Anakin Skywalker

* Anakin
* Darth Vader

## Anakin

Kirby Morrow (adult Anakin in LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles and Droid Tales)
James Earl Jones
Matt Sloan (video games, LEGO media)
Fred Tatasciore (Star Tours)
Eddie Pittman (Phineas and Ferb)

## Character information

### Personality

**Formerly**: Fearsome, ruthless, emotionless, cruel, cold, failure-intolerant, evil, terrifying, brutal, aggressive, violent
**Currently**: Loyal, fearless, charming, idealistic, heroic, honorable, moral, caring, good-hearted, protective, reckless, overconfident (sometimes), emotional (sometimes), prideful, rebellious, intelligent, wise, well-mannered, polite, respectful, calm, tragic, remorseful, impatient, tragic

### Occupation

Slave
Jedi Knight
Obi-Wan Kenobi's Padawan
Ahsoka Tano's master
Member of the Jedi High Council
Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic (all formerly)
Sith Lord
Darth Sidious' apprentice
Warlord of the Galactic Empire
Governor of the Inquisitorius
Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military (informally)
Ruler of Mustafar

### Alignment

Good
Bad (formerly)

### Goal

Save his loved ones from death (failed).
 Protect the Galactic Republic (failed/formerly).
 Use the Mustafarian Artifact to become immortal and bring Padmé back from the dead (failed).
 Turn his son Luke Skywalker to the dark side and rule over the entire galaxy and the Empire alongside him (failed/formerly).
 Ensure that the Death Star's construction is moving well without any disturbing interruptions (succeeded).
 Serve Darth Sidious (succeeded mostly; formerly).
 Hunt down and kill Cal Kestis and any other Jedi survivors from Order 66 (failed).
 Protect the Galaxy from the Galactic Empire and the Confederacy of Independent Systems (succeeded).
 Save Padmé from dying (failed).
 Save his son from Darth Sidious (succeeded).

### Home

Tatooine (formerly)
Coruscant (formerly)
Mustafar

## Relationships

### Allies

Darth Sidious (formerly), Padmé Amidala (formerly), Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano (formerly), Luminara Unduli, Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, R2-D2, C-3PO, Lando Calrissian (formerly), Mace Windu, Jar Jar Binks, Bail Organa (formerly), Watto, Rex, Cody, Wolffe, Plo Koon, Wullf Yularen, Asajj Ventress, Mas Amedda, Wilhuff Tarkin, Shaak Ti, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Barriss Offee (formerly), Depa Billaba, Adi Gallia, Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, Aayla Secura, Even Piell, Depa Billaba, Echo, Clone Force 99, Bo-Katan Kryze, Sora Bulq, Admiral Ackbar, Thrawn, Daughter, Father, Boba Fett, Kassius Konstantine, Bossk, Saw Gerrera, Lux Bonteri, Hondo Ohnaka, Steela Gerrera, Bossk, IG-88, Zuckuss, Dengar, 4-LOM, Orson Krennic, Admiral Piett

### Enemies

Darth Maul, Sebulba, General Grievous, Jango Fett, Darth Sidious, Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress (formerly), Battle Droids, Savage Opress, Obi-Wan Kenobi (formerly), Luke Skywalker (formerly), R2-D2 (formerly), Padme Amidala, C-3PO (formerly), Leia Organa (formerly), Han Solo (formerly), Lando Calrissian (formerly), Yoda (formerly), Mace Windu (formerly), Chewbacca (formerly), Bail Organa, Watto (formerly), Barriss Offee, Boba Fett (formerly), Tusken Raiders, Alexsandr Kallus, Aurra Sing, Cad Bane, Maketh Tua, Wedge Antilles, Bail Organa, Nute Gunray, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, Chopper, Jun Sato, Cal Kestis, Second Sister, Cere Junda

## Personal information

### Likes

Bragging and being with Padmé (formerly).
Being victorious in battle.
Mentoring and spending time with Ahsoka.
Studying the light side of the Force.
Hanging out with Obi-Wan.
 Piloting and Podracing.

### Dislikes

Mace Windu, the Jedi (formerly), the rebels, opposition to the Empire (Formerly), losing his loved ones, incompetence and failure (formerly), beign tempted by the dark side, being lied to, decieved, mistreated, disrespected, criticized or lectured, Ahsoka disobeying him, lack of faith, slavery, himself, high ranking Imperial officers

### Fate

Sacrifices himself to save Luke

**Anakin Skywalker** was a legendary Force-sensitive human male who was a Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic and the prophesied Chosen One of the Jedi Order, destined to bring balance to the Force. Also known as "**Ani**" during his childhood, Skywalker earned the moniker "Hero With No Fear" from his accomplishments in the Clone Wars. His alter ego, **Darth Vader**, the Dark Lord of the Sith, was created when Skywalker turned to the dark side of the Force, pledging his allegiance to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious at the end of the Republic Era.

A vergence in the Force, Anakin Skywalker was born on the desert planet of Tatooine in the Outer Rim Territories in 41 BBY. He was the son of Shmi Skywalker, a slave who conceived a child without a father. His blood contained over twenty-thousand midi-chlorians, surpassing that of Grand Master Yoda and all other Jedi in the galaxy. Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Master who discovered Skywalker during the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY, theorized that Skywalker was conceived by the midi-chlorians. Following the Battle of Naboo, the Jedi High Council admitted Anakin Skywalker into the Order as the Padawan of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi despite feeling that he was too old and emotional to adhere to the Jedi Code. Skywalker remained a Padawan through the beginning of the Clone Wars, instigated by events set in motion by Count Dooku. Although Jedi doctrine prohibited personal relationships, Anakin Skywalker had a secret wife, Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. During the early days of the Clone Wars, Skywalker served as a Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic, commanding the clone troopers of the elite 501st Legion against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. After receiving his knighthood, Skywalker oversaw the Jedi training of his own apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. By 19 BBY, when Tano walked away from the Jedi Order, Skywalker began to struggle with feelings of failure towards his apprentice and the Order itself.

Following the death of Count Dooku during the Battle of Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker's faith in the Jedi was further shaken when he was put on the Jedi Council without the rank of master. He also learned that Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine was Darth Sidious, the elusive Dark Lord of the Sith who orchestrated the war in order to take over the galaxy. Manipulated into believing that the Jedi had failed him and coupled with his fear of losing Amidala in childbirth, Skywalker betrayed and turned against the Jedi Order, believing Sidious had the knowledge to cheat death. Consumed by the persona of Darth Vader, the fallen Jedi Knight marched his legion on the Jedi Temple of Coruscant where they executed its inhabitants, including Jedi younglings, as part of Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge. Vader was then sent to Mustafar to exterminate the Separatist Council at the behest of his Sith Master, who became the self-proclaimed Galactic Emperor. Vader subsequently sustained severe injuries in his duel with Kenobi, and was rebuilt as an armored cyborg while his wife died of a broken heart, though not before giving birth to the twins Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa who were hidden from their father and the Emperor as the Galactic Empire rose to power.

Being the Emperor's Fist and acting as Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military despite not holding a military rank, Vader enforced the rule of the New Order as the Emperor's Sith apprentice throughout most of the Imperial Era. In the aftermath of killing Kenobi in their third rematch and the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, he discovered the existence of his son and was determined to turn Luke to the dark side. Luke sought to become a Jedi, like his father before him, and believed that Vader had the potential to turn back to the light side of the Force. Vader was defeated by Luke during the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, but the young Jedi refused to strike down his father in anger, causing the Emperor to torture Luke with Force lightning. The pain inflicted on his son awakened the part of Vader that was still Anakin, resulting in a redeemed Skywalker killing Sidious at the cost of his own life. Having destroyed the Sith and fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One, Skywalker made peace with his son and became one with the Force.

Anakin Skywalker was one of the most powerful Jedi and Sith in galactic history. The Force was especially strong in the Skywalker bloodline, which culminated in Anakin's grandson, Ben Solo, Organa's son who was born by the end of the Galactic Civil War in 5 ABY. Solo would turn to the dark side as well, becoming the dark warrior Kylo Ren during the rise of the First Order. Like his grandfather, however, Solo found redemption by sacrificing his life for the love of another—the Jedi apprentice Rey, who heard Skywalker's voice telling her to restore the balance, as he once had, during the Battle of Exegol in 35 ABY. Solo's death ended the Skywalker bloodline, although Rey, the granddaughter of Sidious, rejected her true heritage and took their surname to honor their legacy.

## Biography

### Early life

Believed to have been conceived by the midi-chlorians, Anakin Skywalker was born to the slave Shmi Skywalker. Although Skywalker was listed as born on the desert planet of Tatooine, a holographic log stated that Shmi and he moved to the planet when Skywalker was at a very young age. Regardless, Tatooine was Skywalker's homeworld. Skywalker and his mother were originally owned by Gardulla the Hutt until she lost them to the Toydarian Watto in a podracing bet when Skywalker was around age 3. Affectionately nicknamed "Ani," he worked in his master's shop, located in Mos Espa.

Even at a young age, Skywalker exhibited exceptional piloting skills, and built the protocol droid C-3PO, specially modified to withstand Tatooine's sand and heat for his mother. Once, while he was working in Watto's scrapyard, he found a broken servomotor which he thought he could repair and use on the droid that he was building and asked his master for it. With a glance, Watto saw that it was worthless and grunted that he could, but as Skywalker walked away, Watto told him nothing was free and had him work harder the next day. On one occasion, Skywalker and his mother were lost in a sandstorm, but the boy refused to listen to her when she demanded he return home if he could see it. Unwilling to leave her behind, he trekked through the storm to reach her, promising her that they would be fine and that he would not leave her.

Skywalker got the photoreceptors for the droid at a market in Mos Espa. Though a Gran wanted them too and chased him through the market, Skywalker escaped by destroying an Ithorian's stall and blocking the Gran's pursuit. Before he had even turned nine, Skywalker's work had ensured 3PO was operational. He was close friends with fellow slaves Kitster Banai and Wald, as well as the elderly Jira. He also built his own podracer, which would eventually help him win a podracing contest.

Over the course of his life on Tatooine, Skywalker never saw it rain. At some point, Watto told Anakin to go and throw away some scrap. When looking at it, Anakin found an ultra power cell, just what he needed for his pod. Suddenly, a swoop gang with a Devaronian member attacked the streets and shot the generator for the medical center. When Anakin examined it to see if he could repair the generator he saw that it needed a power cell. So, he took his power cell and saved the medical center. A week later, Anakin participated in a pod race with Sebulba who made him lose by cheating. Anakin stated that if he would have used the power cell on his own pod, he would have won but it was more important for the medical center to receive it.

On hard nights, Anakin's mother would tell him the story of the sun-dragon. Generations of Tatooine dwellers told of the sun-dragon myth with their own personal significance, but only Shmi's held the most feeling. The sun-dragon was a creature that lived inside the core of a star. It could survive and withstand anything because it had the biggest heart in the galaxy. It guarded everything it loved and treasured, through fire and flame. Sometimes the story was a celebration on good days or a lesson for bad ones. Anakin normally heard it on days where Watto was exceptionally cruel. Her intent was always clear, however. To Shmi, Anakin *was* the sun-dragon. He had the strongest heart in the galaxy and it would always guide him to do what he needed, so long as he trust in it. It was a story Anakin kept extremely close to his heart and shared with very few other people.

### Discovery

#### Found by the Jedi

One day, at the age of 9, Watto shouted for him to come inside the junk shop, to find a tall man, a young woman, a Gungan, and an astromech droid, conversing with Watto. Skywalker had first seen the young woman, Padmé Naberrie, when he looked up from his work, mistaking her for an angel, a species he had overheard spacers talk about, from the moons of Iego. Unknown to Skywalker, Naberrie was in fact Padmé Amidala, the Monarch of Naboo, who had switched places with one of her Royal Handmaidens, to visit Tatooine.

At Watto's instructions, Skywalker manned the shop while Watto took the man, Qui-Gon Jinn, into the junkyard. Skywalker was fascinated by the beauty of Padmé, so much that he asked her if she was an angel. Shortly after Watto and Jinn returned to the shop, Jinn informed his companions that they were leaving.

Fortunately for Skywalker, Watto allowed him to leave after he cleaned up the mess that Jar Jar Binks had made. As he headed home, Skywalker came across Binks, who was being attacked by Sebulba after the clumsy Gungan had disrupted the racer's meal. Breaking up the fight, Skywalker greeted Naberrie and the rest of her group when they arrived to see what was happening, and he convinced the group to follow him to Jira's fruit stand nearby. As he gave one of the pallies to Jinn, the boy was astonished to see a lightsaber on the man's waist when his poncho opened. When Jira warned the group that a sandstorm was coming, Skywalker insisted that the unprepared group come with him to his home.

When they reached his house, he introduced the group to his mother and explained about the sandstorm before pulling Naberrie into his room to show her his project. Naberrie was genuinely impressed by Skywalker's work on C-3PO, prompting him to turn the droid on, and he also told her about the podracer he was constructing. The group stayed at the Skywalkers' as the sandstorm continued to rage, and during a meal, he began to explain life as a slave, though a brief argument between Naberrie and Shmi about slavery led Anakin to the subject of podracing. Mustering his courage, Skywalker asked Jinn about his lightsaber, and he refused to believe the Jedi's statement that he was not there to free the slaves. As the conversation turned to the group's damaged Naboo Royal Starship, Skywalker volunteered to race in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace so that Jinn could get the prize money. When his mother objected, Anakin reminded Shmi of her belief that people needed to help one another, convincing her to allow Anakin to race for Jinn.

The next morning, Jinn and the others accompanied Skywalker to Watto's shop, and the boy began to tell Watto about Jinn's proposal when Naberrie stopped Jinn outside for a brief conversation. When Watto asked how Jinn intended to sponsor the boy, Jinn proposed that that his ship would cover the entry fee. Watto initially suggested they split the winnings fifty-fifty, when Jinn proposed that Watto front the cash for the entry, and keep all of the winnings minus the cost of a new hyperdrive. Watto accepted the deal, and Skywalker was dismissed immediately with instructions to check out Jinn's podracer. As Skywalker worked, his friends, Banai and Wald among them, arrived, but Wald and the others were skeptical of Skywalker's chances and left to go play elsewhere, except for Banai. Despite Skywalker's warnings, Binks became caught between the podracer's energy binders, causing his face to go numb. Anakin used a power pack that Jinn had lifted from Watto's shop to start the podracer, and the group was heartened to witness the engines activating and running perfectly.

That afternoon, Skywalker sustained a cut on his arm, though he did not notice it until later that night when Jinn tended to it and took a sample of his blood. Before Skywalker could get Jinn to tell him what he was doing with his blood, his mother called him inside their house for bedtime. He then sent this blood sample to Kenobi, who found that the young boy had even more midi-chlorians than esteemed Jedi Grandmaster Yoda.

##### Racing to freedom

With two eopies, Naberrie, Banai, Shmi, Anakin, R2-D2, and C-3PO hauled the podracer to the arena hangars, where Jinn had gone to meet with Watto. The Toydarian angrily left the hangar just as they arrived, confusing Skywalker with a comment about Jinn and betting, but Banai unintentionally revealed to Naberrie and the others that Skywalker had never actually finished a race, causing Naberrie to lose hope in the boy's chances.

A little while later, the racers and their pods entered the arena and lined up for the race, and Shmi stopped her son to ask him to be safe before he headed out to his racer. Not even Sebulba's threats rattled Skywalker as Jinn helped him into the podracer cockpit. But to Skywalker's dismay, when the starting light turned green, the pod's engines stalled immediately thanks to Sebulba's sabotage, leaving him stuck at the starting line with only Ben Quadinaros and his stalled racer as the rest of the competitors flew off. Realizing that he had left out one step to start the pod, he rapidly flipped switches and adjusted settings to reset the engines and succeeded in starting the engines, flying out of the arena and chasing after the others.

He soon caught up to the other racers, passing two before they even noticed him, and he prepared to pass the Troiken Gasgano as they approached Arch Canyon. Gasgano blocked his first few attempts, but Skywalker overtook him as they dropped over a short mesa and proceeded to slip into Arch Canyon quickly and without any trouble. Teemto Pagalies tried to push him into the rock, but Skywalker was able to pass him with a twist. Sebulba tossed a piece of debris behind him and into Mars Guo's left engine intake, clogging the motors inside. The engine intake stopped working before the entire engine combusted. With Guo crashing into the desert sands, Skywalker was free to move ahead, going neck and neck with Sebulba as they passed the grid line into the third lap.

Going into the third lap, Sebulba still held the lead, as narrow as it was. With Skywalker close behind, and now out of surprise tricks, Sebulba resorted to sheer brutality in order to either keep Skywalker behind him or batter the boy enough to destroy his pod. Approaching the Laguna Caves, a part of the course where Tyerell had crashed earlier, Sebulba rammed Skywalker off course, forcing him onto a steep service ramp. Boosting, Skywalker sped up the ramp at an exhilarating speed, propelling himself into the sky. The boy was quick to act and adjusted his pod accordingly, leveling his podracer's nosedive as he headed back for the ground. Not only did he save himself from an explosive wreck, but his jump off of the ramp put him directly in front of a surprised Sebulba. Skywalker continued to hold the lead until they ran into a series of archways. Suddenly, Skywalker's left engine bucked and began to give off a stream of dense smoke. Sebulba's earlier sabotage was beginning to take effect as Skywalker pushed his pod to its limit. Skywalker managed to resolve his engine difficulties and quickly regained his ground, passing up several other podracers before gaining a tail on Gasgano. Although Skywalker had had issues with passing the Xexto earlier in the race, this time he swerved past Gasgano with little effort and eventually flew parallel with Sebulba as they headed for the final stretch of the course.

As they approached the arena, Sebulba blocked every attempt of Skywalker's to pass, and he finally swerved his larger racer into Skywalker's in anger at the boy's repeated attempts—only for the two racers' steering rods to be caught together. When Skywalker's rod finally snapped completely, his podracer began to shudder violently but broke free of Sebulba's racer, the engines of which shot forward and went flying out of control, slamming into rock and sand and exploding. As Sebulba's pod skidded to a halt, Skywalker shot toward the arena and across the finish line, winning the Boonta Eve Classic.

As Skywalker came to a halt, the crowd swarmed his racer. Jinn hoisted Skywalker onto his shoulders in celebration. In the hangar, Skywalker met up with his family and friends. As Jinn approached, Anakin became embarrassed at Naberrie and his mother's constant hugs and kisses, but Jinn soon departed with Binks and Naberrie to take their parts back to the ship.

##### Farewell to home

Returning home with Jinn, Skywalker ecstatically showed his mother the credits, and his happiness only increased when Jinn told him that he had been freed and Jinn wanted him to become a Jedi. Anakin was so excited that it was several minutes before he realized that Shmi had not been freed as well, and he was dismayed when Shmi insisted that Anakin go with Jinn to a better future without her. Packing his stuff, Skywalker bid goodbye to C-3PO, but when it came time to leave, Anakin's resolve broke and he ran back to his mother. He promised that he would return and free her. Despite their sorrow at parting, Shmi convinced her son to go with the Jedi.

As they raced towards the starship that Naberrie and Jinn had come to Tatooine on, Skywalker was suddenly ordered to drop to the ground and complied just as a dark-robed figure, Sith Lord Darth Maul, shot overhead on a speeder. The man leaped at Jinn, drawing a red-bladed lightsaber and attacking the Jedi as Jinn urged Skywalker to get aboard the ship and to take off. He rushed aboard, and Naberrie took him to the cockpit to tell Jinn's apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, what had happened. The pilot Ric Olié followed Kenobi's instructions to fly towards the fight, and Skywalker scrambled into a seat as Kenobi raced to the landing ramp and helped Jinn escape from the dark warrior. Skywalker and Kenobi rushed to help Jinn as the ship took off and left Tatooine. When they were convinced Qui-Gon was fine, the Jedi master introduced Obi-Wan to Anakin, who was happy to meet another Jedi.

##### Before the Jedi Council

Later that night, aboard the ship, which Skywalker learned was the personal starship of the Queen of the planet Naboo, Skywalker struggled to fall asleep in the central chamber, as the ship's temperature was radically different to the constant heat of Tatooine that he was used to. As he huddled in silence, Skywalker witnessed Naberrie enter the room and watch a recording of a plea for help from the Naboo official Sio Bibble. She then noticed him and gave him her blanket, and the two discussed the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo and Naberrie's hopes that the Republic's Galactic Senate could resolve the crisis. Skywalker gave her a japor ivory wood pendant that he had carved for her so that she would remember him, and Naberrie comforted him as he became sad as he remembered his mother.

Amidala accepted Skywalker's gift and came to wear the japor snippet as a necklace, which she wore for years to come. She came to view it as a way to represent remembrance and luck. When they finally arrived at the Republic capital of Coruscant, Skywalker watched from the cockpit in awe as they approached the city-planet, and the ship was greeted when it landed by Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, Senator Palpatine of Naboo, and a contingent of Senate Guards. The Queen and her handmaidens—including Naberrie—departed with Palpatine, though they brought Skywalker and Binks along with them to Palpatine's office and left them outside while they discussed the situation. Before he went to the Jedi Temple, Skywalker went to the Queen's chambers in search of Naberrie, but the Queen promised to pass on his message when the handmaiden was absent. Unbeknownst to Skywalker, however, the Queen was in fact Padmé.

Harboring strong premonitions he had received on Tatooine, Qui-Gon Jinn believed Anakin Skywalker to be the Chosen One of prophecy who, it was foretold, would bring "balance to the Force"; Jinn revealed his belief and Anakin's corroborative midi-chlorian test results to members of the Jedi High Council before bringing the boy before them for their consideration of the boy's aptitude for life as a Jedi. At the Jedi Temple, Skywalker took a moment to look out across the city and down at his hand before Jinn told him it was time to meet the Council. With Skywalker before the twelve Jedi Masters on the Council, Mace Windu tested Skywalker's abilities by asking him to determine what images were appearing on a testing screen that the Jedi was holding but that the boy could not see. Skywalker named them all with perfect accuracy. However, when Windu and Master Yoda questioned him about his feelings and his mother, Skywalker asked how that was relevant. Yoda explained that fear was the starting point on the path to the dark side. The ancient Jedi Master said he sensed a lot of fear in Skywalker.

As night fell, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Jinn were called before the Council. The Jedi Masters acknowledged Skywalker's great power but refused to train him on account of his age—causing Jinn to declare that he would take the boy on as his own apprentice. The Council would initially refuse this, as Jinn already had his own apprentice, who was Kenobi but Jinn stated that he believed that Kenobi was already ready to become a Jedi Knight. However, Windu declared that the matter would be dealt with later, as the Naboo problem was more pressing. The Council permitted Skywalker to accompany Jinn, and the three returned to the Queen's starship, where Skywalker questioned Jinn about midi-chlorians. The Queen and her retinue departed not long afterward, leaving Coruscant and heading back to the occupied Naboo in hopes of freeing the world from the Trade Federation.

##### First Battle of Naboo

As they came out of hyperspace and approached the Naboo system, Skywalker sat in the cockpit with Olié and learned about the ship's controls while Queen Amidala held a meeting with the Jedi and her staff and announced her intentions to ally with the Gungans in order to drive the Trade Federation off Naboo. The group landed in the swamps of Naboo and sent Binks to the Gungan capital city of Otoh Gunga. When Binks finally returned, he explained that Otoh Gunga was empty, but he took the group to the Gungan Sacred Place, where the Gungans had no doubt fled after the Trade Federation invaded.

When the group was brought before Boss Rugor Nass, the leader of the Gungans, Skywalker was astonished to learn that Naberrie was, in fact, Padmé Amidala, the Queen of Naboo and that she had been posing as her double's handmaiden as a safety precaution. Skywalker, the Jedi, and Amidala's handmaidens joined the Queen in dropping to their knees before Boss Nass in a plea for Gungan aid, and Nass agreed to lend his army to the Queen's cause. In the hours that followed the meeting, Amidala and the Jedi began strategizing with the Gungan generals, leaving Skywalker to wander over to the Gungan sentries who were keeping watch for the returning Captain Panaka.

As everyone prepared for the coming battle, Skywalker spotted and approached the handmaiden who had been acting as the Queen. Asking for her name, Skywalker told the girl, Sabé, that he was happy to meet her and thanked her for keeping Naberrie safe. He was then called away by Jinn, but Sabé was left touched nevertheless.

Anakin was a member of the group which, led by Amidala, grabbed the chance to recapture the Theed Royal Palace. When the group entered the Theed hangar bay, Skywalker heeded Jinn's command for him to stay hidden in the cockpit of one of the hangar's N-1 starfighters. When several droidekas cornered the Naboo personnel in a firefight, Skywalker attempted to aid them with the N1's blaster cannons, although he accidentally activated the ship to go into space in the process. Skywalker fought in the Battle of Naboo in a vicious starfighter battle above the planet, coming to realize how much he loved flying over the course of the battle. After accidentally joining the battle in orbit, Skywalker single-handedly destroyed the orbiting Droid Control Ship from within the ship, thus rendering the Trade Federation's ground forces inactive and saving the Gungan Grand Army from destruction. The following celebration, however, was tainted with the death of Jinn, slain by Darth Maul.

### Joining the Jedi Order

However, during the Master's funeral, Obi-Wan told him that he would fulfill Qui-Gon's last wish and train him to be a Jedi. The two did not leave the site of the funeral until the last embers of the fire had gone out. The only others to remain as long as them were Amidala and her court. Later, Skywalker and his fellow Jedi attended a parade, held by the Naboo and the Gungans, in Theed to celebrate their victory and mark their newfound friendship. Afterward, Skywalker and the other Jedi left Naboo, marking the last time Skywalker would see Amidala for a decade.

### Kenobi's Padawan

#### The Chosen One trains

As he grew, Skywalker's exceptional skills made him cocky, but he nevertheless idolized Kenobi, thinking there was "no one better" than his master. Having given up his life with his mother and lost Jinn, Skywalker clinged to his master, not wanting to lose him; throughout his first year as a Padawan, he had a habit of sleeping on the floor next to Kenobi's bed, wanting to ensure his mentor would not vanish in the night. Kenobi sometimes awoke at night and saw this. During one of their many adventures, he also rescued Kenobi after he fell into a nest of gundarks.

Shortly after becoming Kenobi's Padawan, a surge in overwhelming emotions shut Skywalker off from the Force entirely. This was able to give Skywalker temporary relief from his worries and fears for a time, but he soon realized that avoiding the Force was not the answer, and he reconnected to the Force. During his time as Kenobi's apprentice, Skywalker was distrustful of teachers who corrected him, wondering if they were trying to help him or simply put him in his place, knowing that many had not wanted him trained in the first place. Even so, there were many Jedi who had faith in him, seeing his potential.

Skywalker and Kenobi were at one point joined by Jedi Master Shaak Ti for a complicated mission to Naran-Shiv. In addition to struggling to control his emotions, he found it hard to make friends, as his fellow Padawans were all aware of the rumors of him being the Chosen One. Often lonely, he generally spent his free time in his quarters tinkering with machinery he found in trips outside the Jedi Temple. He also harbored a lingering resentment regarding the fate of his mother.

#### Mission to Dallenor

Sometime after his enrollment into the Order, Skywalker was meditating with his master while also holding together many pebbles using the Force. However, when Master Tosan informed his master that he had a mission from the Council, Anakin's concentration broke due to the surprise of him leaving again. The mission was to go to the planet Dallenor so that he could collect an ancient Jedi holocron from a dig site. Obi-Wan told Anakin that he would be back shortly and that he would be training with Yoda in the meantime. Skywalker, displeased, complained that he would have to be in the class with "little kids" and that he was far ahead of them in his training. However, he complied and spent his time with the younglings, although he did not enjoy himself. However, after some encouragement from Yoda, Kenobi took Skywalker along with him on the mission in a T-6 shuttle.

Skywalker was glad that he was finally in space again and asked if he could pilot the shuttle. Kenobi told him that he could when they got closer to Dallenor. Skywalker asked what Obi-Wan's life was like before joining the Jedi Order. Kenobi told him that he did not remember as he was taken in at a very young age. Anakin, sadly, expressed that he was always a Jedi and nothing else. Kenobi tried to reassure him by telling him that he still needed to train and was a Padawan when they both met. However, Skywalker was unconvinced and stated that his life was already set out for him and that he was not anything else, unlike him who was a slave. He concluded that this must be why the Jedi Council said he was too old to be trained. Obi-Wan tried to reassure him again by saying that the Council was not perfect and that Qui-Gon Jinn chose him just like he chose Kenobi. Skywalker, angered, proclaimed that Kenobi's master was dead and that now he was stuck with him. Before Kenobi could reassure Anakin, he walked away.

Upon arriving on Dallenor, Kenobi and Skywalker encountered a female Togruta archaeologist named Clatriffe. She was glad that they arrived so they could take the holocron away due to the fact that it was causing problems. She explained that the local pirates wanted to get it and she had to hire local guards to keep them at bay. Kenobi ordered Skywalker to stay outside to keep watch whilst he and Clatriffe went inside the facility to obtain the holocron. After they went inside, Skywalker noticed that the pirates had arrived.

Kenobi, Skywalker, and Clatriffe went out to meet them and were introduced to the Krypder Riders and their leader Hudso Shaku, who knew that the holocron was something important due to offworlders wanting to get it. Kenobi stated that they had come in peace but were willing to defend themselves. He activated his lightsaber, whereupon Shaku ordered his pirates to attack him because he found the laser sword to be more valuable than the things that they dug up. Kenobi quickly disarmed the pirates but, while Skywalker froze up due to the suddenness of the attack, Shaku captured him by placing his sword under his chin. He ordered a trade, the boy for the lightsaber, but was taken down by Skywalker using the Force to assault Shaku with small pebbles. With Shaku knocked unconscious and the pirates' weapons destroyed, they surrendered to the Jedi.

On the shuttle home, Kenobi praised Skywalker for his great work on his first mission. Skywalker, however, exclaimed that he froze up and was not ready for a mission even though he believed otherwise. Kenobi reassured Skywalker that it was he who was not ready. He asked how he could save his Padawan if he could not save his master from dying. Skywalker, with renewed confidence, stated that they would save each other and that that was what Qui-Gon would have wanted. Kenobi agreed and then recalled that Anakin wanted to fly the shuttle. Skywalker, in response, said yes enthusiastically.

#### A chancellor for a friend

By the time he was 12 in 29 BBY, he had built his first lightsaber; after its construction, Kenobi said to him, "Anakin, this weapon is your life." Like he had helped Kenobi before, Jedi Battlemaster Cin Drallig helped Skywalker train in lightsaber combat, with Skywalker learning a great deal from Drallig's unparalleled expertise. When Kenobi was assigned to study a dead star system that orbited a black dwarf, Skywalker decided to join his master without permission but fell asleep during the journey. Upon being found by Kenobi as he slept, Skywalker's mentor decided to bring him along for the mission, showing him the dead star before them as an example of why the Jedi needed to avoid attachment because all things, even the brightest of stars, would pass on.

That year, which which point three years had passed since the Battle of Naboo, Skywalker sought to impress his peers at the Jedi Temple. During a training session, he defeated a training droid, which he had programmed to mimic the appearance of the Sith of Naboo. All the while, Mace Windu, Kenobi, and Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine watched—the last of whom was impressed. Sometime later, Skywalker struggled to learn the skill of taming creatures when Kenobi told him that the Chancellor wanted to see him. The two arrived at his office, where Palpatine requested that Skywalker accompany him on an errand, declining Kenobi's company. Left alone, Skywalker escorted Palpatine to Club Kasakar in Level 2685, all the while listening to Palpatine express concern for the situation on the sub-surface levels of Coruscant, the inability of the Jedi to respond efficiently, and the corruption that plagued the Senate, such as Colandrus—subtly, and unbeknownst to Skywalker, marking the beginning of his influence over him.

At the end of the errand, Palpatine asked if Skywalker was happy as he was. Though Skywalker answered that he was and that "training to become a Jedi [was] all [he] ever wanted," it did plant a seed of doubt in his mind. Later, at the Jedi Temple, Skywalker confided in Kenobi that he wished to leave the Order, feeling uncomfortable at the prospect of his entire life being decided when he was only nine years old, and surrendered his lightsaber to his master. Though Kenobi took the weapon, he pleaded for Skywalker to reconsider.

#### Mission to Carnelion IV

Before Skywalker could give his definite answer, at Yoda's behest, both student and master responded to a mysterious distress signal from the supposedly dead world of Carnelion IV that specifically called for Jedi intercession. They began their journey to the coordinates, but their shuttle was damaged due to the planet's atmospheric debris field, and the two had to eject from the doomed vessel, landing below the Celadon Sea. Not too long afterward, they came to be aware of life on the planet as a sky battle raged over them, and Kenobi returned his lightsaber to him so that he could defend himself. As one of the combatant airships began to fall, Skywalker and Kenobi saved its two-person crew by delaying the crash.

The two survivors, Kolara and Mother Pran, who identified themselves as "Open," knew nothing about what a Jedi was. They were forced to take cover when a "Closed" airship, which Kenobi fell; Skywalker saved its pilot, Grecker, from falling to his death. But due to the historical feud between their factions, Grecker and Pran tried to murder each other, forcing Skywalker and Kenobi to destroy their weapons and to escort them to safety. To facilitate their journey, they used the intact parts of each of their airships to form a new one in order to fly to their destination. During the conversations that ensued, Skywalker mentioned his and Kenobi's purpose on the planet: to find the person who had sent the Jedi distress signal, which alerted Pran and Grecker to the location of "the scavenger."

During the journey, Kolara told Skywalker about the mysterious kites, before noticing that he was good at fixing things, as he made an adjustment to his lightsaber. Kolara and Pran then had Skywalker repair a bag of droid brains and, seeing his usefulness, threw away his lightsaber and abducted him when a horde of fishers attacked the ship, leaving Kenobi alone with Grecker as the airship crashed below the Celadon Sea. Skywalker was taken to one of the Open's fortresses, where he witnessed as Pran used the processors he had repaired to activate some battle droids. As they left to wage war on the mysterious scavenger (who reminded both Open and Closed of everything they had lost and how badly they had failed), Skywalker remained with the younger Open, whom he convinced to protect the scavenger and help him get back to Kenobi.

Using their help, Skywalker fixed the remaining droids and intervened in the skirmish between the Open and Closed unfolding right next to Sera's fortress. He saved his master from Mother Pran and met with Kolara and Sera, but rather than try to stop the fight, Kenobi had Skywalker repair a communications unit and called the Republic for aid. Soon enough, a task force arrived and forced the natives to cease hostilities. In the aftermath, his master offered Skywalker his lightsaber, asking if he was still adamant about leaving the Order, but Skywalker decided to remain a member.

#### Inquiring about lightsabers

Some time after his and his masters mission to Carnelion IV, Skywalker and Kenboi were about to spar in the Jedi Temple training grounds when Anakin asked his master why the Jedi use lightsabers as opposed to any other weapon powered by kyber crystals. Upon hearing this question, Kenobi used the force to take Skywalker's weapon and told him how when he was young, Kenobi had the idea for two short lightsabers to be connected by a chain. Upon revealing this tidbit to his apprentice, Kenobi told him the same thing Qui-Gon Jinn had told Kenobi; that wielding a lightsaber shows intent and that the user put thought behind wielding the weapon before drawing it, enforcing the idea that Jedi are protectors as opposed to destroyers.

#### Rescuing Master Yoda

At some point after the mission to Carnelion IV, Skywalker was being tested by Kenobi, who was having the Padawan attempt to defend from a group of Marksman-H training remotes using a wooden stick rather than his lightsaber, in the presence of Yoda, Windu, and Master Bant Eerin. When Skywalker used the Force to grab his master's lightsaber, completing the trial using it instead, he and Kenobi began to argue with one another, which made Yoda, Windu, and Eerin walk away. As Kenobi left with a team of Jedi Temple Guards, investigating a disturbance in the Force, he ordered Skywalker to remain there and clean up.

Disobeying Kenobi and riding down to the Temple storage level by using two training remotes to travel through the Temple's vents, Skywalker followed the Force to the training stores, where he was attacked by the cause of the disturbance: a team of battle droids. As the droids and Skywalker fought, the Padawan was forced to use the Force and electroblades he found in a nearby box, as Kenobi had taken his lightsaber after his training maneuver. However, Kenobi and the guard team quickly arrived, giving Skywalker back his lightsaber and joining the fight, only for Skywalker to leave upon having a Force vision about the Council chambers. Rushing to the council chambers and past a seemingly-knocked out guard, Skywalker was held back as a masked enemy, disguised as a Temple Guard, appeared to kidnap Yoda himself, with Skywalker failing to catch up the escaping enemy on a jetpack. After being returned to the council chamber after the jetpack failed him, Skywalker reported what he had seen, with one temple guard finding the seemingly-unconscious guard to actually be a disguised battle droid.

When Skywalker spotted a non-Techno Union logo on the droid's head, Kenobi and him traveled to the Temple archives, where they learned it was the symbol of the Nova Crime Syndicate. Traveling to the syndicate's base-of-operations on the Wheel space station, albeit in disguise to not disrupt the uneasy truce the Jedi held with its Baron Administrator Jaspara, the two Jedi located whom they believed to Grynask Sanberge, the leader of the Nova syndicate. With their mind tricks appearing to work, the supposed criminal gave them new information that pointed them to the planet Glee Anselm, where they encountered several aquatic battle droids and found the fake Temple Guard's underwater base of operations. Upon finding Yoda trapped in the base within a thick seaweed and besting the fake Temple Guard, Kenobi allowed Skywalker to unmask their foe as thanks for noticing the Nova symbol on the battle droid back at the Temple.

Upon unmasking the enemy, however, Skywalker and Kenobi were shocked to see it was Eerin. Their confusion was only increased when Sanberge appeared, only to reveal himself to be a Force-sensitive and then remove his mask, showing himself to actually be Windu in disguise. When Skywalker realized the entire adventure had been a test, Yoda easily freed himself from the seaweed and confirmed Skywalker's theory, revealing it was a test for Skywalker and Kenobi both. Having seen how well they could work together instead of arguing, Skywalker and Kenobi began to view each other as brothers. To leave the world, the two lifted their shuttle off the seabed together.

#### A memorable training session

Later, Skywalker was waiting for his master in one of the Jedi Temple's training areas, where he gazed out the window until Kenobi joined him for a sparring session. After exchanging light-hearted remarks with his master, whom he had started to think would not be coming, Skywalker and Kenobi began their duel, during which Skywalker showed extreme aggression. Kenobi warned his Padawan that the fighting style was antithetical to the Jedi mission to protect life, but Skywalker, certain his aggression would win him the duel, rebutted by claiming mercy was no way to defeat an enemy. He continued his aggressive strikes until Kenobi was backed into a corner, where he locked sabers with his master and demanded he admit defeat. Instead, Kenobi slipped away when Skywalker raised his blade and inadvertently created an opening. The duel carried on as Skywalker again continued to beat Kenobi back until he knocked his master's lightsaber away, which Skywalker took as a sign that the duel was over.

However, Kenobi noticed his Padawan was blinded by a need for victory, telling him as such before continuing the duel without a lightsaber. Kenobi managed to get behind Skywalker and use the Force to claim his lightsaber as his own, using it as proof that Skywalker's need to prove himself would always keep him back. While admitting his Padawan was a great warrior, he told his apprentice he would never advance to become a Jedi Knight if he failed to overcome his need to show his worth. Skywalker was given back his lightsaber by Kenobi, who smiled at his apprentice after his warning. Skywalker then followed Kenobi out of the room. Both men remembered the training session for years to come. At some other point, Skywalker and Kenobi were also involved in a mission to Taris, during which Skywalker worked on a RazBohan high-encryption comlink.

### Protecting Padmé Amidala

#### Reuniting

Ten years after the Battle of Naboo in 22 BBY, as the Separatist Crisis threatened to tear the Galactic Republic apart, the 19 year old Skywalker and Kenobi were involved in an important mission to settle a border dispute on Ansion. Upon their return to Coruscant, an assassination attempt on Padmé Amidala, now Senator of Naboo, prompted the Jedi Council—at the behest of Chancellor Palpatine—to send Skywalker and Kenobi to protect Amidala from future attacks. Anakin was delighted to see her after so many years; he had thought about her every day since they parted. In at least her first year in the Senate, Amidala had at times thought about the boy she had met on Tatooine, such as when she passed the Jedi Temple. She also dispatched Sabé to free slaves on Tatooine with the particular mission to free Shmi, feeling as though she had made an unofficial promise to set her free, but Sabé was unable to locate Skywalker's mother. When Padmé said she wanted to know who wanted her dead, and Obi-Wan started to explain that they were only there to protect her life, not to investigate, Anakin promised Padmé to find who was responsible, annoying Obi-Wan. When Padmé retreated to her chambers, Anakin was disappointed, claiming that Padmé hardly even recognized him.

However, Jar Jar, who was a representative in the Senate during this time, said Padmé was very happy to see him too. During that night, Anakin and Padmé agreed on a plan of using her as bait, in order to capture the assassin, much to Obi-Wan's dismay. Anakin told him that although Padmé had covered the cameras in her bedchamber, he was certain he would sense if anything were to happen in the room. Kenobi had doubts about his Padawan's power. Shortly after, when his master noticed that Skywalker was tired, he admitted that he had constant nightmares about his mother; he also revealed his powerful affection for Amidala. Obi-Wan warned him to control his emotions, saying that Padmé was a politician after all, and could not be trusted. This led the two into a debate about whether every politician, including Amidala and Palpatine, was corrupt. As Skywalker expressed his faith in Palpatine's benevolence, he sensed something in Padmé's room. He arrived just in time to cut two venomous kouhuns in half, just a few centimeters from the senator's face. Obi-Wan noticed the assassin's droid at the window and threw himself out, grabbing it.

Anakin rushed to a row of speeders parked near Padmé's apartment. When the bounty hunter Zam Wesell shot her droid down, Skywalker arrived upon the scene as his Master was in free fall. Catching Kenobi, the Padawan continued the pursuit of Wesell's airspeeder. Spotting the Jedi, Wesell took her speeder on a nosedive—plunging several meters toward the lower levels of Coruscant. With the Jedi relentlessly pursuing her, Wesell flew through the exhaust flames of the Kerdos Company recycling plant, hoping that the flames would scorch her adversaries in the open-top speeder. Seeing the pair still chasing her and unharmed by the flames, Wesell fired at the couplings of a nearby electrical plant, causing the Jedi's speeder to be inundated by electrical shock.

Skywalker, an expert pilot himself, quickly caught up to Wesell. The bounty hunter steered her craft into a network of skytunnels, aiming once again to lose the pursuing Jedi. Skywalker did not chase directly into the tunnel but opted to travel an alternate route. Wesell wove through the local network of tunnels. Anakin and Obi-Wan thought they lost her, but just a few minutes later Anakin noticed the bounty hunter's airspeeder below, and jumped out, let his body drop the intervening distance through the air, then latched a firm hand-grip to its rear canopy handle. He ultimately was forced to let go when she shot at him, although not before getting a good look at her, wherein he deduced that Zam was not only a female but also a changeling (he'd briefly glimpsed Wesell's true form when she looked up). The Jedi ignited his lightsaber and sliced at the windscreen, knocking out the guidance systems. Wesell shot the lightsaber out of Skywalker's hand, but the ensuing struggle caused Wesell to misfire her blaster pistol, damaging the control pipes. Meanwhile, Kenobi, who was behind Wesell at this point, caught Skywalker's lightsaber. The airspeeder began to plummet toward the surface, crashing near the Outlander Club. Wesell crawled from the crash site and fled into the club.

Anakin was about to follow Zam into the building when Obi-Wan stopped him, returning to him his lightsaber, reiterating, "this weapon is your life." As they headed to the Outlander, Kenobi said he had the feeling his apprentice would be the death of him. Anakin indignantly responded that Obi-Wan was like a father to him. Inside the Outlander Club, Anakin was instructed by his master to search the premises while he went for a drink at the bar. Wesell hid until the two Jedi separated, then slowly approached the seemingly vulnerable Jedi at the bar. To secure the accuracy of her shot, she continued approaching the Jedi with her weapon drawn while Kenobi, through the Force, sensed the bounty hunter's intentions. In an instant, Kenobi ignited his lightsaber, spun around, and severed Wesell's arm below the elbow.

Skywalker and Kenobi took the wounded bounty hunter and dragged her from the club, setting her in an alley behind the club for interrogation. Wesell was initially reluctant to give any information about who had hired her, replying that it had simply been a job. As Skywalker pressed her, however, Wesell prepared to divulge the information. Suddenly, a mysterious figure fired a toxic dart into Zam's neck.

#### Return to Tatooine

Subsequently, the Council sent the Master and Padawan on separate missions—Skywalker, on his first solo mission, would protect Amidala on Naboo, whereas Kenobi continued an investigation into Amidala's aggressors that took him to Kamino. Joined by R2-D2, Skywalker and Amidala departed for Naboo aboard the *Jendirian Valley*, a refugee ship leaving from the western spaceport. On Naboo, the two visited Amidala's family home, and Skywalker noticed how much she loved the flower garden maintained by her father, Ruwee Naberrie.

