed throughout her harsh life as a slave, especially th
e moment he decided to leave Tatooine.[9] Her early death when he was just a you
ng man shook him, and his slaughter of the Tusken Raiders brought him closer to
the dark side. He vowed never to let anyone he loved be harmed again namely Obi-Wa
n Kenobi, his master, and Amidala, who became his wife soon after.[11]
Her death continued to affect Skywalker even after his transformation into the S
ith Lord, Darth Vader. His memories of her death gave him great discomfort when
he ended up capturing Princess Leia over Tatooine.[168]
Obi-Wan Kenobi
When Skywalker first met his future mentor, he was the second Jedi that he had e
ncountered but Kenobi, like the rest of the Jedi Council, didn't believe that Sk
ywalker should be trained. Despite this, he was willing to defy the Council's de
cision to respect his dying master's last wish to train Skywalker as a Jedi.[9]
The first stage of their relationship was similar to that between a father and a
son and Kenobi was, along with Amidala and Shmi, one of those Skywalker loved t
he most in the galaxy. Skywalker had great respect for his master and considered
him an equal in wisdom only to Master Yoda. However, his impulsive and prideful
attitude clashed with his master's more patient and peaceful ways. They would o
ften disagree and engage in verbal jousts about the Jedi Order and the politics
of Coruscant. However, their bond was strong enough that Skywalker was willing t
o disobey the Council's orders and go to Geonosis to rescue him when he was Coun
t Dooku's prisoner.[11]
After the Battle of Geonosis, their relationship changed again from a father-son
one to one between two brothers. The antagonism that they would show, sometimes
rather violently, turned into playful bickering. During the Clone Wars, Skywalk
er saved Kenobi's life at least ten times and the latter apparently did the same
for him on some occasions. However, their relationship turned darker due to Sky
walker's opposition to the Council's decisions and their refusal to trust the Ch
ancellor. Kenobi also secretly suspected of Skywalker and Amidala's relationship
.[10]
When Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader, Kenobi was heartbro
ken and even begged Master Yoda to send him to kill Darth Sidious in his stead a
s he did not have the heart to kill his "brother." When it appeared that Padm had
led Kenobi to him, Vader tried to kill them both. During their duel, Kenobi kep
t trying to find a trace of his old apprentice in the monster he had become, but
it was in vain, and he finally accepted that Skywalker was gone. However, while
the latter expressed eternal hatred towards his old master, Kenobi wasn't able
to finish Vader off after winning the duel and remorsefully left him to be consu
med by the flames of Mustafar.[10]
After this duel, Vader became bent on revenge and spent months trying to locate
Kenobi. He was turned away from this goal by his new Master. Along with Yoda and
Bail Organa, Kenobi protected Vader's children by hiding them from their father
. When Kenobi and Skywalker met again on the Death Star, Kenobi sacrificed himse
lf to allow Luke to escape. His spirit kept leading Luke so that he could defeat
Vader and Sidious. When Skywalker fulfilled the prophecy and destroyed Sidious,
dying himself in the process, Kenobi, Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn, who had learned ho
w to become one with the Force, led his spirit to join the Force, completing his
redemption.
Mace Windu
Mace Windu was a firm believer in the Jedi Code and thus believed Anakin was far
too old to begin training as a Jedi when he was brought before the Jedi Council
. Like Yoda, he was skeptical of whether Anakin was truly the Chosen One from th
e prophecy, and viewed the boy as potentially dangerous due to his internal conf
lict. However, given Qui-Gon's last wish and the skills Anakin displayed during
the Battle of Naboo, Mace reluctantly agreed to allow Anakin to be trained by Ob
i-Wan, though he continued to doubt the young boy.
Throughout Anakin's years as a Jedi, Mace developed a degree of respect for the
boy's skills, but remained skeptical of whether Anakin would follow his destiny.
Anakin generally treated Mace with respect in spite of all this, but secretly h
arbored a degree of resentment towards the Jedi Master for his ill-concealed dis
trust. This resentment was intensified by Mace and the Council's decision to exp
el Anakin's Padawan Ahsoka Tano when she was framed for treason, and Mace's subs
equent refusal to accept responsibility after Ahsoka was discovered innocent.
Ultimately, Mace's distrust and underestimation of Anakin proved to be his undoi
ng when he was the first to be slain upon Anakin's turn to the dark side.
