Dark Siders: The Three Actors Who Played Darth Vader

Even if I wanted to put in Jake Lloyd (which I don’t), he technically wasn’t Darth Vader. He was Anakin Skywalker, a confused little genius of a brat. So we won’t be tackling him here. Instead, we’ll be talking about the three actors who have played Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies, and what I thought of them.

Image source: elconfidencial.com

Sebastian Shaw

This Englishman was by all accounts, an amazing thespian. So amazing in fact, that with a very minor role in Return of the Jedi</> that consisted of only a handful of minutes of screen time, he brought unabashed sadness and gravitas to the role of Darth Vader. His labored breathing and unmistakable regret as he was unmasked, let us all know that Anakin had finally redeemed himself. Fans weep at the scene every single time.

James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones has one of the most remarkable actors in film history. His basso profundo of a voice is one of the most recognizable in Hollywood. As the voice of Darth Vader, he added a majestic menace to one of the most powerful Sith lords to have ever lived. We are all pins and needles, waiting for hear him once again in Rogue One.

Image source: screenrant.com

Hayden Christensen

Hayden Christensen was the Anakin Skywalker of this generation. Although I am partially put off by his whiny portrayal of what could arguably be the Jedi’s greatest tragedy, he pulled it off in the end. His transformation and eventual allegiance to the Sith was pretty convincing.

Hey there! I‘m Wendy Eber, a proud Star Wars fan who’s very much one with the Force. Follow my Twitter page to get more insights on Star Wars.

Failure and Fulfillment Of Prophecy in the ‘Star Wars’ Saga

Perhaps one of the hotly-contested issues debated in “Star Wars” is the nature of the prophecy mentioned in the prequel trilogy of the saga. As we know, the Jedi had assumed that Anakin was the Chosen One, meant to bring back balance to the Force, due to the circumstances of his conception and his preternatural proficiency with the Force. However, this was subverted when he fell to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader.

Image source: screeninsight.blogspot.com

This has been subject to many, many interpretations, among them the popular and incorrect truism that “balance” was achieved when Anakin, as Vader, brought the Jedi Order’s down to two individuals on equal footing with the Sith. One other interesting observation was that the third movie, “Revenge of the Sith,” meant to subvert the very existence of the prophecy and the Jedi’s reliance on it by implying that Anakin was conceived by experiments made by Darth Sidious (i.e. the Emperor) and his Sith master. By falling to the Dark Side, Anakin completely subverts the legends, at least until the events of the “Return of the Jedi.”

One of my favorite old expanded universe books “Darth Plagueis” (forever my headcanon) explains this further, putting Sidious’ lines in context and tying into the end of “Return of the Jedi”; while it did state that Anakin was associated with the Sith’s hijinks in experimenting with the midi-chlorians, symbiotic organisms responsible for a living thing’s connection with the living Force, he was conceived by them in retaliation, creating the means to destroy the Sith once and for all.

Other expanded universe works notwithstanding; the Sith really were destroyed when Vader saves Luke by killing the Emperor at the expense of his life support. Through this, Anakin destroyed both the Master (the Emperor) and the apprentice (Vader, by becoming the good man he once was and by literally dying in the process).

Thus, the “Star Wars” saga plays around with myth of the chosen one, explaining how a prophecy can still come true in the metaphysical sense even when circumstances lead to it being subverted at every turn (to the point that the Jedi wonder surmise that they misinterpreted it). The headstrong, troubled Anakin gives in to the corrupting influence of the Sith while the Jedi Order, clouded by the corruption of the Dark Side, are rendered ineffectual and out of touch to even sense the machinations corrupting him. However, it is the resentment caused by the very emotions that once lorded over Vader, coupled with love for the family he lost, which led to him choosing to turn against the Emperor, thus leading the prophecy to come true.

Image source: whatculture.com

From a certain point of view, that is.

Wendy Eber here, teacher, fanfic writer (I once wrote about a droid named Eber-CT), and follower of all things ‘Star Wars.’ Follow me on Twitter for more ‘Star Wars’ stuff.