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What are your favorite Vader moments across Star Wars? (movies, comics, games, EU, etc.)

SpottieO

SpottieO

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,272
In honor of James Earl Jones what are some of your favorite Vader moments across Star Wars?

My favorite recent moment is his appearance at the end of Rogue One. Just incredibly menacing and imposing in an incredibly short amount of time. I'm also partial to Dr Aphra's little team up with him however one sided that was lol. Just some funny moments between the two.


View: https://imgur.com/a/KhE2uMq
 
DrForester

DrForester

Mod of the Year 2006
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,968
Always felt like the Rogue One scene, great as it was, could have been even better had it been Vader's only appearance in the film. Don't set him up earlier with that scene with Krenic and the shock would have been incredible.



As for my favorite, it's not moments that make Vader look too good, but in one of the new Thrawn novels the Emperor sends Vader and Thrawn on a mission together and Thrawn keeps letting Vader know that he knows who he is throughout the entire book and it's kind of hilarious.
 
Multievolution

Multievolution

Member
Jun 5, 2018
3,596
"I find your lack of faith disturbing" implies so much with so few words, but they're all amazing. Also loved playing as him for the first level in the force unleashed, always wished we could play as him more in that one.
 
PBalfredo

PBalfredo

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,647
Vader's unmasking in Return of the Jedi. We finally see what's under all that dark imposing armor... and it's just a sad old man, full of regret. There is no grand reveal. Even the way he's scarred up, as was hinted at in Empire, resists making him "cool". He's just a man.
It's perfect.


david-prowse-explained-how-sebastian-shaw-got-the-role-of-dying-darth-vader-in-star-wars-return-of-the-jedi.jpg




...but since I realize this James Earl Jones-less example is probably not in the spirit of why this thread came to be, my second favorite Vader scene was his cathartic reunion with Ahsoka in Rebels. They went out of their way to get both James Earl Jones and Matt Lanter for this scene, stitching together the two sides of Anakin/Vader and it's tremendous.

Ahsoka-Tano-fighting-Darth-Vader-in-Star-Wars-Rebels.jpeg
 
DarthKamen

DarthKamen

Keeper of the White Materia
Member
Jun 22, 2023
2,067
In general, it's probably "Surrounded? All I'm surrounded by is fear...and dead men" from one of the comics.

For a voiced example, Vader's clash with Ahsoka, with James Earl Jones voice layered in with Matt Lanter's. Absolutely amazing.
 
Jintor

Jintor

Saw the truth behind the copied door
Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,588
i can't help but feel there's a whole story of emo anakin all fucked up in his feels just raging as darth that i am missing out on that I need to find a way into
 
ArcticWolf

ArcticWolf

Member
Nov 29, 2022
1,133
PBalfredo said:
Vader's unmasking in Return of the Jedi. We finally see what's under all that dark imposing armor... and it's just a sad old man, full of regret. There is no grand reveal. Even the way he's scarred up, as was hinted at in Empire, resists making him "cool". He's just a man.
It's perfect.


david-prowse-explained-how-sebastian-shaw-got-the-role-of-dying-darth-vader-in-star-wars-return-of-the-jedi.jpg
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Probably why I'm aggressively against the second and up remasters of the Star Wars trilogy. Replacing Sebastian Shaw's ghost with Hayden Christensen is just weird and undermines the sort of image of him as "Just some kid's dad". Yeah it's for continuity to the prequel trilogy but it's a nicer image at the end to look like a non-descript father.

i38mj69c8oo61.jpg
 
Tendo

Tendo

Member
Oct 26, 2017
10,870
Great mentions here already.

This may be a video game spoiler but...

Vaders appearance at the end of Jedi: Fallen Order. He's mentioned a few times but I never thought we'd see him in game. And when we do he is a MENACE. Taking out the Second Sister, and all Cal can do is run While Vader pursues, absolute wrecking things as you try to escape. Incredible sequence.
 

B.K.

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,743
When he says "Luke, I am your father".

ArcticWolf said:
Probably why I'm aggressively against the second and up remasters of the Star Wars trilogy. Replacing Sebastian Shaw's ghost with Hayden Christensen is just weird and undermines the sort of image of him as "Just some kid's dad". Yeah it's for continuity to the prequel trilogy but it's a nicer image at the end to look like a non-descript father.

i38mj69c8oo61.jpg
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It's funny seeing people watch Return of the Jedi for the first time and asking who that is when Young Anakin appears at the end.
 
You know who I am

You know who I am

Member
Aug 17, 2024
564
Tendo

Tendo

Member
Oct 26, 2017
10,870
You know who I am said:
In memory of both James Earl Jones and John Cassaday, I think I'm going to start reading this tonight for the first time:

star-wars-2015-volume-1-cover.jpg


unseenlibrary.com

Throwback Thursday – Star Wars (2015) Volume 1: Skywalker Strikes by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday

Publisher: Marvel Comics Publication Date: 6 October 2015 Length: 160 pages My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Amazon Reviewed as part of my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, revie…
unseenlibrary.com unseenlibrary.com
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If this is the run I think it is the end of the first volume is a great Vader scene, and coincides with the end of the first volume of Vader.
 
fulltimepanda

fulltimepanda

Member
Oct 28, 2017
6,208
Rogue One scene remains the best, I really need to rewatch it one of these days. Felt like it was the first time we saw Vader somewhat in his prime.