Yoda
Anakin first met the diminutive Jedi Grand Master, Yoda, when Qui-Gon Jinn broug
ht him before the Jedi Council for testing. Yoda, strong with the Force, sensed
great fear and confusion within Anakin and decided, along with the rest of the C
ouncil, that Anakin was already too old and not fit for training as a Jedi Knigh
t. Despite this, Yoda was forced to accept Anakin as a member of the Jedi Order
when Obi-Wan Kenobi swore to fulfill Jinn's dying wish by training him, believin
g him to be the prophesied Chosen One, and the Council chose to accept this deci
sion, despite Yoda's concerns.
Yoda, as a member of the Jedi Council, was part of the decision that reunited An
akin with the woman who would one day become his wife. Later, he rescued both An
akin and Obi-Wan when they were badly wounded by Count Dooku, coming into direct
conflict with the man who had once been his apprentice, but was now a Sith Lord
. The Battle of Geonosis was won, but Yoda witnessed the beginning of the Clone
Wars, something that would be pivotal in the life of him, Anakin and Obi-Wan.
During the Clone Wars, Yoda continued to guide Skywalker at times and also assig
ned him his own Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano. He often contacted Skywalker to ta
ke on challenging missions, showing great faith and trust in him despite his pre
vious concerns about his possible unsuitability to be a Jedi Knight.
When Anakin began experiencing visions of Padm dying in childbirth, he turned to
Yoda for advice. Yoda advised him to let go of those things that he feared to lo
se, as fear was a path to the dark side, but this was not the advice that Anakin
 wanted to hear. He dismissed Yoda's advice as useless because he could not imag
ine losing someone he loved so deeply and sought a solution through another mean
s, taking the advice of Palpatine and becoming Darth Vader.
When Anakin fell to the dark side, Yoda gave him up as being lost entirely. He b
elieved that "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your d
estiny," and advised Obi-Wan Kenobi that Anakin was gone and was now only Vader.
When Obi-Wan defeated Vader on Mustafar, Yoda hatched a plan, having Obi-Wan ta
ke Anakin's son, Luke, to Tatooine, while Bail Organa adopted the daughter, Leia
, and he went into hiding on Dagobah.
Yoda continued to believe that nothing of Anakin was left in Vader. He held this
belief until his death, but when the actions of Vader's son, Luke, proved other
wise, the two met again in the Force and appeared together with Obi-Wan to Luke
as Force spirits.
Ahsoka Tano
Skywalker initially had a shaky relationship with his Padawan Ahsoka Tano. Altho
ugh he expressed annoyance when Tano referred to him as "Skyguy" after he told R
ex of his intentions to not train her, and in retaliation calling her "Snips" an
d "youngling," he did open himself up after the Christophisis incident,[78] goin
g as far to spare Dooku and torture Poggle with the sole intention of saving her
by doing so. Skywalker would also not give up on saving Tano after she got caug
ht in an explosion of a droid foundry that she destroyed with a tank, having no
other method. Greatly relieved that Tano was still alive, he told her that he ha
dn't doubted her, after she told him that she knew he would save her. Skywalker s
desire to keep his Padawan safe went beyond the battlefield into his teachings t
o her. Though she was skilled in the classic Shien, Skywalker began teaching her
Ataru and Djem So, two aggressive forms he was greatly skilled in, being master
ed in the latter.
Wanting Tano to be prepared for any opponent, he trained her to protect herself
against enemies wielding a double-bladed lightsaber, such as Asajj Ventress, who
m she d faced before. There is much evidence that Skywalker s attachment to Tano was
as great as that to his mother and his wife. Before his mission to Lanteeb, dur
ing battle against General Grievous' fleet, immersing himself in the Force, "He
was Shmi and Padm and Ahsoka." In the aftermath of that battle, when Kenobi told
him it was Tano who had saved the day, Skywalker "felt a rush of pride" and boas
ted that she was his apprentice. That pride was evident in his trust in her to c
ommand in his stead, such as during the Battle of Ryloth. Though Skywalker was u
sually reckless and did not think about the consequences of his actions, Tano s pr
esence seemed to soften these tendencies. The Battle of Ryloth seemed to be a mi
lestone for Master and Padawan, for he took her words to heart when she told him
that his actions often put others at risk, which resulted in him evacuating the
cruiser, leaving only him with an escape pod so the cruiser would crash into th
e battleship.
Nearing the end of the war, Skywalker also held a great degree of trust in her,
being one of the few people to strongly believe that Tano had actually been fram
ed. However, he also realized that he could not help her directly as it would ha
ve made her seem even more guilty than she was already suspected to be by everyo
ne else. He also managed to track down the actual guilty party, Barriss Offee, a
nd expose her after defeating her in a lightsaber duel, although his efforts wer
e for naught as Tano resigned from the Jedi Order.