While on Naboo, as he experienced inner conflict between his strong desires for her and his duties as a Jedi, Skywalker revealed to Amidala his love for her, but she refused since Skywalker was not supposed to form attachments as a Jedi, even though she felt the same for him. Skywalker was also troubled by dreams of his mother suffering, which prompted him to return to Tatooine and rescue her, to which Amidala agreed to accompany him. On Tatooine, the two located Watto, who revealed that he had sold Shmi to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars. The couple then visited the Lars farm only to discover that Shmi had been abducted by Tusken Raiders about a month before their arrival, and was feared to be dead. Determined to save her at all costs, Skywalker took the swoop bike of his stepbrother, Owen Lars, and searched for his mother.

Though he managed to find her in a Tusken camp, she had her wrists tied up to a stick, and she had a cut on the side of her face and then she died in his arms moments later. Consumed with grief and rage, Skywalker slaughtered the entire village of Tusken Raiders—men, women, and children. Only then did Skywalker bring his mother's body back to the homestead, where her funeral was held, and when he claimed he would become so powerful in the Force he could stop the people he loved from dying. The event left him full of pain and guilt, for failing her and failing as a Jedi, as well as haunted by the prospect of letting go of the people he loved.

#### First Battle of Geonosis

It was then that Skywalker received a message from Kenobi telling him of Separatist presence on Geonosis, which they retransmitted to Coruscant so that the Jedi Council could see it for themselves. Upon learning he had been captured, Skywalker and Amidala departed for the planet, where they entered one of the factories (where his lightsaber was destroyed) but were subsequently captured and placed with Kenobi into the Petranaki Arena to be executed by beasts. However, the trio managed to avoid the creatures (in Skywalker's case, a reek), only to be surrounded by droidekas on Count Dooku's orders.

However, a Jedi assault team, led by Mace Windu, arrived to rescue them. Anakin was given a green-bladed lightsaber lent to him by another Jedi named Nicanas Tassu. Nevertheless, they fought a losing battle against an overwhelming amount of battle droids, including droidekas, B1-series battle droids, and B2-series super battle droids, until Master Yoda arrived with the newly established Grand Army of the Republic and safely boarded the survivors of the arena onto LAAT/i gunships. As the battle raged between the clone troopers and the Separatist Droid Army, they caught sight of Dooku. When Amidala and a clone trooper were knocked from the troop bay by a cannon blast, Skywalker argued with Kenobi about going after her. After he proclaimed he did not care if he would be expelled from the Jedi Order if it meant saving her, Skywalker only agreed to continue when Kenobi reminded him Amidala would continued on her duties if she had been in a similar crisis. Skywalker then looked back at where she had fallen as they continued to race after Dooku.

Kenobi and Skywalker pursued the Count to a secret hangar, where they engaged him in a duel. Both were defeated, and though Kenobi suffered minor wounds, Skywalker lost his right forearm. It was then that Yoda arrived and fought Dooku until the Sith Lord made his escape on his solar sailer. The battle marked the start of the pan-galactic Clone Wars, and Skywalker received a cybernetic replacement for his lost arm.

#### Marriage to Padmé Amidala

While Kenobi returned to Coruscant, Skywalker accompanied Amidala to Naboo, where they were secretly married, their sole attendants being their faithful droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. As he still needed to recover from the Battle of Geonosis, Skywalker was able to remain on Naboo for several days, enjoying his honeymoon and time after it with Amidala.

### The Clone Wars begin

#### Rescue at Staggec

Following the engagement on Geonosis, Skywalker built a new lightsaber to replace the one he lost. Early in the war, Skywalker quickly came to have encounters with Dooku's personal agents. When Senators Amidala and Yarua were ambushed by General Grievous on the Moon of Staggec, Kenobi volunteered himself and Skywalker for the mission. Shortly after they arrived on the moon, Skywalker followed a trail of footprints into a nearby forest. There, he and Kenobi discovered Yarua's daughter, Viiveenn, who gave Skywalker a flower and led the Jedi to the ship where her father had been taken. When Viiveenn headed for the ship, Kenobi ran after her, causing him to be captured by the surrounding battle droids. Skywalker attacked the battle droids and tried to stop Kenobi and Viiveenn from being captured, but he was too late.

As the ship left, Skywalker lamented not leaving any droids intact for interrogation. Calming his mind, he meditated to think of a solution. Skywalker then used the Republic shuttle they'd arrived in to sneak onto the *Providence*-class Dreadnought Grievous was commanding. Alongside Kenobi, Skywalker cut down the remaining droids and ran off to find Amidala while Kenobi went to confront Grievous. By the time he reached her however, he found that the senator had already rescued herself and her associates. Skywalker then returned with the group to the Republic shuttle. Kenobi arrived shortly after with Viiveenn, informing the group that Yarua had died saving his daughter. After leaving the ship and escaping into hyperspace, Kenobi reported to Yoda while Skywalker checked on Amidala, who comforted Viiveenn over her loss.

#### Serving as a Jedi Commander

Later, Skywalker served with his Jedi Master as a Jedi Commander, participating in battles on a rocky planet alongside Kenobi's 7th Sky Corps and Clone Marshal Commander Cody. Afterwards, Skywalker encountered the clone trooper known as "Sister," who was arranging the helmets of her fallen brothers beneath a tree as a memorial.

Skywalker spoke with Sister, and she explained that she was saddened by her brothers' deaths, as well as the origins of her name and the camaraderie her clone brothers had shown for her and her gender identity. Skywalker shared that the Jedi supported such identity and the belief of rising above things, such as Sister's transcendence of the concepts of gender. Sister agreed, and both moved to rendezvous with Kenobi at his location.

#### Business on Cato Neimoidia

A short time later, Skywalker was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight. This was initially done informally as a result of the increased need for Jedi in the battlefield, but was soon legitimized by a knighting ceremony. Though the Jedi were not yet formally integrated within the Grand Army of the Republic, this appointment to Knighthood made Skywalker an acting Jedi General. Skywalker spent the night after his Knighting ceremony with Amidala in which he presented her with a Padawan braid pendant he had made for her after his Padawan braid was cut. Shortly after his knighting ceremony, the Purse World of Cato Neimoidia, the headquarters of the Trade Federation, was rocked by a destructive explosion that was blamed on the Republic. Kenobi, now a Jedi Master and an acting Council member, was selected to travel to Cato Neimoidia to investigate the explosion. Wanting to clear any Separatist involvement, Dooku sent his own agent to Cato Neimoidia as well, which was later revealed to be the Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress.

Skywalker expressed his desire to accompany Kenobi on this mission but was instead assigned to instruct a group of younglings, passing on what he had learned as a Padawan, much to his dismay. Before Kenobi left for Cato Neimoidia, Skywalker gave him a RazBohan high-encryption comlink so they could remain in contact. He later accompanied the younglings on an aid mission to Langston in which he was given command of the 302nd Battalion, with Clone Commander Theo serving as his second-in command. While enroute to Langston, Skywalker became acquainted with the youngling Mill Alibeth, a Zabrak girl who was experiencing nausea as a result of a unique connection to the Force. Empathizing with her struggles as a mirror to his own, Skywalker chose to guide and instruct Alibeth as she grew to accept the Force and her connection to it. Kenobi eventually contacted Skywalker, asking him to analyze data he found that incriminated the Republic in the bombing. When he lost contact with Kenobi, Skywalker disobeyed orders to rescue his former master with Alibeth by his side.

Shortly after arriving on Cato Neimoidia, Skywalker and Alibeth found a series of bombs planted in important Neimoidian landmarks which they later discovered were planted by Ketar Nor to send a message to the Republic. They came to find that Kenobi was on trial for conspiracy against Cato Neimoidia after Ventress found the data that incriminated the Republic. Skywalker rescued Kenobi moments before rifles from Neimoidian guards fired on him. With the help of Ruug Quarnom and Amidala, the Republic was cleared of any involvement in the bombing. Instead, revealing that an outside actor orchestrated the bombing to point to the Republic and Separatists in order to play on the fear of both sides of the new war.

When they returned to Coruscant, Palpatine passed the Jedi Military Integration Act, officially making the Jedi a part of the Grand Army of the Republic and marking the beginnings of General Skywalker and General Kenobi. Skywalker also told Alibeth of a myth from his childhood about the sun-dragon of Tatooine in order to steady her emotions. Becoming apprenticed to Rig Nema to avoid the war and instead provide special medical and spiritual assistance, Alibeth bid farewell to Skywalker and Kenobi, thanking the former for his guidance and letting him know he did not always have to act like the story's sun-dragon, leaving Skywalker speechless as he considered her words. The mission was one of several Skywalker counted as the times he saved Kenobi's life, but Kenobi, however, insisted that "the business on Cato Neimoidia" did not count towards the tally. Skywalker also believed the operation was the first time he encountered Ventress, but he recognized her *Ginivex*-class fanblade starfighter and she already knew his name.

#### General of the 501st

The 501st Legion was under Skywalker's command during the war effort, with his "first-in-command" often being Clone Captain CT-7567, who was also known by his nickname "Rex." While at first Rex needed to adapt to his maverick Jedi General because of the Clone Captain's by-the-book and no-nonsense nature, Rex would come to admire, and even would sometimes emulate, Skywalker's willingness to bend the rules and genius for improvisation, and Skywalker and Rex would even become friends.

The *Venator*-class Star Destroyer *Resolute* served as his personal flagship, under the admiralty of Wullf Yularen. During the war, Skywalker cut the B1 battle droid R0-GR down on a number of occasions. Years later, after R0-GR met C-3PO and learned the protocol droid had been built by Skywalker, he thought this fact practically made him and the 3PO unit family.

At some point before he received a scar over his right eye, Skywalker participated in the Battle of Arantara. During the battle, Rex was wounded and rendered unconscious. After being found by Skywalker, Rex was surprised to see that he had come back for him, as acts like that were not extremely common amongst the Jedi. Skywalker responded that it should have been him in his place, telling his captain that a true leader always led from the front.

#### Siege of Hisseen

Sometime later, the Jedi Council sent Skywalker, along with Kenobi and Jedi Master Plo Koon, along with their respective battalions to the besieged planet of Hisseen in order to stop a Separatist victory on the planet. While protecting a village from oncoming droid forces, the clones required backup before Skywalker, Kenobi, and Koon arrived to rescue them. The three jumped into combat as Koon used the Force to push several droids into one another, destroying them. After a short battle with the droids, the Republic emerged victorious over that wave of droid forces. With this, Skywalker deactivated his lightsaber and met with Cody, Clone Commander CC-3636, and as well as Clone Captain Rex regarding the Hisseenian parliament as well as a Hisseenian premier who was to meet with Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress, which could potentially lead to Dooku dissolving the government on Hisseen and allow him to control the planet.

With that, Kenobi informed the clones that they would need to hold that position while the three went after Dooku and Ventress. With that, the three Jedi left to confront Dooku and Ventress. Meanwhile, Rex told a story about him and Skywalker during a mission on Benglor. Eventually, the three managed to find Dooku, leading Skywalker to enter a duel with him while Koon contacted trooper CT-4860 requesting immediate aid. As Skywalker and his fellow Jedi chased Dooku and Ventress, they received a distress call from Rex, leading to the Jedi breaking off their pursuit to help their soldiers. Upon rescuing their clones, it was clear the day had been won for the Republic because the soldiers had rescued the Hisseenian parliament from Dooku's droids. Skywalker and his allies then departed Hisseen to return to Coruscant.

#### Battle of Christophsis

A few months into the war, Skywalker and his former master, Kenobi, were tasked by the Jedi Council to break the Separatist blockade on Christophsis, and assist Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa on his relief effort on the planet's surface. Initially overwhelmed, Kenobi presented Skywalker with a Republic stealth ship prototype with a cloaking device and tasked him with flying it past the blockade, in order to deliver supplies to Organa. Accompanied by Yularen, Skywalker chose instead to engage Separatist Admiral Trench directly and divert his attention from Organa on the surface.

De-cloaking his stealth ship, Skywalker launched torpedoes at the dreadnought *Invincible*, but his missiles were repelled by the ship's powerful thermal shields. After successfully evading Trench's return fire, Trench sent a message over an open frequency, warning that he had faced this kind of ship before and that they should retreat before they were destroyed. Using the information supplied by Kenobi, Skywalker surmised that Trench would lock onto the ship's magnetic signature to destroy it and so, Skywalker de-cloaked once more, firing another volley of missiles at Trench's dreadnought. Trench took the bait and locked onto the stealth ship's magnetic signature, firing several tracking torpedoes. Skywalker steered the ship straight at the *Invincible*, scraping right past its hull before Trench's missiles struck the bridge. As Trench had just fired the missiles, his ship's shields were still recharging, and the dreadnought was destroyed. After defeating Trench, Skywalker delivered the supplies to Organa.

After breaking the blockade, Kenobi joined Skywalker and the rest of the Republic forces on Christophsis' surface and together, they planned an ambush on the advancing droid army; instead, they were ambushed and forced to evacuate. Aware of a possible with a traitor amidst them, the Jedi duo decided to go behind enemy lines in order to seek information, leaving Rex and Cody to find the traitor. In the empty Separatist headquarters, Skywalker and Kenobi ran into Asajj Ventress, whom they dueled before flying two STAPs back to base. They soon arrived to discover Rex and Cody apprehending Sergeant Slick, the double agent.

As the battle raged, Skywalker's squad and the rest of the Republic forces managed to force the Separatists into a temporary retreat, but the need for reinforcements was evident. Instead, a young Togruta girl, Ahsoka Tano, arrived to relay Master Yoda's message for them to return to Coruscant for a new mission, presenting herself as Skywalker's new Padawan, much to his dismay. The impending Separatist threat made it impossible for them to leave their post, so Skywalker and Tano (whom Skywalker nicknamed "Snips") went behind enemy lines to destroy their droids' deflector shield generator while Kenobi stalled for time by holding a fake surrender negotiation with General Loathsom. Despite having to fight a few droids that protected the generator, the two managed to destroy it, allowing the Republic army to finish off the droids and win the battle. Only then did Skywalker and Tano find common ground, and he accepted the responsibility of mentoring her.

#### Battle of Teth

As Yoda arrived with reinforcements, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano were informed that Jabba Desilijic Tiure's son, Rotta had been kidnapped, and Skywalker and Tano were to go to Teth to search for the Huttlet, whereas Kenobi would speak with Jabba on Tatooine.

With a time limit of only one planetary rotation to deliver Rotta, Skywalker and his Padawan landed in Teth, where they were flanked by battle droids. Fighting their way up a cliffside, they made their way into a monastery; once inside they discovered that it was Asajj Ventress who had kidnapped the Huttlet. With considerable effort, the Master-Padawan pair seized Rotta and escaped aboard an abandoned G9 *Rigger*-class light freighter, the *Twilight*. They saw that help had arrived and planned to take the Huttlet to one of their Star Destroyers for help, as he had gotten sick. Unfortunately, the cruiser was destroyed, forcing them to take Rotta to his father on their own.

#### Missions in Hutt territory

Upon arriving on Tatooine, they were attacked by MagnaGuards and, though they defeated them, the *Twilight* crashed, forcing them to travel through the desert. Choosing to split up in the Dune Sea, Tano took Rotta to Jabba's Palace, whereas Skywalker was confronted by Count Dooku. After a brief duel, Skywalker stole Dooku's speeder bike, knowing his Padawan was in trouble and reached Jabba's Palace, where he was told that Rotta had not been delivered and that he would be killed. Just then, Senator Amidala contacted the Hutt crime lord and informed him that his uncle Ziro was involved with the kidnapping, just for Tano to arrive along with Rotta, resolving matters to Jabba's satisfaction.

Sometime after the treaty between the Republic and Hutt Clan was finalized, Skywalker and Amidala were sent to meet with Lannik senator Zast Tri'vak on the luxury MPO-1400 *Purgill*-class star cruiser *Halcyon* and ensure that he would not sway Lannik to align with the Separatists and cut off Republic supply routes. After assisting a Logistics droid named D3-O9, Skywalker and Amidala observed Tri'vak as he hurriedly returned to his cabin. Knowing that Kenobi had the ship's destination staked out with a unit of clones due to reports of Separatist agents, the couple decided to enjoy their time together on the Star Cruiser. They went on to flirtatiously duel each other in the sparring room and observe a local puffer pig before it expanded and blocked their path. As they relaxed in the Climate Simulator, Skywalker suddenly sensed Ventress on the ship and realized that she was there to extract Tri'vak. He and Amidala then broke into the senator's cabin and discovered a hole cut into the floor. Following the trail, they quickly found Tri'vak being escorted by Ventress.

As Skywalker dueled Ventress, he and Amidala were threatened by a few guards before Amidala stunned them with the help of a young Tholothian boy named Shorr Komrrin. Just then, the fighting was stopped by a Hutt who had the combatants surrounded by security. When the Hutt threatened to end the Hutt Clan's treaty with the Republic, Amidala explained to him that they were there to root out a traitor and reminded him of the Mid Rim trade routes they each benefited from. While Tri'vak begged the Hutt for mercy, Ventress stabbed the senator in the back and used her lightsabers to shatter a nearby window, leaping out into space and escaping in her fanblade starfighter. Amidala held onto Shorr's hand as Skywalker sealed the opening with the Force. She then commended the boy for his bravery while Skywalker watched as Ventress flew away.

Following the Battle of Hypori, Kenobi, Cody, and the 212th Attack Battalion were sent to aid Commander Mekedrix and his forces from Roon at a battle on Abrion Major. As he went to meet with Yularen, Kenobi contacted Skywalker and the Jedi wished each other luck before Kenobi left for his mission.

#### The *Malevolence*

When news reached them of the destruction of Jedi Master Plo Koon's fleet in the Abregado system, Skywalker and his Padawan set out to rescue him and any survivors in spite of his orders to rendezvous with Kenobi's fleet. Though he sent his ships and most of his men, Skywalker himself and Tano used the *Twilight* to rescue Koon and three other clones, who told them of a new Separatist superweapon, the *Subjugator*-class heavy cruiser *Malevolence*, which was commanded by Grievous.

After yet another attack from the *Malevolence*, Skywalker decided to lead the Shadow Squadron into an attack against the heavy cruiser, only to narrowly escape the *Malevolence*'s ion cannon, which left too many bombers destroyed or incapacitated. Forced to change the plan, Skywalker and the bombers dropped their payload on the ion cannon, forcing it to overload, damaging the ship and causing the *Malevolence* to retreat from its attack on a Republic medical station. While making his escape, Grievous captured Senator Amidala, who entered the system in the belief she was sent to negotiate with the InterGalactic Banking Clan Supreme Executive, rather than a trap. Ordering their ships to halt their fire, Skywalker and Kenobi boarded the *Malevolence* to rescue her. While on the ship, Skywalker sabotaged the ship's navigation system to cause the ship to crash into a moon should the hyperdrive be engaged, before escaping the ship alongside Amidala and Kenobi.

#### Battles at Corvair sector and Kudo III

Following the *Malevolence* campaign, Skywalker later led several of his bombers and fighters against the Separatists in the Corvair sector. After defeating the separatist fighters, Skywalker spoke with Admiral Yularen aboard the *Resolute*. Yularen confirmed that the Separatist contingent came from the droid foundry on Kudo III. Skywalker agreed to attack the foundry quickly before Separatist reinforcements arrived. However, Skywalker did not approve of the attack's high casualties that included the Kudon. Yularen suggested that they should do a surgical strike on the foundry's generator.

Skywalker spoke with Master Kenobi about his plan for attack, who reminded Skywalker to trust his feelings and the Force. Skywalker took R2 with him aboard his interceptor and made his way to Kudo. After Skywalker landed, he made his way into the foundry and saw the Kudon being used as slave labor. Skywalker fought the battle droids and freed the Kudon. Skywalker was able to convince the Kudon to arm themselves and fight the battle droids. The mission was a success, and Skywalker returned to the *Resolute*.

Following the battle wherein a group of clones from Rishi Station prevented a surprise attack on Kamino, Skywalker and Kenobi awarded medals to two of its survivors, newcomers Echo and Fives, with Skywalker welcoming them onto the 501st Legion.

#### R2-D2 lost

Following numerous Separatist victories from General Grievous, and the defeat of the Falleen battle group, Skywalker attempted to stop the cyborg from taking his sector and planned an ambush for the Separatist forces as they were passing through Bothawui's asteroid field. Placing AT-TEs on the nearby asteroids, he managed to destroy the Separatist frigates and forced Grievous to retreat in the *Soulless One*, resulting in a pursuit by Skywalker. However, debris from the destroyed Separatist frigates damaged his ship, leaving him to be rescued by Rex at the cost of losing R2-D2. Though he was supplied with a new astromech droid, R3-S6, Skywalker was saddened by the loss of his friend and did not take to the new droid, and felt something suspicious on its true allegiance. Instead, he launched a search, scouring the battlefield; unable to find R2-D2, they boarded a nearby scavenger ship, the *Vulture's Claw*, only to leave empty-handed as Gha Nachkt delivered R2-D2 to Grievous.

With all hope lost, Skywalker attempted to continue life without the droid, scouting for a possible Separatist listening outpost, until R2-D2 sent a message revealing his location at Skytop Station. Upon arrival, Skywalker ordered Tano and Rex to fulfill the mission objective—to destroy the station—while he went to find his lost droid. Though Skywalker engaged several MagnaGuards, he found R2-D2 and met up with Rex and Denal, who told him that Tano was gone to distract Grievous alone while they completed the mission. It was then, as Anakin already suspected about R3-S6's true allegiance, that R3 revealed himself to be Grievous' spy and set several vulture droids and super battle droids against them. As they resisted, Tano rejoined the group, only to be scolded by her master for engaging the droid general alone; R2-D2 opened the hangar doors, defeating R3-S6 in the process, to be retrieved by a happy Skywalker, delighted to have his longtime friend back safe.

Following Viceroy Nute Gunray's capture in Rodia by Amidala, Skywalker separated from Tano, who went onto serve as Gunray's escort alongside Luminara Unduli. Although the two failed in their task, Skywalker reunited with Tano at the rendezvous point.

#### Captured on Florrum

Together with Kenobi, Skywalker spearheaded an attempt near the planet Vanqor to capture Count Dooku, where Skywalker let himself be captured by Dooku's *Munificent*-class star frigate and taken to a prison cell, only for Kenobi to come and rescue him. The two Jedi then gave chase to Dooku, who escaped in his solar sailer, with a *Sheathipede*-class transport shuttle. After taking direct hits to their shuttle, they were forced to crash-land on the planet. In a nearby cave, the two Jedi began to hunt for Dooku, but the Sith Lord ambushed them by causing a sudden collapse in the cave ceiling. While Dooku escaped the cave, they had to render a gundark unconscious, only to nearly succumb to poison gas released from a trapped pocket in the cave. They were saved just in time, as Tano and a detachment of clone troopers rescued them.

Later, as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his representatives were contacted by Hondo Ohnaka to receive a reward for capturing Count Dooku, Skywalker and Kenobi were assigned to verify the pirate gang's custody of Dooku, agreeing to the pirates' condition to arrive unarmed. The Jedi were met at gunpoint in the *Twilight* and escorted to Ohnaka, who arranged a meeting with their prisoner. The Jedi mocked Dooku's imprisonment, and the Sith Lord warned them not to underestimate the Weequay. Skywalker and Kenobi were invited to a "party" by the pirates, only to wind up passed out in a cell, chained together with Dooku. Despite several attempts by the Jedi and Sith to escape on their own, Representative Binks was the one to rescue them, though the mission came at the cost of Senator Kharrus' life and Dooku's escape. Obi Wan told Anakin not to harm Hondo and left peacefully.

#### Quell and Maridun

Sent in as reinforcements for Jedi Master Aayla Secura's and Commander Bly's forces, which were heavily outnumbered and overpowered during the Battle of Quell, Skywalker, Tano, Rex, and their forces assisted in an evacuation of Secura's cruiser as it fell under heavy Separatist fire. Meeting with Secura, a raging inferno ran through the cruiser, and Skywalker sacrificed himself to save the others, severely injuring himself in the process. Tano and Secura dragged Skywalker onto the evacuation frigate, where he was given medical treatment for his injuries. As they prepared to dock with the *Resolute*, an ambush by several vulture droids caused the ship's hyperdrive to activate, sending them into deep space. After narrowly avoiding an incoming star, they crash-landed on Maridun, where Skywalker was left in the care of Rex, while Secura, Tano, and Bly set out to ask the natives for medical support. Rex defended Skywalker from several vicious mastiff phalones until Tano arrived back with Bly and Lurmen healer Wag Too, before a final confrontation against the vicious attackers.

Soon after their arrival, Separatist forces landed on the planet, and the Lurmen leader Tee Watt Kaa accused the Jedi of bringing the war to their peaceful planet, ordering them to leave immediately. Though they did, the Jedi returned to the Lurmen village after learning about the Separatists' sinister objective—to test their new superweapon, the defoliator, on the Lurmen. The group set up a shield generator to protect the village from the blast of the weapon, as well as from the incoming waves of battle droids. As their shield was destroyed and the defoliator was being reloaded for another shot, Skywalker disabled the weapon before capturing Separatist General Lok Durd. The Jedi then left the planet, now peaceful again, on several Republic cruisers sent by Yularen.

#### Orto Plutonia

After losing contact with a Republic outpost on Orto Plutonia, Skywalker, his droids C-3PO and R2-D2, and Kenobi were sent to investigate with a squad of cold assault troopers under the command of Captain Rex, in the company of Pantora Senator Riyo Chuchi and Chairman Chi Cho. Skywalker and Kenobi investigated the outpost following the mysterious death of all its clone troopers, and the two Jedi deduced that all the clones had been killed, but not by battle droids since another nearby Separatist base had also been attacked. Skywalker and Kenobi followed their clues to a nearby canyon, where they found a village inhabited by Talz, who explained that they were only trying to protect their home as translated by C-3PO. Acting as a mediator, Kenobi proposed a peace meeting between the Talz and Chairman Cho, but the latter refused to share the moon with the Talz, and declared war, despite the Jedi's efforts to bring forth peace. As a battle broke out amongst the clone troopers and the Talz, Senator Chuchi convened with the Pantoran Assembly and called Cho out of order. The battle came to an end when Cho was killed, and Chuchi gave a proposal to the Talz to share the moon with them.

#### Blue Shadow Virus

Upon Amidala's petition to send Skywalker and Kenobi to assist them in locating suspected Separatist presence on Naboo, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano arrived to find that Amidala and Binks had gone to investigate the eastern swamps. Sending the young Padawan with Peppi Bow to find them, the two Jedi were informed by Captain Gregar Typho that before losing contact with Amidala, she had informed them of the laboratory's location and of Dr. Nuvo Vindi's intentions to release the dangerous Blue Shadow Virus back into the galaxy. While Tano led an attack on the southern entrance, providing a distraction for Kenobi and Skywalker to enter through the hatches undetected, Skywalker confronted Vindi, who electrified Amidala and Binks to make his escape. After saving the Senator, Skywalker pursued the scientist, capturing him with the help of Peppi Bow and Kenobi on the swamp above

Prepared to transport Vindi to Theed for his trial, they heard an alarm go off below them and Skywalker contacted Tano; she told him that Vindi's servant droid had set off one of the viral bombs, liberating the virus, and that she along with the clones were trapped in the laboratory, just like Amidala was. Once in Theed, Captain Typho told the two Jedi that they had found a possible antidote for the virus, a reeksa root, but that it could only be found on the planet of Iego. Despite Typho's warnings that it was suicide, Skywalker set off alongside Kenobi aboard the *Twilight*.

Upon arrival, Skywalker and Kenobi were greeted by a group of inoffensive B1-series battle droids that had been reprogrammed to do the bidding of a local boy, Jaybo Hood; he told the Jedi that the planet was protected by a deity known as Drol, who would not let any who arrived on the planet leave again, but also instructed them on how to retrieve the reeksa roots. Though the plant attacked them, they obtained the root and bid farewell to Hood before taking off, only to be forced to turn back after encountering a laser web, the work of the Separatists. On their second attempt, however, they used Hood's reprogrammed vulture droids, and Kenobi managed to shoot the laser generator, liberating the inhabitants of Iego. Skywalker and Kenobi then arrived in time to rescue their friends on Naboo.

#### Battle of Ryloth

During the Battle of Ryloth, Skywalker gave Tano command of a squadron to fend off Mar Tuuk's blockade to make way for Kenobi's ground assault, encouraging Tano to overcome her nervousness about leading her first squad. However, during the battle, she disobeyed her master's orders and lost many men, for which Skywalker reprimanded her when she arrived back at the *Resolute*, yet understood her good intentions. Skywalker then reported his losses to Windu and Kenobi. He gave her some time to recover but informed her that they needed to proceed with the attack on the blockade, which upset Tano because he was rushing the plan despite their recent losses. Though he told her to go cool off somewhere, Skywalker had an idea—he evacuated the damaged *Defender*, which he would pilot by himself into the Ryloth system to distract the Separatists, while he gave Tano full command of the attack operation. By the time Turk realized the ruse, it was too late, for Skywalker had already escaped in an escape pod and let the *Defender* collide with Tuuk's control ship; though Tuuk escaped, Tano destroyed the Confederate fleet, and Skywalker was rescued from his escape pod.

After Kenobi and his men were able to take out the proton cannons and allow the transports to land, whereas Windu headed for Lessu with his forces, Skywalker and his forces secured the space around Ryloth, forcing the remaining Separatist cruisers to flee. He reported this in a holographic conference with Chancellor Palpatine, Yoda, Admiral Yularen, Senator Orn Free Taa, and Windu. However, Separatist General Wat Tambor soon deployed *Hyena*-class Droid Bombers to destroy Ryloth's villages and Skywalker engaged them in his interceptor, accompanied by Tano and clones. Before Lessu was destroyed on Count Dooku's orders, Skywalker and Tano shot them down. Subsequently, Tambor was captured, and the Republic was victorious: Ryloth was finally free once more.

#### Holocron heist

Skywalker and Clone Commander "Wolffe" fought alongside each other during the Battle of Khorm, where the Clone Officer lost his right eye to Ventress. Sometime later, during the First Battle of Felucia, Skywalker, Tano, and Kenobi fought against the Droid Army, but, while Tano was away on a jungle patrol, Skywalker, Kenobi, and their clones were surrounded. However, a Republic fleet commanded by Wolffe was able to break past the Separatist blockade, so Skywalker and the others could be evacuated by Master Plo Koon. However, Tano refused to retreat, and Kenobi and Skywalker went to retrieve her before her forces were overrun by droids. While Skywalker and Tano argued about the retreat, as Tano believed the droids were retreating, she boarded the gunship in time, and the three Jedi watched as her abandoned vehicles were destroyed. Back at the Jedi Temple, Skywalker attempted to take the blame for her disobedience, citing that he had given her more freedom due to her skills. Still, the Council relegated her to guard duty in the Jedi Archives to reflect on what she had done.

When Yoda sensed that thieves would arrive at the Temple, Skywalker, and Kenobi inaccurately deduced that their enemies were after their transmission codes and went to secure them, only to be proven wrong when they located the intruders' position at the ventilation shaft. They were misdirected then to the communication center, where they narrowly escaped an exploding Todo, and realized only too late that Cad Bane had stolen a holocron from the Vault. Furthermore, the bounty hunter that was assisting Bane, Cato Parasitti revealed that Bane's next target was Bolla Ropal, keeper of the Kyber memory crystal, which contained a list of all known Force-sensitive children in the Republic. Skywalker then volunteered himself and Tano to meet with Ropal, arriving in the Devaron system to cut off the Separatist fleet that was assisting Bane, who already had captured Ropal and tortured him to death in a containment field after he defiantly refused to open the holocron.

Skywalker, Tano, and Rex boarded Bane's *Munificent*-class frigate and stormed its bridge, where R2-D2 accessed the ship's computer to locate Ropal, or rather, Ropal's dead body. After an explosion rocked the ship, the Jedi spotted Bane and chased him into a trap. After a duel with Tano, the bounty hunter took her as a hostage, and Skywalker was forced to bow to Bane's demands and open the holocron. Though he did so, Skywalker also pulled his and Tano's lightsabers to himself and attacked Bane. However, Bane distracted him by opening the airlock on Tano's cell and escaped, while Skywalker saved his Padawan and made their way to the hangar, where troopers had stolen a shuttle the escape the exploding Separatist ship back to the *Resolute*, not before letting Bane enter, disguised in trooper armor. After landing on the *Resolute*, Rex later noticed Duros blood in the shuttle, and pursued Bane, who nevertheless managed to escape in a V-19 starfighter. Skywalker and Tano returned to the Jedi Council to report their failure.

Skywalker, along with Kenobi, Windu, and Yoda, meditated in hope of finding the children that Bane was after before he kidnapped them. Sensing the future, Skywalker and Tano were assigned to Naboo to set a trap for Bane in Jan-gwa city, capturing him as he attempted to kidnap Roo-Roo Page. With the real child safe, the two Jedi took Bane to the *Resolute*, where Skywalker, Windu, and Kenobi interrogated the bounty hunter with a combined mind trick; exhausted, Bane gave them coordinates that Kenobi and Windu were to follow, while Skywalker reported the details to Palpatine on Coruscant. Soon, however, he reunited with his Padawan and R2-D2 and began to examine Bane's Starfighter, from which Skywalker and Tano deduced from the ashes on it and its refueling record that Bane had been to Mustafar. With nothing else to do, the Jedi pair left on the *Twilight* for the planet, where they found the children. Though one of the droids set the building to be destroyed in the lava on Sidious's orders, Skywalker and Tano saved the children and returned to Coruscant. Skywalker admitted to the Council that they were unable to find out who was behind the kidnappings, to which Yoda advised caution on the path ahead.

#### Battle of Felucia

On a mission to investigate the disappearance of Felucia Medical Station HCTFF2 that was orbiting over Felucia, their shuttle was attacked by a group of six vulture droids deployed from an automated deployment station, forcing them to crash-land on Felucia. Trapped on the planet, they came across a nysillin farm village after searching around for a while. They soon realized that the Felucian villagers were being protected by a group of bounty hunters led by Sugi—Embo, Rumi Paramita, and Seripas. The village elder, Casiss Midagatis, explained to the Jedi trio that they had hired the bounty hunters because pirates had been taking their crops. After some debate amongst them, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano decided to help the farmers to defend themselves.

That night they were visited by the pirates, Hondo Onaka's gang, familiar to Skywalker and Kenobi. Ohnaka then told the group that he would be back, but by then Skywalker had taught the Felucians how to fight with staffs—though slow at first, they eventually picked up the craft. After a few days, the Ohnaka Gang returned as promised, and a skirmish ensued between the factions. During the confrontation, Skywalker dueled Ohnaka and his electrostaff, leaving him hanging off a cliff and begging for mercy, to which the Jedi Knight pulled him up and Ohnaka realized that their efforts were no longer profitable, leaving on his ship. Alongside the bounty hunters, the Jedi themselves left soon after as well, to reach the closest Republic outpost.

#### The Zillo Beast

During the lengthy campaign on Malastare, Skywalker discussed with Palpatine, who contacted them via hologram, and Windu the effects of the new electro-proton bomb, just as the Separatist Droid Army prepared a new attack—with the Republic expecting to successfully defend the Dugs and secure a treaty for their fuel. Though exceedingly effective, the bomb created a crater, which Windu went to investigate whereas Skywalker was to ensure the treaty with Doge Urus, only to be called by Windu to assist him with the scouting. The two soon discovered a gigantic creature whose armored skin was impervious even to lightsabers, the Zillo Beast, from which they fled, only to be told by Urus that they wanted it killed, even though it was previously thought to be extinct. With the use of RX-200 *Falchion*-class assault tanks, the Republic forces put the creature to sleep, convincing the Dugs that it was dead. With the treaty signed and Malastare now a member of the Republic, Palpatine ordered that the beast be shipped to Coruscant for study, despite Windu's objections.

After the Zillo Beast was brought to the Republic capital, Kenobi and Amidala asked Skywalker to speak with Palpatine about the fate of the creature; reluctantly, he agreed. When both he and Amidala met with the Chancellor, Palpatine and the Vice Chair Mas Amedda tried to justify that killing the beast was for the greater good—Amidala objected to their claims, but Skywalker chose to stay neutral, instead of opposing either his wife, Amidala, or his friend, Palpatine. Although Palpatine claimed that he wished to kill the beast, he in fact wanted to research it as he was intrigued by the durability of the Zillo beast's armor. However, the beast escaped from captivity in Dr. Boll's laboratory and directly targeted the Chancellor himself for his attempts to kill it. Cornered by the beast, Skywalker and the others evacuated his office on his executive shuttle, only for the beast to grab it upon take-off. They were freed when Skywalker sliced the shuttle in half, causing everyone to fall out of the shuttle, with Skywalker saving Amidala from falling from the Senate Building's roof. The Beast was ultimately killed when gunships fired gas at its mouth on Palpatine's orders.

### No end in sight

#### Another mission to Cato Neimoidia

Even as the Clone Wars continued with no end in sight, Skywalker was allowed a leave after a long tour of duty. After returning home to his wife's apartment for a romantic evening, Skywalker was recalled to the Temple by the Jedi Council. Believing Senator Rush Clovis to be a Separatist supporter, they decided they needed a spy—in this case, Senator Amidala, of whom Clovis was an old friend. The next day, Skywalker met Amidala in the Senate and asked her about Clovis, who initially refused to do it until she heard that Clovis could be a Separatist. Skywalker accompanied her to the Jedi Council, where the Masters encouraged her to find out about his possible treachery. After learning that he was planning to go to Cato Neimoidia, Skywalker dressed as the pilot of Padmé's starship and took them there, all the while frustrating Clovis's attempts to get closer to his wife.

During the mission, Skywalker and R2-D2 waited for Amidala to give them a signal; when she did, Skywalker sneaked into her quarters, where he saw Amidala and Clovis embracing. Though it prompted a surge of anger and jealousy in Skywalker, she discretely showed him the disk she had stolen from Clovis and gave it to Skywalker, after which the Jedi retreated. It was soon after that the poison that Amidala had been given by Lott Dod began to set in, and she passed out. After Dod revealed to Clovis she was a spy, he helped Skywalker take her back to their ship, back to Coruscant, and forced Dod to give him the antidote, only for Skywalker to leave Clovis behind, stranded on the planet.

#### Second Battle of Geonosis

Immediately after routing Separatists near Dorin, Skywalker and Tano were sent to participate in the Second Battle of Geonosis, alongside Kenobi and Ki-Adi-Mundi, as the Republic returned to destroy the Geonosian primary droid factory. Intending to make a three-pronged attack against the shield generator, Skywalker, Tano, and the 501st Legion set out to attack the Separatist defense lines from the south to reach the rendezvous point—with only Kenobi's forces arriving at the landing zone, as both Mundi's and Skywalker's transports were shot down and forced to make their way to Kenobi's position by foot. Though they encountered resistance, Skywalker's team met up with Mundi's forces. After contacting Yularen to deploy a squadron of BTL-B Y-wings to help them, they reunited with Kenobi and his company, where they planned the assault on the shield generator.

They then improvised on their plan; leading the charge, Skywalker and Tano disabled the enemy cannons with EMP grenades, enabling the AT-TEs to destroy the shield generator; as the gunships arrived, the Geonosians in the area surrendered. Though Mundi and Kenobi left for medical treatment, the Republic forces continued pushing towards the massive droid foundry, and Skywalker and Tano were joined by Luminara Unduli and her Padawan, Barriss Offee, who met as Skywalker and Tano angrily discussed Skywalker's lack of trust in Tano's dependability. As Offee and Tano were sent into the Geonosian catacombs under the factory to plant explosives, Unduli realized that Skywalker was unable to let go of Tano and put her at risk, rather than distrusting her. Nevertheless, the two Jedi generals went onto distracting the droid army by marching straight to the factory and engage the enemy.

As Poggle the Lesser had his super tanks deployed, Skywalker and Luminara left their men behind and destroyed the bridge, only to learn that their Padawans had not returned yet. Cornered by droids coming from the factory, Skywalker was contacted by Tano and she apologized, uncertain that she and Offee would survive their ordeal, before using a super tank to destroy the factory. Refusing to let his Padawan die, Skywalker ordered to have them found; Unduli, however, told him that he needed to let go of his attachment to her if she were to be dead. Fortunately for them, Skywalker was contacted by Tano; after locating them, they rescued the two Padawans.

Sending Tano and Offee to recover out of the battlefield, Kenobi and Mundi returned to join in the clean-up of Separatist forces. For her part, Unduli left in search of Poggle before he could escape, when a sandstorm broke out. Forced to wait until the storm lifted after her last contact, Skywalker and Kenobi went to Unduli's last known location, the Progate Temple. Entering the catacombs below, not only they discovered undead Geonosian warriors, they also encountered the captive Unduli, Poggle, and the Geonosian Queen, Karina the Great. Setting up their men to surround the Queen and her brethren, Skywalker and Kenobi tried to negotiate with Karina, for Kenobi wanted to know how the undead warriors were created. After discovering her use of parasitic brain worms), they freed Unduli, captured Poggle and fled from the Queen, with Rex and Cody burying the Queen in her lair.

With Poggle in Republic custody, the four Jedi generals prepared to deliver him to Coruscant, while they sent Tano and Offee on a mission to transport medical supplies from a medical station near Ord Cestus to Mace Windu on Dantooine. Unbeknownst to them, one of the troopers, Scythe, was infected with one of the Queen's brain worms and boarded their *Pelta*-class frigate, the TB-73, forcing the two Padawans to fend off the infected clones. When the ship failed to report in as scheduled, Skywalker believed there to have been a complication, and was proven right when Tano contacted him to tell him about the situation.

Angered, Skywalker went to Poggle's cell on his own and told the guard troopers to leave them alone. He demanded that Poggle answer his questions with a mind trick, but the archduke informed him that it would have no effect on a Geonosian like him. It was then that Skywalker resorted to physical violence, attacking the captive Geonosian; with Poggle still unwilling to talk, Skywalker gave in to his anger and began to Force choke him. Only then did Poggle tell the Jedi Knight, through a translator droid, that the worms were affected by the cold. Skywalker relayed this information to his Padawan, telling her through her comlink to rupture the cooling system. Thanks to his advice, Tano was able to defeat the worms as they reached the medical station. Skywalker rushed to her encounter, where he consoled Tano on her doubts about sparing her friend's life.

#### Saleucami

Following the capture of Jedi Master Eeth Koth in the Outer Rim, General Grievous sent a holo-transmission to the Jedi Council, in which Grievous stated that he did not care about the Jedi's politics, nor their Republic, concluding that he lived only to see them all die. As Kenobi decoded Koth's hand signals that told them of their location at the Saleucami system, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Adi Gallia were dispatched on a mission to rescue him. As a distraction, Admiral Yularen and Kenobi engaged Grievous's forces over Saleucami, with Kenobi allowing the *Surrogator* to be boarded by Grievous. Discreetly, Skywalker, Gallia, Rex, and a group of clone troopers would execute a hyperspace jump into the system in an ambassador shuttle that would bring them right alongside Grievous's cruiser.

Once they boarded it, Skywalker and Gallia made their way to the stern of the cruiser, where they encountered a T-series tactical droid with a group of BX-series droid commandos. The two Jedi destroyed all the droids and rescued Koth, with Skywalker taking the injured Koth back to the shuttle. When Kenobi reported that Grievous had defeated him and escaped, Gallia left them to help Kenobi flank Grievous and capture him once and for all. Unsuccessful in their endeavor, Skywalker picked the two up at the hangar with their shuttle, only to leave for the *Resolute*, where he waited while Kenobi conducted a search mission for Grievous on the planet below alongside Cody, Rex, and other troopers.

Sometime later, Skywalker and his Padawan spearheaded a mission to Coruscant's underworld to apprehend Car Affa, an arms dealer selling Republic weapons to the Separatists. When they arrived at a cantina where Affa was hiding, Skywalker instructed Tano to wait outside while he apprehended the fugitive. The confrontation, however, caused a crowd to leave the bar at once—during which Tano lost her lightsaber, which prompted her to seek the help of Jedi Master Tera Sinube when they went back to the Temple, as she did not want Skywalker to find out she had lost her weapon.

#### Mandalore

Following allegations that Mandalore had allied with the Separatists, and Kenobi was sent to the planet to speak to his old friend, Duchess Satine Kryze, Skywalker joined them to escort the Duchess on her journey to Coruscant aboard the *Coronet*. On the ship, Skywalker and Kenobi told their men to be on alert, when Kryze requested their presence before her, and Skywalker correctly surmised that Kenobi had strong feelings for her just as his former master told him of their past together. When R2-D2 picked up readings in the cargo hold, the two generals were informed by Rex, and Skywalker went to investigate—only to be attacked by assassin probes. After destroying two of them, Skywalker informed Kenobi that there might be a traitor on board the ship, and Skywalker returned to sweep the hold in search of more.

