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Darth Vader

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when Anakin Skywalker came under the tutelage of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, he was unwittingly led down a path to the Dark Side of The Force. Despite the teachings of his friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin felt that the teachings of Palpatine led to quicker realization of the powers of The Force. Palpatine also twisted the truth of the situation to his needs, ensuring that every action of the Galactic Senate and the Jedi Order seemed to be part of a plot by the Jedi to take control of the galaxy. After the so-called Jedi Rebellion, Anakin gave in to Palpatine's urgings, and agreed to become Darth Vader, apprentice to the Dark Lord Darth Sidious. This forced Kenobi to confront Anakin on Mustafar, and in a lightsaber duel, Kenobi severed Anakin's arm and legs and left him to die near a river of molten lava. It was at this point that Anakin Skywalker was totally consumed by the Dark Side. He was rescued from the fire by Darth Sidious' agents, but had suffered incredible burns over much of his body. In order for Sidious to keep Anakin alive, medical droids had to create a life support system that encased his entire body. Prosthetic limbs replaced those that had been lost to Kenobi's blade, and replacement lungs were implanted to ensure his survival. At the Emperor's direction, the life-support suit was made as evil-looking as could be. The all-black body armor became Vader's main weapon, as it instilled fear in all who saw it. The Sith Lord also began training Vader in the ancient Sith lore, and Vader became the last of the Sith Dark Lords. As such, he became even more Palpatine's tool, able to create fear just by the mention of his name and the mysterious Sith teachings behind it. Early HoloNet news reports portrayed Vader as a hero of the New Order, having "stood against the rebellious leadership of the Jedi Knights, and nearly dying in order to protect the citizens of the galaxy." Palpatine sent Vader to support Grand Moff Tarkin during the time when the first Death Star was being readied for use. Vader oversaw the mission to recover the stolen plans, but was unable to get Princess Leia to divulge their location. He used the Millennium Falcon as a guide, and followed the fleeing ship to Yavin 4, only to lose the Death Star to the Alliance. Vader's ship was disabled during the battle, but he regained control. When the Emperor heard of the destruction of the first Death Star, he removed Vader's living right hand as punishment, and replaced it with a cybernetic prosthesis. Shortly thereafter, Vader went to Circarpous V to investigate the appearance of Leia Organa on the planet, as well as to locate the Kaiburr crystal. In an amazing duel with Luke Skywalker, Vader was hard-pressed to defeat Luke. Luke succeeded in defeating Vader, and even cut off the Dark Lord's right arm with his own lightsaber. In his dazed state, Vader fell into a sacrificial weel on the Temple of Pomojema and was lost. He survived, however, drawing on the Dark Side of the Force for support and strength. Once Palpatine was aware that Anakin Skywalker's son had survived and posed a possible threat to the Empire, he told Vader of the existence of Luke Skywalker, in an effort to completely gain control of any vestiges of Anakin Skywalker and convert them to Darth Vader. However, this plan backfired on Palpatine, as the remnants of Anakin began to surface. Following the relevation of Luke's relationship to Anakin, and the loss of Luke at Cloud City, Palpatine began to give Vader menial tasks, and tried to keep him away from Luke. He could not, however, and the part of Vader that was still Anakin continued to assert itself. The Battle of Endor was a turning point for Darth Vader. It was then that Luke Skywalker surrendered to Vader, and began to try and turn the Dark Lord back to the Light Side. The darker parts of Vader resisted, but Luke's love and devotion to his father strengthened the spirit of Anakin. When the Emperor was forced to kill Luke, Anakin was awakened, and with Vader's mechanized strength, he threw the Emperor into a power shaft, destroying Palpatine and the Empire. Darth Vader also ceased to exist at this point, as Anakin was able to return from the Dark Side. However, the struggle with the Emperor left the life support systems inoperable, and Anakin died before Luke could save him.