Padm Amidala
VadersRemorse
Skywalker, even as Darth Vader, continued to love Amidala for many years after h
er death.
Skywalker had met the disguised Queen Amidala in his home of Mos Espa, where she
passed off as a commoner named Padm Naberrie. When he first met her, he initiall
y asked her if she was an Angel. However, he also ended up distraught when disco
vering that she was actually the Queen, which he admitted to Obi-Wan while parti
cipating in Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral. After parting ways after the Battle of Theed
, he continually thought of her, and his fascination grew for his bold and beaut
iful friend, who was four years his senior. They met again ten years later, and
his fascination blossomed into love. After a hair-raising series of adventures t
ogether, she began to return his affection, and the two married as the Clone War
s begun. Although they saw each other rarely and had to work hard to keep their
marriage a secret, Skywalker was deeply in love and vowed to protect Amidala fro
m the fate he could not save his mother from. In the end, his fear for Amidala,
who he believed would die in childbirth, turned him to the dark side, and after
he incapacitated her on Mustafar, she lost the will to live but still believed t
hat he could be redeemed, which her memory in Luke helped do.
With Amidala, Skywalker had twin children, although he did not know of their exi
stence until at least 19 years after they were born. Both were born at the secre
t base of Polis Massa, and their mother, Amidala, died shortly after their birth
. Luke, the eldest of the two, was raised on the harsh desert planet of Tatooine
(which, coincidentally, was also the home of Anakin Skywalker) by his father's
step-brother, Owen Lars, and his wife Beru. He was to follow in his father's foo
tsteps and become a respected Jedi. Leia was raised by the Royal Family of Alder
aan in its capital, Aldera. She was given the name Leia Organa, which later chan
ged to Leia Organa Solo when she married. She would follow a similar path to her
mother's, becoming a respected young Senator serving the galaxy, but also a lea
ding member of the Rebel Alliance, which her mother helped to create. The two ch
ildren were hidden from the Empire, the Emperor, their father and each other, no
t knowing of each other's existence until they were in their early twenties, and
finding out they were related much later. In the end, both of them played a key
role in defeating the Sith and the Empire, but it was Luke who ultimately defea
ted Darth Vader and redeemed Anakin Skywalker.[4]
Luke Skywalker
Vader did in fact love his son and after learning of Luke Skywalker's existence,
Vader immediately sought him. He originally wished for Skywalker to give into t
he dark side and join him so they could defeat the Emperor and rule the galaxy t
ogether as father and son. When Vader first revealed to Skywalker that he was hi
s father, Skywalker refused to believe him and fled from him. Although Skywalker
would eventually come to accept that Vader was his father and tried to redeem h
im rather than destroy him. When Skywalker was being tortured by Palpatine, in a
n act of love Vader killed Palpatine to save his son. Through his love for Luke,
Vader was redeemed as Anakin Skywalker.[4]
Leia Organa Solo
Before Vader was aware of the fact that Leia Organa was his daughter, he treated
her as an enemy to the Empire and severely tortured her aboard the Death Star.[
12] Organa saw Vader as an evil person and monster that was willing to destroy t
he weak. Vader later learned of his relationship with Organa when he probed Skyw
alker's mind by using the Force.[4] After his death, Vader, now as a redeemed An
akin Skywalker, confronted Organa as a Force ghost and tried to seek forgiveness
, but was turned away. He promised Organa that he would be there for her when sh
e needed him. Organa eventually forgave her father after she read her grandmothe
r's diary and learned that Vader was not the monster she thought he was. Organa
even named her second son Anakin in honor of her father.
Palpatine
While undergoing his training as a Padawan, Anakin Skywalker looked up to Palpat
ine as a father figure, due to his feeling isolated by the Jedi Order. When Skyw
alker learned that Palpatine was in fact the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, he deeply
considered killing Sidious to maintain his duty to the Jedi Order, but Sidious'
promises to save Padm Amidala, as well as Sidious' insinuation that killing him
would be a further fall to the dark side of the Force, caused him to relent, alt
hough he nonetheless reported Palpatine and Sidious' connection to Mace Windu. U
ltimately, he ended up saving Sidious, which he later regretted when Sidious kil
led Windu in return. Afterwards, Skywalker, or rather, Vader, considered betrayi
ng Sidious after wiping out the Jedi Order,[10] largely because he realized Sidi
ous didn't actually have the power to save Padm, although his injuries at Mustafa
r forced him to reconsider. After Padm's death and his duel on Mustafar, Vader's
relationship with the Emperor became an unusual and complicated one. Vader resen
ted Sidious for essentially creating him and mentioned on numerous occasions tha
t he intended to kill the Dark Lord and take his place. On the other hand, howev
er, Vader passed up numerous opportunities over the years to either kill Sidious
or allow him to die. Lumiya, one of Vader's apprentices, would later describe S
idious as Vader's "only link to the world of the living" after Padm's death.[266]
This essentially implied that, while part of Vader hated his Master, he was als
o the closest thing Vader had to a friend during his tenure as a Sith Lord.