After Kenobi lured the traitor out, Tal Merrik, and Skywalker destroyed another probe, he helped search the *Coronet* for Merrik and Kryze, now his hostage, until several B2 super battle droids sent by the Death Watch boarded the ship. Leaving Kenobi to save his "girlfriend," he destroyed the droids and then went to find Kenobi, who like Kryze, hesitated to kill Merrik; Skywalker, however, had no such compunctions and impaled Merrik, branding himself a "cold-blooded killer," to retrieve the Senator's detonator before he could destroy the ship. With no further complications, they arrived at Coruscant; as Kryze complimented Kenobi, Skywalker noted that she was quite the remarkable woman. Following the Mandalore Defense Resolution, Skywalker and Kenobi escorted Amidala to a meeting with the Chancellor in which he thanked her, but also apologized to Kryze, before leaving Kenobi and Kryze alone.

#### Trapped on Vanqor

Preparing to rendezvous with a Republic frigate, Skywalker and Mace Windu traveled aboard the *Endurance*, on which they greeted a squad of clone cadets, with an infiltrated Boba Fett among them. After Fett sabotaged the ship and everyone had to evacuate in escape pods, including himself before being rescued by Bossk and Aurra Sing on the *Slave I*, Skywalker and Windu rescued the missing cadets' damaged pod. As the survivors were being transferred to medical frigate, the two went to the *Endurance*'s crash site, where they searched for Admiral Kilian and any other survivors. As the bridge appeared relatively intact, they resolved to enter the wreckage, even with R2-D2's misgivings, which prompted Windu to chastise Skywalker for encouraging individuality in his astromech.

Leaving R2-D2 and R8-B7 to scan for life forms, Skywalker and Windu entered the bridge to find the survivors executed, with Skywalker noticing a Mandalorian helmet. With Windu correctly surmising that it was bait set by Boba Fett, he saved Skywalker from taking the full brunt of the explosion set off by touching the helmet. Now trapped under the rubble, the wounded Skywalker and the unconscious Windu were soon found by R2-D2, whom Skywalker told to call the Temple for help. As they waited for the astromech to come back, Windu told Skywalker why Fett wanted him dead: he sought revenge for killing his father, Jango, during the first battle of Geonosis.

As the *Endurance* began to collapse, they were rescued by Tano, Plo Koon, and a clone squad, thanks to R2-D2 delivering the message at the Temple itself. After spending time in a bacta tank at the Temple, Skywalker urged Windu to track Fett down and bring him to justice. The Jedi Master did not agree, until Koon and Tano showed them a message from Fett and Sing, with hostages—one of them, Ponds, killed in cold blood by Sing. Though Windu decided to go, Koon said that he would take the mission, alongside Tano, since both Windu and Skywalker were still recovering from their injuries. As they arrived on Coruscant with Bossk and Fett in custody, Skywalker was present as Fett apologized for causing so much destruction, but claimed he would never forgive Windu for killing his father, before they were taken away to the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center.

#### Balith

Following his wife's mission to discover a conspiracy on Mandalore, Skywalker and Captain Rex escorted Tano to her solo mission on Mandalore to instruct cadets at the Royal Academy of Government at the behest of Duchess Kryze and the Jedi Council. Upon their arrival at Sundari, Skywalker presented Tano to the Duchess and Prime Minister Almec. Before leaving to join with Kit Fisto, Skywalker took his Padawan's lightsaber to respect Mandalore's laws. After Tano exposed Almec's black market operation, Skywalker reunited with his Padawan, to whom he returned her lightsaber.

Back in the Jedi Temple, the Jedi Council congratulated Tano on her courage and strength, but also ordered Skywalker to command the Third Legion on Balith to give assistance in their civil war. Told by the Council to stay behind so she could give them her full report, Tano pleaded to Skywalker to let her come along, but he told her that she should use this time in the library to prove him wrong about his assertion that she learned more on the battlefield than in the Temple, before leaving for Balith with Rex.

Skywalker returned to Coruscant to greet, along with Yoda, his Padawan, Amidala, and Bail Organa after the Alderaan Refugee Conference, during which Tano captured Aurra Sing. Wondering who would pay for Amidala's assassination, Yoda had Tano use her improved precognitive abilities to find out who was behind the assassination attempt. With her description, Amidala realized who it was—Ziro the Hutt. Skywalker and his Padawan then went to the Judiciary Detention Center to question Ziro, who was tricked by Tano into confessing that he had hired Sing for the job. Satisfied, Skywalker and his Padawan then left the Hutt to his misery.

#### Battle of Kamino

Forewarned by the destruction of Rishi Station and an intercepted transmission between Asajj Ventress and General Grievous, Skywalker and Kenobi traveled to Kamino to warn Shaak Ti and Prime Minister Lama Su of an upcoming Separatist attack, with Rex, Cody, Echo, Fives, and the rest of the 501st Legion in their company. Shortly, Grievous's fleet arrived and Skywalker led the Republic space forces, scoring several serious hits against the enemy. On the planet below, Tipoca City was attacked by *Trident*-class assault ship and AQ-series battle droids, prompting Kenobi to recall Skywalker to the city. Soon after returning, Skywalker engaged Ventress, who had stolen the prime DNA sample of the clones' template, Jango Fett. With the aid of clone trooper platoon, Skywalker recovered the sample from Ventress, but she, like Grievous, managed to escape yet again.

#### The blockade of Pantora

Skywalker was later informed by his apprentice that Pantora Chairman Papanoida's daughters had been kidnapped. Knowing that the Jedi could not get officially involved, he slyly gave her permission to rescue them due to "personal concerns"; this turned out to be successful, with both daughters being safely returned to their father.

#### Senate crisis

Supposed to be on a meditative retreat, Skywalker spent some time with his wife on her apartment, observing as Amidala anxiously arranged a party for Senator Aang, who held the deciding vote on the Military Oversight Committee. Skywalker tried to ease her mind, telling her that the party would work out and that she should relax, when they saw C-3PO being fuzzy about the arrangements. At Amidala's request, Skywalker sent the protocol droid and R2-D2 to buy the jogan fruit that the latter had forgotten to buy for Aang's favorite dessert, jogan fruitcake. Although they were delayed, Amidala nevertheless hosted the party all the same, with her and Skywalker waiting for the two droids to come back—who did so just in time to present the cake to Senator Aang.

Not too long after, Skywalker went to the Senate Building to convince Amidala to go away together for two weeks, to a faraway place where no one would recognize them, so that they could actually be husband and wife, instead of Senator and Jedi. Amidala, however, rejected the idea, for she was preparing an important bill for the Senate. Skywalker retorted that the bill seemed more important than their love, but Amidala countered that it was not, just that they both lived to serve the Republic. However, Skywalker stated that there was nothing more important than the way he felt about her, and proved it by giving Amidala his lightsaber, which, Kenobi had told him once, was his "life." Though she believed he was teasing her, Skywalker was sincere about his feelings, and the two shared a kiss.

They were soon interrupted by C-3PO and Senator Organa's voices, prompting Skywalker to hide under her desk and Amidala to hide his lightsaber in her sleeve. As she went to the lobby to attend a meeting about the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill, only to be taken hostage along with several other Senators by Cad Bane and his team. Following her, Skywalker saw the situation, when Bane spotted him and sent his henchmen to capture him, but Skywalker avoided them long enough to contact Palpatine and defeat an IG-86 sentinel droid empty-handed, before being shocked into unconsciousness by Robonino and Aurra Sing and brought before the Senators. After the bounty hunters planted bombs that would go off if their laser detectors were triggered and left the building, Skywalker woke up and Amidala returned his lightsaber. He then used it to cut a hole in the floor, dropping all the senators one floor down into safety, just before Bane triggered the bombs and escaped alongside the now-freed Ziro.

#### Meeting Madam Synata

Following the crisis, Skywalker went with Amidala to Caamas to board legendary actress Madam Risha Synata's private ship. However, they were late to see Madam Synata's play about Darth Krist-Ov. After they arrived, Skywalker and Amidala met Synata. Skywalker agreed to see her museum, despite Amidala's reluctance. Skywalker took Amidala to her room. The next day, Skywalker and Amidala went to the museum. There, Skywalker and Amidala saw a display of Varykino, where they exchanged their vows. Skywalker and Amidala came under attack by several robots from the displays. Skywalker fought them off and helped Amidala escape them. Skywalker and Amidala then discovered a Separatist banner and a hologram of Count Dooku.

Skywalker and Amidala discovered that Synata was collaborating with Dooku and the Separatists. Skywalker then took one of the Separatist agents while Amidala discovered a list of anti-Separatist senators. Skywalker and Amidala discovered that along with Amidala, Synata planned to kill them with Dioxis gas. Skywalker and Amidala fought several LEP servant droids to stop Synata from killing the senators. With assistance from R2-D2, Skywalker and Amidala reached the theater.

As Amidala told the audience to run, Skywalker borrowed a mask and helmet from an actor before confronting Synata, who had her own lightsaber. Skywalker fought Synata until he held her at the end of his lightsaber. Skywalker and Amidala then reported their trip to the Jedi Council.

#### Intense training

After arriving late to one of Tano's training sessions, Skywalker became frustrated with the simplicity of the exercises. In turn, he told her to meet with him later for an actual training session. Later, Skywalker took Tano to an isolated area with Rex and the 501st. He then had the clones surround Tano and fire stun bolts at her. The sessions continued for hours until Tano told Skywalker that the battle droids weren't nearly as good as the clones. Skywalker explained that this was the point and that he wanted her training to be difficult so that she would know how to protect herself. Tano would continue the sessions with Rex and the 501st throughout the war.

#### Jedi Ceremony

One day, Skywalker was waiting with Master Yoda in the Jedi temple grounds for Tano. Once she arrived, Skywalker reprimanded her for being late, but Yoda praised her for helping out and proceeded to extend her Padawan braid. Following a debate in the senate about a financial reform bill, Skywalker was asked by Amidala to persuade the Jedi Council to speak with Palpatine about denying the continuation of the war. Skywalker allowed Tano to go with Amidala in order for her to learn more about politics. After an apparent Separatist attack, Skywalker confronted his apprentice about her and Amidala's meeting with Onderon's senator Mina Bonteri on Raxus Secundus and how foolish it was. Despite that, Skywalker's apprentice learned that politics were not as black and white as she had previously thought.

#### Dathomirian threat

Skywalker and Kenobi commanded Republic forces in a battle against Asajj Ventress's fleet in the Sullust system. Directly participating of the battle in their starfighters, Kenobi was singled out and attacked by Ventress, whose *Ginivex*-class fanblade starfighter was, in turn, disabled by Skywalker. As Kenobi and Ventress crashed in the hangar of the Separatist command ship, Skywalker soon landed to assist his former master; together, the two Jedi engage Ventress in a duel. They were interrupted, however, by the destruction of the ship, secretly ordered by Count Dooku. The two Jedi fled in their interceptors, presuming Ventress to be doomed.

After the massacre on Devaron, Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to Dathomir, as footage had shown the Council of a Dathomirian's role during the attack on Devaron. Once on Dathomir, they made their way to a village, where they were ambushed by the Nightbrothers until Skywalker took their leader hostage; the Zabrak then told the Jedi that a Nightsister had taken one of them to their fortress, prompting the Jedi to go there. Skywalker and Kenobi questioned Mother Talzin, who told them his name—Savage Opress—and whereabouts. The two Jedi then headed to Toydaria where they confronted Opress, but failed to stop him from killing King Katuunko. Using the king's ship as theirs was destroyed, Skywalker and Kenobi caught up with their target on Dooku's Separatist flagship; however, Opress managed to overpower them, forcing the two to retreat and leave the ship.

#### Killing a defector

Following their encounter with Opress, Skywalker and Kenobi were called away from a blockade at Herdessa to meet with Yularen. The admiral informed them that Mekedrix had gone missing. In addition, an execution squad known as the Death Wind had been striking at Republic and Separatist targets. The group's namesake, the Death Wind Corridor also passed by Mekedrix's home planet of Roon, creating a possible link. Yularen went on to say that the Death Wind may have taken up a covert position on Ando. As such, Skywalker and Kenobi were to locate the Death Wind and kill Mekedrix if he was involved with them. Skywalker initially refused, believing that killing a potential ally would make the Jedi like the Separatists. Kenobi assured Skywalker that they would attempt to find a peaceful solution before they departed for Ando. After arriving on the planet and pushing through the local swamplands, the Jedi came upon empty sets of clone armor being used as effigies. Upon reaching the terminus of a river, they discovered an outpost built from the ruins of a Sith temple. They were then met by the Death Wind, who allowed the Jedi to see their leader in exchange for their lightsabers. Entering the outpost, Skywalker and Kenobi came upon Mekedrix, seated on a throne and wielding a sword. Mekedrix claimed he had saved his victims by showing them the truth; that the purpose of existence was to kill and die. When Mekedrix revealed that his sword was made from the bones of a clone trooper, Kenobi asked him what the clone's name was. Kenobi went on to claim that life gave the galaxy meaning and that death had no use for a sunrise, a name, a home or a friend. Mekedrix then lunged at Kenobi, but Skywalker retrieved his lightsaber and stabbed Mekedrix through the chest. Skywalker expressed regret over killing him, but Mekedrix assured that this was the quickest way back to the sunrise before he passed away.

### Personal and wartime conflicts

#### The Destiny of the Chosen One

When the Jedi Council received a 2,000-year-old Jedi distress signal, Skywalker, along with Kenobi and Tano, were sent by the High Council to the Chrelythiumn system, where they were supposed to meet up with Captain Rex and an armed cruiser. Though they both made it to the rendezvous point, neither Rex's nor the Jedi's ship could see each other. In fact, the Jedi's ship was guided to a mysterious planet, Mortis, where they met by a mysterious figure called the Daughter, who asked Skywalker if he was "the one" and who wanted to lead them to the Father, when Skywalker was separated from Kenobi and Tano, and the Daughter.

Skywalker tried to follow her, only to reach the monastery, where he met the Father and was given shelter for the night. As he tried to sleep, the figure of his mother, Shmi, appeared before him and encouraged him to tell her of his pain and guilt—that he was too late to save her, and that he had failed as a Jedi and that he had failed her, having tasted only vengeance when he slaughtered so many to avenge her death. But, as he mentioned his wife, who he claimed was "everything" to him, the figure finally revealed itself to be the Son, briefly assuming a monstrous appearance before disappearing.

Shaken by the encounter, he confronted the Father, who told of his family's history, and wondered if he was truly the Chosen One. Though Skywalker dismissed the prophecy as a myth, the Father arranged a test to see whether the Jedi Knight was fit to fulfill his destiny. Ordering his children to kill Tano and Kenobi, the Father goaded Skywalker into choosing between his master and his apprentice, but Skywalker instead controlled the two beings, bringing them to their knees. Having proved himself to be the Chosen One, the Father pleaded with him to stay, but Skywalker refused, leaving with Tano and Kenobi on their shuttle.

They were interrupted when the Son kidnapped Tano, prompting Skywalker to pursue him, at the cost of damaging their ship near Son's cathedral. Despite Kenobi's reservations, Skywalker went after his Padawan and climbed the tower to find Tano, corrupted by the dark side. Skywalker fought her, soon to be joined by Kenobi, only to be interrupted by the Father's arrival. Kenobi tried to hand Skywalker the Dagger of Mortis, but Tano grabbed it and gave it to the Son, who killed her, for she was no longer useful; the dark side user then mortally wounded his sister as she stepped in to save her Father. Skywalker begged the Father to save Tano, and the dying Daughter used Skywalker as a conduit to channel the last of her life force into Tano, resurrecting her. The Father told them to leave the planet before the Son used their ship to do so.

The ship's repairs forced them to stay a bit longer, though, and Skywalker went to the Father for guidance. On their meeting, the Father was determined to kill Son, but refused Skywalker's offer of aid, telling the Jedi Knight to look inside himself for the answer for what was to be done. Leaving him, Skywalker encountered the Force spirit of his first mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn. Though Skywalker sought his advice, Jinn advised him to remember his training and trust his instincts, and to go to the Well of the Dark Side to face his most personal challenge. There, the Son forced Skywalker to confront his future, one consumed by the dark side. Horrified, Skywalker submitted to the Son as he promised him the power to avert this destiny. Soon, Kenobi arrived, and Skywalker left him trapped at the well, claiming to have seen the truth—that it was the Jedi who would stand in the way of peace.

Skywalker arrived as his Padawan disabled the ship and went to rescue Kenobi, while the Son went to steal the Dagger. As Skywalker waited, the Father appeared before him and recognized that his son had broken the rules of time; he wiped Skywalker's memory of these future visions, leaving him unconscious, and brought him to his monastery. Skywalker awoke to find the Father, Kenobi, and Tano, moments before the Son arrived with the Dagger. To end the conflict, the Father impaled himself to distract his Son, while Skywalker killed the Son with his lightsaber. As the Father also died, he warned Skywalker to be wary of his feelings as they could lead to his downfall. As was noted by the Father, Skywalker had brought balance to the Force on Mortis through the deaths of the Force wielders, and he still had a chance to do so for the full galaxy.

After the Father's death, the three Jedi were transplanted back to the galaxy to finally rendezvous with Rex. Surprised to learn that, to Rex and the others, they had only been gone for a moment, they returned to the Star Destroyer. They would later report this encounter to the Council, with Skywalker even mentioning that he had spoken with Jinn to Yoda. Even though Skywalker was not entirely convinced, they came to believe it had merely been an illusion of the old mentor. In reality, it had truly been the spirit of Jinn.

#### The Citadel

More than one year and nine months into the war, following the capture of Jedi Council member Even Piell by the Separatists, Skywalker and Kenobi were briefed by Master Plo Koon and sent along with their team—which included Rex, Cody, Echo, and Fives—to infiltrate the Citadel on Lola Sayu to retrieve Master Piell, who held the information on the Nexus Route. Refusing to let Tano risk her life on such a dangerous mission, Skywalker devised a strategy to bypass the lifeform scanners of the prison; the whole team underwent carbon-freezing and were transported to the Citadel by Commander R2-D2 and his reprogrammed battle droid squadron.

After landing, Skywalker was thawed out and he found, to his surprise, that Tano had disobeyed orders and followed him. Forced to take her along, the team made its way to the facilities, leaving the astromech to guard their shuttle. After free-climbing to the entry point through a cliff wall blasted by a strong gale and littered with electro-mines, and after Tano deactivated the ray-shield on the entrance, the team was able to enter, except for Charger, who fell to his death and alerted the prison staff, led by Osi Sobeck, of their presence. Inside, they lost Longshot, but finally made it to Master Piell, whom they freed and who told them they needed to rescue his officers.

Despite the many traps laid through the fortress, the team rescued the officers, when they met the other carrier of the Nexus Route coordinates, Captain Wilhuff Tarkin. The team was split into two—while Kenobi's team created a diversion, Skywalker would lead the others away. In Tarkin's company, Skywalker and his team escaped through the cavern system below the prison, when Tarkin expressed some skepticism about the Jedi's plan, to which Skywalker told Tarkin that he reserved his trust to those who understood gratitude. However, they soon found common ground, for they both believed the Jedi Code prevented the Order from going far enough to achieve victory in the ongoing war, and Tarkin developed a grudging appreciation for Skywalker.

As they made their way out of the fuel line to rendezvous with R2-D2 and the shuttle, they were attacked by droids and forced to join Kenobi at their pick-up point, with the shuttle heavily guarded. During the skirmish, Echo tried to defend the shuttle, but its destruction and subsequent explosion seemingly killed him. As they ran into the cave system, Skywalker and Kenobi contacted the Council, telling them they needed to escape, and Koon immediately departed to pick them up. They contacted the Council again to be informed of the extraction point; as they proceeded to the location, Sobeck sent anoobas after them. The creatures claimed Master Piell's life, who passed his intel on to Tano, and the group took a moment to honor his death. Ultimately, they got to the extraction point on time, and fled on Plo Koon's rescue shuttle, with Saesee Tiin's fleet covering them to allow their escape back to Coruscant.

#### Padawan lost

Skywalker, Tano, and 501st forces fought on Felucia alongside Plo Koon and his clones in taking out a reinforced Separatist outpost. Breaking their forces into three groups, Skywalker and Rex's team were responsible for attacking the front gate and destroying the tactical droid, TZ-33, securing the outpost together with Koon and Tano's teams.

However, Skywalker then noticed that Tano had disappeared during the battle, and ordered a perimeter sweep. Skywalker had his men search around the outpost, to no avail several times over. Master Koon then informed that he had alerted all forces throughout the Outer Rim and assured Skywalker that she would be found eventually, but also firmly told him that their mission on Felucia was finished and that they had to return to Coruscant. However, Skywalker refused to abandon her, to which Koon observed his emotions were clouding his judgment. Skywalker countered "I will not leave her fate up to others." Koon insisted, "It's time to go." Only then did Skywalker comply and call everybody in to leave the planet.

Back at the Temple, Skywalker relentlessly searched for possibilities in the star charts, which prompted Koon to suggest that he should trust in Tano's abilities. Following the events on Wasskah, Skywalker's search for his Padawan came to an end when she arrived to the Temple on the *Halo*, in company of her Wookiee allies and the younglings O-Mer and Jinx. Upon seeing her, Skywalker profusely apologized for all that happened, heavily blaming himself for his apparent inability to protect her. Tano, however, assured him that his instruction gave her the skills necessary to survive and thanked him for his guidance. The two bowed to each other in newfound mutual respect under the delighted eye of Master Yoda.

#### Battle of Horain

Sometime later Skywalker participated in the Battle of Horain, alongside Kenobi and Rex. Skywalker was contacted by Rex, who was requesting assistance, though he was already preoccupied with a group of Vulture Droids. Skywalker later met Kenobi and Rex in disbelief, noticing they had hijacked an AAT alongside faulty battle droid Bats.

#### Skirmish on Retta

On Retta, Skywalker ambushed a group of B1 battle droids alongside Grand Master Yoda. Skywalker was soon attacked by Kreeda, a Segredo who was attempting to scare the Jedi away. However, Kreeda soon became friendly to the Jedi, as she was an old friend of Yoda. When Skywalker attempted to recruit Kreeda as a spy, the Segredo left, and Skywalker and Yoda were attacked by battle droids soon after. After being separated with Yoda, he met the Jedi Master and Kreeda again, the latter of whom explained she was protecting refugees of the Clone Wars. Using a hat from one of the individuals she was protecting, Skywalker pretended to be using the "cloaking cap" to distract General Flebek, allowing Yoda to take out a B1. Believing there was no secret to invisibility and that it had been a trick, Flebek fled the area and boarded her ship. Upon asking what his report would entail, Yoda told Skywalker that he would tell Mace Windu there was nothing of interest on Retta.

#### Battle of Mon Cala

After the assassination of King Kolina of Mon Cala and new discord in the fragile peace between the Mon Calamari and the Quarren, Skywalker and Amidala, sent as representatives of the Republic, arrived to the planet at the behest of Captain Gial Ackbar of the Mon Calamari Guard and protector of young Prince Lee-Char, but so did Riff Tamson, Separatist ambassador. Though Skywalker and Amidala tried to mediate between the parties, the Quarren left the council hall, dissatisfied with the Mon Calamari rule. Along with Ackbar, they contacted Yoda and Windu, who dispatched a company of clone troopers equipped for underwater combat under the command of Kit Fisto and Tano.

In the meantime, during the Quarren attack assisted by Separatist aqua droids, Skywalker and Amidala accompanied Lee-Char, who in turn was bodyguarded by Ackbar. He engaged the Quarren soldiers until he was recalled by his wife to help Senator Meena Tills, while leaving Tano to cover the prince and rescue him from Tamson. As the first Separatist/Quarren assault came to an end, Skywalker reunited with Amidala, Tano, Fisto, Ackbar, Lee-Char, and Tills to await the second assault, this time assisted by the Hydroid Medusas, which proved incredibly effective against the Republic-Mon Calamari army. Forced to retreat into the caves below, they regrouped to decide their next course of action—to retreat to the surface, only return to the sea floor as their frigate was destroyed and they were attacked by more enemies.

They split into two groups: Skywalker went with his wife, Ackbar, and Tills, whereas Fisto, Tano, and two troopers accompanied the Prince. Expecting Republic reinforcements to come soon, Skywalker and his group proceeded to the Mon Calamari central planetary scanner facility, where the Jedi Knight collapsed the entire structure with the Force, rendering planetary defenses blind to upcoming Republic reinforcements—the Gungan Grand Army, and Representative Binks, sent at the behest of the High Council. However, Tamson used *Trident*-class assault ship to create whirlpools, disorienting the Republic-Gungan forces, and though Skywalker managed to destroy one of them, all but Tano and Lee-Char were captured.

Brought before Riff Tamson, Skywalker and Fisto were restrained by electric eels, whereas Amidala and Jar Jar Binks were imprisoned within containment devices, interrogating the two Jedi about the whereabouts of Prince Lee-Char. During the interrogation, Tamson attempted to force them to talk by biting a tiny hole into Amidala's helmet, allowing her suit to fill up with water. However, Tamson left to see the located Prince in person, Skywalker and Fisto used the Force to remove the water from her helmet, while Binks used his saliva to seal the puncture, saving her from drowning. The four were soon taken to witness Prince Lee-Char's execution, in which Nossor Ri, the Quarren leader, saved the prince at the critical moment and turned his people against the Separatists, resulting in the victory of the Mon Cala people. With the peace restored, Skywalker and his friends were present for the coronation of Lee-Char, now recognized by both Mon Calamari and Quarren as their new monarch.

#### Naboo

Following rumors that the Gungans planned to aid the Separatists in an attack on Theed, Skywalker accompanied Amidala to Theed and later, to the Gungan territory near Lake Paonga where they met with Binks, who confirmed the troubling rumors. He took the couple to Otoh Gunga, where they spoke to Boss Lyonie, and realized he was under the influence of a mind-controlling necklace, which Skywalker telekinetically snatched, making him recover; Lyonie told them that new minister, Rish Loo, had given it to him.

Skywalker, Amidala, and Binks assisted Lyonie as he confronted Loo, only to face droid commandos, and for Lyonie to be stabbed by Loo before the minister's escape. Taking the Boss to an infirmary, the couple noticed the uncanny resemblance between the unconscious Lyonie and Binks, who they convince to impersonate Lyonie and cancel the Gungan assault on Theed. As he did so, uncovering Loo's deception to the army, Skywalker pursued the fugitive minister to a trap set by Count Dooku in Loo's laboratory. As Dooku killed Loo and revealed his secret input in the Battle of Naboo, Skywalker dueled the Count, only to be overwhelmed by Dooku's powers and his four MagnaGuards.

Dooku then contacted Amidala and offered an exchange—the Jedi Knight for General Grievous, who had been captured by the Gungan Grand Army, thanks to Gungan General Tarpals's sacrifice. An hour later, Skywalker was brought and handed over to Amidala, Queen Neeyutnee and the Gungans, while Grievous was allowed to remain free.

#### Battle of Umbara

During the campaign on Umbara, Skywalker and Kenobi discussed their attack strategy against the Umbaran capital city, which was being defended by Confederate and local militia forces. Together with Rex and Fives, Skywalker prepared to repel enemy reinforcements striking against Kenobi's joint attack with Jedi Masters Saesee Tiin and Pong Krell, who would be supporting Kenobi from the south whereas Skywalker and 501st Legion would advance from the north.

Amidst heavy fire, Skywalker and his battalion made it to the landing site, and then to a ridge which they used as a staging area. As he and Rex awaited the rest of their men, hoping to move out soon and reinforce General Kenobi's battalion, Dogma reported that all platoons had reported in, and Skywalker told him to get some rest. Dogma replied that he was fine, but Rex told him it was a direct order, prompting Dogma to do as he was told. As Rex observed Dogma was "wound tight but loyal," Skywalker joked that he reminded him of Rex, who disagreed, saying that was him in the old days.

Shortly after this, the Umbarans ambushed Skywalker and his troops, but an airstrike by Master Krell and Odd Ball saved them. After the quick save, Krell approached Skywalker with a disconcerting message: the Council had ordered Skywalker back to Coruscant, effective immediately, as requested by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, for reasons unknown. Though reluctant to leave his troops in the midst of battle, Skywalker was forced to relinquish command over his troops to Master Krell and make the journey back to Coruscant. Despite Krell's efforts to sabotage the Republic effort by tricking the 501st and the 212th battalions into attacking each other, Kenobi was successful in taking the capital and routing the remaining Umbaran forces, securing all sectors of the planet for the Republic.

#### Kiros

After ten rotations of Yoda's last contact with the Togruta colonists on Kiros, Skywalker, Tano, Rex, Cody, Kenobi, and their forces arrived at the world to investigate its silence, with Skywalker particularly worried they would be too late. After landing, suspicious of the lack of colonists in the town, they used BARC speeders to break through the city and surround the governor's tower, used as the Separatist Headquarters. The enemy commander, Darts D'Nar, then sent a message to Kenobi to discuss terms of surrender. Skywalker then took the holoprojector out of Cody's hand and called D'Nar "Zygerrian scum." Though Skywalker wanted to deal with the slaver himself, Kenobi told him to locate the missing colonists while he negotiated. As Skywalker contacted Admiral Yularen to conduct a planetary bioscan to find them, Kenobi explained Skywalker's behavior to Tano.

Overhearing from Kenobi's negotiations that D'Nar had planted bombs throughout the city, Skywalker and Tano set out to disarm them. Despite sniper droids, they destroyed the bombs in the nick of time, just for Kenobi to tell them D'Nar was escaping on the *Tecora*. With some effort, they managed to board the ship, inside which D'Nar pitted a blixus against them, but Skywalker managed to throw it off the ship, while Tano bested D'Nar in the cockpit. Soon, Skywalker joined her and, with frightening intensity, threatened the Zygerrian into revealing the colonists' location, much to Tano's surprise. However, it proved effective as D'Nar revealed that his Queen would hold the Royal Slave Auction.

#### Zygerria

When Skywalker, Kenobi, Yularen, and Tano told the Jedi Council of their findings, they were tasked with locating the colonists. On the *Tecora*, and disguised as Zygerrian, they land on the capital city of Zygerria; splitting into two teams (Kenobi and Rex went to located the colonists), Skywalker and Tano went to meet Queen Miraj Scintel, with Skywalker posing as "Lars Quell" and bringing news of Bruno Denturri's supposed death, and presenting Tano as a present. He quickly won Scintel's favor, with the Queen inviting him to accompany her during the slave auction, where she intended to have Skywalker prove himself a slaver by torturing Kenobi.

Instead, he freed Kenobi and tried to escape with R2-D2 returning their lightsabers, Rex providing cover fire and Tano confronting the Queen. Despite their efforts, however, they were subdued, but Scintel saw Skywalker's determination, for five electro-whips were needed to reduce him. Despite Dooku and half her kingdom demanding his death, Scintel had Skywalker brought to her quarters. There he woke up and interrogated Scintel about his friends' whereabouts, while he throttled the Queen with the Force. However, Scintel gasped that his friends would die unless he obeyed her, and Skywalker was forced to comply and become her bodyguard and escort, just as she became infatuated by him.

After a few days, Dooku would arrive, and Skywalker observed that she too was a slave to the Count, before she left to receive the Sith Lord. With the help of R2-D2, he escaped his guards and freed Tano from her cage and sent her to prep the ship, while he interrogated Scintel to tell him Kenobi and Rex's location. However, he found himself before Atai Molec, who had betrayed Scintel, and Dooku, with whom Skywalker futilely dueled before Dooku blamed him of killing Scintel before her guards. Skywalker then took Scintel and escaped to the *Tecora*, aboard which she told him Kenobi was in the Kadavo system and that she, just like Skywalker, was a slave, before dying.

After contacting Plo Koon to send reinforcements, Skywalker and Tano soon reached Kadavo and entered the slave-processing facility. During the battle that ensued, Skywalker disabled the turrets that were attacking Koon and his forces, while Tano saved the Togruta colonists from falling to their death (as caused by Keeper Agruss) by placing Admiral Barton Coburn's *Arquitens*-class light cruiser *Hand of Justice* underneath the facility. Along with Rex and Kenobi, Skywalker evacuated the facility before it was destroyed on Koon's orders, before returning to the rest of Koon's fleet.

#### Palpatine kidnapped

After the capture of Moralo Eval, rumored to be the mastermind of a plot to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Skywalker, Tano, and Kenobi were recalled to an emergency meeting by the High Council while they walked through the nightly streets of Coruscant. On their way to the Temple, however, a sniper opened fire at them, which prompted the three Jedi to chase their aggressor. However, the sniper killed Kenobi before escaping on a speeder, prompting Skywalker to return to his master, to find Tano crying and his old master dead, whom he called several times trying to get him to respond. Becoming withdrawn and grim, Skywalker would not say a word since then, until after the funeral held to honor Kenobi, when he went on a self-imposed mission to locate his murderer, Rako Hardeen, at Trueping's. Though Skywalker would rather kill him, he arrested Hardeen and ferried him to the Republic Detention Center.

After hearing that Hardeen had escaped from jail, Skywalker held a meeting with his friend, Palpatine, when Windu informed the Chancellor that they would remove the bounty on Hardeen and the two other escapees, Eval and Cad Bane; a decision did not sit well with Skywalker. Palpatine suggested that the Council perhaps did not trust him to control his feelings, and Skywalker felt the Council was doing nothing to catch the murderer of his master—his best friend. Exploiting this to his advantage, Palpatine told him not to deny his feelings, for they were what made him special, and deliberately sent Skywalker and Tano to Nal Hutta. There, two Jedi harshly interrogated locals for information, which led them to Orondia, the fugitives last known location.

After spotting their quarry as they prepare to leave, Skywalker rammed their ship into submission and board it in midflight, but was foiled by Bane and a subsequent crash-landing of both parties resulting from the chase. Surrounded by smoke, Hardeen left the ship, and Skywalker confronted him, ready to kill Hardeen when Bane interrupted him. Hardeen intervened then and wrestled with Skywalker, whispering to Skywalker's ear "Anakin, don't follow me." As he felt a connection, Skywalker passed out, only for Tano to protect him for Bane's attempts to execute him. As they returned to Coruscant, Yoda summoned Skywalker to his chambers and revealed the truth to him—that Kenobi was "Rako Hardeen."

Afterwards, Skywalker was briefed along his Padawan about the security plans the Council had for the Chancellor during the Festival of Light on Naboo. Skywalker, Tano, and Windu would escort the Palpatine and Mas Amedda to Theed, where Skywalker was greeted by his wife. At the festival itself, the abduction was initially successful with Cad Bane and Moralo Eval ferrying Palpatine away, while Skywalker and Windu captured Embo and Twazzi; however, Kenobi stopped Eval and Bane, long enough for Windu and Skywalker to arrive and take the two into custody.

As he reunited with his old master, he voiced his resentment for the Council's lack of trust in him as well as Kenobi's decision to hide the truth from him. Wondering how many other lies he had been told by the Council, he set out on his own to bodyguard Palpatine, who continued to place seeds of doubt in Skywalker until they were greeted by Dooku. After destroying two of his MagnaGuards, Skywalker dueled the Count with ferocity, until Kenobi arrived to help him rescue the Chancellor, whereas Dooku fled.

#### A phantom menace

Sometime later, when Skywalker and Tano were on their way to rendezvous with a cruiser, they decided to land at the Stobar Spaceport, as Skywalker was hungry and tired of government rations. The two walked into Plop Dribble's, only to find police droids and an unconscious waitress. Though they attempted to investigate the assault, both the police and its owner, Loubo, told not to worry; instead, he offered them a free meal. However, Skywalker sensed a disturbance in the Force, something sinister and familiar—which, unbeknownst to him, heralded the return of the now renegade Sith Lord Maul.

#### Onderon Rebellion

Following a plea made by a rebel cell on Onderon, the Jedi Council considered how to help them fight the Separatists. Skywalker suggested training the rebels in subversive combat tactics; though it verged on terrorism, which the Jedi would not support, the High Council decided to send advisors to the rebel cell for the upcoming battle. On the *Nu*-class transport *Valkyrie 2929*, Skywalker, Tano, Rex, and Kenobi reached the planet during the night, when they met Steela Gerrera and were guided to their rebel secret base, where they met her brother, Saw. The team trained the rebels to combat droids, until Separatist probe droids discovered their outpost and attacked, which prompted the cell to enter Iziz.

After some successful operations, Skywalker, Kenobi, and Rex decided to return to Coruscant and report to the Council, while Tano stayed behind as a liaison to the rebels, without revealing herself as a Jedi. They kept in frequent communication with her, to provide guidance, but also to provide help by hiring Hondo Ohnaka to deliver missile launchers to the Onderon rebels for the final assault. Skywalker attended the funeral service for Steela Gerrera.

Skywalker lent the *Twilight* to Kenobi, who used it to travel to Mandalore to rescue Satine Kryze. With all its technical problems, after landing on Mandalore, Kenobi vowed not to borrow another ship from Skywalker. However, as he escaped, the ship was shot down by Mandalorian commandos and destroyed, moments before Kryze was murdered by Maul during the Mandalorian civil war.

Skywalker was later present when the Jedi Council sent Meebur Gascon and a team of Republic droids to steal an encryption module from the Separatists. Later Skywalker participated in the Republic strategy conference on the space station Valor, while on the station he noticed the *Renown* was going a little too fast. Tarkin told Skywalker that they are scanning Rhydonium on the ship, Skywalker instantly realized it was a bomb, Skywalker was later contacted and informed by Gascon of R2's sacrifice. However, Skywalker refused to believe that his friend was gone. He sent out salvage teams to scour the wreckage, who retrieved R2's remains and repaired him. The two reunited, and Anakin was happy to have him back.

#### Maul's return

Skywalker was later present when the Jedi High Council met up with the chancellor to discuss Maul's return, during which they decided to leave him alone even though they knew he was still alive.

#### Final lessons

Sometime later, Skywalker was sparring with Tano when Master Yoda entered to spar with her. He watched on as Tano was defeated by Yoda but managed to progress as Yoda taught her some skills.

### Nearing the end

#### Tano's trial

During the defense of Cato Neimoidia, Skywalker and Tano engaged Separatist forces on their Eta-2 *Actis*-class interceptors, until they received an urgent mission recalling them to the Jedi Temple. Its hangar had been bombed and, as the two had been off-world during the attack, Skywalker and Tano were to lead the investigation to uncover the criminal—likely to be a Jedi. They went to the crime scene, where they met Russo-ISC, whom Skywalker sent alongside Tano to interview the witnesses, whereas he meditated at the hangar. Unable to discover anything, he met up with Tano, who told him about their missing suspect, Jackar Bowmani, a clue which, in turn, led to his wife, Letta Turmond, who under pressure admitted to feeding Bowmani with nano-droids, but would not reveal her motives.

Skywalker was present at Yoda's eulogy for the six Jedi who died during the explosion, and later took the opportunity to speak with Tarkin. Skywalker and his Padawan were then summoned to the war room to be briefed about a Separatist attack on Saleucami, when Tarkin informed them that Turmond had requested to speak with Tano. When she was framed with Turmond's death and imprisoned, he was forbidden to see her, and only returned to track her down on her escape, following Tano into the pipelines.

Alone, they revealed that their trust in each other was absolute, but as Skywalker pleaded for her to surrender herself and make her case to the Council, she refused to take the blame for something she had not done and asked Skywalker to trust her, just as she jumped onto a passing ship, thus escaping to the Coruscant underworld.

As Tarkin declared she was being accused of sedition, Yoda assigned Skywalker and Plo Koon to search for Tano, with some resistance from Windu—who did not believe Skywalker to be emotionally detached to do what had to be done. Nevertheless, when she was captured, Skywalker escorted her to the Temple, where he was later summoned to the Chamber of Judgment along with his Padawan. He was outraged to learn that the Council had already made their decision and that the meeting was simply a formality, and they proceeded to expel her from the Order. Resentful of the Council, he asked his wife, Amidala, to defend Tano at her trial before leaving to capture Ventress himself.

Skywalker soon found and interrogated Ventress, who admitted she was about to turn in Tano to the authorities, until she realized Tano had been abandoned by Skywalker and the Jedi Order, just like she had been forsaken by Dooku. She also said that whoever had attacked Tano had stolen her lightsabers and that Tano had contacted Barriss Offee for help. Promising to kill Ventress if she lied, Skywalker left for the Temple, where he went to Offee's quarters and questioned her, only to engage her in a duel. After subduing her, Skywalker brought Offee to the Republic military base where Tano was being judged. As the Mirialan Padawan confessed, all charges against Tano were lifted.

Back at the Temple, Skywalker and the Council apologized to Tano and invited her back into the Order, with Skywalker offering her severed Padawan braid. However, Tano apologized, leaving him in possession of her braid, and declined the offer. As she left the Temple, Skywalker followed her and asked her to reconsider. Tano, however, declared that she felt she could not stay with the Order, due to their lack of trust in her. Despite Skywalker's heartfelt protests and his mentioning that he himself had considered leaving the Order before, she chose to walk away. Tano's departure had a deep impact on Skywalker, leaving him feeling more alone than ever in bearing the expectations of being the prophesied Chosen One. The circumstances surrounding her departure also served to intensify his frustration with the High Council, as he felt they had betrayed her by not backing her innocence. Without Tano as the counterbalance to his concerns and passions, Skywalker's attentions also focused ever more upon Amidala.

#### Kamino conspiracy

A short time after Tano left the Jedi Order, Skywalker, alongside Jedi Generals Tiplar and Tiplee, and the 501st were sent to take control of Ringo Vinda's planet-wide station back from Admiral Trench. Only after seven rotations of stalemated combat, did they manage to push Trench's forces to a breaking point. However, one of Skywalker's troopers, Tup, intentionally killed General Tiplar, forcing Skywalker to order his and Tiplee's troops to fall back. He then had Tup checked out to see if he had been brainwashed by the Separatists, only to find nothing in him, even as he repeated nonstop "Good soldiers follow orders" as well as apparent amnesia. Though he did not find anything in him, Skywalker had Tup sent to Kamino for further examination.

After Tup's shuttle was destroyed and he was taken prisoner by Trench, Skywalker investigated the wreckage. Seeing that Tup was not among the dead, Skywalker decided to infiltrate the Separatist lines. Alongside Rex and Fives, Skywalker reached the Separatists' hangar and saw that Commander Kraken had Tup aboard his shuttle. Skywalker and the others the boarded the shuttle and took out Kraken's crew, including Kraken himself, who refused to reveal why they had abducted Tup. Skywalker then had Tup transported to Kamino with Fives and Rex as escorts.

Following the end of Skywalker and the 501st Legion's participation on Ringo Vinda, and the death of Tup, Skywalker and the High Council were informed by Shaak Ti that Fives attempted to kill the Chancellor. Windu, aware that the Jedi were not requested to participate in the manhunt, allowed Skywalker and Rex to secretly search for the clone. They soon were contacted by Kix, who told them that Fives wanted to meet the two at a warehouse in Level 1325. As Anakin and Rex entered the warehouse, they dropped their weapons on Fives' request. After doing so, they were encircled by a ray shield, which prompted Skywalker to question Fives' actions, but he and Rex listened to the fugitive's side of the story. Skywalker refused to believe that the Chancellor was involved in this conspiracy about the inhibitor chips, but their conversation was cut short by the arrival of the Coruscant Guard. Skywalker watched as they gunned Fives down, dying in Rex's arms.

He would report the event to Yoda, Windu, Ti, and the Chancellor, who was swift to lie to the Jedi that all had been the product of a parasite from Ringo Vinda, one that had caused the decay of Fives and Tup's chips; Palpatine urged the Jedi to leave the matter behind, for each day, they grew "closer and closer to victory." From that point onward, Skywalker was faced with the fact that Tup and Fives, two of his best men, had died under mysterious circumstances, which became another weight on his emotional health.

#### Clovis returns

Upon his wife's mission to Scipio and subsequent reencounter with Rush Clovis, when she was accused of sabotage and her aide Teckla Minnau was killed, Skywalker was sent to protect Amidala, but was upset to hear that Clovis was involved. Nevertheless, he agreed to help her, and together, they went to Clovis's residence to assist in exposing the Banking Clan's corruption. As they were about to depart along with Clovis, Skywalker defended both Senators from the bounty hunter Embo and his pet anooba, Marrok. The trio were able to escape Embo, thanks to R2-D2, and make their way to Coruscant. Escorted by Yoda, they met with Palpatine and other members of the Jedi Council, and Senator Bail Organa, during which Skywalker's animosity towards Clovis was perceived by Yoda.

As Amidala was appointed by the Chancellor to work closely alongside Clovis to investigate the Banking Clan, Skywalker questioned her decision, as he wanted her away from Clovis, whom he greatly distrusted. Though he demanded that she step away from her assignment, she refused and left with Clovis. Frustrated, Skywalker went to his quarters, where Kenobi (at the behest of Yoda) spoke to him, revealing that he was well aware of Skywalker's feelings for Amidala, and asked his former apprentice not to let himself carried away by them before leaving. Later that night, Skywalker went to his wife's apartment, where he found Clovis about to kiss her, for which Skywalker briefly Force choked him—before giving him a one-sided beatdown despite Amidala's protests, willing to kill Clovis in his jealousy.