Similarly I loved him at the end of Fallen Order, how the whole scene goes down is crazy. From everyone freezing up on hearing his breath to how he proceeds to just trash the place.

Probably a bit under the rug but getting to see the split between anakin/vader in Obi-wan was some great stuff too.
 
dodo

dodo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,090
The dinner party scene in Empire is probably my favorite. I love how catty he is; it's what elevates him from being a simple heavy.
 

B.K.

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,743
adj_noun

adj_noun

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
19,137
Soapbox Killer said:
"I find your lack of faith disturbing"
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There's a wonderful short story about that scene written from the chokee's perspective in From A Certain Point of View.

It's basically a long, gloriously whiny office politics type letter of complaint to Evil HR about how the Empire's work situation is unacceptably unprofessional when wheezing wizards can TK pinch off your windpipe whenever they get their Sy in a Snootles
 
TheSkullPrince

TheSkullPrince

Member
Oct 28, 2017
28,278
California
His lines in the OT. Some of the best one-liners in all of cinematic history.

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further"

"The Emperor Is Not As Forgiving As I Am." - This one in particular is one of my favorite lines ever. We'd seen up until then how fucked up Vader could be, and he's straight up saying the Emperor is worse, that was some scary shit lol
 
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You know who I am

You know who I am

Member
Aug 17, 2024
564
Tendo said:
If this is the run I think it is the end of the first volume is a great Vader scene, and coincides with the end of the first volume of Vader.
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I just finished the first issue and it's certainly a great Darth Vader and Star Wars issue. I have never been much more than a casual Star Wars fan and I feel like I'm discovering a good decade's worth of comics by some of my favorite creators. It's bittersweet that I started today, but better late than never.
 
Voror

Voror

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,046
"I find your lack of faith disturbing" is a fantastic one.

The aforementioned scene from Rebels with Ashoka.

I always think back to how his fight with Luke in ESB starts for the sheer menace of it. "The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet."
 
KezayJS1

KezayJS1

Member
Apr 25, 2021
2,149
I did really like the scene in Obi Wan Kenobi where Vader pulled back a ship that was moments after taking off with thrusters on max and then systematically unraveling it while bringing it back to the ground.
 
Hello Snake

Hello Snake

Banned
Nov 25, 2020
1,995
Canada
I don't know about favorite, but what comes to mind were his appearances in Rebels and how epic those moments were. Also his appearances in Rogue One and (video game spoiler) Jedi Fallen Order which came as a surprise to me as I played it
 
Naijaboy

Naijaboy

The Fallen
Mar 13, 2018
16,451
In a dream match set in the EU, Palpatine pits Vader against a clone of Darth Maul, every bit as powerful as the old one. It looks like they are evenly match, but Vader wins by going one step beyond normal hate: by stabbing himself.

main-qimg-5f3a1f0984324c656ec9fbe03ed36707-lq



And those final lines are just perfect for the depiction of Anakin.
 
JediMasterMatt

JediMasterMatt

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
689
"You already have, Luke."

Although, technically that is an Anakin Skywalker moment.

One of my subtle and often missed favorite Vader as a character moments was at the end of Empire when the Falcon gets away and for the first time, he doesn't enact revenge on the crew and walks past a very rightfully nervous Admiral Piett. Thus proving that he really didn't want to capture the Falcon as it would've compelled him to take his son to Palpatine. As someone who experienced this in the the theater back in '80, this was the final confirmation that he was telling Luke the truth beyond the Force call and response "Father"/"Son, come with me".

Also, in Jedi on the landing platform when Luke does reach him and he does acknowledge regretfully that Obi-Wan also once believed in him.

And alas, in the same movie him finally realizing he's had the power all along to save the ones he loves from death - via self sacrifice. Just minus the obnoxious "no"s.
 
Morrigan

Morrigan

Spear of the Metal Church
Member
Oct 24, 2017
35,472
"Apology accepted"
"I have altered the deal"

Love the Vader quips 🥰

Oh and Rogue One of course. And (video game appearance spoilers):
Both his appearance in Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor were really nice
 
Saturday

Saturday

One Winged Slayer - Shinra Employee
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
7,246
"It is too late for me, son."

IIRC It's like, the only actual time in the original trilogy that tries to show on screen a Vader you can try to sympathize with.

That single exchange where Luke audibly says out loud that Darth is shook (and it really hasn't been talked about until that point) does a lot of emotional heavy lifting. Remove the prequel trilogy, and that's a one-line tragedy.

It's one of the only lines I can really remember from the OG trilogy, outside of the memetic ones which are kinda just remembered for laughs.
 
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