After the Clone Wars, Vader served as the executor of Sidious' will, exterminati
ng much of the Jedi Order and suppressing various anti-Imperial rebellions. Ulti
mately, the redeemed Anakin Skywalker would end up killing Sidious when the latt
er was attempting to kill the former's son Luke. This action would result in Ana
kin bringing balance to the Force.[4]
Powers and abilities
"Well, he is a cunning warrior, and one of our best pilots."
"But he is reckless with his gifts."
?Kit Fisto and Adi Gallia[src]
Lightsaber training
Skywalker Kenobi Lucasarts
Skywalker in a lightsaber stance, beside his master
Jedi Knight
"If you had spent as much time practicing your saber techniques as you do your w
it, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman."
"I thought I already did."
"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice."
?Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker[src]
Anakin Skywalker was trained by the Order's most promising Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan
Kenobi. Through him, Skywalker would inherit a rich tradition of lightsaber trai
ning. Skywalker's style featured elements of many masters, making him outstandin
gly talented, even at a very young age.[267]
Both Form V variants became the favored fighting styles of Anakin Skywalker, as
their aggressive and strength-oriented fighting methods fit well with his arroga
nt, confrontational personality type. Due to his natural talent for lightsaber c
ombat, he advanced quickly, an achievement which fed his ego, and he came to con
sider himself a match for Yoda. His specialty in the Shien form stood him in goo
d stead during heated engagements with blaster-wielding foes, such as the Battle
of Geonosis, and he became a formidable lightsaber duelist.[11][267] Skywalker
also studied Form VI to develop his skills with dual-blades, though he commented
that he was working on this mostly as an exercise in control, and was doubtful
that he would ever need to apply it.[251] Skywalker's assumption was proven wron
g when he wielded dual lightsabers against Dooku during the First Battle of Geon
osis[11] and several other times during the Clone Wars.
However, Skywalker eventually realized how much he still had to learn when he co
nfronted Count Dooku. Initially utilizing a dual-bladed variant of Ataru against
the Count, Skywalker was forced to revert to his standard Form V practices when
Dooku destroyed the extra blade.[11] His skill was enough for Anakin to stand t
oe-to-toe with Dooku even longer than his Master did, actually impressing the ma
sterful Count with his skills, but he was forced to draw heavily on his Force-ab
ilities to match Dooku's speed and precision, tiring quickly. Dooku's far more e
nergy efficient Makashi style won the day, and Skywalker lost his arm when he op
ened himself up.[53]
Makashi
Anakin Skywalker utilizing Djem So against Dooku.
As the Clone Wars progressed, Skywalker spent the following years of the conflic
t developing his skills in its many pitched battles. He began studying the Djem
So variant of Form V and used brute strength to overwhelm his opponents, and was
 also known to attack his opponents by lunging at them.[268] Evidence of his pro
wess included confrontations with the Dooku-trained Asajj Ventress or Grievous'
IG-100 MagnaGuards, as well as numerous sparring matches with Obi-Wan Kenobi.[26
9] Relying on both strength and agility, Skywalker proved able to adequately fen
d off or evade enemy attacks while immediately offering counters.[270] By the ti
me of the Battle of Teth, Skywalker was able to effectively hold his own against
Dooku, as shown by their confrontation on Tatooine.[78] He occasionally applied
Ataru-styled acrobatics during combat, but he preferred to rely on pure Djem So
during lightsaber duels. The aggressive Form V encouraged practitioners to acti
vely attempt to dominate their foes, and as the war progressed, Skywalker drew o
n his anger and rage with mounting frequency, sliding ever closer to the dark si
de of the Force.[269] When confronting Dooku for the last time, Skywalker relied
heavily on these emotions to fuel his offense, demonstrating both overwhelming
strength and bewildering speed as he bashed through Dooku's precision defense an
d sliced off both of the Count's hands before brutally executing him.[10] Before
his death, Dooku acknowledged Skywalker as the finest Djem So stylist that he h
ad ever seen.[269]
It also proved to Sidious that Skywalker was ready to become his apprentice.[269
]
Sith Lord
" one can do some interesting things with a saber, you know. I'll do my best to sh
ow them all to you if you'll cooperate by not passing out."