Before it was too late, he realized his mistake and stopped, only for Captain Typho to enter. Much to his surprise, Clovis lied about the attack. As they carried Clovis to Amidala's bedroom, Skywalker tried to apologize to his wife, but she told him to stay away from her. Only when they were alone afterward, she questioned their marriage, too steeped in lies and deception, and decided that they take a break from one another after admitting to not feeling safe around Skywalker—who, in turn, admitted to being unable to control himself, even though he did not know why.

Clovis was accepted as the new head of the Banking Clan by the Senate, and Skywalker confided to the Chancellor of his distrust in Clovis, which Palpatine shared. Soon, when Clovis apparently joined the Separatists the day after (which Skywalker found strange), and Scipio was occupied by Separatists, Skywalker was then sent to retake Scipio. After landing, Skywalker went to Clovis's office and tried to reason with Clovis to make him let go of Amidala. At that very moment, though, a vulture droid crashed into the office, making it unstable and causing Amidala and Clovis to fall, but Skywalker grabbed them both, each with one hand. As he could not hold the two, Clovis told Skywalker to let go of him, but he would not; Clovis apologized to Amidala and then let go of Skywalker, falling to his death. Though Skywalker and Amidala reconciled, the Banking Clan came under the control of the Chancellor.

#### Sifo-Dyas' secret

After Jedi Master Plo Koon intercepted a distress call from a lost shuttle and discovered Sifo-Dyas's lightsaber, its late owner being responsible for the secret creation of the Clone Army. Relaunching the investigation of Sifo-Dyas's death, Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to Felucia, where they spoke to the tribal leaders to find out what happened to the late Jedi Master. Kenobi was told that the Felucians had cremated his body and that another Jedi had been with him when he was killed and reported their findings to Master Yoda.

The two were then sent to Oba Diah when former Chancellor, Finis Valorum told Yoda that Sifo-Dyas had been sent to negotiate with the Pyke Syndicate to stop an underground war. Valorum, however, said that there was no other Jedi sent alongside Syfo-Dyas, but rather his personal aide Silman. On Oba Diah, Kenobi and Skywalker met Lom Pyke, who denied any involvement until Kenobi noticed that he was wearing the crest of Valorum and Skywalker grabbed the necklace and told the Pyke to "stop playing games." Lom finally complied with the Jedi, and told them that they had been paid by a man called Tyranus to shoot Sifo-Dyas's shuttle down. However, as they feared that anyone who paid for the death of a Jedi was dangerous, they kept Silman locked away for ten years as insurance.

Once they met Silman, they realized he had gone mad after being locked up for so long, and were unable to learn much from him before Dooku arrived to kill him before Skywalker and Kenobi's eyes. After engaging Dooku in combat, they learned that the man called Tyranus was, in fact, the Count. Although Skywalker pursued the count after he tried to escape on a Coruscant Freighter, Dooku escaped aboard his solar sailer, leaving the Jedi without the chance to learn more about the clone army. Nevertheless having learned the identity of Tyranus, they informed the Council of their findings, only for them to question why Dooku had been behind the creation of the clone army, and what the game of the yet-unidentified Dark Lord of the Sith was playing.

#### Yoda's journey

Upon Yoda's brief contact with Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda requested that Skywalker meet him on the Temple's training grounds to speak about their experience on Mortis, where both he and Kenobi had spoken to Jinn. As Skywalker, too, was in disbelief of the idea that an individual could retain its identity after death, Yoda left him to rest. Later, when Yoda submitted himself for medical examination by Rig Nema, Skywalker informed them that Chancellor Palpatine wanted to hold an emergency meeting with Yoda, to which Windu responded, leaving the Grand Master free to undergo a deprivation ritual. Skywalker, Mundi, Kenobi, Koon, and Nema watched over the old master until Kenobi interrupted it before it was too late, and Yoda claimed to have spoken with the dead.

With the Council worried for his health, Yoda was placed under the surveillance of guards, so the Jedi Master asked to Skywalker to see him. Yoda asked Skywalker to help him escape, which Skywalker did. Accompanying Yoda to his fighter, Skywalker even lent R2-D2 to Yoda to accompany him on a journey that would take him to Dagobah, a mysterious planet and Moraband, to learn that the Jedi Order would not win the war, and that there was "another Skywalker."

#### Mission to Batuu

##### Alliance with a Chiss "commander"

Skywalker was told by Senator Amidala that one of her former handmaidens, Duja, had found something near Batuu that she and Skywalker should investigate. Unfortunately, Skywalker was unable to join her due to being sent to battle. Skywalker allowed her to travel to Batuu by herself. Upon his return to Coruscant after the battle, Skywalker could find records of Amidala's travels in the Outer Rim. After another battle, Skywalker received a message that Amidala's ship was found on Batuu. Skywalker, along with R2-D2, took his interceptor to Batuu. En route to Batuu, Skywalker encountered a freighter. Skywalker spoke with the freighter's captain, Chiss Defense Fleet Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, known simply as Thrawn. Unknown to Skywalker, Thrawn was actually a Senior Captain. Skywalker accepted Thrawn's assistance in finding Amidala and Duja.

Skywalker found Amidala's ship near Batuu's Black Spire Outpost. There, he stopped a group of smugglers who were angry about the ship being in their landing spot. Skywalker fought them until Thrawn broke up the fight. Together, they investigated Amidala's ship and learned about Duja's ship, Nomad Four. The two then went to a nearby cantina. After speaking with the bartender, Skywalker and Thrawn came under attack by four assailants. The two of them were able to kill the assailants. Thrawn suspected the assailants were sent to kill Skywalker and that there was the fifth nearby. Skywalker and Thrawn came up with a plan to capture the last assailant. After Skywalker took one of the assailant's body, he pretended to suffer engine damage in his interceptor. After landing, Skywalker came under attack by an assassin droid but was to destroy it. Thrawn was able to capture the assailant and found his freighter, which belonged to the Separatists.

##### Mission to Mokivj

Skywalker and Thrawn took out the droids guarding the freighter. Together, they found out the freighter was headed to Cermau. As they returned to Black Spire, they came under attack by several thugs. Thrawn was able to use their speeder, to capture the thugs. Skywalker and Thrawn questioned the cargo inspector Oenti, who reveals that the cantina's bartender, Janott had ties to the Separatists' Duke Solha. They learned that they were shipping supplies to a droid factory. After learning of Duja's death, Skywalker told Thrawn about the politics behind the Clone Wars. Skywalker and Thrawn traveled to Mokivj. There, they discovered that the Separatists were mining Cortosis and discovered a factory.

Following Skywalker's and Thrawn's location of the factory, and later their change of clothing, Skywalker contacted the duke, to infiltrate the factory and informed him that Captain Boroklif was indisposed, that there was trouble at Black Spire, and that the he and the others were losing. The Serennian was shocked when he heard this news and asked if the Separatist captain and his companions were dead, to which Skywalker replied that he did not know as he was not there at the end of the battle.

The Jedi Knight offered the Separatist to bring the cargo he had lost to his factory, Solha accepted and told him he'd open the shield when he was on the coordinates of the courtyard, that he was not stupid and he would not open it until it was truly necessary, just when he was in position to land. Following their arrival, the Jedi Knight and the Chiss commander were hailed by the Serennian duke escorted by a pair of B2-series super battle droids and two squads of B1-series battle droids, who inquired their possession of an astromech droid that belonged to the Republic, R2-D2. In response, the Jedi explained that he had found the droid and believed it could be worth something if he desired to purchase it.

The Chiss commander and the Jedi Knight asked the Serennian what happened to Amidala's former handmaiden, Duja. They also told him how they acquired Boroklif's ship, the *Larkrer*, that they came to Mokivj because there was a preset hyperspace course on the ship, the Serennian asked who had put in that course, to which they replied they assumed the Separatist captain did. The duke then warned the pair that they did not have anything else to bargain with and that he could have them shot. However, the pair told them there was another preset hyperspace course locked below the current one, which was locked by a two-stage encryption passcode, and that each of them had one half, Skywalker then presented his Chiss companion as "Brix." The Serennian ordered all of his droids to lower their weapons and to escort them while they entered the factory. The lights went off while the group was entering the building, and the Jedi sliced a droid squad and threw his lightsaber to the top of the building so the duke would not be aware that Skywalker was in fact, a Jedi. Then two B2s blocked the courtyard's opening to prevent any escape.

Solha knew that there was a Jedi loose on the factory, however, he didn't know who Skywalker was, he then sent Thrawn and Skywalker to some improvised prison cells. Calling the Jedi a thief, the Serennian aimed at Skywalker from the corridor in front of his cell with his blaster, and said that the Jedi wanted to be here and that he got here thanks to Skywalker, and for that alone he should be shot. He then revealed he was the Duke Solha of the Free System of Serenno, to which the Jedi Knight replied if he should be impressed, Solha said he should be, and that he would be at some point. One B2-series super battle droid took all of their weapons and communication devices, even taking Thrawn's small hold-out blaster located in his boot. Solha and the droids left with R2, who was dropping oil so Skywalker knew where they had taken him. They left the room and locked the cell's doors.

The pair agreed on running a test, which would discover if Skywalker's wife had been captured, if she was free or was not on the factory by waiting two hours as Amidala, and if she did not join them on the detention block, they would break out and try to locate her. Thrawn asked the Jedi that if he recognized the ship in the courtyard, telling him it was an ore carrier, which was full of ore, so this was not a staging ground but a manufacturing facility, he also told Skywalker where was there more activity and where was there less activity, as Chiss could see more infrared than humans, and he noticed the heat signatures, and that where they were in was the most active section.

Following the completion of Thrawn's and Skywalker's test, the Chiss crafted a cord from the clothing he got from the *Larkrer* and unlocked their cells from the inside. Meanwhile, the senator had entered the building and was accompanied by a group of locals, consisting of maintenance workers of the factory, Cimy, Huga, and LebJau. They had entered the factory through the service level, which was usually unprotected and only them and the Separatists knew of. Amidala had promised the group a fortune, which would be given to them by her Uncle Anakin if they helped her access the factory. The group later arrived at the detention block, defeated the droid guards and found the Chiss and Jedi Knight inside.

After the Chiss was presented to the newcomers by Skywalker, the group created a plan to retrieve Skywalker's lightsaber, which involved Thrawn and the senator going alone to the roof to retrieve the lightsaber. The Jedi was scared of her going alone with the Chiss, but accepted it. After the Chiss and the senator left, the Jedi began to wander across the factory, and found a section of the factory that produced cortosis B2 super battle droids, which was guarded by the duke and his relatives and some droid sentries. The Serennians were protecting themselves with clone trooper armor covered with cortosis, Skywalker tried to confuse Solha's droids but he only achieved making the Serennians aware of his presence. Skywalker then left the room and began his search for the senator once again.

On the roof of the building, Amidala and Thrawn retrieved Skywalker's lightsaber, they also witnessed some spheres which descended onto the factory, which were part of a Chiss mission to retrieve a deflector shield generator from the factory. The senator asked the Chiss commander to continue helping them but he insisted that his mission came first. Meanwhile, the Jedi, disarmed, used the Force to see where Solha and his droids sentries were, so he did not have to fight them, while he traveled across the maze of rooms, and corridors that the factory contained. Until he met with his wife who gave him his lightsaber, and told him that Thrawn had abandoned them. Their meeting also coincided with the Chiss Ascendancy's raid on the factory, retrieving the shield generator. Skywalker fought several B2s and discovered that their armor disabled lightsabers and deflected blaster bolts. However, he used the Force and disabled them.

In the meantime, Amidala evacuated the workers with LebJau before the factory was destroyed, Thrawn joined the senator and the Jedi Knight who revealed that the ore was cortosis and that it deflected blaster bolts and disabled lightsabers, thanks to its large energy absorption rate. They learned that the ore was mined in the river next to the factory and strengthened the battle droids' armor making them invulnerable, something that could change the Clone Wars forever. Thrawn then agreed to destroy the factory after the Chiss retrieved the shield generator.

Amidala encountered the duke, who wore clone trooper armor covered with cortosis, who protected him from his husband's lightsaber, he then told her that by using the factory he was going to build his name in the Confederacy. As he knew Skywalker and the senator, he rejected Amidala's ultimatum to surrender and told her that he had no doubts that he'd live and that he'd never surrender.

In another section of the factory, the Jedi and Chiss learned the Separatists were are also producing clone trooper armor covered with cortosis. The Jedi thought they were planning to infiltrate the Republic by sending Serennian troopers wearing clone trooper armor to Coruscant. After the battle droids protecting the room were defeated by Skywalker and Thrawn, and the Serennian duke by the senator, knocking him out with her grappling hook, they left the factory and then destroyed the factory. Skywalker decided to destroy the mine too, so the Separatists could not start again on Mokivj, though, Amidala, Thrawn, and LebJau asked him not to do it, he ignored their petition, and he destroyed the mine too, which gained him the anger and devastation of the already devastated Mokivj, as it caused a massive explosion expanded by the cortosis.

##### Aftermath of Mokivj

The mission ended with a catastrophe for Mokivj and an end to Solha's career. In an effort to collapse the Separatist's efforts to produce cortosis battle droids, Skywalker accidentally sent lava, ash, and smoke into the planet's best cropland and water. Skywalker did not know the cortosis in the mine would redirect the heat of the explosions, the heat was sent down the planet's crust, activating volcanic activity and leading to widespread devastation, deforestation, and desertification on Mokivj, resulting in the explosive force doing more than merely collapsing the mine's tunnels.

The catastrophe forced LebJau to move to another planet as the population knew he had collaborated with the ones who devastated Mokivj. Thrawn had warned Amidala that Skywalker's plan seemed reckless, yet she had known that he would be unable to be talked out of it, leaving the Jedi and Senator to regret their actions as they looked upon the ruined world. Thrawn had also warned Skywalker that his theory about the clone armor being used to infiltrate the Republic seemed unlikely based on how great the risk of discovery would be. Despite Skywalker's shortsighted plan, Thrawn continued to respect the man and still viewed him as an effective warrior.

#### Bombing of the Temple

Skywalker and R2-D2 were in the Jedi Temple prior to it being bombed by Separatist captain Rackham Sear. The bomber was foiled by Depa Billaba and Caleb Dume.

#### Amidala's departure

Prior to a mission that Amidala was taking to Clabron, Skywalker insisted that he be allowed to assist Amidala, under the impression it was a diplomatic mission to Duro. After assurance from Amidala, Skywalker agreed to remain on Coruscant, kissing Amidala. He was startled when he realized Amidala's handmaiden, Moteé, had witnessed their display of affection, though Amidala assured Skywalker that Moteé understood discretion.

#### Crystal crisis on Utapau

During the last months of the war, Kenobi and Skywalker were sent to Utapau to investigate the mysterious death of Jedi Master Tu-Anh. Once they landed on Pau City, Inspector Jen June led them to see the corpse at the morgue. After examining the body, they went to the place where she had been found, only to determine she had been hit in the optic nerve with a precision laser dart by a sniper. As they found the sniper's position, from the building's owner, Garri, the two Jedi learned of the involvement of MagnaGuards and began to suspect the involvement of General Grievous, and had Inspector June analyze some slimy substance they had found—the secretion of an Amani's skin.

Though Governor Torul Blom asked them to leave Utapau, Kenobi and Skywalker persevered and rented two dactillions to go talk to the leader of an Amani tribe, who revealed that an Amani outcast had entered one of the caves. The two Jedi entered it to find MagnaGuards. Despite some resistance, they managed to have the droids reveal the involvement of the Sugi and went to see Inspector June once again. Soon after, the two attended the funeral for Tu-Anh.

As they reached the Amani settlement they had been looking for, the Amani scattered, leaving Skywalker and Kenobi to follow the tracks of one that appeared to be their leader. During the hunt, Skywalker mentioned Tano for the first time since her departure, and Kenobi asked if he wanted to talk about it, yet Skywalker refused. Kenobi then suggested for them to set up a camp and rest. However, he insisted on the subject, prompting Skywalker to tell Kenobi he missed Tano and to voice his anger at the High Council for turning its back on her. To Skywalker's annoyance, Kenobi stood by the Council's authority, asserting that it had been Tano's decision to leave and that she had allowed her emotions to cloud her judgment, something against the Jedi way. Then, Kenobi suggested he rest, but Skywalker declined so that he could keep the first watch. Finally, he questioned Kenobi on what would happen if he had turned out to be a "major disappointment," but Kenobi wanted to believe it would never happen.

However, they both fell asleep and were captured by a group of Sugis led by Chong, who brought them before Endente as Kenobi told Chong of their "intention" to buy weapons. They learned Endente was, in fact, selling a kyber crystal, and Skywalker prompted him to show it before they made the deal. Brought to the starship where the crystal was being kept, they escaped from their captors, and Skywalker eliminated all the Sugi, except for Endente, who fled. After they discovered the massive kyber crystal inside the ship, the two Jedi managed to transport the crystal through Utapau's plains until they reached Pau City, where Blom had the two Jedi surrounded with his men and Grievous's droids. As the kyber crystal was loaded into a shuttle and sent to a ship on orbit, Kenobi and Skywalker stole a freighter to recover the crystal.

During the persecution, Grievous damaged their ship, forcing them to perform a number five special; they crashed it to disable the hyperdrive and, with their escape pods, boarded the ship where the crystal was then held. As they got separated, Kenobi was captured by Grievous, and Skywalker recovered his lightsaber, located the crystal, and freed Kenobi. Together, they made their way to the kyber crystal at the vault, where they were temporarily trapped until a squad discovered them. Using the crystal and the Force to knock them out, he managed to get to a hangar, where Skywalker stole a shuttle to escape. Meanwhile, Kenobi set several AATs to shoot and overload the crystal, destroying the crystal and the ship, while they escaped from the explosion in the nick of time and returned to Coruscant to report to the Council.

#### Stationed on Coruscant

Sometime later, while on a *Venator*-class Star Destroyer, Skywalker discovered an unknown ship, the *Silver Angel*, in military airspace. Skywalker then asked Admiral Yularen who was on that transport. After he closed his eyes and sensed Ahsoka Tano's presence through the Force, he decided not to send a detachment to arrest the crew and to let Ahsoka and her companions leave.

#### Vos and Ventress

Jedi Master Quinlan Vos had been tasked by the Jedi Council to assassinate Dooku with the help of Asajj Ventress, but during a mission to Raxus Secundus the Jedi turned to the dark side due to Dooku's manipulations and Ventress's training. Ventress staged a rescue mission, which failed and prompted her to contact the Jedi Council. When she arrived at the Jedi Temple, Skywalker and Kenobi escorted her to the Council Chamber, where despite Mace Windu's open disapproval, Yoda dispatched Skywalker and Kenobi to go with Ventress to rescue Vos above Taris. Soon enough, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Ventress were on the cockpit of her ship, the *Banshee*, to infiltrate the Separatist dreadnought from which Vos, or rather "Admiral Enigma," was issuing orders.

Stealthily, the three boarded the ship and made their way to the bridge, where they found Dooku, instead of Vos. Skywalker then engaged in a duel with the Count, distracting him while Kenobi and Ventress discovered a captive Vos. Though she knew Vos was consumed by his hatred, they escaped to the *Banshee*, and Skywalker joined with them to escape the enemy ship and return to Coruscant. Back in the Jedi Temple, Skywalker saw as the Council welcomed Vos and pardoned Ventress. That same night, Skywalker reunited with his wife, Amidala, for a moment of respite, during which Skywalker told her of the ordeal—after which, Amidala conferred that perhaps Ventress's love could be Vos's way back from the dark side, leaving Skywalker at a loss for words.

A month later, Skywalker was sent alongside Kenobi, Vos, and Akar-Deshu in a mission to take over a Separatist supply storage base and redistribute the supplies to worlds in need of them. However, their mission went awry when Vos, unbeknownst to them, arranged the base's destruction. After another failed mission to Vos's name, he was suspected of treason, Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to spy on Vos and Ventress as they were deployed to assassinate Dooku during the second battle of Christophsis. When they saw Vos attempt to force the Count to lead him to his master, Darth Sidious, rather than kill him, Skywalker and Kenobi intervened, taking the pair by surprise and arresting them.

However, Vos and Dooku soon escaped from the *Vigilance*, causing the death of Akar-Deshu and Kav Bayons, and boarded Ventress' ship, *Banshee* to escape Christophsis. Skywalker had the *Banshee* fired on, forcing the renegades to land on the planet below. He and Kenobi pursued the three injured fugitives to a Separatist-controlled tower, where they surrounded them. There, Skywalker and Kenobi witnessed Ventress' last moments, sacrificing herself to save Vos from Dooku's fatal Force lightning. After her death, Skywalker and Kenobi were joined by the redeemed Vos, and they tried to capture Dooku, to no avail. They then transported Ventress' body and Vos to Coruscant, where the fallen Jedi confessed his crimes and Kenobi defended Ventress.

#### Anaxes

Following an assault on Cato Neimoidia, Skywalker was dispatched alongside Windu to participate in the Battle of Anaxes to defend the Republic shipyards on Anaxes. With mounting losses on the Republic side, Captain Rex told Skywalker and Windu his theory that the Separatists had learned his own strategy. Considering this possibility, Windu sent Rex and Commander Cody to take a squad, and Clone Force 99, behind enemy lines to infiltrate a Separatist Cyber Center while he and Skywalker held the line. The general staff was told about the possibility of sending a mission to Skako Minor, and Skywalker was sure the Jedi High Council would approve it. Clone Sergeant "Hunter" also stated The Bad Batch would go with them. Although Rex was eager to get going, Skywalker informed him they had a "thing" to do, and, although Rex felt they did not have time, they both went to the barracks.

Rex remained outside on watch while Skywalker, holding Rex's helmet, went in and contacted Amidala. Skywalker apologized for being away for so long, but, as the two spoke, Obi-Wan Kenobi approached Rex. The Clone Captain knocked on the door to speed up Skywalker. Skywalker confided that he was worried about his captain, worrying that Rex was letting his personal feelings drive him too much on the mission, although Amidala believed Rex had learned that trait from him. Outside, Rex tried to lie about what Skywalker was doing. However, Skywalker and her ended their conversation, and both went on their way to Skako, although Kenobi revealed he knew he had been talking to Amidala.

As they reached Skako Minor on the *Marauder*, Skywalker was captured by the Poletec on their keeradaks, prompting Rex and the Bad Batch to follow them to the village and rescue the Jedi General. They apologized and explained the situation, and the chief helped them reach Purkoll, which they infiltrated with some effort. When they reached the antechamber, Foreman Wat Tambor sent a transmission saying they had violated the Techno Union's neutrality, and sent droid reinforcements. While Skywalker, Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair destroyed them, Rex and Tech found Echo—alive, but as a cyborg.

Tech managed to unplug Echo, and they escaped to the ventilation system before being vaporized by Tambor's Decimator, after which Wrecker destroyed the Foreman's main computers with explosives. As they escaped, however, they were surrounded by his D1-series aerial battle droids, but thanks to Tech, they rode keeradaks to the Poletec village. There, they convinced the natives to help them against the Techno Union's forces, including their octuptarra tri-droids, with Skywalker effectively destroying two of them.

Following the skirmish, Skywalker, Rex, and Clone Force 99 returned to Fort Anaxes, where Windu and Kenobi were to take the Separatist assembly complex by air, whereas Echo was to be escorted by the Bad Batch, Skywalker, and Rex into Trench's communications vault on a dreadnought on the planet's orbit, where he would plug himself to the dreadnought to feed the Separatist's strategic movements. When Echo did so and deactivated the droids attacking the assembly complex, he realized that Trench had initiated a countdown for an explosion that could destroy most of Anaxes. While Kenobi assisted in the evacuation efforts, and Windu deactivated the bomb, Skywalker went to the dreadnought's bridge to confront Trench, destroying his droid bodyguards. Trench refused to give the final sequence number, believing that Skywalker would not harm him. Skywalker amputated Trench's prosthetic attachments, prompting the Harch to immediately give in. After relaying it to Windu, who deactivated the bomb, Trench then tried to electrocute him; in response, Anakin thrust his lightsaber through the Harch's chest, killing him. He then took the self-destruct detonator for the dreadnought and reunited with the rest of his team.

As they left aboard the *Marauder*, Skywalker let Wrecker destroy Trench's flagship, the *Invulnerable*, damaging the nearby Separatist fleet, and they went back to Fort Anaxes. Following the victory, Corporal Echo joined "The Bad Batch."

### Birth of Darth Vader

#### Battle of Yerbana

At some point before the Battle of Coruscant, Skywalker was on Tythe and had another encounter with Dooku, yet he failed to defeat the Count. Along with the 501st and 212th, Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to Yerbana to take down the Separatist forces in the planet. The fight caused Skywalker and Kenobi to split their respective battalions into two fronts.

Skywalker, Rex, and the 501st Legion defeated the Separatist Droid Army on their front, so they left to assist Kenobi and his 212th Attack Battalion, which was suffering heavy casualties from the ongoing conflict. While Kenobi and Commander Cody were taking cover from the blasts, Skywalker ordered his men to hide under the bridge, while R2-D2 would tell them when to launch. Next, Skywalker stepped into the fight and convinced his Master to follow his plan. Skywalker faked a surrender to draw out the droid commander, who saw through the lies of the Jedi Knight; however, it was too late, as Skywalker used his Force abilities to destroy the droid commander, allowing his 501st Legion led by Captain Rex to make a surprising ambush on the rest of the droid army, ending the conflict.

The 212th Attack Battalion proceeded to help the 501st while Skywalker was approached by Kenobi who complimented him, which Skywalker answered by thanking Kenobi for helping achieve victory. The two were soon contacted by Admiral Wullf Yularen, who informed them of an upcoming transmission going under the code "Fulcrum," while the two Jedi thought it might have been Saw Gerrera, Yularen confirmed otherwise saying it was necessary for the generals to attend the call themselves.

#### The last meeting of a friendship

At Yularen's ship, Skywalker and Kenobi were surprised to see Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze were the ones that had made the call. Emotionally shocked to see his former apprentice after several months of being apart, Skywalker barely managed to control himself and proceeded to talk to Tano, who remarked the moment was not a reunion as Maul had been located on Mandalore and they had an opportunity to capture him.

Tano hoped Skywalker and Kenobi would be able to join forces with her to confront him. Tano, Kryze, and her Mandalorians boarded the ship, where they were greeted by Skywalker and Kenobi. The former tried to greet Tano, but his former apprentice turned him down saying they had to act immediately if they wanted to capture Maul. The group went to discuss the possible attack, but Kenobi was not willing to help Tano and her allies unless the Jedi Council gave their permission, causing Skywalker to unnoticeably scowl at him. While Kenobi contacted the Council, Skywalker had Tano accompanying him through the complex. Skywalker led Tano to a room full of the 501st clone troopers, including Rex, who had painted their helmets as a way to honor her former Commander. Skywalker then prepared to give Tano her old lightsabers, but before he could do so, the ship's alarm suddenly went off.

Kenobi rushed in and informed Skywalker and Rex that they would be jumping to hyperspace immediately. When Skywalker asked if this meant the attack on Mandalore was approved, Kenobi revealed that they were actually heading for Coruscant, where a dire situation was happening: General Grievous had launched a full-scale attack on the capital of the Republic, and the Jedi Council had lost contact with Shaak Ti, Chancellor Palpatine's assigned protector. Skywalker was visibly uncomfortable about this news, but Kenobi assured him that their fleet would arrive at Coruscant very soon.

Tano, however, was angered by her former Masters' decision to abandon Mandalore. Kenobi pointed out that they were entering a pivotal moment in the Clone Wars, but Tano countered that Kenobi was playing politics and that the Jedi Order had lost their way by forgetting that their duty was to help people and not politicians, which was why the people, and Tano herself, had lost faith in them. Skywalker heard the argument and weighed in; so as to help Tano in the upcoming siege while also taking part in the mission to rescue the Chancellor, Skywalker promoted Rex to Commander so he could lead the a new formation of the 501st that was dubbed the 332nd Division, assigning Tano to assist as an advisor due to her being unable to hold an official military title. When Kenobi agreed, Tano accepted the proposal. Kenobi left the room to prepare their troops leaving Skywalker and Tano behind. Skywalker gave Tano her new lightsabers complimenting them as better than before.

Skywalker then headed to rescue the Chancellor, believing the defeats of Maul and Grievous would mark an end to the war. While he was leaving, Tano stopped him by wishing him good luck in his mission. Happy to have been reunited with his apprentice, Skywalker smiled and they both parted ways. Unbeknownst to either of them, this would be the last time they ever saw each other as friends.

#### Confrontation on the *Invisible Hand*

Having been away from Coruscant for months due to the Outer Rim Sieges, Skywalker and his Master finally returned to the planet after leaving Tano, to lead the rescue of the Chancellor from General Grievous before the cyborg's fleet could flee the besieged Capital. Assisted by a squadron of ARC-170 starfighters led by Clone Commander Odd Ball, the two Jedi fought their way through a swarm of Vulture and tri-fighter droid starfighters protecting the *Invisible Hand*, General Grievous's flagship. Skywalker and Kenobi headed for the ship while the clones distracted the droids, but Kenobi's ship was damaged and partially disabled by Buzz-droids. Although Kenobi told Skywalker to abandon him and complete the mission, the younger Jedi refused and cleared his former master's ship of droids before escorting him to the *Invisible Hand*'s hangar. After crashing landing, the two Jedi disposed of the few remaining droids in the hangar while R2-D2 located the Chancellor.

Once they discovered that he was being held at the top of the ship's observation spire, they concluded that they were walking into a trap when Skywalker sensed the presence of Count Dooku. Not long after they arrived at the top of the spire, the Sith Lord appeared before them and the two Jedi engaged him in a duel. Dooku managed to gain the upper hand and knocked Kenobi out, but his taunting, intended to erode Skywalker's morale, instead enraged him. Skywalker unleashed his fury on the Sith Lord, brutally overwhelming him and slicing off both of his hands. Taking Dooku's lightsaber, he crossed both his and the Count's blades at the Count's throat, and Palpatine urged him to kill his helpless opponent. Skywalker initially hesitated, but after the Chancellor's continued insistence, he gave into his hatred of his nemesis and beheaded Dooku. He expressed regret afterward, stating it was not the Jedi way, but the Chancellor assured him that he had been right to kill the Count.

Despite the Chancellor's pleas, he carried Kenobi on his back to make their escape. However, the elevators leaving the spire had been disabled. With help from R2 and the attack taking place on the *Invisible Hand* by a neighboring Republic cruiser, they were able to escape in the elevator shaft until the ship's crew was able to regain control of the ship, restoring its gravity and turning the shaft once more into well. Kenobi regained consciousness while they were hanging on inside the shaft and together, he and Skywalker were able to escape the shaft just as a reactivated elevator was about to crush them. However, their good fortune failed them, and they were trapped by a ray shield and apprehended, along with R2, by battle droids. The two Jedi and the Chancellor were brought before Grievous in the *Invisible Hand*'s control room. The cyborg personally taunted them, derisively commenting on Skywalker's youth considering his reputation. Skywalker retorted with a taunt about the General being shorter than he had expected.

Eventually, R2-D2 caused a distraction, allowing Kenobi to draw his lightsaber to him with the Force, freeing himself and then Skywalker. Once the younger Jedi had also summoned his weapon, they engaged and made short work of Grievous's MagnaGuards and the battle droids holding them and the Chancellor. However, as they attempted to apprehend Grievous, he used one the MagnaGuards' electrostaffs to shatter the viewport, depressurizing the bridge and letting the vacuum take him. Skywalker and Kenobi caught onto nearby command consoles until security measures allowed the bridge to depressurize. Before they could reach him, however, Grievous escaped, jettisoning all the escape pods to prevent them from escaping. As the command crew had fled, Skywalker took control of the damaged flagship, which had begun to enter Coruscant's atmosphere. Although he briefly managed to slow the ship's descent, the damage it had sustained proved too great, and the *Invisible Hand* broke in half, picking up considerable speed as it fell towards the Republic capital. Skywalker eventually succeeded in crash-landing the *Invisible Hand* on a deserted landing strip, returning the once-captive Chancellor to Coruscant unharmed.

#### Looming fatherhood

Following the ordeal, the two escorted the Chancellor to the Senate building, where they separated—while Kenobi went back to Jedi Temple to report to the Council, Skywalker remained with the Senators who had come to greet the returning Chancellor. He briefly spoke with Senator Organa, who expressed hope that Count Dooku's death could bring a quick end to the war. Skywalker disagreed, saying that as long as General Grievous remained as leader of the Separatist armies, the war would continue. At that moment, he noticed Amidala behind one of the columns, took his leave from the Senator and reunited with his wife for the first time in months. Having been away fighting in the Outer Rim Sieges, Skywalker's single focus was reuniting with Amidala. Amidala then revealed to her husband that she was pregnant. Though they were both worried that this might expose their secret, Amidala especially, Skywalker was overjoyed and told her not to worry, saying that it was the happiest moment of his life. The couple returned to Amidala's apartment, where they began to make plans for when the baby would be born, deciding that their child would be raised on Naboo, in the Lake Country. Amidala also planned to head there before the birth, to prepare the room.

However, that same night, Skywalker's happiness was marred when he suffered a nightmare of his wife dying in childbirth, similar to the visions he had had of his mother before her death. Although Amidala tried to comfort him that it was only a dream, he was terrified that he would lose her, as he had lost his mother. Amidala tried to convince him that they needed help and suggested they ask Kenobi for his assistance. Skywalker refused, insisting that their baby was a blessing, not a curse. The next day, at the Jedi Temple, he sought Yoda's counsel concerning these dreams, but the Grand Master told Skywalker that death was a natural part of life, and to let go of all that he was afraid to lose.

#### Tensions of loyalty

At the same time, tensions were rising between Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi Council, who were concerned with his increasing power. Matters were made worse when the Senate announced that they planned to grant him more executive powers in order to facilitate the end of the war. When Skywalker was informed of this by Kenobi, he was supportive of the measure, despite the reservations of the Council and Kenobi's warning to be wary of Palpatine. He then told him that the Chancellor had requested his presence for unknown reasons, without informing the Council. So Skywalker met with Palpatine at his office, where he told him that he was appointing the young Jedi to be his personal representative on the Council, a decision that Skywalker believed the Jedi Masters would never accept. When informed of this, the Council allowed Skywalker to sit on the Council, yet they refused to grant him the position of Master, a decision which greatly angered Skywalker. Skywalker turned to his former Master and friend, Kenobi, expecting him to back him up, but he was caught between his friendship with Skywalker and his loyalty to the Council, and so remained silent. Angered more by this, Skywalker reluctantly accepted his position and took his seat on the council. At the end of the meeting, Kenobi acknowledged to Skywalker that his appointment had been accepted so that, on behalf of the Council, he could spy on the Chancellor, which Skywalker was reluctant to do.

At the Galaxies Opera House in the Uscru District, Skywalker joined Palpatine in watching the Mon Calamari Aquatic Ballet performing *Squid Lake*. During the performance the Chancellor began to stir Skywalker's distrust in the Jedi council, deducing that they had asked Skywalker to spy on him. He claimed that the Jedi were only perceived as good because "good is a point of view," stating that the Jedi and the Sith were not so different. Skywalker rebutted by saying that the Sith were selfish while the Jedi were selfless. The Chancellor recounted the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis to Skywalker, showing that not all Sith were as evil as the Jedi claimed while also seducing the Jedi with knowledge of the power to stop death. Afterward, Skywalker bid farewell to Kenobi, showing gratitude for his teachings and said to each other "May the Force be with you," before parting ways.

#### Fall to the dark side

Shortly afterwards, Anakin And Windu attended a hologram meeting with Yoda, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Aayla Secura. During the meeting, Cody joined the meeting and informed the group learned that Obi-Wan had engaged Grievous on Utapau. Windu then tasked Anakin with informing the Chancellor and see what his reaction is in order to learn his true intentions. Skywalker informed the Chancellor of Kenobi's forces engaging Grievous's, but during the meeting, Palpatine revealed that he knew the dark side of the Force, leading Skywalker to realize that he was the Sith Lord they had been searching for. Palpatine told Anakin that if he turned him over to the Jedi, then he would be unable to aid in saving his wife, Amidala, from her "fated" death that Anakin had been dreaming of.

Despite his confusion, Skywalker still was loyal to the Jedi Order. He told his findings to Mace Windu, who went with Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar to arrest Palpatine, leaving Skywalker behind. After recalling Sidious's words, Skywalker headed to Palpatine's office. During the ensuing duel, Sidious killed three of the four Jedi with ease but was disarmed by Windu just before Skywalker arrived in his office. Skywalker pleaded with Windu not to kill Sidious, saying that he should be left for the Senate to judge, but Windu felt that Sidious was too dangerous to be left alive, as he essentially controlled the Senate. Ignoring Skywalker's words, Windu prepared to execute the Sith Lord, but a desperate Skywalker who needed Sidious alive to save Padme, drew his lightsaber and severed the unsuspecting Windu's right hand, causing Windu to drop his lightsaber and allowing Sidious to send him plummeting out of a shattered window with a blast of Force lightning, all of which was sensed by Tano.

Though horrified that he betrayed and contributed to the death of Windu, Skywalker saw this as the final straw against the Jedi Order, and as such there was no turning back for him. Desperate to save Padme, he reluctantly betrayed the Jedi and pledged himself to service under his new Sith Master, Darth Sidious. Sidious named him "Darth Vader," a title that he did not bestow lightly. After Sidious declared all Jedi enemies of the Republic, he ordered Vader to kill the Jedi at the Temple and execute the Separatist Council on the Mustafar System. Sidious then executed Order 66, during which the clone troopers were forcibly brainwashed into turning on their Jedi Generals and executing them on the spot, while Vader led the 501st Legion to attack the Jedi Temple. During the assault, Vader entered the council chamber and found a group of younglings trying to hide. Thinking Vader was still a Jedi Knight, one boy asked him what they should do, but the new Sith Lord slaughtered the boy and the other younglings.

Similarly, as he led a force of clones further into the Temple, he encountered a group of younglings who assumed he had arrived to help. Instead, however, he cut the children down, leaving only one survivor; after Vader stabbed her and looked her in the eyes, the human youngling Reva Sevander, growing to be filled with rage, survived because she played dead amongst the corpses of her classmates. Also during the battle, Vader killed Jedi Masters such as Cin Drallig, before meeting with Sidious, who then sent him to Mustafar. Following the attack, he went back home to Amidala and told her the Jedi Order had tried to topple the Republic, much to her disbelief, and that he was about to go to the Mustafar system, where the Executive Separatist Council was. Telling her that he would end the war, they kissed and he left aboard his green Eta-2 *Actis*-class light interceptor, which replaced the interceptor he had lost in the Battle of Coruscant.

On Mustafar, Vader slaughtered the entire Separatist Council, including Wat Tambor, Poggle the Lesser, and Nute Gunray, along with their aides, his eyes now yellow and red with rage. Simultaneously, Sidious carried out the proclamation of the New Order in an emergency session of the Senate, claiming that the Jedi Order had committed treason against the Republic, and reorganized the Republic into the first Galactic Empire with himself as its Emperor. During this time, Vader was followed by Kakan, who believed he was a jedi. Vader showed his face, eyes to Kakan and chased after him to ensure there would be no witness. During his chase, Vader ran into a cloud of Lava fumes. The fumes caused Vader to see hallucinations his fellow Jedi such as Windu, Jinn, Koon, Billaba, Yoda, and his former apprentice Tano. Vader was able to push the fumes away from himself and dismissed the hallucinations. Soon, Vader reported his mission's completion to Sidious; on his orders, Vader sent a shutdown signal to the Confederate navy and army, effectively ending the Clone Wars. With his mission completed, and the Separatists dead, Vader looked on from a balcony and shed a tear at the man he had become, but knew it was too late to turn back.

### Becoming Darth Vader

#### Duel on Mustafar

Soon thereafter, Vader saw Amidala's star skiff land and ran to meet her. She told Vader that Kenobi had discovered their secret and had also told her that Vader had joined the dark side, hoping that he'd prove Kenobi wrong. However, Vader only confirmed it to be true. Driven power-hungry by the Dark Side and declaring the galaxy was at peace, Vader tried to convince her that they could be happy together as rulers of the new Empire, promising he could overthrow Sidious. In Vader's ideal world, Amidala would have taken his hand, believing the man before her was still her husband. In reality, however, Vader's propositions and actions horrified his wife, who begged him to leave the dark side behind.

At that moment, Vader saw Kenobi walking out of Amidala's ship because he had secretly stowed away. Convinced that his wife had betrayed him to give his old master a chance to kill him, Vader, ignoring her attempts to explain, Force-choked Amidala until Kenobi demanded he let her go, by which point she had already fallen unconscious. While what he had just done horrified him, Vader lashed out at Kenobi by blaming him. Although Kenobi tried to reason with his former pupil, Vader refused to listen, as the new Empire was everything he wanted the galaxy to be. Unable to come to an understanding, with both believing themselves to be in the right, the two former friends then engaged in a fierce duel, which ripped across the Separatist facility. As they fought throughout the Separatist war room, their duel damaged the computers, causing the facility shields to deactivate and allowing the building to start falling into the lava river below.

After fighting across the crumbling building and over a lava river, the duel ended on the river banks, where Kenobi claimed the high ground and warned Vader not to attack. Blinded by rage and arrogance, Vader leaped to continue the duel, only to have his remaining limbs severed by his former master's blade, leaving only his cybernetic arm. Crippled, Vader slid down to the riverbank while screaming his undying hatred for his former master. Kenobi, taking Skywalker's lightsaber, told him he had considered him his brother and remorsefully left him for dead as a flap of Vader's clothing caught fire and he started burning. Kenobi then left the planet with Amidala, C-3PO, and R2-D2 as Vader lay screaming and burning on the riverbank.

#### Rebirth

"*Lord Vader, can you hear me?*" "*Yes, Master. Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she all right?*" *"It seems, in your anger you killed her.*" "*I? I couldn't have. She was alive! I felt it! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!*"
―Darth Sidious and Darth Vader, after the latter rises in his armor
Although Vader survived, he was horrifically scarred, both physically and mentally, and had damaged lungs due to the hot ash in the air. Shortly afterward, the Emperor (having sensed his apprentice's peril) arrived on Mustafar, where he found the severely wounded Vader and took him back to Coruscant, in a medical capsule. As the Emperor could not afford to lose Vader, he turned to the Republic's best scientists, among which was Cylo, who in doing so, gained private access to Vader's cybernetics), and by the Emperor's orders, Vader was put into a life-sustaining black suit of armor and outfitted with three new robotic limbs by numerous droids skilled in both cybernetic reconstruction and medical surgery. Among the droids working on Vader was FX-6, an FX-9 surgical assistant who previously worked on General Grievous' armor. After two days of nonstop labor, he was finally sealed within his new armor. His eyes showed a brief flicker of fear before his mask and helmet locked together and he drew his first breath.

Vader's rebirth was complete. Upon regaining consciousness, Vader asked the Emperor what had become of his wife, and he told Vader that he had killed her in his anger. Unbeknownst to either of the two Sith, Amidala gave birth to the twins Luke and Leia before her death. Overwhelmed by his despair in the belief he had killed Amidala and their unborn child, which fulfilled his prophetic dreams of her death, Vader incidentally destroyed the medical droids and severely damaged the entire room through the Force. He broke free of his bindings on the operating table and, despite struggled to walk under the sheer weight of his new prostheses and armor, let out a cry of despair over losing everything he had loved.

Vader's despair then turned to rage and he telekinetically slammed the Emperor against a wall in the surgical bay, snarling that his master had promised to save Amidala. The Emperor, as Vader attempted unsuccessfully to strangle him with the Force, responded that in death Amidala had provided Vader a gift: Pain. The Emperor continued by giving Vader a choice; to either accept and use that gift or to die. After a moment, Vader replied that he would live. The Emperor then immediately launched a barrage of Force lightning at his apprentice, and rhetorically demanded that Vader use the power of his lightsaber to defend himself, but Vader replied that his lightsaber had been taken by Kenobi at the conclusion of their duel.

As he continued his barrage, the Emperor angrily shouted that the weapon Vader spoke of was not his. Rather, it had belonged to a Jedi, and Vader was now a Sith. Ceasing his Force-based assault, the Emperor drew his own lightsaber. He put the blade to Vader's throat and stated that he understood how traumatic the last few days had been for his apprentice, but warned that should Vader ever use the Force against him again, he would finish what Kenobi could not. The Emperor then deactivated his weapon and stated that, as friends, he hoped that the two of them would never find themselves in a similar situation. He instructed Vader to put aside his rage and lust for revenge against the Jedi for the time being, for the two of them had a great deal of work to accomplish.

