The most terrifying villain ever, Darth Vader is a force of nature. He has proven multiple times why an entire galaxy came to fear him and respect him. These are some vintage badass Darth Vader moments for star wars fans.
Enslaved An Entire Species
The Noghri are a warrior race hailing from a distant planet in the far reaches of the Galaxy. They are extremely agile and have quick reflexes. They are renowned for their courage under fire. The Noghri have evolved via thousands of years of natural selection to survive not only survive in a nigh inhospitable planet but also prosper. Darth Vader was so impressed with their combat skills that he made the entire race his slave in exchange for helping them purify their planet’s poisonous atmosphere. Vader periodically poisons the Noghri’s planet for ensuring their servitude.
Killing Prince Xizor
Within the Star Wars universe, there exists a criminal organization that is almost as powerful and far-reaching as the Empire. The Black Sun is responsible for all organized crime activities in the Galaxy. And the one who leads that organization is Prince Xizor. Xizor is hostile towards Darth Vader. Both do not see eye to eye. Vader was responsible for the death of his family. When Xizor finds out Luke is Darth Vader’s son, he puts a death mark on Luke’s head. Xizor just wanted to get in the Emperor’s good graces. Vader does not take it lightly. Vader uses this opportunity to blow up Xizor’s massive battle station with Xizor inside it.
Defeats Darth Maul By Powering Himself With Hatred For Himself
In Star Wars Tales 9: Resurrection, Darth Vader is tasked with wiping out a rebel cell that has stolen Death Star plans. While on his way, he encounters another hostile faction. This faction calls itself Prophets Of The Dark Side. They believe Darth Vader is unworthy and call in their champion to take him down and replace him. A resurrected Darth Maul arrives and fight Darth Vader. Vader uses his intense ferocity to gain the upper hand and defeat him. When asked whose hatred allowed him to muster up so much power to defeat Darth Maul, Vader states – “Myself.”
Force Choking An Imperial Officer Via Hologram
Lord Vader has an infamous reputation for killing his fellow Imperial Officers. He doesn’t do it just out of spite. In fact, he rather enjoys it. the most notable example is Admiral Ozzel. Ozzel’s unprofessional approach alerted the rebel soldiers at the Ice Planet Hoth of an Imperial presence. This gave them a head-start to escape unscathed. Vader, unpleased and disappointed, Force chokes Ozzel for this mistake as the Officer standing next to him is forced to maintain his composure. That’s the amount of fear Lord Vader instils in people.
Singlehandedly Wipes Out An Entire Rebel Army
This is by far the greatest Vader vs. Rebels showdown in the history of Star Wars. Its a pity we may never see this on the screens. Darth Vader’s ship is brought down by Luke Skywalker. Vader’s ship crash lands on Vrogas Vas, a desolate planet that houses a rebel army. The Rebels are confident because Vader is but one man. This is what Vader says: “All I am surrounded by is fear….and dead men.” He uses the force to ignite the grenades on the Rebel soldiers. After defeating the army, he lets Leia Organa escape and call in reinforcements to his position. The reason – his bloodlust is not over.
Took Down Phoenix Squadron
Anakin Skywalker is one of the best pilots of the Galaxy. Luke Skywalker inherits those skills from his father. When Anakin became Vader, his skills as a pilot only improved. Phoenix Squadron is one of, if not the, best fighter squadrons in the Galaxy. They have taken down multiple TIE Fighter squadrons on their own. Darth Vader took them all down on his own. When he was done, Phoenix Squadron was all but obliterated.
Uses The Force To Swat A Massive Imperial Walker Like A Housefly
This was the first time Darth Vader appeared in Star Wars: rebels. In the first episode of season 2, Darth Vader’s presence itself is so strong even the Phoenix Squadron is hesitant to make a move. The Squadron and Ezra and Kanan know they cannot stop him using brute force. So they come up with an innovative trap. Using explosives to detonate the legs of an Imperial Walker, they intend to crush Vader. They think the plan worked. Lord Vader pushed the massive Imperial Walker aside using the force, swatting it like a bug. Neither the explosion nor the humongous weight of the walker has phased him. Yep, he’s a badass!!!
Deflects a Laser Blaster Shot with His Hand
Star Wars has shown us the love story between the lightsaber and the laser blaster. The lasers deflect off of the lightsabers’ blade in a never ending swan song of sorts. But have you seen anyone use their hand to deflect a laser shot? That’s Darth Vader for you. After Lando Calrissian flies Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Chewbacca into a trap, the quartet is greeted by Vader. Solo instinctively reaches for his blaster and fires the gun. Vader just waves it off with his hand, like he is giving them a warm welcome.
The Hallway Of Terror Walk in Rogue One
This scene from Rogue One (the best Star wars movie EVER – There we said it) is so terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time. The build up to this scene was nerve wracking Somebody has stolen the plans to the Death Star and it is up to Darth Vader to finish the job. When Vader walks that hallway of the failing rebel ship, the soldiers fighting the empire have already given up, This shot proved why Darth Vader is a force to be reckoned with. The Hallway Of Terror scene will go down in history as one of the most badass moments of Darth Vader.
Mocking Palpatine
In the Darth Vader comic book series, it is revealed Darth Vader is not as beloved within his own army. The top brass, including the Emperor, almost always have a bone to pick with him. Emperor Palpatine regularly sends Darth Vader on suicide missions. It is not because he believes in Vader. He just wants him to die. Darth Vader survives every time, even meeting all objectives of the mission. After every mission, Darth Vader tells Palpatine to try harder next time.
His Mere Presence
It has been stated in various movies, shows, and comic book arcs that Darth Vader has a particularly powerful presence. Whenever he is nearby, his enemies feel a chill running down their spine. Many a times, they are left paralyzed, unable to move. This presence is so strong even the people who have never met him know its Darth Vader. This is no coincidence. Darth Vader uses the Dark Side to instill a level of fear in their enemies that makes them complacent and submit to his might. Imagine defeating your enemy just by standing still. That’s Darth Vader for you.