?Darth Vader[src]
Kenobi Vader Mustafar
Vader's Djem So faces off against Kenobi's Soresu.
When Anakin Skywalker at long last embraced the dark side and was rechristened D
arth Vader, he maintained his Form V mastery, but utilized it in an even more br
utal fashion, becoming a frightening opponent. However, his aggression became hi
s fatal flaw, as he would become so controlled by it that it would give way to h
is rage. Though young, strong, athletic, and a master swordsman gifted with more
raw Force power than any other Force adept, he lacked the experience, calm, and
focus that his former master possessed. Though Vader could, and would call on t
he dark side to overpower his opponents, his mounting emotions distracted him, c
louding his judgment and preventing him from executing his form as well as Kenob
i executed his. Whereas Vader's strength lay in his offensive barrage, Kenobi's
strength resided in his staunch defense.[269]
Kenobi was regarded as the greatest master of the passive style Soresu in the Je
di Order, and his absolute dedication to it would prove vital to his victory. Va
der, frustrated by his inability to break through this defense, began making mis
takes and leaving openings that he otherwise would have avoided had he remained
focused and patient. Kenobi, similar to his final duel with General Grievous, wo
uld utilize his "wait them out" philosophy, relying entirely on the defensive an
d energy-conservative moves until the opponent became frustrated or fatigued, ca
using them to leave sloppy openings in their offense that Kenobi could then expl
oit. Vader's frustration and arrogance eventually caused him to make a tacticall
y fatal decision, and resulted in his defeat and severe mutilation.[269]
Initially after gaining the suit, Vader was forced to rely on his newly enhanced
strength and reach, utilizing a clumsy method that consisted of little more tha
n stiffly executed vertical strikes that served to wear down his opponent. This
initial method was seen to elements of Soresu and Ataru bladework in conjunction
with his clumsy Djem So strikes, as witnessed by Jedi Master Roan Shryne when V
ader engaged Bol Chatak.[174]
Kento vs Vader
Vader battling Kento Marek
However, Vader was able to overcome this limitation fairly quickly, developing a
refined version of Djem So that continued to include Ataru and Soresu elements,
but added Makashi[16] and Juyo[271] to the mix. In fact, by the time of his fir
st visit to Kashyyyk, Vader had incorporated aspects of all combat forms into hi
s fighting style even the highest and most dangerous ones. Rather than attempting
to fight through the bulky and heavy armor, Vader fought with it, utilizing the
armor's weight and his powerful prosthetics to provide his blows with incredible
force, while relying on the main articulation points at the elbows and wrists f
or precision.[174] With this new form, Vader regained some of his old agility, a
nd his bladework became brutally effective. He never utilized anything less than
a killing blow, and his swordplay demonstrated extraordinary precision, unpredi
ctability, and speed, notwithstanding the two-handed grip he typically favored.
Even his most simplistic moves contained enough strength to nearly disarm his op
ponents.[16][174] The additional weight and bulk of Vader's cybernetics and armo
r made engaging in Ataru-esque acrobatics considerably more difficult than it ha
d been, and he typically refrained from making use of such maneuvers. He was how
ever, still fully capable of performing such acrobatics when pressed.[174]
Vader proved able to apply this personalized variant in many ways, sometimes opt
ing to fight one-handed, relying on precision and economy of movement, but thank
s to the added strength his prosthetics afforded him, he maintained a great deal
of power. He demonstrated this method against the likes of Olee Starstone and L
uke Skywalker.[174][253] When forced onto the defensive, Vader would fight with
a two-handed grip, elbows pressed tightly to his sides with the blade held strai
ght out in front of him, manipulating it deftly with his wrists only. This metho
d proved effective for protecting his vulnerable chest-mounted control panel, bu
t, at least in his early applications of it, it was not as effective at protecti
ng his limbs. Vader applied this defensive style against Roan Shryne during the
subjugation of Kashyyyk and Obi-Wan Kenobi during their final duel on board the
first Death Star.[12][174]
While he utilized his customized style to great effect, even against multiple op
ponents, Vader occasionally eschewed precision and refinement for strength-orien
ted offensive barrages, as demonstrated during his duel against Luke Skywalker o
n Bespin and against Shryne on Kashyyyk.[174][253] Vader apparently learned his
lesson from his duel with Kenobi, learning how to contro