#### Hunting a kyber crystal

Immediately after his surgery, the Emperor took Vader to a balcony overlooking the old Jedi Temple. There, he and Vader watched as Mas Amedda directed a ceremonial burning of the lightsabers of all the Jedi who had been killed in the Temple. As they listened to Amedda's speech, the Emperor asked if his apprentice knew how or why Sith lightsaber blades were red in color. Vader replied that he did not, as the Temple's information on the subject had been "incomplete." The Emperor laughed and contemptuously mused that the Jedi had been uncomfortable with the information and had buried it as a result. He then explained that kyber crystals felt pain just like any living being, and could be made to *bleed* after a fashion by pouring rage, pain, and hate into them. He asked Vader if he understood, to which Vader replied that he did, stating that he could have given him any of the burning Jedi lightsabers to corrupt, even Yoda's. But he had not, as Vader realized that the crystal of a Sith's lightsaber should be taken directly from a Jedi by that Sith.

As the ceremony progressed, the clone troopers attending the vent threw a basket full of various lightsabers into the incinerator, including Yoda's. The lightsabers caught on fire and a moment later, a powerful blast of energy was released into the air as the kyber crystals were destroyed. Afterward, the Emperor brought Vader to Gattering in the Mid Rim and assigned him the task of hunting down a Jedi to take a kyber crystal from. The Emperor took his apprentice to a site where he had arranged for a starship to be delivered for Vader's use, but the ship had been stolen by a group of pirates. Leaving Vader to reclaim the vessel, the Emperor departed, and Vader struck out for the planet's nearest settlement on foot. Once there, he eliminated the group of pirates who had stolen the ship and traveled to the Jedi outpost *Brighthome*. The station was garrisoned by a group of clone troopers, who noted Vader's approach and hailed him.

Though he could have provided the security codes necessary to secure the clone troopers assistance, Vader decided instead to simply kill them. During the fight, Vader summoned a green-bladed lightsaber from the wall to kill most of the clone troopers. After exterminating the garrison, Vader tasked the droid co-pilot of his ship to search through the station's archives for data on any Jedi who had taken the Barash vow prior to Order 66. Vader's hope was that any Jedi who had taken the vow, one of complete non-interference in all Jedi affairs, would have been not only out of harm's way when Order 66 was issued but would have ignored its occurrence in accordance with the vow. The search identified Jedi Master Kirak Infil'a, a Jedi who had been completely dedicated to combat to the exclusion of all else. When a grenade was thrown at him by two surviving clones, "Ding" and "Kicker," he managed to contain the explosion, which the clones believed would make him unable to do anything else as all his concentration was diverted on freezing the explosion.

As they talked of how they would restrain and bring in what they believed was just another Jedi survivor before the Emperor in the hopes of being rewarded, Vader proved their beliefs that he was too preoccupied with the explosive to be false by telekinetically throttling the clones and breaking their necks, before walking far enough away from the explosion to release it. Vader quickly located the Jedi on the river moon of Al'doleem and sensed as he disembarked his ship that Infil'a was waiting for him. The Jedi Master immediately confronted Vader, and was seized in a Force choke by the Dark Lord. However, Infil'a quickly released a Force blast at Vader which staggered him and disrupted his concentration. Infil'a declared his Barash to be complete and began to ascend the mountain upon which he lived, calling out to Vader to follow if he could. One of the Jedi Master's training droids, Arex, then opened a sluice gate which sent a river of water crashing down upon Vader.

The Sith Lord was visibly battered by the rush of water, but managed to telekinetically part the river and walked to the shore. He was then set upon by a group of gigantic carnivorous birds, which damaged one of his cybernetic legs. Vader eventually crushed them all with the Force and made his way to the peak of the mountain. There, he found Infil'a and Arex awaiting him. Vader quickly unleashed a Force push that blasted Infil'a off his feet and dazed him long enough for Vader, who was unarmed, to destroy Arex and take the droid's training saber. He threw the droid off the mountain and engaged Infil'a, who sensed that Vader not only wanted to kill him but wished to take his lightsaber as well. However, Vader's previously damaged leg broke apart at the knee a short time into the duel, rendering him unable to continue the fight. Infil'a then declared his intention to seek out Sidious and kill him, and blasted Vader off the top of the mountain with the Force.

Regaining consciousness, Vader used the Force to reassemble his cybernetic limbs with the dismembered pieces of Arex, who coincidentally had landed near where Vader had fallen. He then tracked Infil'a to Am'balaar City, where he reengaged the astonished Jedi Master. Fighting atop the Am'balaar city dam, the two crossed blades until the duel was interrupted by a trio of security guards. Annoyed, Vader telekinetically flung the guards from the top of the dam, but Infil'a caught them and used the Force to lower them to safety. Infil'a then shouted at Vader not to involve anyone else in their duel, but Vader instead took advantage of Infil'a's concern for innocents by ripping apart a building-sized water storage tank situated in the city below. As Infil'a attempted without success to use his own powers to stop the destruction, Vader telekinetically removed the Jedi's lightsaber from his belt and claimed it for his own. He then grabbed Infil'a in a Force choke and lifted him from the dam. Infil'a pleaded with Vader to spare the civilians below the dam, but Vader ignored him.

As the enormous tank burst completely, flooding Am'balaar City, Vader crushed Infil'a's throat with the Force and tossed his body into the wreckage below. After obtaining a Jedi lightsaber and the kyber crystal within, Vader reboarded his ship, whereupon the droid co-pilot seized control of the vessel and jumped to hyperspace. The droid then began to play a pre-recorded message from the Emperor to Vader. The message stated that, per the Emperor's instructions, the droid had plotted a course to the planet Mustafar, where Vader would find a dark-side locus which he could use to help him corrupt the kyber crystal. As the message concluded, Vader touched down on Mustafar and quickly found the locus the Emperor had spoken of, an ancient Sith shrine within a shallow cavern. There, he disassembled Infil'a's lightsaber on a small, flat rock formation and removed the kyber crystal.

However, when he attempted to corrupt it, the crystal resisted and used the Force to send Vader careening into one of the cavern walls. The crystal then caused Vader to experience a vision wherein he rejected the dark side, journeyed to Coruscant, and killed Palpatine. In the vision, Vader then found Obi-Wan and begged for his forgiveness. As he knelt in contrition in front of his former master, Obi-Wan called out to Vader by his former name, Anakin. Upon hearing this, Vader snapped out of his vision and firmly rejected the possibility shown to him by the crystal, declaring that a life as a Sith was all he could be after everything he had done. He then began to pour his hatred, pain, and rage into the crystal. As the planet around the cave was consumed in a violent storm, Vader succeeded in corrupting the crystal.

Afterwards, Vader returned to Coruscant and stormed into the Emperor's office during the middle of a discussion between Tarkin, Mas Amedda, and the Emperor regarding the construction of the Death Star. As Vader was completely unknown to anyone other than Palpatine at the time, the Royal Guards in the Emperor's office attempted to intercept him, only to be blasted back into the office's large window. Seeing Vader, the Emperor dismissed both Tarkin and Amedda, the former of whom expressed concern for his safety. Reassuring Tarkin, the Emperor repeated his command, and the two Imperial officials departed, leaving Vader to display Kirak Infil'a's lightsaber, emitting a crimson blade, to the Emperor in triumph, thereby affirming his status as a Sith apprentice.

#### Training the Inquisitorius

Shortly after returning to his master, Vader retired to a medical chamber to repair his damaged cybernetic components as the Emperor congratulated him for taking his first step to mastery of the dark side. Leaving Vader to repair his armor and limbs, the Emperor informed Vader that he had a new mission for him to undertake once his convalescence was complete. As a residence, Vader was given a personal suite on Coruscant, where he was served by a cloaked assistant.

A short time later, Vader was informed of an intruder in the Jedi Temple Archives. He promptly confronted the intruder, who wielded a red lightsaber. As the two fought each other, the intruder appeared to take the advantage, but after a time Vader revealed that he had simply been testing the modifications that he had recently made to his armor, and promptly destroyed the intruder's lightsaber. As Vader went in for the kill, the Emperor arrived and told him that the intruder, titled the Grand Inquisitor, was part of the Inquisitorius. Vader was then taken to The Works, where Vader saw the rest of the Inquisitorius training themselves. Vader was told that most of the Inquisitorius were Jedi who converted to the dark side in the wake of the Order's destruction in order to save themselves. Vader and the Inquisitorius were then given the mission to finish the remaining surviving Jedi of the Emperor's Purge.

Vader dueled the Sixth Brother in a training session and cut off his arm in order to teach him about loss. Vader then spoke with the Grand Inquisitor about improving the Inquisitorius' training methods. They began to search for other Jedi that survived the purge. Vader saw the Inquisitors' target list and noticed the Jedi Archive's Chief Librarian, Jocasta Nu, on it. He asked the Emperor what was so important about her. The Emperor explained that she had knowledge of the Sith that she and the Jedi council had kept secret. The Emperor told Vader to find Nu and bring her to him. Vader assigned the Grand Inquisitor to search the Archive for information on her.

#### Hunt for Jocasta Nu

At that time, Nu had returned to Coruscant and sneaked into the former Jedi temple to search for a list of young Force-sensitives in her secret archives. As she roamed the ruins, her droid, Beetoo, informed her that her ship was about to be discovered. She informed the droid that she would adjust her plans accordingly. As Coruscant Security Forces came into the hanger, Beetoo detonated Nu's ship and killed the three security officers. As Nu made for a secret archive vault, she noticed the Grand Inquisitor reading through the Jedi knowledge. She continued, only focusing on the mission at hand.

Vader was contacted by an Imperial Security Bureau major, who had discovered a Jedi insignia on the wreckage of Nu's ship, and he went to the Imperial Security Bureau headquarters to check it out. When Vader arrived, the major asked what rank he should address him by, and Vader said, "lord." The major explained to Vader their suspicions that the explosion was premature and the Jedi insignia was merely "rabble-rousing graffiti" used as a calling card. Vader told him he was wrong, and as the major explained his experience in intelligence, Vader used the Force to reconstruct Nu's ship, showing the major that he was indeed wrong about the cause of the explosion. Vader then ordered him to search every level of Coruscant, steering clear of the Jedi temple.

Meanwhile, Nu was about to vacate the temple when she noticed the Grand Inquisitor insulting the Jedi knowledge he was examining. His comments eventually drove her over the edge and she confronted him with her lightsaber. Vader arrived at the temple entrance and Clone Commander Fox already had sealed the place. When Fox asked him what they were expecting to happen and Vader told him that they had missed a Jedi during Order 66. As Vader entered the temple, Nu was pinning down the Grand Inquisitor with her lightsaber and threatening him. The Grand Inquisitor asked how she did not remember who he was, stating the times she had denied him the Jedi knowledge he sought. Nu attacked him, kicking off a short duel where the Grand Inquisitor quickly outwitted her. The Grand Inquisitor would have killed Nu if not for Vader's arrival. As Vader stopped the Grand Inquisitor from slaying the Jedi, Nu used the Force to rain Jedi books on them, and she fled the scene.

Vader made chase and as he followed Nu's trail, she made it to the archive vault and used a terminal to purge the entire library of its knowledge. As Vader entered the vault, he was confronted by the droid guard, Cator. He identified Vader as Anakin Skywalker and told him he was not authorized to be there. Vader threw his lightsaber at the droid, but being a guard against possible Force-sensitive threats meant the droid was ready for that move, and it caught Vader's weapon. Vader then punched Cator's arm off, and the droid caught his wrist and squeezed it with its robotic hand. Vader drove his fist through Cator's face before the droid could damage him any more. But as Cator dropped to the floor, Vader noticed a powerful shot being fired at him and used his lightsaber to deflect it. The shot, fired by Nu using a lightsaber rifle, knocked Vader back as it ripped through a bookcase. Nu stood at the entrance of the vault, confronting Vader.

As Vader got up again, he tried to convince Nu to drop her weapon. Nu ignored him and fired again. Vader dodged her shot and she fired a third time, further devastating the vault. As she continued firing, she tried to convince Vader that he was just a tool to the Emperor, saying that he could never get rid of the light side of the Force as it always found its vessels. Nu's rifle then failed to keep firing, and Vader deactivated his lightsaber, telling her she would not be harmed. Nu's rifle then began beeping and she threw it towards Vader. He used the Force to push it away, and it exploded, throwing both of them to the floor and breaching the side of the temple.

Nu fled through the fresh hole in the wall to find newly alerted clone troopers around the perimeter. They fired at her and she jumped down, deflecting their shots back at them. As the clones put more pressure on her, she Force-pushed them over the ledge behind them. Vader then appeared through the wall and the clones assumed he was too a Jedi and fired on him. At that moment, Commander Fox approach the scene on an Imperial Patrol Ship and realized that they were firing on Vader. He then had his ship fly over to Vader and ordered his units to a ceasefire. Vader jumped onto the ship and when Fox tried to explain the misunderstanding, he used the Force to break his neck.

The clones on the ground continued firing on Nu and managed to disarm her. She then found herself cornered by Vader and the clones, and she attempted to jump off, only for Vader to use the Force to catch her. He brought her to his ship, and there she told the clones that he was the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Vader used the Force to throw the clones off the ship and when Nu asked of what became of her, he killed her. Vader then crashed the ship and contacted Sidious, telling him that Nu died in an attempt to escape. With Nu having revealed Sidious would create more dark side agents with the list and questioning what it was that Vader truly wanted before her death, Vader then crushed the list of Force-sensitive children that she had with her.

#### The Weapon of the Sith

Vader followed his master to The Works district on Coruscant, where the two prepared for a sparring match in which Sidious intended to teach him a lesson. Sidious ignited one of his lightsabers and told Vader to fight him, to which Vader ignited his own saber before his master charged against him. As the blades of the two Sith clashed, Vader was quickly overpowered by Sidious, who knock the saber out of his hand and later pushed him away with the Force.

As Vader was on the ground, his saber was grabbed by Sidious while he told him that he still fought like a Jedi. His master told him that the lightsaber was not his only weapon and that the Dark Side of the Force was his true weapon, a weapon that touches everything. Vader was then hit by multiple peaces of wreckage that Sidious lift with the Force while he told him that he lightsaber was merely a symbol of the inferno that consumed all who came against the Dark Side. On his knees, Vader told his master that he understood his lesson.

#### Defiance from the Imperial hierarchy

##### Hunted by the Chas

Believing that he lost all that he cared about by his own hand, Darth Vader embraced his role as the Emperor's chief enforcer. Few knew who he was, and even fewer suspected that he had once been Anakin Skywalker. Some rumors that he was a counterpart to the late Separatist warlord General Grievous whom Palpatine had kept in reserve. His appearance at the Imperial court and the favor he carried from the Emperor earned him the distrust of Imperial officers. They resented him for appearing out of nowhere and having authority over them because of his link to his Master. They also resented his heavy-handed treatment of them, such as when he used the Force in the presence of his Master to choke Colonel Barokki. In secret, Barokki and another Imperial officer plotted to assassinate Vader, whose position in the new Empire they did not understand.

For Vader, the situation came to a head when he investigated a Jedi sighting on Cabarria. Accompanied by the Ninth Sister, he headed to the bar, where the identification had happened. Although the Ninth Sister had originally been planning to investigate alone, Vader had come, claiming she was not yet ready to face a Jedi in combat but secretly because he wanted to fight another Jedi. The Ninth Sister commented on his true desire, using her empathic abilities to read him clearly. As a result, Vader ordered her to remain outside while he investigated. Once inside, the Dark Lord was attacked by a family of bounty hunters consisting of Bhada, Ramat, and their twelve year old daughter Chanath Cha. Using ion grenades, they neutralized all the weapons in the bar while Chanath tried to seize Vader's lightsaber with a tractor rifle. However, he used the Force to seize the lightsaber midair and, under the strain of the two opposing forces, the hilt shattered, leaving only the red kyber crystal.

The Chas told the assembled customers that they had come only for the "Jedi" and that they were not planning on harming anyone. However, a disarmed Vader disagreed and used the Force to turn the customers into projectiles aimed at the Chas. Taken by the surprise, the bounty hunters turned on their shields to protect themselves. As they attacked him, Vader also used the customers and the bar's furniture as shields. Eventually, the hunters realized they could not defeat him and made to flee. Reclaiming his crystal with the Force, Vader pursued them. Emerging from the bar, Vader initially suspected that the Inquisitors had been behind the attempt on his life and threatened the Ninth Sister with her own lightsaber. The Inquisitor's denials did not sway the Dark Lord, but neither did they prove her guilt. Determined to find who had placed a bounty on his head, he pursued the Chas. They eluded him for a time until he crashed a massive vehicle into their path, causing their speeder to crash. Seizing Chanath in a Force choke, he commanded they tell him who had ordered his death.

Understanding they and their daughter were at risk, they told him about an anonymous bounty with an exorbitant price posted on the Hunter Net. Ramat Cha, a talented slicer, offered to uncover their employer for him in exchange for their daughter's life. When they demanded that he release Chanath first, Vader refused. However, the Chas refused to work if their daughter was killed, further declaring that they would happily die as well to exist in death with her. Grudgingly impressed, the Dark Lord demanded proof that Ramat could deliver her side of the deal, which she proved by tracking the signal of the bounty back to Coruscant. Vader released Chanath as agreed, at which point the bounty hunters made their daughter swear that she would seek no vengeance against the Dark Lord, a deal Vader chose to honor. To complete the deal, Ramat provided Vader with the information he had requested and gave him the source of the bounty on him: the Imperial Executive Building on Coruscant, specifically the Emperor's office.

Vader then killed both Cha parents right in front of their daughter, who was filled with rage. Despite her oath to not hold a grudge, she ignored her promise and spent her life hunting the Dark Lord in revenge. Eventually, as the years passed on, the Sith Lord himself simply forgot the murders he carried out on Cabarria. Cha, however, never forgot and became a skilled bounty hunter, studying every report she could and speaking to anyone she could find who had witnessed Vader in battle. She trained herself to counter Vader's abilities, eventually enlisting a team of fellow hunters as "the Orphans" to help her in her quest. Cha's skills rose to a level that even Palpatine took notice, becoming a bounty hunter the Emperor could trust all in the name of possibly getting close to Vader, only to never see him. In effect, Vader had completely upended Cha's life, only for the crusade her life turned into to not impact Vader at all.

##### Cementing his place

With their business on Cabarria completed, Vader and the Ninth Sister left the planet and returned to Coruscant. Now suspecting that the Emperor had placed the bounty on his head, the Dark Lord planned to confront his Master about his intentions. As the Ninth Sister piloted the ship through hyperspace, Vader worked on creating a new lightsaber. His droid meanwhile investigated the origins of the kill contract placed on him and confirmed that the order could have come from the Emperor's office, with no evidence of slicing to indicate foul play. But, as the ship arrived in orbit over Coruscant, the ship's attempt to transmit clearance codes for landing was jammed and the ship itself was marked as being part of a Separatist splinter cell. The Imperial capital's orbital defenses targeted Vader's ship. Only the Dark Lord's skill as a pilot prevented them from being destroyed, although the ship was damaged and forced to crash land on Coruscant. Tired of the repeated attempts on his life, the Dark Lord headed to the former Jedi Temple to confront the Emperor.

The Emperor was investigating the hoard of artifacts that Jocasta Nu had collected and stored in the Jedi Archives when Vader arrived. The Emperor sensed that his apprentice did not wish to discuss his recent discovery, although he did praise him for having found the Librarian's stash. Vader informed his master of the events on Cabarria and his investigation into the kill order against him, before directly asking his Master whether he had placed it on his head as part of a test. Noticing Vader's new lightsaber, the Emperor asked to see it, approving of its design. He also chastised his apprentice for believing that he would resort to such methods as placing a bounty on his head if he wanted to have him killed and that he did not "test": he "taught." He also told Vader that finding the assassins was his task, not theirs. This echoed a previous lesson he had taught Vader when he had "disciplined" Colonel Barokki: that they must not kill everyone in the galaxy, but that having power meant they could, and that they would never lack for people to destroy.

Vader returned to his quarters, where he meditated on the past events and his Master's words. Thinking back to all that had happened, he eventually realized the cause of the conspiracy against him was that his sudden elevation had caused concern and fear among the ranks of the Imperial officers, who knew that he had "strength," but not that he shared the Emperor's "power." Despite a lack of proof, Vader became convinced that Colonel Barokki, who had so suddenly borne his displeasure, must be involved in the conspiracy. The Dark Lord met with the Emperor and shared his conclusions, and requested that he be publicly recognized and allowed to show them the consequences of opposing him. The Emperor asked whether he was sure, and Vader confirmed it: he would not kill them all unless he had to, but would not allow them to act against him with impunity. The Emperor agreed to Vader's plan, but forbade him from killing Tarkin, as he was essential to his plans.

The Emperor gathered the elite officers of the growing Imperial Military to clarify the new hierarchy. He formally introduced Vader as his emissary, who spoke with his voice and whose commands would need to be obeyed as if they had come from the Emperor himself. The Emperor then moved aside and allowed Vader to speak: the Dark Lord summoned five officers before him: Corin Ferro, Zorta Bingan, Joon Strephi, Tomas Azoras, and Barokki. Informing them that the two attempts on his life had been made from within the Officer Corps and that he had his suspicions who had been responsible, he instituted a new rule: for every assassination attempt he survived, and he warned them that he would *always* survive, five officers chosen at random would be executed. He instantly executed the five designated officers with a Force choke before departing, leaving the remaining officers stunned and afraid. With his position in the hierarchy established, Vader never held an official military rank but acted as the de facto Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military, being recognized as part of both Imperial High Command and the Imperial Ruling Council as well. Afterward, Vader returned to his personal suite and mediated, cracking the window in his anger that positive thoughts still came.

#### War on Mon Cala

One year into the reign of the Empire, Vader was reliving his duel on Mustafar through meditation. During his experience, he was already in his cybernetic suit, and he used the Force to throw lava at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan jumped up to dodge it, but Vader Force-choked him and threw him into the rocks. Vader watched Obi-Wan burn before he awoke in his meditation chamber as the Emperor asked for him over the comm. In his throne room, the Emperor told Vader that a year after his ascension, it was time to show that his voice was the only voice within the Empire. Vader asked how, and the Emperor told him that Mon Cala would make a great example of the price of defiance. He further told Vader that King Lee-Char may have had an adviser helping him with his negotiations with the Empire. Vader asked if it could be a Jedi, and the Emperor said it was possible. He told Vader to take a team to investigate this and claimed the military aspects of the operation would be left to Moff Tarkin.

Vader arrived at Mon Cala aboard the *Zeta*-class shuttle *Infernum*. With him, he took three Inquisitors, the Sixth Brother, Ninth Sister, and Tenth Brother, and a death squad of Purge Troopers. At this time, the Imperial ambassador Telvar had just finished another meeting with Lee-Char, and the man was walking to his shuttle when he saw Vader descend from the ramp of his shuttle. The Ninth Sister struggled to get past the king's Chief of Security, Gial Ackbar, and Vader confronted the Mon Calamari, asking if he had read the writ that the Ninth Sister had given him. Ackbar confirmed that he had, but demanded that he knew their business as he had a job to do and so did Vader. Vader complied and explained about a possible enemy of the Empire on Mon Cala. As he said that, Telvar's shuttle took off and flew for Tarkin's Star Destroyer, the *Sovereign*—which was in orbit above Mon Cala. However, as Ackbar denied the possibility of an enemy of the Empire being on Mon Cala, Telvar's shuttle exploded.

Telvar's assassination prompted Tarkin to enact a full-scale invasion of Mon Cala. His forces landed at Dac City, where Vader had arrived, and laid siege to the Mon Calamari and Quarren defenses. Vader and his team sprang to life and soon seized the landing pad where the *Infernum* was parked. He then led them to the Dac City palace to find Lee-Char and ask him about the possible Jedi. They fought their way through the palace guards and entered the palace, where the Ninth Sister began torturing Lee-Char for the location of the Jedi. However, another threat loomed over them. A massive tidal wave had suddenly erupted as a part of Lee-Char's defensive plan. The Sixth Brother warned them of this, and he and the Tenth Brother began shielding Vader and the Ninth Sister from the wave using the Force. When their attempts began failing, Vader joined them, but it was not enough. The group was washed away by the wave, and Dac City was left in ruins.

Vader awoke at the bottom of the Great Ungeness Trench. As his oxygen supply was dwindling, he used the Force to create an air bubble for himself. Suddenly, he was attacked by a squid-like creature, and after wrestling with it, he killed it with the Force. Vader then rode its body using the Force and eventually picked up a transmission from the Inquisitors. Vader asked them to come to his position, and they did so in an Imperial submarine. When they picked him up, he asked about the Jedi, and the Inquisitors said that he was still alive somewhere. Vader then asked about Lee-Char, and the Ninth Sister said that they did not know, but she then revealed that she had gotten the Jedi's location from him. Knowing exactly where their target was, they began traveling for the Jedi.

Vader and his team arrived at the Jedi's location to find the individual and his disciples evacuating. The Jedi, an Iktotchi Padawan called Ferren Barr, had been notified by Lee-Char after he was recovered following the events at Dac City. The group of them immediately scattered, but one of the disciples instead attacked the submarine head-on with his blaster. The shots bounced off the window, and Vader used the Force to crush his helmet. The other fled in the direction of Bel City, and as Vader caught up with them, another disciple turned around to attack them. He too died in the process but managed to slow Vader's submarine, and the rest of the group followed Barr to Bel City. Vader and the Inquisitors arrived at Bel City and marched down the hallway, reinforced by the Inquisitors and the Purge troopers. Vader was then contacted by Tarkin, who was struggling to deal with the grueling conflict on Mon Cala. Vader told Tarkin that he was busy, but Tarkin knew that and asked him to do something else instead: capture Lee-Char. Vader told Tarkin that he did not answer to him, but Tarkin replied that capturing Lee-Char was the only way to end the fighting quickly on Mon Cala, and he pledged to owe Vader a favor if he did so. Vader agreed and told the Inquisitors to continue the hunt as he left.

Vader arrived at Lee-Char's Royal Command Bunker and killed his guards. He then disarmed Lee-Char and contacted Tarkin, who told him to take Lee-Char to a window and send him his exact location. Vader asked Tarkin if he was going to send a shuttle, and the man said not yet. Once Vader did what he asked, Tarkin began a bombardment of Mon Cala. Lee-Char watched in horror but refused to surrender. The two were interrupted by Barr, who had outsmarted and scattered Vader's team. Barr confronted Vader and the two dueled. As they fought, Barr revealed that he had assassinated Telvar to send the Mon Calamari into war. Lee-Char overheard this and realized his mistake in following Barr. He ran to his terminal and sent a message to the Mon Calamari and Quarren forces, ordering them to cease fire. Lee-Char then contacted Tarkin, notifying him of the surrender. Tarkin sent a shuttle to pick him up but continued the bombardment.

Vader and Barr continued fighting, and Barr began laughing. Lee-Char questioned this, and Barr said that he had completed his plan. Barr prophesied that the Mon Calamari vessels would be at the forefront of a great rebellion decades from then, and decades after that. Vader told Barr that he was not a Jedi anymore, and Barr told him that that made two of them, saying that he still beat the Sith. Vader then slew him, and the shuttle arrived to pick up Lee-Char. The king told Vader that Mon Cala would rise again, but Vader told him that there was no Mon Cala, only the Empire. Some time after the mission, Vader ordered to imprison and torture the people of Mon Cala.

### Accepting the dark side

#### The Emperor's emissary

Over the next two decades of the Empire's reign, Vader would remain one of the few who enjoyed direct access to Palpatine. He was Palpatine's preferred envoy for all matters that the Emperor took a direct interest in. With Palpatine forced to spend most of his time governing the galaxy at large, it was Vader who was tasked with taking a direct hand against the Empire's enemies, becoming known as the "Emperor's Fist" to both Imperials and, eventually, criminals. Such matters included the elimination of rebel uprisings and the continued construction of the Death Star. One of Vader's earliest missions on the Emperor's behalf was to effect an execution on Murkhana. He was indeed made privy to the secret construction of the Death Star, to be overseen by Wilhuff Tarkin. Vader's high status also gave him the ability to alter Imperial records under the off-the-books Directive 081-Omega.

The Imperial officers remained wary of Vader and his power, as well as his continued devotion to the ancient ways of the Force, but none rose to challenge him without feeling the consequences. Despite the mistrust and even hatred he generated among the officers, Vader was held in high esteem by the Stormtrooper Corps, as he often fought alongside them at the front line rather than remaining in command centers. As the Emperor's enforcer, Vader retained command of the unit he had commanded during the Clone Wars as Anakin Skywalker: the 501st Legion. When the Emperor retired the clone troopers, the rank and file of the 501st were composed of recruited stormtroopers, some of whom received training from the Dark Lord himself, such as Sergeant Kreel, an undercover agent whom Vader trained in lightsaber combat. Through their missions on Vader's behalf, the 501st came to be known as "Vader's Fist." On one occasion, the stormtrooper Terex met Vader, becoming terrified of him while also respecting him. Vader also garnered strong support from the pilots of the new Imperial Navy.

A young officer named Enric Pryde personally saw Vader in combat at one point. Having killed Tambor along with the rest of the Separatist Council during his mission to Mustafar, Vader was also dispatched to Skako Minor to kill the Techno Union Foreman's remaining loyalists by wiping out the planet's Ruling Council. Massacring the council officials, including Tambor's son Wat Tambor II, Vader established a new Imperial-loyal regime on the planet, which also fell under Imperial occupation. At some point, Vader was deployed to put down resistance on the mineral rich world of Bandomeer, where miners were fighting back against Imperial exploitation. Vader punished them for their rebellion. Apparitions of Vader and other dark siders were once faced by surviving Jedi Vanzell Mar-Klar and Nedriss Narr, who attempted to train a new generation of younglings after Order 66.

#### Investigation on Geonosis

Vader soon became aware of a project that was taking up many resources. He began investigating, which led him to the data vault on Scarif. There, he found Project Stardust, a project that was a large battle station the size of a small moon. Vader studied its design before he was interrupted by Tarkin, who was very displeased with Vader's snooping. Tarkin told him he was not authorized to be there, and Vader claimed that the Force was all the authorization he needed. Vader denied that he was Tarkin's beast but the man denied his claim and taunted Vader, saying he did not need the Force to know he was very angry. Tarkin then produced a hologram of the Emperor, who told Vader he did not recall sending him to Scarif. Vader apologized and told the Emperor he only sought to study the ways in which the Empire would extend its rule over the galaxy. The Emperor told Vader of a new mission he was to go on. There had been certain instances of sabotage during the Death Star's construction that Vader needed to discover the source of before it got worse. The Emperor further told Vader that Tarkin had full authority over him and that if he disappointed him, he disappointed Palpatine.

Vader arrived at Geonosis and met with Commander Orson Callan Krennic. As they greeted, an overhead rock formation exploded and rained down on them. Vader saved himself and Krennic and they went to his office to discuss the matter. Krennic claimed it was Tarkin sabotaging his efforts in order to get rid of him and take over the project. Vader asked him if there was any proof and Krennic was not able to produce anything. Krennic then explained to him the incidences that had occurred in the last three months. Vader gave his knowledge on the situation to loyalty officer Sid Uddra, who met him at the Petranaki Arena to discuss what she suspected. She told Vader that as much as Tarkin and Krennic's rivalry arose tension between them, it was unlikely for either to be the culprit. She then offered Vader with another individual to look into: the scientist Galen Walton Erso. Vader looked through his office and found many kyber crystals in which he bled for himself without issue. He then found a recording of Erso and his family. Vader also noticed that Erso called his daughter stardust, which was the codename for the Death Star's project. Finally, Vader found an ootheca egg in a box. Knowing that Geonosians were a slave race and were forbidden from breeding freely, he confronted Krennic about this. Krennic denied that it was him and suggested that some of the slaves may have sent it as a distress call to Erso. Vader then deduced for himself the saboteurs at hand.

Vader and a squad of death troopers entered a Geonosian hive and found the queen and her minions. The two sides engaged but Vader quickly came out on top, slaying the queen. After the battle, he returned to Tarkin on the *Carrion Spike* and reported his findings to him. Tarkin asked Vader how he knew the queen's hive had orchestrated the sabotages and Vader told how their slicers had confirmed the hive to have installed corrupted tech into production, ensuring accidents. Tarkin then asked Vader how he may have dealt with them and Vader said that they were animals and so they were slaughtered like animals. Tarkin finally asked Vader if there was anything else and he stated to Tarkin that his project, the Death Star, was able to destroy a planet. Tarkin asked how he knew and he told him of the kyber crystals he saw in Erso's office. Tarkin then asked Vader why he was not happy for this revelation, and Vader said that he distrusted his reliance on technological aberration. Tarkin then told Vader that he was one of those before realizing that Vader wanted to be the only technological aberration. Vader warned Tarkin that the Death Star may become his tomb, and when Tarkin asked if that was a threat, Vader told him it was only a prediction.

#### Relics of the Clone Wars

Years after the skirmish aboard the *Tribunal* during Order 66, but still during the early Imperial era, Vader traveled to the snowy moon that was home to the crash site of the *Venator*-class Star Destroyer. Investigating the wreckage with a contingent of snowtroopers, Vader discovered a memorial to the clone company that perished in the crash, as well as a lightsaber, partly frozen but still functional, that once belonged to his former apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. Igniting the lightsabers' blue blade, Vader heard a squawking sound and turned his head to the sky, where he saw a strange bird soaring through the air.

Deep down in his heart, he realized his former Padawan was alive, but he lacked any concrete proof and did not sense her presence. As such, he assumed to himself that she may have died, thereby closing the painful memories she represented, despite deep down realizing she had to be alive. After gazing at the bird for a moment, Vader deactivated the lightsaber and turned away from the crash site with the saber in hand, his image reflected in an abandoned clone trooper helmet.

#### Rebellion on Ryloth

##### Preparing for the operation

Five years into the Age of the Empire, Vader, while meditating aboard the *Perilous*, was informed by Captain Luitt of an attack on the Yaga Minor shipyards. The attack had been staged by several dozen members of the Free Ryloth Movement, a primarily Twi'lek insurgency intent on liberating their homeworld from the rule of the Empire. The insurgents hijacked an Imperial weapons transport, and Vader led a squadron of V-wing starfighters in pursuit. After a long chase, during which the transport fled through hyperspace to several different systems, its engines overloaded when it attempted to make yet another jump and Vader's squadron was finally able to engage it. The squadron brought down the transport's shields with minimal casualties while Vader crippled the engines.

Though the squadron commander suggested allowing the *Perilous* to tractor the transport into one of its hangar bays when it arrived, Vader assumed (correctly) that the insurgents planned to destroy the transport by detonating the heavy ordnance present in the ship's cargo bays. In order to prevent this eventuality, Vader crashed his black Eta-2 *Actis*-class light interceptor into one of its gun bubbles and ejected just before the collision. He then entered the ship through the damaged gun emplacement and proceeded to kill all of the insurgent Twi'leks on the ship. After eliminating the insurgent leader Pok, Vader noticed an active comlink on the bridge. Assuming that another rebel ship was nearby, Vader had his V-wings fan out in a search pattern, but the rebel ship escaped detection by shutting down nearly all of its systems and hiding in the rings of a nearby planet. Finding nothing, Vader had the *Perilous* collect the transport, and returned to Coruscant.

In the Imperial Palace, Vader reunited with his master. There, he and Sidious met with Ryloth's Senator Orn Free Taa involving the inconvenience that was the Free Ryloth Movement. The movement, though relatively minor, had been conducting raids on Imperial shipping facilities and transports and had seriously impacted the flow of Spice from the planet. As such, Sidious believed that the situation warranted his personal attention, and decided that he, Taa, and Vader would travel to Ryloth for a state visit. After informing the Senator of the planned journey and dismissing him, Sidious informed his apprentice that Taa almost certainly had a traitor in the midst of his support staff who was feeding the movement classified information on Imperial doings.

Though Vader understood his master's purpose in acting as bait alongside himself and Taa, he saw no reason why the Emperor should potentially risk his own safety over such a minor issue. Rather, Vader advocated for simply killing Taa and his entire staff, thereby guaranteeing the elimination of the traitor. However, Sidious wished to eliminate the roots of the treachery, and not simply the lone traitor in Taa's staff. To that end, Sidious gave the order for Moff Delian Mors to be informed that Taa would be arriving for a state visit, but stipulated that she should not be told that either he or Vader would be accompanying the Senator. In this way, Sidious hoped to provide further encouragement for the movement to attack, as he assumed that they would discover his and Vader's plans via their spies. Ten days later Vader, the Emperor, Taa, and a contingent of Royal Guards journeyed to the Ryloth system aboard the *Perilous*.

##### Assassination attempt on the *Defiance*

While traveling from Coruscant to Ryloth, the Emperor ordered the *Perilous* to stop in the Denon system to consult with several navy chiefs on how to better integrate disparate naval academies into one Imperial Naval Academy. The Emperor ordered Vader to oversee a training session conducted by Commandant Pell Baylo on the *Defiance* while the Emperor met with his naval chiefs in Baylo's office on the training ship. It was during this training session that Vader began to believe that Sidious was treating him much the same way the Jedi Council had previously: acting as he knew better, keeping information from Vader, giving him "busywork." Baylo ordered the *Defiance* to enter hyperspace on a course for Christophsis. Cadet Rae Sloane entered the coordinates, only to have her hyperspace path overridden by Baylo, who said she was going to send them too close to a singularity.

Sloane studied the path, suspecting that Baylo was incorrect in his adjustment. Vader and Sloane discovered that the changed hyperspace route would crash the *Defiance* into Christophsis' sun, killing all aboard. Vader ordered Sloane to correct the problem, and without revealing that he knew of Baylo's treachery, Vader and Baylo went to see the Emperor. The Emperor ordered Baylo to turn over command of the *Defiance* and take a position at the training center on Corellia. Baylo, however, was loyal to the Republic and considered the Empire a hostile power. Instead of turning over his command, Baylo offered his resignation from the navy. Vader then revealed he knew of Baylo's plan to crash the *Defiance*, and the Emperor congratulated Vader for handling the "petty problem," annoying him.

As Baylo railed against the Emperor, Vader Force-choked him to death, drawing ire from the Emperor, who had wished to see Baylo suffer and force him to watch his beloved Navy be turned into something he hated and have the *Defiance* be melted down into cafeteria trays. Above all, he wanted to use Baylo for his own ambitions since the old man was willing to kill his own students for a cause. Vader tried to explain that his way was more efficient, but the Emperor wanted to hear nothing of it as he did not order him to kill Baylo. Later, he ordered Sloane to have the *Defiance* renamed the *Obedience* as a subtle final jab at Baylo and a not-so-subtle reminder toward Vader to learn his place.

##### Crash land on Ryloth

Shortly thereafter, Vader and the Emperor reboarded the *Perilous* and resumed their course to the Ryloth system. However, upon their exit from hyperspace, the ship immediately began slamming into spacial mines set up by Cham Syndulla's rebels. Hidden amongst these mines were specialized devices designed to drain the ship's shields, which began to buckle under the continual assault. As the shields neared failure, a swarm of several hundred reprogrammed Vulture Droids set upon the *Perilous* from the system's asteroid belt. Vader boarded his personal interceptor and took several squadrons of Imperial pilots to destroy the droid fighters and mines, but discovered a short time into the battle that Vulture Droids were each carrying a payload of explosive buzz droids.

Realizing that the Vultures themselves were simply delivery systems meant to unload the buzz droids near or inside the Star Destroyer, Vader ordered his squadron to concentrate fire on them, as they presented a far greater threat than the mines. But between the mines and the Vultures, there were simply too many targets for Vader and his squadrons to handle, and the *Perilous* was severely damaged. The second wave of Vultures was detected immediately after the first had been destroyed, further compounding the already bleak situation. A message came to Vader from Captain Lewitt of the *Perilous* that the ship could sustain virtually no more damage without being destroyed.

Vader moved to intercept the second wave alone, ordering his squadrons to remain near the *Perilous* to destroy any droids that got past him. Though incredulous, the squadron commander obeyed, and Vader used the Force to begin tearing apart the compartments on the Vulture droids that housed the explosive buzz droids. He then used the Force to begin flinging the buzz droids at other incoming fighters and repeated this process until the vast majority of the Vulture Droids had been destroyed. The remaining fighters were annihilated by Vader's squadrons, and he himself returned to the *Perilous*. Vader marched to the Star Destroyer's bridge and Force choked Taa for a short time, informing him of the traitor in his staff that had been responsible for the assault on the *Perilous*. Utterly terrified, the Senator vowed to find the traitor, but the Emperor had Taa and his staff confined to their quarters. An order was then broadcast from the Imperial headquarters on Ryloth for any and all repair ships to aid the *Perilous* as it sped, badly damaged, towards the planet.

Unbeknownst to Vader, some of the Twi'lek repair teams in fact comprised members of the Free Ryloth movement, one of which was a group of saboteurs with orders to plant timed explosives on the hyperdrive core of the *Perilous*. Shortly after the teams landed, one of the Free Ryloth groups engaged in a firefight with Imperial stormtroopers. When Vader learned of this, he ordered all of the Twi'lek repair teams, numbering over 100, to be killed regardless of whether they were aiding the assault and proceeded to Deck 17, where the firefight had been reported. On the way, he killed a group of apparently uninvolved Twi'leks before proceeding to the hyperdrive chamber. The saboteurs, who were led by Cham's second in command, Isval, had managed to seal the hatch to the hyperdrive core before any Imperial troops could interrupt them, and Vader began to use his lightsaber to cut it open.

By the time Vader finished cutting through the hatch, the saboteurs had already concluded their business and escaped. The main hyperdrive core had been riddled with timed charges, set to detonate if anyone attempted to disarm or remove them. Vader concluded that the ship was lost, and ordered the captain to evacuate. Vader contacted Sidious, who instructed his apprentice to meet him aboard his shuttle. Before departing, however, Vader made one last attempt to kill the saboteurs, but they narrowly evaded him and escaped in an Imperial escort boat. Subsequently, Vader reunited with the Emperor and left on the shuttle, mere minutes before the Star Destroyer exploded. Shortly thereafter, the Imperial traitor Belkor Dray provided Cham with the transponder identity of the Emperor's shuttle, and he directed Isval and her group aboard the escort boat to attack it.

Vader's exceptional piloting skills allowed him to evade the boat and then fly upside down over its cockpit within direct visual range of its pilots. Once there, he used the Force to choke both Isval and her co-pilot, but before losing consciousness, Isval rammed the shuttle with her escort boat. The crash disabled the shuttle's main power, and Vader had to use a nearly depleted backup battery to attempt a crash landing on Ryloth. As he guided the ship through the atmosphere, he had flashbacks of events and people from his past. Though distracted, Vader managed to land the ship in Ryloth's equatorial forest region, but his distraction did not go unnoticed by the Emperor, who noted that the landing had been poor compared to what he knew Vader to be capable of.

Not too long afterward, the Twi'lek insurgents continued their assault on freighters, prompting Vader and the Emperor to take action and destroy them, before moving away from their fallen shuttle. At night, they stopped to rest, when the Emperor questioned his regret and loyalty, but Vader showed himself devoted still. They were soon attacked by a lylek horde, forcing them to retreat into a tunnel, unaware that they had entered their nest. They stood their ground against hundreds of lyleks and their significantly threatening queen, and killed them all before exiting the tunnel and finding a young Twi'lek, Drua. When the Emperor tried to kill her, Vader stopped him, intending to have the girl guide them to her village, where they obtained a communicator to speak with Moff Mors.

After giving them their coordinates, they were finally surrounded by Syndulla's forces, but so did Mors's, aiding them in quelling the rebellion. As the stormtroopers killed the Twi'leks, Vader noticed a trio of Twi'leks: Syndulla, Isval, and Goll watching from afar and went on to kill them, but Goll and Syndulla escaped, leaving Vader to capture Isval and bring her before the Emperor. He mocked her, telling her that her people had accomplished nothing, and Vader subsequently executed her. On the Emperor's orders, Vader then killed the villagers to leave no witnesses, concluding their mission.

#### Teller's campaign

When Moff Tarkin's Sentinel Base was attacked, Vader was stationed in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, where he held a court with the Deputy Director of the ISB, Harus Ison, berating Coruscanti criminals as well as Prefect Phoca Soot of Level 1331, for ignoring the Emperor's decrees. Telling them to move their operations out of Coruscant, Vader then made an example of Soot for his disrespect and crushed his heart with the Force, and adjourned the court to meet with Tarkin and Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. The latter politely asked Vader to refrain from killing all those who displeased him, to which the Sith replied that he would give thought to the matter, before greeting Tarkin and sharing the latest developments of the Death Star's construction.

The pair separated when Vader left Tarkin, who met with the Emperor alone. Afterward, Vader (like Tarkin and Amedda) partook in a meeting between the Imperial Ruling Council, and the leaders of Imperial Security Bureau and Naval Intelligence Agency in the palace's audience chamber, overseen by the Emperor. He then assigned Tarkin and Vader to a mission on Murkhana to investigate recently discovered Shadowfeed technology and its relationship to the attack on Sentinel Base. The pair traveled to the planet on the *Carrion Spike*, which Vader made to carry his meditation chamber.

