I decided to try my hand at digitally illustrating Darth Vader. This was done in Photoshop with a graphic tablet in my free time over a couple of days. I am pleased with the result. As I have mentioned before, I don’t think that this type of art is one of my strong-points, however it gives great satisfaction to make an attempt and see the results.
One thing I have noticed when working on these types of things is that imperfections can make it look better. To contrast, when I work in vector art forms or cad drawings I want things as precise and perfect as possible. With this type of art, if I work really hard trying to make things perfect, I am never happy with the result. However, if I worry less about the details, the overall piece becomes much more satisfying to me.
Since we are on the theme of Darth Vader, I decided to put together a little musing I’ve been thinking about recently.
When Did Vader Learn About Luke?
There is some controversy (or at least question) over when Darth Vader discovers that Luke is the son of Anakin in Episode V. To add to the debate, there have been two different versions of the conversation with the Emperor that cloud the situation even further. After Episode 1 came out, George Lucas redid the scene with the correct actor portraying the Emperor as well as adding some new dialog. See the original dialog below.
Original
Vader: What is thy bidding, my master?
Emperor: There is a great disturbance in the Force.
Vader: I have felt it.
Emperor: We have a new enemy — Luke Skywalker.
Vader: Yes, my master.
Emperor: He could destroy us.
Vader: He’s just a boy. Obi-Wan can no longer help him.
Emperor: The Force is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.
Vader: If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally.
Emperor: Yes. Yes. He would be a great asset. Can it be done?
Vader: He will join us or die, my master.
I think that this dialog worked just fine for continuity’s sake. It was implied that both the Emperor and Vader acknowledged (already knew) that Luke was the son of Anakin Skywalker. They just decided to have a chat about it to decide whether he should die, or be turned.
Special Edition
Vader: What is thy bidding, my master?
Emperor: There is a great disturbance in the Force.
Vader: I have felt it.
Emperor: We have a new enemy. The young Rebel who destroyed the Death Star. I have no doubt this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker.
Vader: How is that possible?
Emperor: Search your feelings, Lord Vader. You will know it to be true. He could destroy us.
Vader: He’s just a boy. Obi-Wan can no longer help him.
Emperor: The Force is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.
Vader: If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally.
Emperor: Yes… He would be a great asset. Can it be done?
Vader: He will join us or die, master.
This new dialogue makes the situation a bit more confusing. Did Vader know of Luke’s existence? Clearly he did, as evidenced by the text from the opening crawl, “The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space….”, and this conversation with Admiral Ozzle and General Veers, “That is the system! And I am sure Skywalker is with them.”
So, we know that Darth Vader is obsessed with finding Luke, whom he at least knows by name. The revised dialogue with the Emperor implies that Vader did not know that Luke was the son of Anakin when he says, “How is that possible?”
I don’t believe that this is the case. I’m sure he knew of Luke’s lineage. Although some people see this dialogue as contradictory and bizarre, I feel that it was quite intentional, and hints at a much deeper theme of the Vader/Emperor relationship.
In Episode 3, the Emperor informs Vader that, “I’m afraid she died. … it seems in your anger, you killed her,” speaking of course of Padme. Vader then copes with the deaths of both Padme and her unborn child. I believe that those deaths became the foundation of Vader’s later actions; that he couldn’t live with himself, and truly became the evil Vader we met in, “A New Hope.”
Vader is not taken aback by the fact that Luke is the son of Anakin, but rather that the Emperor is also aware of this fact. At this point in the conversation, the Emperor basically admits to Vader of his original deceit. I believe that with this new knowledge that the path Vader has followed with the Emperor has been founded upon lies regarding the person Vader loved most, we see the beginning the redemption process that is ultimately completed in, “Return of the Jedi.”
Now that I have thought about it, I have come to like the new dialogue and the added levels of intrigue it brings to the relationship of Darth Vader and the Emperor.
