Vader's diary

Vader's diary was the green-covered private journal of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader. He used it to record his thoughts on his day-to-day life, such as his excitement about a new helmet and trepidation about revealing his identity to his son, Luke Skywalker. One major record involved Vader's disappointment that the stormtroopers under his command had not acknowledged his birthday, which sent him spiraling into a depressive episode.
Between 0 ABY and 3 ABY, the stormtrooper Bob stole the diary from Vader's quarters and shared it with his colleague Kjazhed-Uhl. The two read the diary during a lunch break, commenting on its contents and uncovering previously unknown aspects of Vader's personality. After finishing the portion about his forgotten birthday, the stormtroopers found a new degree of pity for the Sith Lord, and one of them went on to quietly wish Vader a happy birthday.
==Description==
===Darth Vader's evil thoughts===
The Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader kept a diary, which had a green cover, a black spine, and was labeled with his name on the front. The book contained his thoughts on various events throughout his day-to-day life. One event recorded in it was his reaction to receiving a new helmet, which he considered a better fit and more menacing in appearance. Vader also added that he had little time to write as he was due for a meeting the following morning, which he detested as it conflicted with his desire to do evil. Vader commented that he had been having nightmares, spelling it "nitemares." On another page, the Sith Lord recorded his anxious feelings about having to meet his son, Luke Skywalker, who did not know the truth of his parentage.
Vader was unsure how he would communicate the truth and worried that his son would not believe him and would be angry to learn that his archnemesis was his father. He also mused that his son must have had a difficult time growing up fatherless, having experienced the same thing. Vader, not responding well to rejection, hoped that he would not have to kill Skywalker and that they could join together to rule the galaxy. Vader also reflected that he was a pessimist by nature and needed to be more confident. A subsequent page had a series of illustrations by Vader portraying him committing acts of violence with his lightsaber against Imperial officers and aliens. Further pages contained descriptions of Vader's hatred and atrocities he had committed, as well as an experience with an incurable rash.
===A sad birthday===
A notable portion of the diary included Vader's mistaken expectation that his stormtroopers had organized a surprise birthday party for him. His suspicion was based on a strange vibe he felt during a lineup as his birthday drew near, which he considered as a possible mutiny but reasoned that they would never be so stupid to attempt it. He also remembered that no birthday party had been thrown for him in previous years but figured that all of those stormtroopers had died and been replaced. Vader wrote that he had made hints about suitable gift ideas, such as a scooter or an electric toothbrush. Vader recorded the events of his birthday the following morning. His presence had been requested in a meeting, where he hoped to be surprised, but he saw only General Chymoelaan there.
Vader looked around to see if anyone was hiding, to no avail. While walking back to his quarters, he heard a party occurring, one for a stormtrooper who happened to share his birthday. Vader made a mental note to kill the stormtrooper. He walked into the room, causing all the stormtroopers to freeze. Feeling ostracized, Vader then left for his quarters. The Sith tried to console himself by considering his accomplishments but could not keep his depression out of mind. He hoped to sleep, but a lack of sleep for three days and a diet of only cheese curls in the past eighteen hours caused a deterioration in his mental state, to the point that he tried to call his dead mother. Vader passed out at some point in the night and became embarrassed by his actions when he awoke. He wrote in the diary that if anyone were to find out, he would have to kill them.
==History==
Darth Vader wrote about his day-to-day life in his diary and kept it in his quarters, hidden under a pile of magazines. Sometime between 0 ABY and 3 ABY,"Lunch Break" takes place in between when Darth Vader learns of the existence of Luke Skywalker and his duel with him on Cloud City. The former event occurs in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which The New Essential Chronology dates to 0 BBY, and the latter event is dated to 3 ABY, also by The New Essential Chronology. Therefore, Bob's theft of Vader's diary must have occurred between 0 ABY and 3 ABY. the stormtrooper Bob found Vader's diary while removing a corpse. He planned to read it over a weekend while Vader was away, considering it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. On a lunch break, Bob encountered fellow stormtrooper Kjazhed-Uhl, with whom he shared his discovery. Both stormtroopers decided to start reading, selecting the page about his new helmet first. After debating on whether Vader's spelling of nightmare as "nitemare" was correct, they decided to skip ahead, finding the passage where the Sith Lord reflected his feelings on his son.
The stormtroopers found Vader's illustrations next and considered them to be of poor quality. Looking for Vader's thoughts on themselves, Bob and Kjazhed-Uhl skipped ahead to the section on them, where they discovered his reaction to his birthday being forgotten. Both stormtroopers gained a greater understanding of Vader through reading the diary, believing it explained his tortured existence. Bob thought Vader needed a creative outlet such as painting or dancing, while Kjazhed-Uhl considered that addressing his issues head-on would be the solution. Sometime later, after Vader called an emergency meeting to find an intruder, one of the stormtroopers quietly wished the Sith a happy birthday, causing him to pause and look back at the trooper.
==Behind the scenes==
Vader's diary appeared in "Lunch Break," a non-canon comic written and illustrated by Jonathan Adams and released in Star Wars Tales sixteenth issue, published on June 25, 2003 by Dark Horse Comics.
==Appearances==
* 
==Notes and references==
Category:Journals and memoirs