On Murkhana, however, the *Spike* was stolen by unknown dissidents, prompting Vader and Tarkin to kill the Sugi crime lord Faazah, and take his *Parsec Predator* to pursue the stolen ship, hidden by its cloaking systems. Making use of his connection to his meditation chamber, Vader pinpointed the rebels' location to the Fial system and later, the Galidraan system, where they engaged the *Spike* before they jettisoned his meditation chamber and escaped to Lucazec. With the *Predator* disabled, Vader and Tarkin boarded the *Liberator*, from which Vader issued his black Eta-2 interceptor to be transported on the *Goliath* from Coruscant.

On the *Goliath*, Tarkin told Vader that the insurgency was surely being supported by someone high up in the Imperial Military, and predicted that the insurgents would go to Phindar to refuel the *Spike*. Subsequently, Vader led a squadron to attack the stolen corvette in the Phindar system. Though they greatly damaged the ship, it escaped, prompting Tarkin and Vader to calculate its trajectory to Obroa-skai system. Teller transmitted false intelligence that the insurgents were heading to the Obroa-skai system. Hoping to capture the *Carrion Spike*, Tarkin and Vader deployed substantial Imperial resources including three Interdictor vessels. The prototype Immobilizer 418 cruiser malfunctioned, yanking several ships out of hyperspace and causing a massive accident.

Despite failing to catch the *Spike*, the Imperials managed to capture the YT-1000 light freighter *Reticent*, which Teller had sent as a decoy to throw the Imperials off-scent. While Vader interrogated its Koorivar captain on the *Executrix*, Tarkin accessed Imperial databases and discovered the identities of the insurgents, including its leader Berch Teller. Vader also interrogated the *Reticent*'s Sy Myrthian navigator, who suffered a heart attack. However, Vader learned from one of his contacts in the Crymorah Syndicate that a lieutenant had negotiated a deal with the Sugi crime lord Faazah for a supply of custom fuel cells. These fuel cells had reached Murkhana shortly before Tarkin and Vader's arrival, thus confirming that Faazah had been colluding with the insurgents.

After a private holo transmission with the Emperor, Vader told Tarkin that Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit was sure the insurgents would attack the Imperial academy at Carida next. Then, Vader parted ways with Tarkin to meet with Rancit, but not before asking for the meaning behind the *Carrion Spike*'s name and Tarkin told him about his test in Eriadu's Carrion Plateau. On the Carida system, Vader boarded the *Secutor*-class Star Destroyer *Conquest* and met Rancit just as the *Spike* reverted to realspace, astrogating on autopilot. Aware of Rancit's treason, as a co-conspirator of Teller, Vader had Lieutenant Crest place Rancit aboard an escape pod and had Rancit give himself the command to issue the fire order that destroyed it. Elsewhere, Tarkin dealt with the rebels, ending the insurgency.

Following the defeat of Teller's insurgents, Vader spent the next three weeks helping Tarkin to interrogate the captured insurgents with the exception of Teller, who managed to escape. While none of the insurgents had died under questioning, the Emperor had the insurgents executed privately. Vader also led a crackdown on the warehouse workers and salvages who supplied Teller's dissidents along with several scientists at Desolation Station who had provided Teller with information. Vader also took action against the Tenloss Syndicate and lower-level members of the Crymorah Syndicate who had assembled Berch Teller's warship, a modified *Providence*-class Dreadnought.

#### Submission to Ahr

During the Empire's efforts to subdue anti-Imperial forces in a Mid Rim sector under Imperial Governor Ahr, Vader participated in an attack on the planet Namzor, where he eliminated a group of insurgents. In the process, he destroyed the rebels' stores of coaxium, violating the command of Ahr, who was charged with securing the hyperfuel. The governor brought his frustrations to the Emperor. Sensing Vader's anger, the Emperor commanded his apprentice to follow any and all orders from the governor until Vader had learned his lesson.

Ahr took great pleasure in his newfound power, sending Vader on increasingly dangerous missions throughout his sector. He sent Vader to fight alone against the renegade droids of Ahn Krantarium, and later retracted his forces on Phelzepham, leaving Vader to battle the moon's insurgents by himself. Though he wished to kill the governor, Vader continued to obey Ahr's commands.

Governor Ahr brought his ship to the Kankalo Belt Containment Zone, an asteroid field in which a great creature resided. He commanded Vader to eliminate "the greatest threat" he could find. Seeing an opportunity, Vader confronted Ahr, recognizing him as his true threat. Before Vader could strike, Ahr ordered the Dark Lord to kneel before him. Vader obeyed, but the creature attacked the vessel, pulling the governor out into the void of space and freeing Vader from his submission.

#### Hunt on Chandar's Folly

Tarkin still owed Vader a favor for capturing Lee-Char on Mon Cala. After some time, Vader came to Tarkin with his request, and, as he learned of Tarkin's hunting, Vader asked Tarkin to hunt him down. Vader told him to keep him on his feet, killing him if he had to. Tarkin was shocked at this and began considering why Vader would ask him to hunt him. Tarkin looked through the reports from the Inquisitorius and saw that Vader's hunt for the Jedi had left him with little to no challenge. Tarkin deduced that Vader wanted to be challenged again and was flattered that he had chosen him.

The hunt took place on the Outer Rim planet Chandar's Folly, and Tarkin immediately began trying to take on the Dark Lord of the Sith. Knowing of Vader's brutal abilities, Tarkin outfitted the hunters with slugthrowers and flamethrowers to avoid the possibility of Vader deflecting their shots. On the second day, they cornered Vader at a copse of Thurian trees, and four hunters engulfed him with their flamethrowers. As Tarkin watched Vader get covered by the flames, he thought he saw fear in his body language. Vader's possible fear was brief, however, as he targeted the hunters' flamethrowers, incinerating the four hunters. Through the following days, Tarkin saw that Vader was not hard to track, leaving clear signs wherever he went. They learned why as on multiple occasions Vader ambushed them. On one occasion, Tarkin and his hunters were tracking Vader near a cliff when he revealed himself and killed one of the hunters with his. Two others fired on him but failed to kill him.

Tarkin realized that as long as Vader had his lightsaber, he could not be beaten. So over the course of the next four days, he attempted to steal Vader's weapon. After six men perished, one of Tarkin's hunters managed to snatch it out of Vader's grip while he was fighting. After this, Tarkin saw that not only was Vader turning to new tactics, he was angrier. Tarkin knew that enraged prey was usually easier to take out, but he admitted that this rule did not apply to Vader. Soon after, Vader fought five of Tarkin's hunters as they fired on him, hitting him many times and scarring his armor. Tarkin watched from a hilltop as Vader came close to the hunters and used the Force to snap one's neck. The other hunters retreated, and Vader Force-choked another to death. Once understanding how capable Vader was with the Force, Tarkin assumed that the hunt would soon end. However, Tarkin soon realized that Vader was so keen on getting back his lightsaber, that so long as Tarkin's team hunted him, he hunted them.

On the ninth day of the hunt, Tarkin was down to his last seven hunters. Vader managed to kill a Valath, the apex predator on the planet, and take its hide, which could help him camouflage better. One of Tarkin's Chadra-Fan hunters, Sissian, spotted Vader northwest of Tarkin's camp, and the hunter Yerga notified Tarkin of this. Tarkin got his binoculars and saw Vader on top of a peak wearing the Valath hide. Tarkin had his hunters form a group around him, and they walked in Vader's direction. Vader lured them into a ravine of blue crystals, where his breathing could echo and be untraceable by Sissian and his grandfather, Hardhear. Hardhear heard Vader's breathing, but although he could say Vader was near, he could not say which direction. Vader loomed over them at the top of the ravine and watched as Tarkin ordered his team to run. The group ran down the ravine, and Vader made his move, Force-pushing one of the hunters into the ravine wall. Vader then Force-choked Hardhear before leaping down, under the cover of his Valath hide, and attacking the droid hunter.

Tarkin had the rest of his team run into the Stormlands, where it was open ground. They set up camp, and Sissian listened for Vader's breathing. However, Vader had deactivated his suit, which stopped his breathing apparatus from giving him away, and he slowly crept up to the camp, before Force choking Sissian. Yerga attempted to attack Vader, but he took her by the neck and killed her. The last two hunters opened fire, and Vader used the Force to retake his lightsaber. Tarkin then jumped at the two hunters and slaughtered them. Tarkin ran away from Vader, but after realizing he would catch up with him eventually, he stopped and fell to his knees. Vader loomed over him, not realizing that as he was standing higher than Tarkin, he was more susceptible to the lightning in the Stormlands.

Without warning, Vader was struck by lightning and he fell to the ground. Tarkin got up and contacted his flagship, the *Carrion Spike*, to pick them up. Tarkin sat by Vader and waited for the *Carrion Spike* to arrive. The corvette soon approached them, being frequently struck by lightning due to its height in the Stormlands. Vader remained immobile and Tarkin told him that whatever he had hoped to learn from this madness, he hoped he had learned it. Tarkin then told Vader that he would get him to a repair bay soon enough. However, Vader was not finished yet, and he Force-choked Tarkin, showing him that he had not lost just yet. Tarkin soon crawled from the range of Vader's Force abilities, and Vader continued lying there.

#### Hunt for Eeth Koth and rogue Inquisitors

"*Fear. Anger. Resentment. I sense them in you. You have let yourself* feel*, Eeth Koth. It gives you* power*. More than the Jedi would ever have allowed you.*" "*Perhaps it's the Zabrak in me. Or perhaps…now I have something to lose.*"
―Darth Vader duels Eeth Koth
Vader, along with the Fifth Brother and two other Inquisitors, was able to track down former Jedi Master and Council member Eeth Koth to a planet where he was a priest of the Church of the Ganthic Enlightenment. Vader approached Koth after the birth of his daughter. Koth offered Vader codes, secret contact frequencies and a way to find other purge survivors, knowing that he was not a threat to anyone. As Koth's wife and child made their escape, Vader fought Koth. Vader then sent the Fifth Brother and the other Inquisitors after Mira and Koth's daughter, and he continued to fight Koth. After the Inquisitors captured Koth's daughter, Vader killed Koth. He then held Koth's child.

Vader and the Inquisitors took the child to Coruscant, where Vader met with the Grand Inquisitor and gave the child to two nursemaids that belonged to Project Harvester. Vader then spoke with the Grand Inquisitor about his next target. The Grand Inquisitor told him that there were still a few Jedi left, but they had vanished with no way to find them. He told Vader they would have to wait.

Vader confronted the Twi'lek and Iskat in the Inquisitorius Headquarters. Vader sensed a connection between the two Inquisitors due to their previous mission with Vader. Without the assistance of the other Inquisitors, Vader hunted them down. Vader and two Coruscant Guards searched for the two Inquisitors. After Vader's speeder was destroyed, he continued to pursue them through the skylanes until they all landed on a platform. When the Inquisitors refused to kill him, Vader used the Force to activate their lightsabers and kill them.

#### Building Fortress Vader

##### Choosing his own world

"*I have destroyed the remaining Jedi for you. I will perform any other tasks you require. But first…I ask that you give me a world.*"
―Darth Vader, to Darth Sidious
Vader then informed the Emperor of the two Inquisitors' treachery. Vader told the Emperor that the female Inquisitor allowed Mira and Koth's daughter to briefly escape and only captured the child because she was seen. He also believed they were building a coalition against himself and the Emperor. Despite this, the Emperor was displeased with Vader's pursuit across Coruscant that cost the life of a senator. The Emperor decided to move the Inquisitors to another world. The Emperor asked Vader how Koth tried to hide. Vader said he was posing as a priest, which was the closest thing to a Jedi. Vader was given a reward: Padmé Amidala's Naboo Royal Starship, which a P-100 pick-up droid reported was in working order inside and only needed around two more days for repairs to the hull to be finished up. Wanting the exterior of the craft to retain a damaged appearance, Vader was content with the current progress and quickly destroyed that droid.

Vader was then ordered by the Emperor to go to Alderaan to deal with Senator Bail Organa. However, to the surprise of his master, Vader refused. Having carried out Palpatine's will for so long, Vader was content to continue to do so, but he first he demanded a world of his own. Rejecting Sidious's offer to give him Tatooine or Naboo, Vader asked to be given Mustafar, the world where he had been defeated by Kenobi. The Emperor agreed to his request and would send Colonel Alva Brenne to build a facility for him there. Before leaving for Mustafar, Vader was then shown the Mask of Darth Momin, which Sidious gave him to help with construction. When Vader questioned how his master had learned of a Sith Lord not mentioned in any Sith nor Jedi holocron he had studied, Sidious vaguely answered that the mask itself had told him about Momin.

##### Return to Mustafar

"*Perhaps your Padmé does await you on Mustafar. Perhaps the dark side will bring her to you. Go. I think, one way or another, you will learn a great deal. That is good. After all, your power…is my power.*"
―Sidious to Vader, before the latter departs for Mustafar
Vader, along with Colonel Brenne and her aide, Lieutenant Roggo, took Vader's Naboo starship to Mustafar. During the flight, Vader saw a vision of his younger self with a face that matched his mask. Upon entering the planet's atmosphere, Vader deactivated the starship's shields and allowed it to burn as they landed. Once on the planet's surface, Vader commented that the ship looked better burnt. He then told Brenne that he was there to understand a great mystery. While Brenne and Roggo got to work designing Vader's castle, Vader returned to the cave where he bled his kyber crystal. As he reached out to the power within the cave's locus, he was presented with a design for the castle from Brenne, which Vader rejected. However, shortly after leaving, Vader heard Brenne scream and returned to the starship to find her dead. He also discovered that Roggo had donned Momin's mask. Vader attacked Roggo, but stopped upon seeing that he had created a new design for the castle. Removing the mask from Roggo's corpse, Vader took the mask into the cave and placed it upon the locus. He then asked the mask who he was, to which he replied "I am Momin".

Momin proceeded to show Vader his entire life, from creating morbid works of art from the deceased to being trained in the ways of the Sith by Darth Shaa. After killing his master and studying the lore of the dark side, Momin constructed a weapon which, along with his use of the Force, would freeze a city's population forever at the moment of their deaths. However, an attack by the Jedi caused him to lose control, destroying both the city and himself in the process. As a result, Momin's essence became trapped within his mask, forcing him to take on host after host in order to create his art. Vader placed the mask upon his head, but quickly cast it aside and then departed with it from the cave. Once outside, he engaged in a fight with two Mustafarians, one of which he killed and the other he placed the mask upon. With his new body, Momin explained that his design for the castle was actually a key to open a door to the dark side, which Vader could use to reunite with Padmé Amidala. Vader threatened Momin not to offer him things he could not provide and Momin responded that he only wanted another chance to create. Vader accepted Momin's offer, but warned the ancient Sith not to betray him.

Under Momin's guidance, Vader used his Imperial resources to begin construction of his castle. With each new design, Momin insisted that this would be the one to open the door. Though each attempt to do so would subsequently end in failure. And with each failure, Vader would cut down Momin's current body in frustration and place his mask upon a new host. Each new attempt to open the door would also bring ruin to Mustafar itself, prompting the Mustafarians to attack in retaliation. The cycle of creation and destruction carried on for two years. Vader did not remain on Mustafar for that entire time but always returned to test Momin's latest design.

##### Mission to Nur

Concurrent to the construction of Fortress Vader, the Inquisitors, due to Vader's destruction caused when he chased the rogue Inquisitors on Coruscant, moved to a similarly designed Fortress on the ocean moon of Nur in the Mustafar system. In 14 BBY, Vader journeyed to the Fortress Inquisitorius to retrieve a holocron containing a list of Force-sensitive children, which the Second Sister had been hunting for. Instead, he found that the Second Sister had failed to stop surviving Jedi Cal Kestis and Cere Junda, who was pleading for the Inquisitor to return to the light and apologizing for failing her; during the early Jedi purge, Junda, while under torture by Vader, had revealed the hiding location of Trilla, who became the Second Sister, and a number of younglings under her protection.

As Junda and Trillia talked, Vader approached, his breathing alone scaring the Second Sister. Junda also recognized Vader on sight, telling the worried Kestis that he was right to be scared. Executing the Second Sister for her failure and before she could return to the Jedi, Vader used the Force to throw Junda into a pit with little effort, then suggesting to Kestis that he surrender. Regardless, Kestis launched multiple futile lightsaber attacks against Vader only for Vader to effortlessly neutralize all of his assaults and telekinetically choke him. Quickly realizing his disadvantage, Cal fled the encounter, after barely surviving by pulling a piece of machinery at his and Vader's direction, forcing Vader to defend himself from that and toss Cal aside, with Vader in hot pursuit.

Despite Cal managing to escape from Vader moments before he could enter the elevator, Vader soon managed to catch up to him just as he was about to escape the fortress and attacked him. As he quickly gained the upper hand on Kestis and began to overpower him in a blade-lock, Cal's droid, BD-1, attempted to short-circuit Vader's life-support suit, forcing Vader to disengage and stop the droid. Before he could crush BD-1, Cal made use of the distraction to impale Vader in the mid-section, only for Vader to retaliate by tossing Cal aside once again with the Force and as Cal desperately attempted to fight back and summon his lightsaber back, Vader stopped Cal's lightsaber before it could return to his hand and once again offered a chance for Cal to surrender the holocron and when Cal refused, Vader simply activated the lightsaber and forced it into Cal's mid-section, the same way that Cal attempted to defeat him.

Moments later, Junda reappeared to aid Kestis, only to be easily defeated after a short clash of blades, being flung aside. Commenting on the strength of Junda's hatred, Vader was impressed when Junda was able to temporarily bring him to his knees with the dark side of the Force and commented how he could feel it inside of her. Once Junda resisted his efforts to goad her into the darkness, Vader attempted to kill both her and Kestis, but Junda was able to hold it at bay with a force-barrier long enough for Kestis to use the Force to shatter a number of windows surrounding them, causing water to pour into the complex and forcing Vader to use the Force to hold back the flood, as Kestis grabbed Junda and escaped through the opening.

##### The final castle

"*Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.*"
―A voice during Darth Vader's vision
In 12 BBY, Momin's ninth design for Fortress Vader was constructed, which Vader stated would be his final chance. Upon activating this castle, Vader found that he was finally able to open the door. However, before he could enter, he was informed of another attack by the Mustafarians. And while Vader dealt with the attackers, Momin took the opportunity to open the door himself. He then summoned his younger self from the past and placed his mask upon him, thus finally creating his masterpiece; himself.

Leaving the battle, Vader reentered the castle while the Mustafarians continued their attack. Upon returning to the locus, he used the Force to unleash a devastating attack, wiping out the rest of the Mustafarians. Vader was then met in combat by Momin, who mocked Vader for thinking he could control the dark side. As he chastised the Dark Lord for his ignorance about the Force, Vader used the Force to ram Momin with a rock, crushing his new body and killing him. With Momin dead, Vader finally opened the door and stepped inside.

Abandoning his physical body, Vader entered a realm in which he experienced visions of his past, present, and future. He saw himself as a child haunted by the very form of what he would become. Becoming a child once again, he gradually grew up along with the memories of his upbringing. After experiencing a vision of him dueling his former apprentice Ahsoka Tano, Vader entered another vision of the Jedi Temple and fought against the specters of various Jedi. After disposing of them, Vader journeyed further into the Temple until coming upon the forms of Sheev Palpatine and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who both claimed to be his father. After killing Kenobi, the vision of Palpatine motioned at Vader to stand down, to which Vader responded with a barrage of Force lightning that destroyed the specter.

Finally, Vader found himself on a balcony with a vision of Amidala standing before him. Vader, now in the form of Anakin Skywalker, told Amidala to come with him. However, Amidala simply told him that Anakin Skywalker was dead before leaping from the balcony. Vader screamed in agony as the specter of Amidala was destroyed by a bolt of lightning. He then saw a beacon of blue light in the distance. Within the beacon was a figure who activated a blue lightsaber, pushing Vader back and returning him to his body. After awakening in the castle and retrieving his lightsaber, Vader destroyed the dark side locus, sealing off the door, because he was unable to restore his wife.

Sometime later, Vader contacted his master and informed him that he was still alive. The Emperor asked Vader if he would return to Coruscant, to which Vader said he soon would. The Emperor then asked Vader if the truth he learned of on Mustafar was what he needed. Vader then hung up and, while standing in front of the finally completed Fortress Vader, answered "Yes". Vader went on to return Momin's mask to Sidious, who placed it in his personal yacht, the *Imperialis*, under the watch of two Royal Guards.

### Hunting Kenobi

#### Duel on Mapuzo

In 9 BBY, Vader at last had a chance for his long-awaited rematch with Kenobi after an Inquisitor known as the Third Sister—who was obsessed with finding Kenobi because she was in fact the youngling Reva, who wanted to use Kenobi as bait to get close to Vader and enact revenge for his slaughter at the Jedi Temple years before—arranged for the kidnapping of Leia Organa to draw Kenobi to the planet Daiyu. Although he escaped with Organa, the Third Sister told Kenobi that Skywalker had survived his injuries. As Kenobi grabbled with the information, Vader awoke in his bacta tank in Fortress Vader on Mustafar. Assembling his suit, Vader moved to his throne room and spoke to the Third Sister via hologram, demanding to know where Kenobi was. Dismissing the apparent death of the Grand Inquisitor, whom Reva had stabbed in her desire to claim credit for Kenobi's capture herself, Vader ordered her to prove herself capable, with the position of Grand Inquisitor as her reward should she succeed. In truth, he knew the Third Sister was the youngling Reva and that she intended to betray him, but Vader kept her alive so long as she was useful.

Vader also warned the Third Sister that if she failed, she would not live to regret it. Later, Vader was informed that Obi-Wan was on Mapuzo. Vader arrived with his three Inquisitors and a squad of stormtroopers and walked through the streets of the settlement, terrorizing and killing random civilians in order to draw Obi-Wan out. Vader pursued the Jedi Master into the quarry. Horrified at what had become of his former apprentice, Obi-Wan tried to flee, but Vader ambushed him. Vader taunted Obi-Wan with regards to his lost strength, and Obi-Wan attempted to flee again. Once again, Vader caught up to Obi-Wan, this time lifting him with the Force, as he ignited flammable rocks with his lightsaber. Promising to make Obi-Wan suffer, Vader lowered Obi-Wan to the ground and dragged him through the flames, scorching him. Vader extinguished the flames as a squad of stormtroopers arrived. Vader ordered Obi-Wan brought to him, but before the stormtroopers could comply, a hidden Tala Durith opened fire, killing several stormtroopers and reigniting the flammable rocks. This gave NED-B the opportunity to retrieve Obi-Wan and for Tala to escape with the injured Jedi.

Following the successful rescue of Leia from Fortress Inquisitorius, Vader angrily made to kill the Third Sister, lifting her into the air with the Force and choking her while reminding her that she was warned what would happen if she failed. Vader allowed her to speak, which enabled her to reveal that she had planted a tracker on Leia's droid, Lola, which would reveal the location of the Hidden Path network. Vader acknowledged that he had underestimated the Third Sister, and spared her, though he warned her that he would not tolerate any further mistakes.

#### Attacking Jabiim

Aboard the *Devastator*, Vader reflected on a long ago training duel against Kenobi in the Jedi Temple as the Jedi's Padawan before his captain alerted him to the Third Sister's arrival. Ordering the pleasantries dispensed with, Vader demanded to know Obi-Wan's location. The Third Sister reported that he had been tracked to Jabiim. Satisfied, Vader demanded that the Third Sister kneeled before him, and he promoted her to the rank of Grand Inquisitor. He then ordered the bridge captain to set a course for Jabiim.

En route to Jabiim, Vader ordered the Path's base locked down. The Third Sister warned Vader that if they trapped them, their opponents could hold out for several days. Vader responded that he did not intend to break their enemies. After the Third Sister and her forces secured the Path's hangar, Vader arrived on the surface. The Third Sister told him that Kenobi was inside, but Vader stated that he wished to bring him in himself. Vader forced his way into the hangar and found a transport attempting to leave. He used the Force to ground it and rip it apart, only to find that it was a decoy and the real transport with the Path—and Kenobi—aboard took off successfully. The Jedi Master had remembered the old training duel where his Padawan had shown shortsightedness because of his anger, which inspired him to exploit Vader's ruthlessness and single-minded focus.

The Third Sister attempted to use that moment as a distraction to stab Vader, but Vader used the Force to stop her blade, stating that Kenobi was wise to use her against him. Vader hurled her aside, but she charged at him again, and he used the Force to deflect her blade and throw her. The Third Sister activated her lightsaber's twin blade spinning mode, but Vader used the Force to stall the blades rotation, and then ripped her saber from her grip. Vader detached her lightsaber into two singular hilts, and tossed one on the ground at the Third Sister's feet, taunting her. She retrieved the weapon and continued to attack Vader, but the Sith Lord quickly disarmed her again, before stabbing her in the abdomen. As she collapsed, the Grand Inquisitor arrived, revealing he had survived, and Vader stated that he had known her intent for some time, but had decided to allow it because it was useful in the hunt for Kenobi. Vader declared that the Third Sister was no longer useful, and he and the Grand Inquisitor left her to die.

#### The second rematch

Vader returned to the *Devastator* as it pursued the Path's freighter. Kenobi left the Path's freighter on a drop ship with Lola. Against the advice of the Grand Inquisitor, who stated that he should continue the pursuit of the Path's ship, Vader ordered the *Devastator* after Kenobi to a rocky moon. Vader departed the *Devastator* alone aboard a shuttle, and confronted Kenobi. Vader found Kenobi nearby and asked if he had come to destroy him. Kenobi replied that he will do as he must before igniting his lightsaber. Vader vowed that Kenobi would die and the two engaged in a lightsaber duel, with Vader utilizing a combination of one-handed and two-handed combat. During the duel, Kenobi attempted to collapse a pinnacle on Vader, who stopped it with the Force. Remarking that Kenobi's strength had returned since their last duel but that his weakness remained, Vader hurled the pinnacle at Kenobi before resuming their duel.

Vader collapsed the ground beneath Kenobi and hurled rocks to keep him down there. Before leaving, Vader taunted Kenobi for thinking that he could win against his former apprentice. However, Kenobi, drawing on his desire to protect Anakin's children, managed to break free and charged at Vader again. On the offensive, Kenobi used his superior use of Soresu and the more aggressive Ataru utilized by his late master, Qui-Gon Jinn to overwhelm the Sith Lord before using the Force to hurl Vader against a rock. With Vader stunned, Kenobi then pummeled him with a maelstrom of rocks. Kenobi then resumed his lightsaber duel with Vader, critically damaging Vader's chest plate with multiple strikes from his lightsaber's pommel and slashing him across the back before pushing him back with the Force again, and then leaping at him, striking the left side of Vader's helmet with his lightsaber and revealing the scarred face of Anakin beneath. Kenobi addressed him as Anakin Skywalker, prompting Vader to respond that Anakin was gone and that he was what remained.

Kenobi was visibly distraught and apologized to Anakin. Vader replied that he was not Kenobi's failure and that Kenobi did not kill Anakin: instead, Vader replied that he killed Anakin and vowed to destroy Kenobi as well. With that, Kenobi was left to believe his friend was truly dead before bidding Vader, whom he simply called "Darth," farewell. As Kenobi left, Vader called out to him while trying to rise to his feet, unable to catch Kenobi before he slipped through his grasp once more. Vader was left with the belief that he had been but a learner in their latest duel, convincing him to increase his strength to cement his power over Kenobi for whenever their next encounter came. Vader's suit was repaired and he returned to Fortress Vader, where he conferred with the Emperor via hologram, stating that he had dispatched probes along all possible routes and that Kenobi would not escape him again. The Emperor noticed Vader's agitation and suggested that Vader could not move beyond his past. Vader affirmed that Kenobi meant nothing to him and that he only served the Emperor.

### War with the Rebellion

#### Lothal

Vader continued to look for leads on Kenobi's location, albeit in a more patient manner that did not jeopardize his service to the Empire, as per Sidious's order. In 5 BBY, the Sith Lord was approached by Sidious, who informed Vader that he had seen a new threat—the "children of the Force"—arising against them. Vader then contacted the Grand Inquisitor via hologram to inform him of the Emperor's vision, ordering the Grand Inquisitor to hunt down these children to either press them into Imperial service or be eliminated. The Grand Inquisitor promised Vader that the mission would be done. In time, the Grand Inquisitor's focus would be centered on the Spectres rebel cell that mainly operated around the world of Lothal, as two Jedi worked as part of the cell: Order 66 survivor Kanan Jarrus, who had gone by the name Caleb Dume during the Clone Wars, and his Padawan Ezra Bridger. The failure of the Grand Inquisitor and other Imperial leaders to defeat the Spectres led to Tarkin being deployed to resolve the issue.

After Imperial forces under Tarkin captured Jarrus during the Spectres' raid against the Lothal Communications Center, he was scheduled to be taken aboard Tarkin's Star Destroyer *Sovereign* to Mustafar, where he would be taken to Fortress Vader. By that point, Jarrus had indeed heard rumors that Mustafar was where Jedi went "to die," which he told to his fellow rebel Hera Syndulla. However, over Mustafar, the union of multiple rebel cells into a growing rebel alliance was revealed when the Spectres were rescued by the Phoenix Squadron, with the Grand Inquisitor also being killed aboard Tarkin's crippled Star Destroyer. As rumors of what had happened over Mustafar became known, riots and uprisings began to occur on several worlds, including Lothal. The Emperor, concerned at the rise in rebel activity, sent Vader to Lothal with Tarkin to end the growing rebellion.

Arriving on Lothal, Vader stepped off a *Sentinel*-class landing craft with Tarkin and passed high-ranking ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus. Shortly thereafter, Kallus was assigned to report directly to the Sith Lord. In an effort to track down the root of the rebel problem, Vader concocted an elaborate trap in which he intended to track the Spectres back to their primary base of operations. Following his arrival on Lothal, Vader met with Kallus and Minister Maketh Tua to discuss his plans with dealing with the Spectres. During this meeting, he informed Tua that Tarkin intended to hold her accountable for her failure to stop the rebels. Fearing for her life, Tua contacted the Spectres, promising them information in exchange for smuggling her off of Lothal before her meeting with Tarkin. The rebels agreed and returned to Lothal. However, Vader had intended for Tua to contact the rebels in order to lure them back to Lothal and saw to it that a bomb was placed on Tua's shuttle. Once the rebels arrived, they attempted to escape the planet with Tua in her shuttle, only for the bomb to go off as Tua boarded the ship, killing the Minister.

Immediately after the incident, Vader had it broadcast all over the planet that the rebels had assassinated Tua in order to discredit them. Vader then ordered Kallus to lock down the planet's spaceport and publicly announce that any ship attempting to reach orbit would be destroyed. Vader knew that the lockdown, combined with the populace's mistrust of the rebels, would essentially guarantee that they would need to steal a ship in order to escape. As such, he provided a tempting target at the local Imperial garrison; a shuttle capable of hyperspace travel. When the rebels attempted to steal it, Vader confronted them with a small group of stormtroopers. Vader engaged the rebels' Jedi members, Jarrus and Bridger, while his troops engaged in a small scale firefight with the other rebels. As his intent was for the rebels to escape, Vader lazily toyed with the two Jedi while their cohorts attempted to launch the shuttle.

The confrontation came to an end when two of the rebels threw thermal detonators at a number of walkers on the landing pad, damaging their legs and scattering the stormtroopers underneath them. When Vader glanced up at the collapsing walkers, Ezra and Kanan combined their power to telekinetically push him into the path of the falling war machines. Believing him to be dead, the two rebels were instead astounded to see Vader, completely unharmed, use the Force to lift both of the walkers off of himself and drop them behind him. Recognizing that they were hopelessly outmatched, Kanan ordered Ezra to run with him to the commandeered shuttle. Hoping to prevent Vader from pursuing them, Sabine Wren fired a number of blaster bolts at Vader. He reflected two of them back into her chest and helmet but made no attempt to board the shuttle or otherwise stop it. After the shuttle successfully launched, one of the stormtroopers who had been present for the confrontation assured Vader that he would scramble fighters immediately to intercept it.

However, Vader informed him that doing so would not be necessary, as he believed that the rebels would not attempt to leave the planet for some time. Vader later ordered Kallus to destroy Tarkintown in order to draw out the rebels or, failing that, to demoralize them. Shortly thereafter, the rebels used the stolen shuttle to escape the planet and rendezvous with the rebel fleet. However, Vader had placed a tracking device on board the shuttle, and mere minutes after the rebels had reached the fleet, Vader's TIE Advanced x1 fighter dropped out of hyperspace and attacked Phoenix Squadron. The rebel CO deployed the A-wing interceptors of Phoenix Squadron, but they were unexpectedly decimated by Vader's lone assault. Weaving through the defensive screen of fighters, Vader attacked the rebel command ship, *Phoenix Home*, disabling it in short order.

The Spectres quickly boarded their ship, the *Ghost*, and fought back against the Dark Lord. However, neither the *Ghost* nor the remainder of Phoenix Squadron could land so much as a hit on Vader's craft, and he continued to bombard the now-crippled *Phoenix Home* while picking off interfering fighters at his leisure. With its fighter escort all but destroyed and its weapons, shields, and engines disabled, the rebel command ship appeared to be doomed as Vader prepared for a final assault. However, on board the *Ghost*, Ahsoka Tano decided to combine her powers with Kanan's in order to probe Vader's mind with the Force. The probe enabled Ahsoka to see deeply enough into Vader's mind for her to recognize him as her former master, and for Vader to recognize the one probing him as his former apprentice. Ahsoka promptly lost consciousness as a result of the psychic backlash of the probe but Vader was unaffected.

Upon discovering Ahsoka's presence aboard the rebel craft, Vader's priorities immediately changed. In an unexpected turn of good fortune for the rebels, Vader broke off what would have been a killing run at *Phoenix Home* in favor of engaging the VCX-100 light freighter. As Vader peppered the *Ghost* with blaster fire, Kanan and Hera Syndulla managed to convince Jun Sato to evacuate *Phoenix Home* as Admiral Kassius Konstantine entered the system with three Star Destroyers. The Admiral contacted Vader in order to receive instructions, and Vader ordered Konstantine to block the *Ghost*'s escape, but not to fire at it, as he wanted the rebels aboard it alive. Meanwhile, the crew of *Phoenix Home* abandoned the crippled command ship and fled the system with the tattered remains of the rebel fleet. As Vader closed in on the *Ghost*, it jumped to hyperspace just as the Destroyers activated their tractor beams, catching Vader instead of the *Ghost*.

Following his victory, Vader boarded Konstantine's Destroyer and contacted the Emperor. He informed his master that he had "broken" the rebels, but the elder Sith Lord sensed disquiet in his apprentice's emotions. Vader then revealed to the Emperor that he had discovered that Tano was alive, and told his master that he believed that she was in league with the rebels. Pleased by this news, the Emperor declared that she could lead the two Sith Lords to other Jedi who survived Order 66. Vader immediately postulated that Kenobi might be amongst them, to which the Emperor concurred; if Kenobi was still alive. The Emperor urged Vader to be patient, and instructed him to send another Inquisitor to hunt the rebels down.

As per his master's orders, Vader assigned the Fifth Brother the task, with the Seventh Sister also joining the hunt on Vader's order. He made it clear to both they were not to fail. After several unsuccessful attempts to capture the rebel Jedi, the Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister pursued Jarrus, Bridger, and Tano to a still-standing Jedi Temple on Lothal. Though the rebels managed to flee, the Inquisitors informed Vader of their discovery. Vader came to inspect the site, informing them that the Emperor would be most pleased by their discovery. The Inquisitors warned Vader that the Jedi were becoming more powerful, but he retorted it would be their undoing.

#### Duel on Malachor

Afterwards, Vader dispatched the Fifth Brother, the Seventh Sister, and the Eighth Brother to hunt down Maul, who had been stranded on Malachor and had been studying its Sith temple for years; he himself arrived after Bridger had activated the superweapon with the Sith holocron. With his Inquisitors having all been killed by Maul, Vader chose to personally retrieve the holocron and take possession of the superweapon. Perched on the roof of his TIE Advanced x1, he leaped from the fighter and landed in front of Bridger. After a brief verbal exchange, Vader quickly disarmed the young Jedi by destroying his lightsaber and prepared to execute him, but before he could do so, he was interrupted by Ahsoka Tano.

Vader offered his former apprentice clemency in exchange for the location of any surviving Jedi, but Tano claimed that there were no more Jedi; that Vader and his Inquisitors had killed them all. Skeptical of her claim, Vader obliquely threatened to torture the information out of Bridger instead. This prompted Tano to proclaim in disgust that while she had begun to suspect that Vader and her former master were one and the same, she could no longer believe that due to Vader's cruelty. Vader replied that Skywalker had been weak and that he himself had destroyed her former master. Tano then swore to avenge Skywalker, but Vader reminded her that revenge was not the Jedi way. But Tano no longer considered herself to be a Jedi, and after informing Vader of this, she attacked him. However, she proved ultimately to be no match for her former master who, after several minutes of intense swordplay, used the Force to blast Tano off a ledge. Believing her to have been neutralized, Vader went to retrieve the holocron.

Vader managed to catch up to Jarrus and Bridger before they could board their ship, and used the Force to begin pulling both the holocron and the two Jedi towards him. But before he could seize it, Tano ambushed Vader and managed to slice off the upper right portion of his mask with her lightsabers. With his mask damaged, Vader's voice filter began to malfunction, and when he next spoke, calling out to his former apprentice, it was in a distorted mixture of his real voice and the mechanical baritone imposed by the filter. This and his partially exposed face confirmed to Tano that Vader was indeed her former master. As the Temple locked down, Tano proclaimed she would not abandon him as she had before. Vader paused at this and stared wordlessly at Tano for a few moments. However, he quickly regained his composure and snarled that she would die for her choice. The two engaged in combat once more, while Jarrus and Bridger escaped from the chamber enclosing Vader and Tano.

After a few moments of battle, locked his blade with Tano's and began to push through her guard. As he prepared to kill her, the energy discharges from the overloading holocron stand suddenly intensified, and Vader glanced up. As he did, a massive blast of power struck the ceiling of the chamber, and Tano used the distraction to push Vader back a step with the Force. She then drove both of her lightsabers into the ground at her feet, causing the floor of the chamber to begin crumbling. Vader quickly recovered from his distraction and aimed a killing stroke at Tano. Unbeknownst to the two combatants, however, two years later, Ezra Bridger had entered an ancient temple which allowed for Force-based time travel. Having been guided to a portal which exited at the Sith temple, he witnessed the conclusion of Vader's battle with Tano even as his younger self was locked out of the holocron chamber. As Vader swung his lightsaber at Tano, Bridger reached through the portal and yanked her backward into the temple. As a result, Vader's strike missed and the temple floor crumbled, sending Vader plummeting into a pool of light.

Vader survived the fall. Believing that Tano had perished in the explosion, he managed to make his way back to the surface and departed, returning to his duties in the Empire. However, Tano's supposed demise marked the end of the Great Jedi Purge.

#### Investigating a disturbance in the Force

Around 2 BBY and shortly after the Empire's victory over the Batonn sector insurgency, Vader arrived at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant and was introduced to the newly promoted Grand Admiral Thrawn, the very same Chiss officer he had met during the Clone Wars, by the Emperor. When Thrawn stated he was pleased to finally meet the dark lord, Vader claimed to feel the same.

Vader and Thrawn crossed paths on Coruscant once more after Thrawn suffered a strategic defeat on Atollon. Although the battle had been a tactical victory, a number of rebels had escaped the Grand Admiral after the Bendu appeared. As a result of allowing the rebels to slip through his grip, Vader now held a disdain for the Grand Admiral. Though during this meeting, the two were ordered by the Emperor to the planet Batuu to locate a disturbance in the Force that the Emperor had sensed. While Thrawn brought his own forces on board his Star Destroyer, the *Chimaera*, Vader brought a contingent of his personal stormtroopers from the 501st Legion, the 1st Legion with him to assist in tracking down this disturbance at the edge of known space.

During their mission, they combated the Grysk species and learned the disturbance was caused by a group of young Chiss Force-sensitives known as, to the surprise of Vader, the "Sky-walkers." Afterward, Vader came to doubt Thrawn's loyalty to the Empire because of the threats growing against the Chiss in the Unknown Regions. While Thrawn managed to deduce that Skywalker and Vader were one in the same, the Grand Admiral came to think of Vader as being a separate person mentally and that his old ally Skywalker was dead. After telling Thrawn to ensure he kept his promise to the Emperor by ordering him to stay in Imperial space instead of leaving to save his people, Vader came to respect Thrawn's TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter project, stating he would speak on its behalf to Palpatine and suggesting upgrades for the craft. On Batuu, Vader's presence near Black Spire was spoken of by locals, with rumors of the legendary Imperial enforcer's visit to Batuu being spoken of for years to come.

Sometime later, Bridger managed to enter the World Between Worlds. There, he heard Anakin Skywalker's voice when he was on Christophsis. Vader's voice was then heard telling an individual to not underestimate the power of the dark side.

#### Cianap

Vader led Imperial forces at Cianap in a battle against the rebels. During the battle, Vader was targeted by several X-wings but was able to take them out. However, his TIE was damaged when one purposely crashed into him and was forced to crash land on Cianap. Vader then exited his TIE and awoke an Ender from its Slumber. The Ender then tried to kill Vader; however, he stabbed one of the Ender's eyes out and tried to cut its back open, only for the Ender to grab him. Vader started to slice the Ender's fingers, but the Ender pushed him into a building and dropped him. The Ender then started to go after a native, but Vader rode a creature and saved the native from the Ender. Vader then decapitated the Ender, finally killing it. The native thanked Vader, who then returned to his TIE and was taken aboard a Star Destroyer via tractor beam.

#### An unwelcome romance

At some point, Vader had arrived at the Death Star, and made his way to his personal medical bay. As he made way, he barged through a medical cart being tended to by a nurse, who was flustered due to her infatuation with Vader. Vader underwent treatment from a doctor while in the medical bay, but became angered when the nurse from the prior encounter entered the medical bay as Vader was putting his helmet back on. In his anger, Vader force pushed the doctor into the wall, demanding that he control the medical bay or be replaced. The nurse, however, saw Vader's anger as reciprocation of her feelings for him, misconstruing his actions as protection of her. After his bout of rage, Vader exited the medical bay, admonishing the doctor as he attempted to excuse why the appointment had taken so long. The nurse, upon being told to clean up the medical bay, instead stole pieces of Vader's armor as a keepsake, storing it among other discarded pieces of Vader's armor, as well as a vial of his blood.

A proceeding incident resulted in Vader crash landing on the Death Star in his TIE Advanced x1. Vader made his way to the medical bay once more, demanding the nurse to call in the doctor. The nurse briefly aided Vader, perceiving the moment as intimate, before the doctor himself returned, ordering the nurse to leave as he tended to Vader instead. Vader, impatient, cut his appointment short, leaving to rejoin his prior battle. However, Vader had left his cape behind, which the nurse proceeded to steal and take to her quarters. After the doctor discovered her, he dumped the bits of Vader's armor into the trash compactor. Driven mad, the nurse walked into Vader's quarters, which he had left unlocked out of a belief that no one would enter. Upon seeing the nurse enter his chambers, a helmetless Vader simply stared at her as she confessed her infatuation with him. Momentarily after, Vader stabbed the nurse with his lightsaber, killing her. Vader then put his helmet back on and exited his quarters, contacting the bridge and ordering them to remove her corpse.

#### Battle against the Benathy

"*I remember when another like you came here with demands. He was taller. Far more impressive. He killed our last king. But even he could not stand against our god.*"
―King Kristoff, to Kylo Ren on Vader's attempt to subdue the Benathy
At some point, Vader and his men fought against the Benathy in Wild Space. The imperial army consisted of at least several thousand stormtroopers, AT-AT walkers, AT-STs, TIE fighters, and TIE bombers. While thousands died on both sides, Vader managed to kill the king of the Benathy. Vader ordered his troops to attack and despite the high amount of casualties, he did not retreat. The attacking force was only stopped by a Zillo Beast the Benathy saw as their god. However, Vader managed to subdue the Benathy anyways.

#### Visit on Mustafar

As had been suggested by Grand Admiral Thrawn shortly before his, the *Chimaera*'s, and Ezra Bridger's disappearance in the Liberation of Lothal, Vader served as part of the Death Star project despite his dislike of the battle station, as Thrawn had noted he was the one individual in the Empire who could recognize and deal with all threats to the station. Thrawn had also used this appointment to force Assistant Director Brierly Ronan to join the Chiss Ascendancy, as this Imperial official would not have been able to hide his contempt for the Emperor from the Sith Lord.

Shortly after the destruction of Jedha City, while floating in the tank, Vader was approached by his servant Vaneé. He informed Vader that Director Krennic, the Imperial in charge of the construction of the Death Star, had arrived as summoned to explain a number of recent problems involving the battle station. The most pressing of these problems was the discovery that Galen Erso, an engineer who had played a pivotal role in the creation of the Death Star's superlaser, had been a traitor and that there was a distinct possibility that he had leaked information about the weapon to the Rebellion.

Krennic had been recently informed by Governor Tarkin that he was no longer in command of the Death Star project, and was keen to impress upon Vader his need for an audience with the Emperor, ostensibly to discuss the weapon's destructive capabilities. Vader instead chastised Krennic for the destruction of Jedha City, the city where the Empire had been mining the kyber crystals needed for the Death Star's primary weapons systems to function. Krennic attempted to shift the blame for the city's destruction to Tarkin, but Vader was unmoved. He informed Krennic that the Imperial Senate had been told that Jedha had been destroyed in a mining disaster and that the Death Star did not exist. He then impressed upon the director in no uncertain terms that he was to make certain that Galen Erso had not compromised the Death Star in any way. Taking this as confirmation from Vader that he was still in command of the project, Krennic began to ask Vader if he would speak to the Emperor on his behalf. But before he could finish his question, Vader cut him off by telekinetically closing his throat, with a sardonic warning to not "choke" on his aspirations.

#### Stolen plans

Shortly afterwards, Rebel spies attacked the Imperial security complex on the planet Scarif, stole the technical readouts of the Death Star, and transmitted a copy to the Rebel flagship *Profundity*. As the Rebels began to flee to hyperspace, Vader arrived at the scene of the battle in the Star Destroyer *Devastator* and quickly crippled the already damaged Rebel flagship. He and a small group of stormtroopers then boarded the vessel and began searching for the plans. As the Rebel crew began to evacuate the *Profundity*, a small group of Rebel troopers copied the Death Star schematics onto a data disk and attempted to board the Corellian corvette *Tantive IV* and escape. Mere meters away from one of the corvette's airlocks, the *Profundity* experienced a power loss, jamming an automatic door in the path of the Rebel soldiers.

Unable to get the door to open more than a few centimeters, the Rebels were intercepted by Vader, who used the enclosed space of the airlock and his Force powers to slaughter the comparatively helpless Rebels. As Vader reached the trooper with the plans, the Rebel managed to pass the data disk to a compatriot of his behind the door before Vader impaled him and telekinetically wrenched the door open. While Vader finished eliminating the remaining soldiers, the trooper to whom the plans had been passed dove through the open airlock to the *Tantive IV*, and the Rebels managed to launch the ship mere moments before Vader was able to board it. Once the ship was away, the plans were given to Vader's estranged daughter, Princess Leia Organa, who had been tasked by her adoptive father to find Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine.

#### Pursuing the plans

Despite their daring escape, the Rebels aboard the *Tantive IV* did not get far. After failing to capture the plans aboard the *Profundity*, Vader had immediately re-boarded the *Devastator* and pursued the Rebel corvette. The *Devastator* intercepted the *Tantive IV* in orbit above Tatooine, and quickly disabled and captured it. Vader and his troops boarded the ship, killing many Rebel troopers and gaining complete control of the blockade runner. Vader interrogated its captain, Raymus Antilles, before killing him for not revealing the location of the plans. Vader's troops captured the princess, but not before she placed the plans inside R2-D2 and sent him in an escape pod to the planet's surface. Although the Princess tried to use her diplomatic immunity as a member of the Imperial Senate, Vader had her arrested as a rebel and a traitor.

As she was escorted to the *Devastator*, Vader was informed that an escape pod had been jettisoned during the fighting but that no life forms were aboard. Believing that the Princess had hidden the plans there, Vader sent a battalion to Tatooine to recover the plans while he took the Princess to the Death Star for interrogation. In hyperspace, Vader would catch Organa when she had escaped her guards and made her way to one of the *Devastator*'s shuttles, and announced that the Emperor was disbanding the Senate as they spoke, leaving her defenseless. Vader then had her follow him to the ship's bridge shortly before arriving at the Death Star, where he had her sent to her cell in Detention Block AA-23.

Meanwhile, Vader accompanied Tarkin to attend a meeting with the Joint Chiefs, including General Cassio Tagge and Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, who mocked Vader's reliance on an "ancient religion," only to have Vader Force-choke him. Before he could kill him, Tarkin intervened and instructed Vader to find the location of the Rebel base from Organa. Subsequently, Vader went to torture her with a mind probe-equipped interrogator droid, but as she resisted, he and Tarkin turned to coercion—by bringing the Death Star to the Alderaan system, they threatened to destroy her homeworld if she refused to disclose the location of the Rebel base. Eventually, she told him that the Rebels were on Dantooine, yet Tarkin ordered Alderaan to be destroyed anyway, to make an effective demonstration of the Death Star's power. Vader restrained the Princess as the Death Star's superlaser destroyed her planet. Vader then took Organa back to her cell to await her execution.

### Enter Luke Skywalker

#### Duel on the Death Star

After the scout ships sent to Dantooine found the base abandoned, Tarkin ordered Vader to kill her immediately, but the *Millennium Falcon* was captured in the ruins of Alderaan by the Death Star's tractor beam. Identified as a suspicious ship from Mos Eisley, Vader concluded that they were trying to return the stolen plans to the Princess and went to inspect the freighter himself. Told that the crew had apparently abandoned ship after take-off, Vader gave orders for the ship to be scanned to be sure. At the same time, Vader sensed the presence of his old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. When news reached him that the Princess had been released from her cell, Vader decided to confront Kenobi alone.

Vader found Kenobi after he had deactivated a tractor beam terminal to allow the *Falcon* escape the battle station, and the two engaged in one final duel. During the fight, Vader noted that Kenobi's age had made him weak. However, Kenobi told his former apprentice that he would not win because he would become more powerful than Vader could ever imagine, even if he managed to kill him. As they fought, the two reached Bay 327 just as Kenobi's companions and the Princess reunited to board the *Falcon*, only for Kenobi to see his latest apprentice, Luke Skywalker, Vader's son.

As his former master gave him a mysteriously knowing smile, Vader struck him down when Kenobi raised his blade in surrender. Much to Vader's surprise, Kenobi's body disappeared, for his spirit had become one with the Force, and Vader tried to find remains in his robes but found none. As he did so, General Moradmin Bast asked who he was, and Vader answered "An old man who thought he could help gifted children. He was mistaken." Vader then tried to stop the Rebels from escaping but was prevented from doing so by the closing of the hangar doors by Luke's shot. After the *Falcon*'s escape, Vader met with Tarkin and confirmed that a homing beacon had been placed upon the ship and that they could follow the ship to the Rebel base.

Kenobi's warning to Vader came true; his consciousness survived his death, and he became a Force spirit. Meanwhile, still remaining hidden on Dagobah, Yoda felt Kenobi and Vader's duel through the Force, especially noticing, for the first time, the loneliness in the man who had once been Anakin Skywalker. Yoda noticed that Vader's loneliness only grew after he struck down his former mentor, which nearly made Yoda pity the former Jedi and wish he could counsel him. As he continued his journey, Yoda reflected on his past, blaming himself for not noticing Skywalker's path to the dark side.

#### Yavin 4

Vader's plan worked and the Death Star followed the *Falcon* to the hidden Rebel base on Yavin 4. As the Death Star prepared to destroy the moon, Rebel X-wings and Y-wings starfighters attacked the Death Star, having identified a weakness: a thermal exhaust port which led to the reactor systems; a direct hit on the port would cause a chain reaction and the destruction of the station. Although Tarkin remained convinced in the station's invulnerability, Vader was informed by Lieutenant Tanbris that the thirty attacking Rebel starfighters were small enough to avoid the turbolaser defenses. As such, Vader ordered fighters to launch. When Gold Squadron broke off from the main group and begun a trench run towards the exhaust port, Vader boarded his TIE Advanced and, flanked by two TIE fighters, managed to terminate three of the last four Gold Squadron pilots. He continued to destroy most ships of Red Squadron, killing Red Leader Garven Dreis.

As the last members of Red Squadron engaged in a trench run while the Death Star was preparing the destroy the moon, Vader damaged Wedge Antilles's X-wing, forcing him to break off formation, and killed Biggs Darklighter, leaving only the leader of the group, Luke. Vader quickly realized that the Force was powerful in the young pilot, but nevertheless proceeded to get him into range. When he finally succeeded, he was just about to destroy the young pilot when the newly arrived *Millennium Falcon* intervened and destroyed one of Vader's escorts. Before the *Falcon* could destroy Vader, his other escort accidentally bumped into Vader's craft, destroying the other escort and causing Vader's craft to veer off course and send him plunging into space. This prevented him from stopping the Death Star's destruction, which killed Tarkin and was a major defeat for the Empire.

Shortly after the battle, Vader sent a distress signal to the *Devastator* to send a ship to pick him up and bring him back from the Yavin system to the Star Destroyer. Sometime later, he would fly just beyond the ever-expanding debris field that once was the Death Star, when Imperial pilots Ciena Ree and Berisse Sai arrived in a *Gozanti*-class cruiser. Docking his TIE Advanced x1 with the freighter, Vader passed through the airlock door and met Ree. Then, he ordered Ree and Sai to remain in the hold for the remainder of the voyage while he took command of the freighter until they returned to the *Devastator*. While the rebels quickly abandoned their base in the wake of the battle, Vader nevertheless ordered a blockade of the Yavin system to begin.

#### Post-Yavin ventures

Sometime later, an Imperial officer managed to obtain one of two lightsabers formerly owned by the Sith Darth Atrius. Vader arrived on Hradreek, where the officer welcomed him, supported by a contingent of stormtroopers. Vader looked at the lightsaber and asked where the other one was. The officer was confused by his question, and Vader Force-choked him. As he gagged, he claimed that he bought the lightsaber from a smuggler and that she must have tricked him. Vader told a stormtrooper to divert all divisions to finding the smuggler and the other lightsaber. Vader then killed the officer as the stormtroopers scattered to begin the search.

A squad of stormtroopers found the smuggler, Sana Starros, and they chased her down the streets. Starros paid a gang of Aqualish to stall them, and they got in the way of the stormtroopers. However, Vader appeared and cut them down using his lightsaber and Darth Atrius'. Vader then followed Starros' path to a cargo bay, and he used the Force to move the crates and block her from a clear exit. Starros then shot at Vader, and he used the Force to disperse the plasma bolts. Starros rigged one of the crates and then waited for Vader to follow before detonating it, throwing Vader to the side and burying him. Vader soon freed himself and made his way to the nearby podracing track. Vader entered the seating area, and the audience scattered at his presence. Vader noticed one of the podracers, who was grabbing the attention of the commentary. The human, despite being biologically unequipped for a race like this, was winning the race, and Vader used the Force to cause one of the engines to malfunction, crashing the podracer. The pilot of the racer was none other than Luke Skywalker, who had obtained the other of Atrius' lightsabers. Luke decided to destroy the lightsaber, as it overwhelmed him with anger whenever he needed it. Vader watched him escape in his X-wing, and he decided to crush Atrius' other lightsaber.

According to a tale later told by Vaneé, at another point after the Battle of Yavin, Vader's Star Destroyer was contacted by Cranwell, the assistant to Tarkin Initiative scientist Restin, to warn them that Doctor Restin had betrayed the Empire. Restin, who wanted a weapon to use against Vader as revenge for the destruction of Alderaan, had created a genetic serum that would turn those injected with it into rampaging Gamorreans, who could then spread the infection by touch. Vader decided to deal with Restin himself, so he arrived at Restin's base of operations with two stormtroopers and pretended to not know he was a traitor. After witnessing the doctor turn Cranwell into a Gamorrean with the serum, Vader suggested the serum could be used against the Rebellion. When Restin turned the infected Gamorrean against the Sith Lord, he effortlessly lifted it and his infected stormtroopers into the air with the Force. He did the same with Restin, forcing the scientist to confess his treachery before revealing he had already known he was a traitor. Intending to be a firsthand witness to his destruction, Vader forced the three Gamorreans and Restin to touch, transforming the doctor into one of his creations. Leaving the infected scientist to the mercy of the Gamorreans, Vader left aboard his *Lambda*-class shuttle. He had never feared Restin's experiments, as Vader already viewed himself as a different kind of monster.

#### Cymoon 1

Several weeks after the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader was called to Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1. He was to negotiate, or rather force an arrangement with an envoy of Jabba the Hutt about supplying raw materials through Hutt-controlled space to the factory. Vader arrived shortly after the envoy (secretly the *Millennium Falcon*'s captain, Han Solo) and landed on a platform. As he was about to enter the facility, Vader was shot at by a sniper, Chewbacca, but he deflected the blaster bolt and used two stormtroopers as human shields as the Wookiee rained down dozens of shots upon him. Unscathed, Vader located Chewbacca's position and used to the Force to collapse his vantage point, but the Wookiee survived.

Vader then ordered the arriving stormtrooper reinforcements to hunt him down. One of them informed the Dark Lord that Overseer Aggadeen was out of contact and the factory's main reactor was on meltdown. As he surmised these occurrences were the work of Rebels, Vader put the entire moon on alert but also felt the presence of the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star, Luke Skywalker. Although unaware of the boy's identity, Vader made his way into the factory at once and came face-to-face with the Jedi apprentice. Vader soon realized that the boy had been cursorily trained by Kenobi, and after the briefest of duels, snatched Luke's lightsaber. As he prepared to execute Luke for his refusal to disclose information about the Rebellion, he realized that the boy's lightsaber had once been his own. Before he could question Luke further, the foot of a Rebel-hijacked AT-AT walker came hurtling down into the middle of their standoff, knocking the two apart.

In the ensuing chaos, Vader sought to prevent the Rebels' escape, and mowed down the factory's runaway slaves, commanding his stormtroopers to execute all the escapees. Once Luke got away on a stolen 74-Z speeder bike and attacked Vader's troops (leading the Dark Lord to reconsider his initial dismissal of the boy and wonder exactly what Kenobi had been up to before his death), Vader personally saw to the walker's defeat. Solo and Organa, commanding the AT-AT, tried to step on him, but Vader used the Force to hold the walker's descending foot several meters above his head, and almost tore it apart.

He was foiled, however, when Solo and Organa unleashed a barrage of the AT-AT's laser fire upon him, causing him to lose his old lightsaber (which the current owner retrieved), and his mask and helmet. As he emerged from under a pile of rubble, a stormtrooper approached; upon seeing Vader's scarred face, he tried to apologize. However, Vader killed him by twisting his head around using the Force, right before Aggadeen reached him via comlink and asked for the facility's evacuation. Vader vetoed his request, had him repair the core, and ordered to kill all the Rebel invaders, except for the boy, whom Vader would deal with personally. As Aggadeen informed him that they had successfully defused the reactor, Vader personally fell the Rebel walker by slashing its legs with his lightsaber.

As reinforcements arrived, Vader sent them after the Rebels on the trash fields, while he pursued the lone Rebel who was returning to the factory, Luke. Aboard a combat speeder, Vader chased Luke into the facility, but the Rebel managed to destroy the power core with the speeder bike, leaving Vader as the only survivor among the factory's rubble following its explosion. The Sith Lord then saw Luke's abandoned speeder and the fleeing *Millennium Falcon*; as the *Adjudicator*'s captain, Kronn, informed him that they had been unable to catch the freighter, Vader Force-choked the captain to death. Then, as if he were talking to Kenobi, Vader vowed to find the boy's identity and to turn him to the dark side, so that the boy became his weapon, and not Kenobi's.

#### Yavin's aftermath

Thereupon, Vader returned to the Imperial Palace on Coruscant to report to the Emperor, bringing Aggadeen with him. The Emperor bid Vader to explain the events of Weapons Factory Alpha, which along with the Death Star's destruction, had put the Empire very near disaster. Although Vader considered Aggadeen to be responsible for the failure on Cymoon 1 (and the Overseer was tortured accordingly), the Emperor claimed much of the responsibility lay in Vader's head, as he reminded him that he was the sole survivor of the greatest disaster in the Empire's history—one partially caused by his idea to tag the *Falcon* with a homing beacon and let it escape with the Death Star plans. He then informed Vader that Cassio Tagge, now Grand General of the Imperial Army, would be his commanding officer for some time.

The Emperor then ordered Vader to continue the unfinished Cymoon 1 negotiations with Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine, right before going to Tagge. As they returned to his office, Sidious greeted one of his agents, Cylo, and Vader asked for his identity, but the Emperor denied him the knowledge. Instead, he asked Vader if there was anything else to report, but Vader chose not to tell him about Kenobi's mysterious disappearance, nor the Force-sensitive Rebel pilot who had destroyed the Death Star and left the office and palace altogether. He boarded an Imperial Star Destroyer and immediately left for Tatooine, sending the Imperial vessel back to collect the trade goods for the meeting.

#### Tatooine negotiations

Vader soon arrived at Jabba's Palace where, during the meeting, he had the Hutt dismiss his court. However, Jabba would rather claim the bounty on Vader's head and had his people shoot at him, but Vader killed them and forced Jabba to reconsider his position. After being Force choked, the Hutt admitted he found it hard not to respect him. The two then came to an agreement: Jabba would provide Vader with two of his best bounty hunters. Vader left the Hutt's palace and sought out a Tusken Raider camp, wherein he mercilessly slaughtered its inhabitants. He was then approached by Jabba's envoys: Boba Fett and Krrsantan. While he sent Fett to find and capture the Rebel pilot from Yavin alive, Vader assigned the Wookiee to bring Palpatine's agent to him. Both mercenaries agreed, and Vader departed Tatooine for his Star Destroyer.

The following day, Vader returned in his official capacity as the Emperor's envoy to negotiate as if nothing had happened the day before. Jabba welcomed Vader and claimed that his resources belonged to the Empire as long as he was paid. Vader then turned to leave, leaving his stormtroopers to tell Jabba what was required, but the Hutt invited him to a feast and entertainment in his honor, for he liked to seal his business ventures by watching someone die. Aboard the sail barge *Khetanna*, Vader and Jabba watched as the latter's guards killed wild banthas for the sport until Jabba's court jester, Salacious B. Crumb, let out a loud cackle. Vader warned the Hutt to not let the Kowakian monkey-lizard do that again in his presence if he valued Crumb's life; Jabba merely laughed and told Vader he now regarded him as a "good friend." The Hutt then inquired whether his bounty hunters were adequately serving his needs; though Vader berated him for bringing up the private matter, he also told the Hutt that their missions were simple enough: to capture an Imperial agent and a boy. Jabba argued that the "boy" had destroyed the Death Star, and had possibly been trained by Kenobi. The name prompted Vader to request that Jabba tell him all he knew of Kenobi's exile on Tatooine.

Jabba first required someone screaming, though, so he ordered his guards to pilot the *Khetanna* to the Great Pit of Carkoon. He expected Vader to be impressed by the sarlacc, which he believed was one of the few treasures that Tatooine had to offer, and said he found it hard to believe that anyone of note (like the Yavin pilot) could have ever been born on Tatooine. In silence, Vader watched his homeworld's sunset.

#### Servitude unto Tagge

After leaving Tatooine, Vader met with Tagge aboard his *Executor*-class Star Dreadnought, *Annihilator*. During a time of many raids against ships carrying Jabba's weapons and equipment supplies, Vader was sent to protect an Imperial shuttle, *CZ-246*, from a pirate attack. With his TIE Advanced, Vader went to their aid, alongside Black Two and Black Three, and successfully disabled the automated CR90 corvette attacking the shuttle. Upon returning to the *Annihilator*, Vader reported to Tagge that the pirate vessel had been captured and that he suspected a security breach.

As he said so, Tagge disagreed, believing the raids to be predictable piracy, and admitted to seeing the Death Star as "Tarkin's folly." Vader noted that Tarkin at least had a vision, prompting Tagge to admit his plans were not as grand as Tarkin's or Vader's, but they still were effective; he believed that the Empire could not be based around a single asset, like the Death Star or Vader himself. Tagge then informed Vader that he intended to repair the corvette and use it to attack its base of origin, sending Vader to head the attack, although with an adjutant, Lieutenant Oon-ai.

Vader left to prepare for the mission and oversee the repairs on the corvette. Oon-ai followed, asking permission to look into Vader's personal communications to provide information to Tagge. Although it annoyed Vader, as it was the Emperor's command that he serve under Tagge, he allowed it and left. He then planted treasonable evidence into a black astromech so as to incriminate Oon-ai during the mission. Soon thereafter, Vader, Oon-ai, and six stormtroopers boarded the corvette and found the pirate base, docking with the station. Greeted by a Twi'lek pirate, whom he killed, Vader ordered the troopers to secure the core, while his astromech made his way to the command center to plant the false evidence.

They found themselves under the attack of two customized droidekas who brandished missile launchers, prompting Vader to use the Force to throw the incoming missiles back at the attackers, destroying the droids and fatally injuring the pirates. A Mon Calamari pirate survived long enough to activate the self-destruct, and Vader ordered the surviving troopers to return to the corvette and prepare to launch as soon as he returned. Followed by Oon-ai, Vader went deeper into the station to retrieve the false evidence. They returned to the corvette just before the station exploded.

Back on the *Annihilator*, Vader reported to Tagge, telling him that he was impressed with the results of his plan (the intelligence he had gathered confirmed the raiders were being backed by the Crymorah Syndicate), but also claimed Oon-ai was the leak, noting that Tagge should be more careful of those who were close to him. Shortly after, Vader isolated the black astromech under the pretenses of a private discussion; the Dark Lord ensured the droid had deleted all records of its data uploads on the station, before venting the droid through an airlock and into space, where it exploded.

Following a Imperial-Rebel confrontation, Vader went to the Palace of Grakkus the Hutt to meet with Sergeant Kreel. A covert operative of his battalion "Vader's Fist," Kreel informed him that his mission to end Grakkus' operations was a success, but that the Yavin Rebel pilot had escaped them yet again. Vader inquired if he had mentioned his name (which he did not), and asked him to tell him everything he had learned of the boy.

#### A droid army

From the information he gathered from the pirate base, Vader learned that a Doctor Aphra had supplied the pirates with the customized droidekas. As he wanted similarly effective units in the personal army he sought to build, Vader set out to find Aphra, conducting a manhunt for her in many locations, gathering information and killing the witnesses, until he finally learned of her presence on Quarantine World III in Kallidahin Space. He landed there just as Aphra was arrested by Utani Xane and a squad of B2 super battle droids; although Xane warned him that he was violating treaties, Vader began destroying her droids and saved Aphra as she tumbled over a ledge. Vader stabbed Xane through the back with his saber before telling the doctor he needed her services. He helped her up and she agreed.

Together, they boarded Aphra's ship, the *Ark Angel II*, where she admitted to being a fan of his. The rogue archaeologist also introduced Vader to the Triple-Zero protocol personality matrix and estimated it would take hours to unlock the matrix's codes that were restricting it. It took Vader a few seconds to unlock it, which let Aphra install the personality matrix into a protocol droid's body right away. As the droid introduced himself as 0-0-0, she imprinted herself and Vader as his masters, and used him to wake up BT-1, a blastomech prototype. But as it was hostile towards his new masters, 0-0-0 shut it down before he could do any harm.

Vader then let her know the reason he had sought her out was to secure his own private resources, ones only she could help him procure. Aphra (who had originally acquired the two droids for the Gotra) instead gave them to Vader after realizing Vader was probably going to be her employer for the foreseeable future. She asked what else he needed, and he answered that he wanted troops of unquestionable loyalty: battle droids. Aphra then suggested that they acquire an unusual droid foundry on Geonosis, one in possession of Queen Karina, who had survived the Clone Wars and the planet's sterilization. As they landed the *Ark Angel*, and she sent 0-0-0 and BT-1 to map the cave route to the queen so that she and Vader could follow, Aphra asked Vader if he had ever been to Geonosis before. Her questioning brought up the memory of his first kiss with Amidala, shortly before the First Battle of Geonosis.

Vader ordered Aphra to cease her probing, and entered the catacombs; she followed him. They reunited with BT-1 and 0-0-0 and encountered the queen. Vader immediately amputated her from the womb droid factory. The queen, injured but alive, ordered her "children" to stop the intruders; at Vader's command, BT-1 opened fire on the droids, and he and Vader began to overwhelm her forces. Meanwhile, Aphra set a beacon on the ceiling with Vader's help and ordered her *Ark Angel* to barrage the locator to make a hole in the roof. Vader protected himself and Aphra by creating a Force barrier. His J-Type 327 Nubian then lowered a crane-platform, which Aphra attached to the factory while Vader fought off the advancing droids, and the ship carried them and the factory to the skies.

They would later board the *Ark Angel*, where Aphra successfully activated the factory and told him he would have his private droid army. She then asked Vader if he would kill her then or later, and said that if he did, she wanted a lightsaber right through the neck, with no warning. Vader finally told her she had proved resourceful and would be safe as long as he had use for her, unless she tried to blackmail him. It was then that 0-0-0 interrupted them to inform Vader that he had a signal from Black Krrsantan: he was bringing the Emperor's agent to him.

#### Cylo's enforcers

As Krrsantan arrived, Vader confronted the Emperor's agent, Cylo-IV. Vader demanded that he tell him his name, his commission from the Emperor and the location of his headquarters. As he refused, Vader assigned 0-0-0 to retrieve all relevant information from him. After an interrogation that resulted in the agent's death, 0-0-0 reported to Vader that he was Dr. Cylo-IV, that his research base was located in an Outer Rim nebula, and that his commission was to create replacements for Vader. After learning this, they immediately departed for the base, aboard his J-type 327 Nubian. While Aphra remained on the ship, Vader and two platoons of droid commandos infiltrated it. Vader sent a platoon to "the dojo" and had the other one follow him to the barracks. As they killed the soldiers in there, Aphra reported that they had lost the other platoon, prompting Vader to go to the dojo, where he met the twins Morit and Aiolin Astarte.

They soon engaged in combat, but before any of the parties could harm each other, Cylo-V appeared and told the twins to stand down. He explained to Vader why he was still alive after his last body was killed, and that he was not making apprentices for the Emperor but enforcers, as he believed the Force to be obsolete. Believing him to be blasphemous, Vader attempted to strike Cylo down when the scientist claimed they were, in many ways, Vader's children and successors. The Emperor then revealed his presence to Vader and stopped him, claiming he wanted to see Cylo's demonstration without delay.

Vader was immediately made to fight the Astarte twins, Tulon Voidgazer, the Mon Calamari Karbin, and a Trandoshan. As neither party was injured, the Emperor ordered the fight to be one to the death. As such, Vader fought the Trandoshan, but its ferocity threw him off balance, prompting Morit to intervene and kill his fellow enforcer. The Emperor then ordered the fighting to cease; Vader warned Morit that his trespass would not be forgotten, as the Trandoshan's life was his to take. The Emperor then told the enforcers and Vader that their mission was to strike down all who opposed the Empire and that they were not to slay each other. As per his master's orders, Vader followed him.

In private, the Emperor, discovering the remains of some of Vader's commando droids, admitted to being impressed that he had some independence left in him after so long and that perhaps he could triumph against the enforcers. Vader criticized his dealings with Cylo, as he saw his enforcers as a heresy to the Force, but the Emperor berated him for his lack of respect—for it was Vader who had disappointed him on Mustafar and had forced him to contact Cylo. As he left, he observed that perhaps, Vader would prove himself worthy of the name he had given him back then.

#### Parenthood

Troubled, Vader returned to his ship. Aboard the Nubian, Aphra told him that Fett wanted to report in during Vader's absence. Subsequently, Vader traveled to a Star Destroyer to meet with the bounty hunter and hear his story. The Dark Lord was disappointed to hear that Fett had lost the boy, but before leaving, Fett told him his name: Luke Skywalker. In his solitude, Vader remembered Amidala telling him about her pregnancy, and Palpatine's half-truth, and cracked the viewport in his anger. Thereupon, he used his meditation chamber's holoprojector to contact his master, but chose to say nothing about his son; rather, Vader assured him that he would not fail and ended the transmission. Nevertheless, he accepted Luke as his son and vowed that the boy would be his.

Determined to find more about Luke, Vader returned to Tatooine on the *Ark Angel*, with Aphra, 0-0-0 and BT-1 in his company. They landed at the Lars homestead, which they discovered to be deserted after an attack by Imperial troops, and Vader tried to find traces of Luke's presence. Unable to find anything of importance, Vader left the moisture farm and went to Kenobi's home where he indeed felt the remnants of Luke's usage of the Force during his duel against Fett, but nothing else. As they left, Aphra activated a molecular purge bomb to remove all remnants of their presence, and Vader dismissed Aphra, for he was to return to his duties for the time being.

#### Anthan Prime

As part of Tagge's crackdown on Outer Rim criminal interests who had gone unchecked in the past, Vader took part in a mission to terminate a criminal organization known as Son-tuul Pride. He and his troops destroyed the Pride's base and seized its stockpile of credits, to be transported on an Imperial light cruiser, but he also secretly sent Aphra all the information needed to steal the credits cargo. Following the theft, Vader reunited with her on Anthan 13, where he sent her to confirm some information about Commodex Tahn.

Vader then attended a meeting between Tagge and Cylo's enforcers, wherein the Astarte twins were assigned to deal with the Plasma Devils, and wherein Vader let Tagge know he wanted the mission of finding the Yavin Rebel pilot (which was Karbin's mission). Tagge felt he was too personally invested, and sent Vader to punish whoever was responsible for the theft of the Son-tuul Pride's fortune in the Anthan system; he also informed Vader that Inspector Thanoth was his replacement adjutant. While Thanoth went to the Anthan Prime Orbital Dockyard to investigate the theft's circumstances, Vader returned to Anthan 13 and killed the entirety of a small Rebel cell to cover his tracks. He later reunited with Thanoth on Anthan Prime, where they sought Doowan, an employee of "the Dragon"—an arms dealer who was likely to have sold the explosives needed for the theft—and interrogated him. The Nautolan promptly revealed the location of the Dragon in his mansion, before the twins killed him in a show of force.

Thanoth then noticed Vader's passivity, but Vader dismissed it, saying he was merely trying to ascertain if Thanoth was dangerous or a traitor. The two then went to the Dragon's mansion, which Vader entered on his own, killing the people inside until he reached the Dragon himself. Although he tried to tell Vader everything to save himself, Vader killed the Ortolan, and claimed he would have detonated the building once Thanoth reached the office. The inspector then opened the Dragon's vault to access his records and asked Vader to ready a strike force for when he located the suspects.

Vader then used the opportunity to meet with Aphra, who had just come back from a raid on Commodex Tahn's villa on Naboo. She confirmed his sources: Amidala had indeed died but had given birth to a healthy boy, who was taken away by the Jedi. Vader then tasked Aphra with finding Luke before Karbin could; subsequently, she resorted to The Ante. Vader then returned to the Star Destroyer, where Thanoth they would travel to the Spire to find The Ante. When they found him, he told them the location of the Plasma Devils to show cooperation and pointed at the one responsible for the theft, Aphra. Before the Givin could identify her by name, Vader telekinetically forced an unlucky stray shot and killed him. Vader then went to find Aphra before anyone else.

As they encountered each other, Vader ordered her not to struggle and Force choked her, but Aphra claimed she knew of Luke's location. Vader released her and ordered Aphra to tell him, but she refused, claiming she would tell him later. He then let her go, using the Force to drop debris above him as she escaped on the *Ark Angel*. He got out of the rubble as Thanoth and the stormtroopers arrived and claimed he had fallen into her trap. To follow her, Vader and Thanoth boarded their *Arquitens*-class light cruiser. As they waited for their TIE/sa bombers to catch Aphra, Vader and Thanoth agreed to use their ready strike force to kill the Plasma Devils before they could escape.

The two had their light cruiser go to the Thanteen Substrata on Anthan 1, where the Rebel cell was located. As per their plan, their light cruiser bombarded the westernmost tunnels and sealed them, whereas Vader went to the east route and felled incoming Rebel ships by throwing his lightsaber until the cell was annihilated. He then took three of the Plasma Devils' flight helmets and, alongside Thanoth, presented them to Tagge, who agreed with their course of action given the tight situation. As Karbin reported that the Yavin Rebel pilot was free, Vader and Thanoth left, and the Inspector let him know it had been an honor to serve alongside him.

#### Shu-Torun

Vader traveled to Shu-Torun with a message to reinforce their cooperation and force its government to fulfill the quotas, while 0-0-0 and BT-1 killed the king and his closest servants. Expecting to meet the King of Shu-Torun, he instead met Princess Trios upon landing, who was to show him to the ball, a little celebration to showcase their culture. Soon after their arrival, however, Shu-Torun assassins that wished death to the Empire and the king, but Vader successfully fended them off and demanded to see the king immediately. Trios complied and guided him through the tunnels as the main elevators were being watched by the traitorous dukes, according to her. Vader recognized Trios as admirable for her willingness to sacrifice herself for the greater good, as lava poured into the tunnels.

However, he used his lightsaber to make a round platform to float above the lava and reach one of the exits above. Taking an unconscious Trios with him, Vader made it to one of the corridors where he killed the guards. Trios awoke, only to point a blaster at Vader. He, however, cut her hand off and entered the king's chambers to find the monarch, his other children and guards killed by Vader's assassin droids. With Trios as the new Queen of Shu-Torun, he delivered the Emperor's message; a piece of Alderaan, as a reminder of what happened to worlds that resisted his rule. Vader then told her that he would pacify Shu-Torun, but that she was to not forget whom she served.

#### Vrogas Vas

Vader met with Aphra and the droids, and demanded that he tell her Luke's location: Vrogas Vas. She continued by saying she did want to work for him and show that she was trustworthy. After a moment, he conceded that his work alongside Thanoth had given him an appreciation of talent, and told her not to make him regret his decision. He left, saying it was a task for him alone. Unbeknownst to him, a probe droid from Karbin followed him. In his TIE Advanced, he went to the planet's system where, upon coming out of hyperspace, he found three Alliance starfighter squadrons orbiting the planet. As he sensed Luke's presence, he remained and charged against the starfighters, who dismissed his TIE as a mere Imperial scout.

During the battle, Vader engaged the X-wing starfighters, and managed to take out both Blue Squadron and Yellow Squadron, as he lost contact with Aphra. Vader was then confronted by Luke, who was flying as Red Five, and flew his X-wing into Vader's starfighter, hoping to kill him. During the collision, their stabilizers were damaged prompting their craft to crash on the planet's surface. There, Vader was hunted down by the Alliance forces, starting with Gray Squadron, but he promptly destroyed them by use of the Force. Afterward, a company of Rebel commandos moved in to attack him, but he activated some of their thermal detonators before they could throw them, taking out a tank by deflecting its shot against it and continued to reduce the Rebel forces.

Vader also took the blaster array of his fallen TIE Advanced x1 and used it to take down further ships, this time from Cyan Squadron. Not too long afterward, another platoon was deployed to attack him, although this time Organa was leading them herself. Vader, choking her two companions, confronted her but felt an incoming ambush. When he let her go so that she contacted Luke, Organa used the opportunity to arrange an airstrike on her and Vader's location. Instead, Commander Karbin arrived with a task force, and tried to take his victory—both his son and the princess' execution—from Vader. Subsequently, Vader engaged the enforcer in a duel, during which Organa escaped, and during which they entered the Jedi Temple in ruins.

Inside the temple, he was momentarily distracted by ghosts of his past (Jinn's, Kenobi's, and Yoda's voices), but continued the duel. Aphra then contacted him from aboard the *Ark Angel* and informed him that Luke had been captured by Karbin's guards. So Vader had her crash her ship against Karbin and confronted the mortally wounded Karbin, who realized there was more to the Yavin pilot and Vader's relationship than met the eye. Vader then finished him and contacted Aphra to tell her that her "pardon" depended on Luke's capture. With the Force, he brought down the shuttle transporting Luke, and Aphra tried to capture Luke only to be captured herself by the Rebels, leaving Vader to watch as his son on the *Millennium Falcon* fled from Vrogas Vas.

#### Shu-Torun War

Vader then returned to the Imperial Palace and brought Karbin's body to the Emperor, demanding that his master give him a fight worthy of his time. The Emperor then told Vader to return to Shu-Torun as the ore-barons were rebelling and he required a full military intervention, and that Cylo (per Tagge's request) was to join him in the task. As a result, Vader returned to Shu-Torun, alongside Cylo, the Astarte twins and Voidgazer. Accompanied by Queen Trios, Vader led an attack against a rebellious delving citadel, and destroyed it as a demonstration of force. He also accorded to treat Trios with the illusion of respect and tasked, in secret, a group of bounty hunters to find Aphra and return her to him, either dead or alive.

After sending a broadcast to the barons, Vader, Trios, and Cylo and his enforcers went, per the queen's suggestion, to the ancestral retreat of the Shu-Torun royalty. There, they were soon attacked by Baron Rubix's *Lava Leviathan*, and Vader used Trios' escape vessel to reach the Leviathan and dared the twins to follow him. With their lightsabers, they boarded it, and from the inside, the three cut large holes that allowed the ship to flood with magma and be destroyed. Upon returning, Trios suggested that they attack Rubix next (as she had identified the ship's owner) and so, Vader told Cylo to prepare his enforcers. In the meantime, he killed Beebox for trying to deceive him with a stranger's disintegrated body, and refused Aiolin's request to train her.

Soon enough, they carried out the siege to Rubix's delving citadel, using the Shu-Torun Loyalist/Imperial Delving Fleet's combat drills, with Vader heading the first wave alongside the Astarte. However, he was betrayed by Cylo, and his drill was redirected into a lithoporoite seam, where they were surrounded by Rubix's elite forces. With their outbound communications jammed, Vader left his troops as well as droid platoons to protect the drill and had the Astarte twins follow him as to use the enemy's lines to tell the rest of the assault fleet to resume the attack. On the way there, the twins attacked him, but Aiolin saw they could not win against Vader and destroyed the pathway between them. She was then betrayed by her brother who pushed her into the lava and fled back to Cylo; Vader then took the dying Aiolin out of the lava and had her reveal Cylo's deceit before finishing her off.

Vader then returned to his forces, who had secured the enemy lines thanks to 0-0-0's stratagem, and was surprised to find that Trios' assault to the delving citadel was already underway. With no opposition, Vader's combat drill resumed his way to citadel, and Vader himself cut off Rubix's escape way. Trios soon went to their encounter and Rubix formally surrendered; she then had the baron executed, and appointed his daughter as his successor, thus ending the rebellion. Vader then left the planet and informed the Emperor of Cylo's treachery, and the Emperor simply summoned him. He also received a message from Inspector Thanoth saying that he had located Aphra and that they needed to talk.

#### Hunt for Cylo

At the shipyards of Kuat, Vader met with Sidious aboard an unfinished *Executor*-class Star Dreadnought, the *Executor*. The Emperor explained that in order to save Vader after Mustafar, he had to resort to scientists who were similar in philosophy to the Sith, among them Cylo. Cylo eventually grew too powerful within the Tarkin Initiative and so Sidious was forced to make him overplay his hand. With the man a mere traitor, he could be purged. After the meeting, Vader met with Thanoth on Anthan 13; the Inspector, aware of Vader's real identity, revealed that he would support Vader's treason against the Emperor and that he would reveal Aphra's location on the Cosmatanic Steppes. However, Thanoth understood that Vader would not rest until he silenced a possible loose end, so he had elected to tell the Sith Lord in person so Vader would not waste time looking for him. When Thanoth revealed Aphra's location and thanked "Anakin" for their work together, Vader killed him with his lightsaber.

Outside and ignoring the droids' request to dispose of Thanoth's corpse, Vader ordered 0-0-0 and BT-1, who were joined by Krrsantan and his commando droids, to return Aphra to the *Executor* or kill her as their priority orders. Vader also made it clear to wipe out anyone else they found at the Cosmatanic Steppes to eliminate all witnesses present, ensuring that, if Aphra had told anyone about her work with Vader, they were silenced. Vader then departed aboard his TIE Advanced x1, with 0-0-0 realizing he would not be taking Cylo back alive, and returned to the *Executor*. Aboard, he confronted Professor Thlu-Ry, a colleague of Cylo's, whom he threatened to learn the traitor's location in the Crushank Nebulae. Vader took the *Devastator* to the nebulae, where his crew confirmed Cylo's whale fleet was present. After ordering that Thlu-Ry be thanked and then, for fraternizing with a traitor, executed, Vader led the assault on Cylo's fleet from his TIE Advanced. After Cylo's flagship fired an ion pulse to disable the *Devastator* and moved to escape, Vader fired into the whale ship and crashed into the opening he'd made, boarding the enemy ship just before it jumped to hyperspace

Moving past the personnel he'd left to be sucked into hyperspace and entering the labs, Vader was confronted by Voidgazer, who pitted him against a cyberanimate rancor as a test of her technology just as Cylo's fleet arrived at Kuat. Although the creature gave him some difficulty, Vader killed it by throwing his lightsaber through its skull, severing the neural link, and turned one of Voidgazer's defense droids against her, fatally wounding her. As she lay dying, Voidgazer revealed that she had tampered with the *Executor*'s systems to incapacitate the crew; Vader finished her off and went to the empty bridge, which had been abandoned by Cylo and Morit as they had fled in the escape pods, to find that Cylo's flagship was to collide with the *Executor*. Before it did, he ejected and landed on the *Executor*'s outer hull, where he soon encountered Morit. He easily killed him and then made his way to the *Executor*'s bridge, where he confronted Cylo. The scientist simply disabled Vader's cybernetics with a device he had kept for twenty years, forcing Vader to kneel and drop his lightsaber.

While Vader was incapacitated, he received visions of his duel with his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. This time, however, Kenobi threw him into the lava. Vader then rose out of the river in his life suit and struck down his old master. However, like their duel on the Death Star, Kenobi's body disappeared. Vader then encountered a vision of his younger self. The two versions of Skywalker fought until Vader came out victorious, throwing his counterpart in the lava. After his counterpart yelled that he hated him, the Dark Lord met a vision of his deceased wife, Padmé Amidala. Vader then found himself chained to the same table where he first received his suit. The vision of Padmé pleaded with him, asking him to stay with her. Vader, however, choked the illusion while at the same time regained control of his body. After he told the vision that her husband was dead, Vader used his lightsaber to impale Cylo, who was astounded that Vader was moving while his suit was deactivated. Thus, Vader had regained the ship from his control. The Dark Lord then informed his master of his success. The Emperor then ordered Vader to finish his mission then return to him, stating there was much to discuss.

Vader took control of his TIE Advanced, flying into Cylo's command ship. After cutting his way through Cylo's forces, the Dark Lord found his way to the doctor's cloning room. After destroying Cylo's spare bodies, Vader made it to the command bridge. Vader then confronted the doctor one last time. He mind-tricked the whale-ship into flying into a nearby star, destroying Cylo once and for all. After returning to the *Executor*, Vader met with his master, whom had been awaiting a full report, only to reveal it was no longer needed because Aphra was present: while 0-0-0 and BT-1 had successfully brought Aphra to the *Executor* and were planning on giving Vader suggestions on how to kill the doctor, should they have found his planned execution too boring for their tastes, Aphra realized Vader's priority order only mandated the droids bring her to the *Executor*. As she realized as such and was dragged away by two stormtroopers to await Vader's wrath, she gave a new priority order: help her escape. Reaching Palpatine's chamber, Aphra told Palpatine all of Vader's secret missions and plans, although she did chose to leave out the details surrounding Luke Skywalker.

Instead of being angry with Vader, however, the Emperor was pleased with his apprentice's ability to operate in the shadows, stating he was everything he could have hoped for. The Emperor then left his apprentice to deal with Aphra as he pleased. Vader then ordered Aphra to follow him. Despite her pleas for a quick death, he forced her out the airlock, although she secretly survived; having deduced Vader would never honor her wish to avoid execution via airlock, she was rescued in time by Krrsantan, 0-0-0, and BT-1. Making his way to the bridge, the Emperor informed him that Grand General Tagge was to be demoted and that command of the *Executor* and its fleet would be transferred to the Dark Lord. The Emperor then left his apprentice to "educate" his subordinates of this new era. Vader then executed Tagge and ordered Admiral Kendal Ozzel to have the ship ready in two weeks. Vader then thought of his son, content that he would soon have him.

#### Slaying the unworthy

After the rebellion began encroaching in the Mid Rim, The Emperor let Vader loose, deciding that incompetence at the highest level was to blame for the the Death Star's destruction, allowing him to kill Imperial officials including Moff Coovern and Minister Khemt.

#### Skirmish on the Scorca Retreat

Sometime later, Aphra had began an auction of a large kyber crystal, with the conscience of an ancient Jedi named Rur, on the Sorca Retreat. However, Vader was contacted by 0-0-0 about the auction. The Sith Lord went there with haste but found that the auction, had turned into a massacre, orchestrated by 0-0-0. He had allowed a droid from the Cyban Front to be taken over by the conscious kyber crystal, making it hunt down the factions on the space station. As Vader roamed the hallways, he found another Cyban Front droid, who had noticed him and his stormtroopers moving about. The droid attempted to run, but Vader used the Force to smash it to pieces. Vader ordered his troopers to kill all of the individuals they found in the space station.

As some of the stormtroopers crossed paths with the droid being controlled by Rur, Vader cut down a member of the Dominion of the Ezaraa. Some of his stormtroopers approached him, reporting resistance in the top dome and the droid. Vader walked down the halls and found the droid standing over a pile of dead stormtroopers. The droid had two blue-bladed lightsabers, generated from the kyber crystal inside it, erected from its arms. The two declared themselves to each other and clashed. As they fought, Vader deduced that Rur was not a Sith. Rur claimed to be the last of the Ordu Aspectu and a Jedi. As they deduced more about each other, Vader Force-pushed Rur into a stone slab. Rur got up again, but Vader charged at him, and as they clashed, he cut the droid's right hand off.

Vader Force-pushed him again into a wall, and he began laughing. He said that while his former organic body had limited him, he was now boundless, a god of machines. Rur therefore took control of the defensive guns in the ceiling and used them on Vader. Rur then tried to take control of Vader's suit and stalled his defensive moves. Vader told him that he was not the first to attempt that and used the Force to repeatedly smash Rur against the walls. The three collisions with the walls demolished the droid and Vader took the crystal. After the duel, a stormtrooper reported to Vader that some small ships had slipped his blockade. Vader told the trooper that the blockade was to remain. Vader took the crystal back to Sidious on Coruscant and then archived it with the rest of his master's collection.

#### Tureen VII

After the death of Cylo, Vader ordered Sergeant Kreel and his SCAR Squadron to hunt down Luke Skywalker. They eventually found him and his allies hijacking the *Imperial*-class Star Destroyer *Harbinger*. The vessel made its way to the blockaded planet Tureen VII in an attempt to aid the people there. Vader and his TIE forces engaged the attacking rebel X-wings. While fighting the rebel fighters, Vader questioned Kreel if he had located Luke. At that moment, Kreel was engaging the rebel in a lightsaber duel. The Dark Lord then warned the stormtrooper not to injure his "prize." However, Luke used the Force to incapacitate Kreel, much to Vader's anger. The rebels eventually were able to break the siege and give relief to the people of Tureen VII. SCAR Squadron, however, was not left empty-handed, capturing the protocol droid C-3PO.

Soon after, Vader was contacted by Kreel and informed that C-3PO had told them everything they needed to know and that they could not get him to stop talking. Vader then told him that the droid was a piece of worthless junk and to dispose of him. Shortly after, R2-D2 managed to infiltrate the Star Destroyer where C-3PO was held and broke the droid out. Vader was notified of this and intercepted their X-wing in his TIE advanced. R2-D2 knew they could not escape alone and sent out a distress call to their friends. To Vader's frustration, R2-D2 gained the support of Luke, the *Millennium Falcon* and the *Volt Cobra*, who gave enough covering fire to help them all escape.

#### Confronting Kreel

Sometime later, Vader approached Kreel, who was training with half a dozen training droids. Vader told him he could try all he wanted but he would never become a Sith. Kreel said he was not asking to be, saying that it was not a Sith who saved him from the pits of Chagar IX, but the 501st Legion. Claimed to be a stormtrooper to the core and that he was just appreciating the value of a lightsaber. Vader then took his lightsaber and threatened to get rid of him and his squad for failing him aboard the *Harbinger*. Kreel told Vader that if he failed him again, he would kneel down to Vader and bury that lightsaber in his chest himself, after killing his men with it. Vader gave Kreel a mission to destroy a possible rebel outpost on Horox III, bringing back Luke if he was present. Vader then handed back Kreel's lightsaber and told him to be worthy of it. Sidious then entered the room and summoned Vader. Kreel knelt down and in honor of Sidious's presence and he thanked him. Sidious then brought Vader out of the room. Kreel then traveled to the Horox system and destroyed the rebel outpost there, killing all rebels present.

#### Sculpting a trap

Sometime later, Vader was at his castle with Admiral Kendal Ozzel and General Maximilian Veers. There, he asked Ozzel of the excuses he had for the slowing progress of Imperial projects. Ozzel blamed the growing resistance which although he could strike back, they were too spread out. Ozzel suggested that scrounging more worlds with constant bombardments of planets from Vader's new Death Squadron. Veers intervened at that point and came up with a theory. Veers claimed that the rebellion was like weeds, and the Empire was like a storm. Veers further pointed out that when a storm passes, weeds will bend and come out unharmed. He then said that it would be different if the rebellion was a tree. But Veers stated that until then, the rebellion would slip through their fingers. This triggered a memory in Vader of when Leia Organa told Tarkin: "The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." Vader told his subordinates that Veers made an interesting point and concluded that it was what they should do.

Vader traveled to Shu-Torun and approached Queen Trios in her meeting room. She was surprised at his arrival and assumed it was not on good terms. She pleaded that she had done nothing against him and that she had been a loyal servant. She then told her guards to lower their weapons. Trios asked Vader how she could help him. Vader revealed his plan for her specialists to mine the ruins of Jedha. After she was to supply information to the rebels that would be sufficient to entirely sabotage the mining efforts. Finally, she had to infiltrate the rebellion, which was trying to build a fleet, and do everything she could to help them. Vader said to her that when they had built their armada, and before they hid it, he would show them how weak they truly were. Vader then threatened her that he'd make Alderaan look like a dream to Shu-Torun if she tried anything. A Shu-Torun guard stepped forward and told Vader that he could not threaten Trios like that. Trios shot him as Vader was their honored guest. She then allowed Vader to kill the rest of the people in the room.

#### Vader's ambush

To Vader's pleasure, Trios was successful in her mission, being able to earn Leia Organa's trust at Jedha and helping them prompt a mass mutiny of Mon Calamari merchant ships. As the rebels armed their new cruisers at the Mako-Ta Space Docks, she gave Vader the go-ahead to attack, telling him that they expected nothing. As the rebels prepared to scatter their new fleet, their hyperdrives failed to work, rendering the cruisers immobile from the system. Vader arrived soon after with Death Squadron and Ozzel asked Vader if they should begin a bombardment. Vader told him to wait, saying he sensed their fear and that it was insufficient. He told Ozzel to give them time to understand. As the rebel fighters prepared to deploy, they realized that not only were the hanger doors not opening, but neither were the defense turrets able to fire or were their engines able to activate. This was because Organa had ensured that the cruisers were outfitted with Shu-Torun technology, meaning Trios could sabotage them. The cruisers were useless against Vader's fleet, and Vader ordered the nearest cruiser be destroyed. The fleet subsequently fired on General Vanden Willard's flagship *Yavin's Hope* and destroyed it with ease, killing Willard. Ozzel then asked Vader of their next target, and Vader said hope.

The Star Destroyers began engaging the other Mon Calamari cruisers, and Trios attempted to get off the spacedocks on her ship. However, rebel forces boarded the vessel, and she was forced to escape in an escape pod. The rebels discovered they could get the cruiser's hangar doors to open by flying a ship towards it. Bandwin Cor volunteered to do so and flew a shuttle towards the cruisers. The shuttle was reported to Vader, but the TIE fighters dealt with it before Vader could make any decisions. Vader's fleet soon destroyed another cruiser, sending it into a fireball. The *Millennium Falcon* then arrived at the system, and Han Solo was told to attempt the same thing by Organa. Vader was notified of the *Falcon*'s arrival and quickly went to his TIE advanced. Solo flew the *Falcon* through the fleet and took on TIEs before flying towards General Jan Dodonna's *Republic*. Vader then engaged the *Falcon* and hit the ship's stabilizer, sending it spiraling. Solo set it to manual, and Vader prepared to fire on the *Falcon* when it got back on course.

Vader fired missiles at the *Falcon* as Solo attempted to land on Commander Lajaie's cruiser. Vader was to force Lajaie's crew to abandon ship and ordered the *Executor* to destroy the escape pods. He continued to pursue the *Falcon* until his TIE was disabled temporarily in a nearby asteroid field. Vader was able to resume his attack on the rebel fleet's starfighters. Vader then ordered the Imperial fleet to close in on the Rebel fleet. After being informed that Trios was returning to the *Executor*, Vader returned to the ship where he intended to meet her. However, he learned that rebels had boarded the *Executor* by using Trios' shuttle. He pursued the rebels until he found several led by General Davits Draven and killed all of them. However, their mission was just to slow Vader down and Vader Force choked Draven. Vader caught up with Organa but was unable to stop her from escaping the *Executor* via a TIE fighter. As one rebel cruiser left, Vader ordered the Imperial fleet to destroy the remaining rebel vessels.

Vader continued to oversee the destruction of the remaining rebel ships. Despite the return of a rebel cruiser, Vader pushed the attack. The rebels capital ships were eventually able to retreat and disperse in order to reorganize. Vader informed the Emperor of the rebels' defeat and assured him that the Rebels could never win.

### Revealing the truth

#### Hoth

By the time three years had passed after the Battle of Yavin, Vader was still in command of the *Executor*, under the admiralty of Ozzel, as well as its accompanying fleet, Death Squadron. At Vader's request, Lieutenant Commander Ciena Ree was transferred from the *Devastator* to the *Executor*; Ree believed, however, that Vader's request had been more threat than reward, as she remained forever vulnerable to him for seeing him during Yavin's immediate aftermath. Obsessed with finding Luke, Vader dispatched thousands of Viper probe droids as Project Swarm, with the droids being sent into the far reaches of space in order to find his son. Among the archaeological consultants of the project was Doctor Aphra, whom Vader had brought back into service after propaganda Minister Pitina Mar-Mas Voor's failed plot to assassinate Emperor Palpatine.

Aphra's actions and subsequent escape from Vader on the planet Tython set back his attempts to find his son. Later, while the *Executor* and the rest of Death Squadron were stationed in the Juris sector, the flagship received a fragmented report from probe droid XJ9-CS14, which had been sent to the Hoth system. Although Admiral Ozzel dismissed the news as a false lead, both Vader and Captain Firmus Piett agreed that they had found the Rebel base. Vader then gave orders for the fleet to depart for the system. As the fleet came out of hyperspace near Hoth, Vader was informed by General Veers that orbital bombardment was impossible as an energy shield defended Echo Base. Vader guessed from this information that the Alliance knew of their presence because Ozzel had made the fleet exit hyperspace too close to the system. After ordering Veers to prepare his troops for a ground assault, Vader executed Ozzel for his incompetence and promoted Captain Piett to replace him as Admiral, and had him deploy the fleet so that no Rebel ship escaped the system.

As the Imperial ground forces led by Veers engaged the Alliance,Vader led an assault troop into the Rebel base and broke their lines, but they found it mostly deserted, for General Carlist Rieekan had ordered its evacuation pre-emotively. Vader entered the base and soon ran into a group of Rebels carrying their unconscious captain towards a hangar. They open fire, and Vader deflected their shots before leaping and cutting down a Rebel trooper named Beak. Another trooper, named Roja, threw a grenade at Vader, who used the Force to deflect it. It knocked out their sergeant, Hazram Namir, and Roja was killed soon after. The last Rebel was the former Imperial governor of Haidoral Prime, Everi Chalis. She had been pursued by Imperial forces in the weeks following her defection and assumed Vader was there for her. Vader only asked her where Luke was, and when a trooper told him that they had located the *Millennium Falcon*, he pushed her aside and marched in the direction of his target.

Only the *Millennium Falcon* remained at the base's hangar, but the light freighter was able to escape before Vader could capture it. With the Alliance's forces on Hoth in complete retreat and the various transports scattered throughout the galaxy, Vader and his troops had secured a great victory for the Empire. Rather than pursuing the Rebel transports which had gotten away, Vader redirected his Death Squadron's efforts to capturing the *Millennium Falcon*, which had evaded Imperial forces in the Hoth asteroid belt due to its faulty hyperdrive. Despite Piett's reservations, Vader ordered the fleet to pursue the ship into the asteroid field, and told the *Executor*'s crew that he wanted the freighter towed aboard and its passengers taken alive. Even though the asteroids heavily damaged the Star Destroyers, Vader instructed every ship to sweep the field until the *Falcon* was found.

Piett then informed him that the Emperor commanded him to make contact, and Vader had the *Executor* move out of the field to have a clear transmission. Vader contacted his master; the Emperor told him that he had sensed a new threat in the Force: Luke Skywalker, who he feared could destroy them if he ever became a Jedi, and that he was Anakin's son. Feigning shock at the Emperor's revelation, Vader believed Luke could be turned to the dark side and prove a powerful ally. Although the Emperor was doubtful, Vader assured him that Luke would join them or die.

Determined to find his son before the Emperor, Vader summoned several bounty hunters—4-LOM, Bossk, Zuckuss, Dengar, IG-88, and Boba Fett—to the *Executor*, and promised a substantial reward for the one who found the *Falcon*'s crew alive. As he was briefing the hunters, Piett informed Vader that the *Avenger* was tracking the *Falcon*. Vader requested an update from the ship's commander, Captain Lorth Needa, who reported that he had lost the *Falcon* and assumed full responsibility for this. Vader accepted his apology with a fatal Force choke, and then ordered Piett to alert all commands of the *Falcon*'s disappearance.

#### Cloud City

As the *Falcon* traveled through realspace to try and repair its hyperdrive on Bespin, Fett tracked and predicted Solo's movements, but also contacted Vader, whose *Executor* reached Bespin before the freighter. Along with a strike team comprising only a few individuals, Vader left the *Executor* for Cloud City, leaving its crew to do nothing but wait hidden. At the city, Vader contacted its Baron Administrator Lando Calrissian, who happened to be Solo's friend, to make a deal. Calrissian, whose tibanna mining operation was keen to evade Imperial attention, agreed to help him capture the ship in exchange for them leaving his people and his interests alone.

When the *Falcon* arrived, Luke was not among them, but Vader knew he could use his friends to lure his son to Bespin. Escorted by Fett, Vader waited for Solo, Organa, Chewbacca, and Calrissian. Whilst waiting in the Rinetta dining room, he was barged in upon by the Lepi smuggler Jaxxon T. Tumperakki, who quickly left after the Dark Lord and the smuggler stared at each other. A team of stormtroopers was then dispatched to arrest Tumperakki. When the Rebels arrived, Vader had them surrounded by stormtroopers, imprisoned—and, in the case of Captain Solo, tortured. Much to Calrissian's displeasure, Vader altered their deal, agreeing to let Fett take Solo and collect Jabba's bounty on him. Afterward, he inspected one of the city's carbon-freezing chambers, and deemed it adequate if crude, to freeze Luke for his journey to the Emperor, but at the danger of it being fatal, he had the facility tested on Captain Solo.

On his orders, Solo was frozen in carbonite; as he survived, Vader handed Solo over to Fett and ordered Organa, Chewbacca, and C-3PO taken to his ship, while he awaited Luke at the facility. Once his son was separated from R2-D2 and made his way to the carbon-freezing chamber, Vader appeared before him, and the two dueled. Luke held his own for much of the duel, but he was ultimately no match for Vader: as they moved to a reactor shaft and a catwalk, Luke managed to cut Vader's shoulder, only for Vader to slice off his right hand, which along with his old lightsaber fell through the shaft.

Vader beckoned Luke to join him in the dark side, but Luke vehemently refused. Vader then told Luke that Kenobi had hidden from him the truth about his father, Anakin Skywalker, before revealing that he was, in fact, his father. Luke refused to believe the truth, but Vader continued to tempt his weakened son, offering Luke the chance to destroy the Emperor and "bring order to the galaxy," just as he tried to do with Padmé on Mustafar. He even pleaded with his son to come with him. In Vader's ideal world, his son would have taken his hand, accepting him as his father. However, Skywalker instead chose to throw himself into the shaft, possibly facing death to avoid joining Vader.

While Luke was rescued by his friends on the *Millennium Falcon*, Vader returned to the *Executor*. As the freighter was unable to escape due to its deactivated hyperdrive, Vader and Piett waited for the *Falcon* to enter tractor-beam range. During the pursuit, Vader reached out to Luke through the Force, telling him it was his destiny to come with him, calling him "son." Yet, the *Falcon* made the jump into hyperspace, thanks to R2-D2 reactivating the hyperdrive. Although Piett feared Vader would kill him for his failure, Vader merely turned away from the viewport, not in anger, but in sadness.

Upon learning that Vader had allowed Fett to take the carbon frozen Solo back to Jabba, ISB agent Andressa Divo was frustrated that the smuggler would not be brought to Imperial imprisonment, although she also decided she had no position to question Vader's orders.

#### Search for answers

Following the *Falcon*'s escape, Vader took a shuttle with several death troopers and a forensics droid named ZED-6-7 with him on a mission to learn who had hidden his son from him. After modifying ZED's motivator, he took the shuttle to Tatooine. There, he met with Lieutenant Ardo Banch and his stormtroopers. Vader went on to the Lars Moisture Farm to search for clues about Skywalker's early life. Vader also reminisced about the attempted rescue of his mother and her funeral. Vader was informed by Lieutenant Banch of several transmissions, but came under attack by gangsters who wanted his shuttle. Vader and his death troopers killed the gangsters before he took his shuttle to Coruscant and returned to Amidala's apartment. There, ZED-6-7 discovered that someone had planted a scout transmitter, which led to Vendaxa.

At some point, Vader also returned to the Imperial Palace and met with Palpatine, who ordered him to hunt down the remnants of the Rebel fleet while it was scattered, believing he may be the only officer in the Empire who could lead such a hunt despite it interrupting his quest to find his son. Unwilling to abandon that search, Vader instead proposed they give the mission to Tarkin's protégé, Ellian Zahra. Contacting her via hologram, Vader granted her permission to return to active duty to try and redeem herself for a past failure under Tarkin, making it clear she had no room to fail him and the Emperor. Shortly after the *Falcon*'s escape and its vital role in the Battle at Rendezvous Point Delta-Three, Vader chastised Zahra for attempting to destroy the vessel during the engagement, stating that while Leia Organa would be an acceptable casualty, another passenger was of value to him. Vader further threatened consequence to Zahra should she report further of "partial success" before dismissing her.

Before journeying to Vendaxa, the Sith Lord traveled to a cantina and confronted a man who claimed to be his son Luke Skywalker. Vader quickly found that the man was a liar, telling him that it did not matter who the man was. Because by tomorrow, no one would remember that he ever lived. Vader then killed the impostor and told the people who were about to hire him that he would let them live. That way, they would be witnesses for what the man had done. The Sith then stated that whoever claimed the name of Luke Skywalker would also claim the crimes he had committed against the Empire. After leaving the cantina, Vader admonished the Imperial officer who had given him the information on the alleged Luke Skywalker, telling him his information was worthless and that he had simply wasted his time.

When Luke Skywalker met Verla on Serelia, she told him about Order 66 and the Imperial Inquisitors, describing Vader as pure, true evil. Shortly thereafter, she discovered through the force that Vader was Luke's father, but Skywalker proved to her he was not like his forebear. Before Vader continued his personal mission, he felt through the Force, during a conversation with Zahra, that a trap he had placed within a Jedi outpost on Tempes had been activated. He ordered his pilot to set course for Tempes, but when he arrived there, he found nothing but the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor, who had recently been defeated by Luke Skywalker. When asked by the Grand Inquisitor if he would ever be freed from Vader's service, the Sith Lord refused to do so, saying that the Inquisitor was merely a tool for him. Vader then abandoned his cursed servant, who was slowly engulfed by the ghostly flames around his body.

Upon arriving on Vendaxa, Vader was confronted by "Padmé Amidala." Amidala, revealed to be former Naboo Royal Handmaiden Sabé, was briefly choked by Vader before they came under attack by several Vendaxan land squids. Together, they eliminated the squids, allowing Sabé to give her slain soldiers a proper burial. Sabé also revealed her true motives; to investigate the death of her former queen. Vader agreed to assist her in her mission so long as she obeyed him.

Following Sabé's guidance, Vader returned to the planet Naboo to retrieve security recordings stolen from Amidala's quarters on Coruscant. Upon entering the Naberri Lake Retreat, they were met by Gregar Typho and Tonra, who agreed to help them retrieve the stolen recordings. Taking a submarine, the four of them left for the recordings' location, while Sabé expressed regret at her inability to save either her queen or Anakin Skywalker's mother. After surviving an attack by a colo claw fish, they reached their destination and found the recordings, which showed Sabé forming the Amidalans and swearing to find and destroy their queen's murderers. She then accused Vader of murdering Amidala himself, to which Vader said he did before attacking the Amidalans.

However, the fight was quickly interrupted by a sando aqua monster, which attacked Vader and allowed the Amidalans to escape. After slaying the monster along with his death troopers, Vader found the rest of the Amidalans in the jungles of Naboo, where they were led into battle by Ric Olié. In the battle at Padmé's tomb, Vader and his death troopers then eliminated most of the Amidalans and incapacitated Olié before moving onto their next destination: the Tomb of Padmé Amidala. But before they could enter the tomb, they were surrounded by Sabé and other members of Amidala's surviving handmaidens: Eirtaé, Rabé Tonsort, Saché, and Dormé. The handmaidens fought bravely, but were easily defeated by Vader, who then opened the door to Amidala's tomb. In truth, the handmaidens had known they would be unable to defeat the Sith Lord, but instead made sure Eirtaé could tap into his armor with her staff. Doing so got Eirtaé an incomplete set of code, which the handmaidens hoped would one day get them the *Executor*'s self-destruct codes.

In the meantime, unaware of Eirtaé's success and ignoring Sabé's protests, Vader proceeded into the tomb and allowed ZED-6-7 to scan Amidala's sarcophagus. The droid then discovered a med implant, which he traced back to the asteroid field Polis Massa. Upon reaching the asteroid field, they entered the Polis Massa Base and uncovered data that Amidala had been flown to the base by Obi-Wan Kenobi in an effort to save her life. However, Vader and his forces were then attacked once more by the Amidalans, whom he managed to defeat once and for all. Along with ZED-6-7, Vader entered the base's maternity ward and allowed the droid to access the memory bank of a damaged Chroon-Tan B-Machine. He then watched a recording of Amidala speaking with Kenobi in her final moments of life. When ZED-6-7 commented that Kenobi must have been important to her, Vader promptly destroyed the droid in one-thirtieth of a second. The recording then ended with Amidala stating that she knew there was still good in Vader, leaving the Sith to mull over his wife's last words.

#### Test on Mustafar

After learning of Vader's personal mission, the Emperor summoned his apprentice to the Imperial Palace, where he sensed his apprentice was filled with mourning instead of hate. Intending to reteach him the dark side, Sidious began to torture him with Force lightning. Vader fought back against his master, but was overwhelmed again by two Royal Guards led by Mas Amedda. While Vader did manage to choke the three of them with the Force, he in turn was then choked by the Emperor, who mocked the Jedi title of "Chosen One" before telling Vader to forget everything from his past and ravaging his body, leaving him with only one of his hands intact. The Emperor then brought his apprentice to Mustafar and left him on the very shore where Kenobi left him at the end of their duel. The Emperor instructed Vader to rebuild himself without using the Force before leaving with Mas Amedda.

Remembering how Kenobi had left him on the same shore and how he later cut the Jedi Master down on the Death Star, then picturing Sidious in Kenobi's place in the latter memory, Vader resolved to crawl from the shore towards the facility where he murdered the Separatist leaders years before, remembering the time his master had sent him to the base to wipe out the Separatist leadership. Promising himself that he would bring suffering to the Emperor when he recovered and spotting a figure laughing at him in the distance, he entered the base and, after spotting the corpse of Nute Gunray and remembering his actions against the Separatists and Jedi younglings alike, found a few mouse droids, which he rewired to weld old battle droid limbs to his body. However, he was then confronted by the figure he had seen: Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin sent by the Emperor to test his apprentice. With his new limbs, Vader fought the assassin and bested him. He then demanded to know what his master's greater plan was before being interrupted by a distant voice. Vader followed the voice into a cave, which Ochi trapped him inside of after stealing his lightsaber.

As Vader fought his way through the cave, the voice taunted him with riddles about what he wanted and who he truly was. Eventually, Vader reached the source of the voice; an ancient being known as the Eye of Webbish Bog. Vader demanded the answers to his questions about his master, to which the Eye granted him a Sith wayfinder. After leaving the cave, Vader came upon his old Jedi interceptor, where he was then met by Ochi and his Droid Crush Pirates.

While fighting off the pirates, Vader cornered Ochi and knocked him out before reclaiming his lightsaber. He then finished off the pirates and used their parts to repair the damaged interceptor. Once the ship was repaired, Vader used the now captured Ochi to access the wayfinder, which showed the way to a planet called Exegol. With Ochi trapped in a capsule beneath the ship, Vader flew the interceptor away from Mustafar and used a hyperspace transport ring to journey toward his next destination.

#### Finding Exegol

After exiting hyperspace, Vader and Ochi found themselves in the Red Honeycomb Zone as the Sith attempted to locate Exegol. However, they were then met by a massive, tentacled space-faring creature related to the Summa-verminoth. Before Vader could react, he was attacked by a fleet of Star Destroyers led by Sly Moore and Admiral Corleque. Vader fought against the fleet's TIE fighters until he had an idea. Changing his course, he flew toward the massive creature and allowed the TIE fighters to follow until they were crushed by the creature's tentacles. As Vader flew past the creature, Moore warned him that it would break his mind. Ignoring the Umbaran's warning, he continued on until he and Ochi were both hit by mental attacks. Vader experienced several traumatic visions from his past, which concluded with a vision of his son killing him in battle and taking his place by the Emperor's side.

Upon escaping the Red Nebula, Vader finally reached the planet Exegol, where he and Ochi promptly crashed. Breaking free from the wrecked interceptor, they were both met once again by the creature. But this time, however, Vader did not run away. Disobeying his master's command, he reached out with the dark side and used it to bring the creature down, thus allowing him and Ochi to continue on towards the Emperor's Sith Citadel. Standing atop the creature, Vader commanded his master to show himself. And once he did, Vader rode the creature into battle. In turn, the Emperor summoned two crustaceous monsters to attack the creature, though they were both quickly crushed. When Vader told his master that he was no longer his apprentice, the Emperor merely scoffed and reached out with the Force himself, twisting and contorting the creature until it broke apart. Forced to return to ground level, Vader followed the Emperor into the Citadel, where his greatest secrets lie in wait.

Once inside, Vader was greeted by a menagerie of horrors forged by his master. All around him were large vats containing bioengineered organisms strong in the dark side of the Force. Along with these organisms were large Sith statues, dozens of Sith guards, Sith cultists, and a jar containing the severed hand of Vader's son. Vader was quickly attacked by the guards and cultists, but he managed to defeat them all before venturing further into the Citadel. Ochi caught up with Vader and attempted to dissuade him, but the Sith carried on until he reached a level beneath the Citadel. This level was lined with hundreds of Star Destroyers, each armed with a planet-destroying cannon. Showing no fear, Vader continued on into a massive chamber, which held a dome filled with red light and piercing screams. As Ochi tried to dissuade him once more, the Sith entered the dome and stepped into the burning light.

Within the dome was a subterranean mountain of Kyber crystal, bled red by the Sith cultists who kept it in constant pain. The Emperor explained that he did this in order to power the cannons of his fleet. When the crystal was cut, it screamed in pain again and sent out a wave of power, knocking off Ochi's helmet and burning his unprotected eyes. Vader suffered as well while his master mocked him for attempting to claim his power. The Emperor told his apprentice that if he chose to walk with him, he would never escape his pain. But only by walking with him would he be able to share his power. The Emperor then asked his apprentice if he had chosen, to which Darth Vader replied that Sidious was his master. Even though he experienced a vision, in which Luke Skywalker told him that he would, one day, kill the Emperor, Vader had seen the power Sidious commanded on Exegol, so he fully decided to return to his master's service, departing Exegol with Sidious, Ochi, Mas Amedda, and Sly Moore.

#### Hunting Luke Skywalker

##### A new target

Upon returning to Coruscant, Vader was brought to the very building where he had been transformed to undergo repairs. A medical droid told him to prepare for shutdown, but Vader refused, choosing instead to remain conscious throughout the procedure. Once he was fully repaired, Vader asked the Emperor his will, to which his master told him to decide that for himself. Vader then called over Ochi, who had just been given a cybernetic visor so he could continue to see. With Ochi at his side, Vader left Coruscant in a Lambda-class shuttle and decided that he would hunt down and kill his son, believing that there was no place for him as an apprentice after the power he had seen on Exegol. Traveling to a remote outpost somewhere in the Outer Rim, Vader and Ochi met with a Hutt named Bokku. When Ochi asked for the whereabouts of Han Solo, Bokku reported that he had been stolen and assured the assassin that Jabba would recover him. However, Ochi then told Bokku that he would recover Solo himself in exchange for power. Bokku then asked Ochi if he served the Emperor, to which Ochi replied that they both served Vader now.

Vader was then attacked by a group of Gamorrean guards, which the Sith Lord slew with ease. Bokku quickly apologized for not recognizing Vader and reiterated that he did not know where Solo was. From this, Ochi determined that Jabba had likely hired someone to find Solo and asked Bokku for their identity. Bokku expressed fear at the idea of betraying Jabba until Ochi pried into Bokku's willingness to take over the Grand Hutt Council. Bokku then revealed that he had been tracking the hunters who had taken Jabba's bounty and that one crew of droids had gone in a different direction from the others. Bokku told Vader the droids were deep in the heart of Hutt Space and that it would be better to go in Bokku's barge so as not to scare them away. On their way to the droids' location, Bokku inquired as to his compensation for his assistance, to which Vader assured him that he would be rewarded. Under the piloting of Bokku's nav droid Gak-Sixtoo, they arrived at Zee-Nine City Seven while Vader and Ochi boarded their Lambda shuttle. But as they approached the city, their ship's engines were shut down, causing them to crash.

After escaping the wreckage, Vader and Ochi were confronted by the Droid Crush Pirates, who expressed shock at Ochi's service to Vader. When Ochi claimed he had picked the winning side, the droid captain told him he had picked wrong as IG-88 revealed himself and fired upon both Ochi and Vader. As Vader deflected IG-88's attacks, the droid reminded his target that he had sustained damages while IG-88 himself had not. Vader informed the droid that he had information he required and commanded him to lay down his weapons, to which IG-88 replied that Vader would only access his information by downloading it from his severed head. Vader went to attack IG-88, but the droid then took out a remote and used it to slice into Vader's armor, taking control of the Sith Lord. As IG-88 forced Vader to hold his own saber to his head, Vader demanded to know who had given the droid the code to breach his armor.

IG-88 responded that the terms of his employment prevented him from sharing that information. While the droid was distracted, Vader used the Force to take the device from him, allowing him to use it against his attacker. Vader then forced IG-88 to hold his own blaster to his head and pull the trigger, incapacitating him. Vader then continued his fight against the pirates until Bokku's barge fired upon him. Vader blocked the blasts with his lightsaber and redirected the energy at the pirates, knocking them back along with Ochi. As the pirates retreated, Vader took IG-88's hand and used it to access a terminal he had been using earlier. Upon activating the terminal, Vader and Ochi discovered various dead ends that the droid had been chasing, as well as the symbol of crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. After acquiring IG-88's information, Vader returned to Bokku's barge and confronted him over his betrayal. When Vader asked the Hutt what he had learned, Bokku conceded that the Sith Lord could not be defeated.

##### Pursuing Crimson Dawn

Investigating Crimson Dawn's involvement, Vader sent Ochi to Arkanis to gather information on the syndicate. As Ochi prepared to sneak into a bar, Vader told him to walk in the front door instead. After a brief scuffle, Ochi retrieved an invitation sent out by the syndicate and showed it to Vader. He and Vader then returned to Bokku's lair to interrogate him over the invitation. The Hutt revealed that Crimson Dawn was holding an auction for Solo and that Jabba would repurchase him. However, Vader told Bokku that he would bid against Jabba and lose. This would humiliate him and make Jabba lose all fear of him, allowing Bokku to betray him. Once Bokku agreed, Vader and Ochi returned to the Lambda-class shuttle and began to take off. But before they could leave the planet, Vader grabbed Ochi and dropped him from the ship. Once Ochi hit the ground, Vader ordered him to find out who else Bokku was working for. Later that night, Vader observed as Ochi was offered a place in Crimson Dawn by a group of assassins. However, Ochi rejected their offer and managed to eliminate them.

Vader then approached Ochi, who quickly realized that Vader already knew that Bokku was working with Crimson Dawn. He had only wished to test the Ochi's loyalty. As more assassins surrounded them, Ochi reaffirmed he would always obey Vader as long as he remained the most powerful. Vader assured Ochi that he always would be as the two of them set about eliminating the assassins. After discovering that Sly Moore had hired IG-88, Vader and Ochi returned to Coruscant to find her, her court and the rebuilt droid bounty hunter in Administrative Temple Garden 313A. As Vader struck down IG-88 once more, Moore and her court fled into a nearby temple. As they attempted to escape into the streets, Vader used the Force to close the door in front of them. However, Moore then took out another remote and used it to freeze Vader in his own armor, allowing her and her court to open fire on the Sith Lord. But this did not last as Vader overcame the Umbaran's control and struck down her entire court. Moore tried once more to take control of Vader, but Ochi revealed that Vader had fixed that vulnerability in his armor. Vader then knocked the remote out of Moore's hand and told her that she could not bend his will.

Moore responded that she only wanted to see if Vader was still plagued by fear, to which Vader said that the only fear in that place was hers. Moore conceded that he could kill her effortlessly, but also pointed out that doing so would do nothing to save him from Luke Skywalker. When Vader asked the Umbaran what she knew of Skywalker, she stated that the key to finding him, his friend Han Solo was currently being sold by Crimson Dawn. She also pointed out that if she secured Solo for Vader, then the Emperor would not learn of his plans. When Ochi asked Moore why Vader should trust her, the Umbaran answered that she would be delighted to reunite Vader with the only person who could kill him, to which Vader agreed.

##### Auction for Han Solo

Shortly after, Ochi and Sly Moore left with a few Imperial officers to attend the Auction for Han Solo. However, this was merely a ruse to humiliate the Umbaran in the Emperor's eyes. Amidst the bidding, Vader himself arrived at the auction on Jekara along with a pair of death troopers. After cutting down a few Crimson Dawn guards, Vader infiltrated the *Vermillion* just as Crimson Dawn's leader, Lady Qi'ra sold Solo to Jabba the Hutt. Vader then declared that Solo belonged to him. Vader's presence sent Doctor Aphra, who had infiltrated the auction on behalf of the Tagge Corporation with the smuggler Sana Starros, falling to the ground in a brief panic attack, but she managed to escape the room with Starros before the preoccupied Sith Lord could spot her. After his attention was briefly diverted to the sounds of Aphra's panicked fall, he turned his attention back to his mission at hand.

As Vader ordered the death troopers to transport Solo to his flagship, Jabba pointed out that he had already laid claim to the smuggler. Moore attempted to explain the situation, but Vader chastised her for her failure and warned her that the Emperor would hear of it. The Sith Lord then told Jabba that he and everyone else within the Empire belonged to the Emperor, to which Jabba feigned amusement. Vader went on to point out that the Empire could easily replace the Hutts, while also pointing out the fear he could sense in Jabba and the rest of the attending Hutts. When Bokku angrily interrupted, Vader asked Jabba who he was, to which Jabba said that he was no one. Jabba then finally conceded and allowed Solo to be taken with his compliments and regards to the Emperor. As Vader approached Solo, Lady Qi'ra informed him that she would not get in his way, but also still required the one million credits she was promised. When Vader told her she was owed nothing, Qi'ra inquired if the Empire was too poor or cheap to pay its debts. Out of patience, Vader drew out his lightsaber, to which Qi'ra bared her own pair of blades.

As they dueled, Vader recognized that she was no threat to him, yet nonetheless found her level of skill, which included knowledge of the Teräs Käsi fighting form, notable, and recognized Qi'ra's fighting style as that of his master's. When Vader asked her who had trained her, Qi'ra only replied that she had been trained by someone who knew quite a bit about both Vader and his master; in truth, she had been trained by Maul as part of his revenge plot against the Sith. Vader then pointed out that she did not have the Force and warned that her skill would not save her. After a brief struggle, Vader pushed Qi'ra back with the Force, knocking her into Solo. Stating she would pay the price for her foolishness, he raised his lightsaber and prepared to strike her down. But he was suddenly distracted the arrival of Luke Skywalker, whose presence he sensed through the Force.

While Qi'ra retreated, Vader was informed by General Romodi that Piett had established a secure channel to Skywalker's starfighter. Accessing the channel, Vader told Skywalker he had Solo in his possession. He then warned his son that if he did not come to him, then he would cut his friend in half. Skywalker refused however, telling Vader to come to him. Vader conceded to this, ordering Romodi to bring Solo aboard his Star Destroyer and to prepare his fighter.

##### Chase above Jekara

After boarding his TIE Advanced, Vader took off in pursuit of his son. During the chase, Skywalker used his X-wing to kick up a wave of water, which instantly froze and collided with Vader's fighter. Though Vader crashed, he was able to lift his ship out of the water with the Force and resume his pursuit. After freeing his X-wing from a group of pirates, Vader fired at Skywalker, damaging one of his ship's stabilizers and causing him to crash back down onto the planet below. As Vader closed in on Skywalker, he was contacted by Sly Moore. When Vader stated that he did not require her assistance, Moore informed him that she was not helping him. Vader was then attacked by the Droid Crush Pirates, who landed on his ship and began to tear it apart.

After causing some damage to the Sith's fighter, the pirates fell onto Skywalker's X-wing and quickly repaired it for him, allowing him to take off from the planet. As Vader continued his chase while fending off the pirates, he was informed by Ochi that the Hutts were going after the Imperial shuttle transporting Solo. Vader was then contacted by Admiral Piett, who informed him of the Hutts' attack on the *Executor*. However, Vader chastised Piett for disturbing him, claiming that the activities of the Hutts were irrelevant to him. He then warned Piett that if Solo was not aboard his flagship by the time he returned, he would require an explanation in person. Later in the fight, Piett contacted Vader again and told him that he had appraised the Emperor of the situation. Since the Emperor considered the Empire's arrangement with the Hutts to be valuable, he wished for it to be preserved by having Vader eliminate the Grand Hutt Council. Vader conceded to the Emperor's wishes and abandoned his pursuit of Skywalker, reminding his son that he was no Jedi.

Though the boy then claimed that the next time they met, he would be. Vader then boarded the Hutt Council's ship and summarily slaughtered them all, including Bokku. Before his death, Bokku revealed his allegiance to Crimson Dawn and had Gak-Sixtoo blow up their own ship in an attempt to kill Vader, which the Sith survived. With the Hutt Council eliminated, the Hutts ceased their attack on the *Executor* while Fett reclaimed Solo from the Empire and delivered him to Jabba on Tatooine. Shortly after, Vader was informed by Lieutenant Jyala Haydenn that Beilert Valance had infiltrated the *Executor*. He then found Valance trying to escape on a ship and used the Force to pull him from space, rendering him unconscious and taking him prisoner.

### Killing the Dawn

#### Hunting the new menace

"*Crimson Dawn has barely shown its strength. To get this far, it must have agents at every level throughout the Empire. Find these infiltrators, Lord Vader…and show them who is stronger.*"
―Darth Sidious, to Darth Vader
With the Hutts dealt with, Vader returned to the *Executor* to confront Sly Moore, who had been captured by Ochi during the battle. When Moore claimed that the Emperor had wanted Skywalker alive, Vader revealed that the boy had fled from him, showing that he was not who the Emperor believed he could be. When Moore pointed out that Skywalker was still free and could still fight, the Sith Lord choked her and stated that his hope would not be enough. Vader was then contacted by Darth Sidious, prompting him to release the Umbaran and kneel before him. After restating his loyalty to his master, Vader was instructed by Sidious to hunt down and eliminate Crimson Dawn's agents within the Empire. Shortly after, Vader was met on the *Executor* by Romodi, who presented him with all of the troops he would need to destroy Crimson Dawn. Vader then instructed Ochi to meet with the league and inform them that they would be serving him now.

Following Ochi's departure, Vader had Valance repaired and waited for him to awaken. Once he did, he was shocked to find himself restored to his former appearance. When Valance asked Vader what he had done to him, Vader explained that he had had Valance fixed since he would now be serving him. Valance then realized that his heart was gone, to which the Sith informed him that it had been removed and replaced with cybernetics, along with further upgrades to his body. Valance attacked Vader, but Vader cut him in half before leaving him and telling a medical droid to put him back together. Once Valance was repaired, Vader, alongside Haydenn, informed him that he would be assassinating Crimson Dawn's agents within the Empire. For if he did not, the Empire would kill those he cared about.

While he meditated aboard the *Executor*, Vader was informed by Haydenn that Valance had completed his first assignment in killing the alleged Crimson Dawn mole Tarl Sokoli. Vader then revealed that there was no connection between Sokoli and Crimson Dawn. Sokoli had been publicly dissatisfied with the Empire and Vader had decided that killing someone from Valance's childhood would be a good test for the bounty hunter. The Sith then told Haydenn to alert Ochi that Valance was ready to join them.

#### Confronting the Knights of Ren

Vader learned that Zahra's campaign against the Rebellion ended in failure during the Battle of Panisia. Sometime after that engagement, Vader investigated the assassination of the Emperor's Royal Guard on Coruscant, which was secretly carried out in part by Ochi. During the investigation however, he was informed by Vaneé that a band of thieves had infiltrated Fortress Vader. The Dark Lord quickly returned to Mustafar and confronted the intruders in his castle; a group of dark side marauders known as the Knights of Ren, who were secretly working with Crimson Dawn. After Vader killed one of their number, Fyodor, of them with a Force choke, their leader fought him with a lightsaber while the rest of them retreated. The leader said he had taken the blade from his predecessor, from whom he also inherited his name; Ren.

Vader expressed pity for how far the Knights of Ren had fallen before Ren leapt from a window with a device known as the Screaming Key. As Ren gloated below, Vader used the Force to pull the key back up toward his hand, prompting the knights to open fire on him. Ren then pulled the key back down into his own hand before escaping with the knights on speeders. As the knights sped away, Vader stepped outside to study the remains of his slaughtered troops.

#### Rooting out the Dawn

Afterwards, Vader left with Ochi to assist the Empire in hunting down Crimson Dawn agents on various planets, including Vincorba and Calior. While on Vincorba, they fought alongside a group of mercenaries known as the Revengers. With Vader's crew established, Ochi commented that they would serve well as expendable assets, to which Vader reminded him that he was expendable as well. After finishing on Calior, Vader, Ochi, and the Revengers rendezvoused with Valance and a few other assassins on Laecor to continue their hunt. When Valance asked Vader why he was there instead of leading Dark Squadron, the Sith Lord simply told him to do as he was told. As a squad of stormtroopers attempted to move a group of civilians, the civilians refused to comply, prompting the stormtroopers to fire on them. However, Vader then jumped in to deflect their blaster bolts and slaughter them. When Ochi showed confusion over his master's actions, Vader revealed that the stormtroopers served Crimson Dawn. As the group carried on, Vader came upon a statue, which the locals said was of their village guardian who was killed fighting Crimson Dawn.

Upon locating more of the Dawn's agents, Ochi opted to use the Revengers as bait to lure them out of their stronghold. Vader then used the Force to grab Ochi and throw him toward the Revengers, using him as bait as well. As the agents surrounded them, Ochi requested that Vader bomb the stronghold. But Vader refused and instead mounted Gee-Ninety, balancing himself atop the droid as they rolled themselves to the stronghold's front entrance. Vader then stormed the stronghold along with Ochi, who the Sith stopped from killing all of the agents inside. When Ochi expressed more confusion, Vader explained that Crimson Dawn was just a symptom and that he would destroy the disease. He then discovered a layout of every Dawn agent within the Empire, which Ochi and Valance noted went all the way to the top. Following this, Vader and his followers returned to Coruscant. Valance, the assassins, and the Revengers left for the Zanchal Estate while Vader and Ochi left for the Imperial Palace.

Upon entering the Palace, they struck down all of the Royal Guards and aides in the Emperor's throne room, except for Sly Moore. Unfazed by this, Sidious pointed out Vader should have kept one of them alive for questioning. When Vader asked him if they were loyal, Sidious said they were loyal to strength, which Vader showed them. However, only one of them was Crimson Dawn, meaning that Vader's list was flawed. When Sidious questioned if his apprentice already knew that, Vader hesitated before assuring his master that he would bring him order. Vader and Ochi then left for the Zanchal Estate to confront Baron Espis Zanchal for his loyalty to the Dawn. Upon arriving, Vader was thanked by a pair of hostages who the Revengers had rescued from the Baron. As he returned to his shuttle, Vader informed Ochi that the list was a plant, which Vader himself had deduced when Ochi could only confirm that half of the names on it were Crimson Dawn. Vader told Ochi to find out what connected every other person on the list. That way, they would find out who planted it and why.

#### Hidden enemy

Later on the *Executor*, Vader was informed by Ochi that Romodi and his soldiers were not Crimson Dawn after all. However, Ochi warned him that Romodi did not understand the Sith and would come for Vader someday. Stepping out of his chamber, Vader asked Ochi what connected the false names on the list. Ochi revealed that they had all undertaken a mission for Romodi to execute the Amidalans on Naboo. Following this development, Vader and his team of assassins traveled to Tranchar to capture and interrogate Lieutenant Grapa about the mission. After fighting their way through stormtroopers and sentry droids, the assassins discovered civilians being tortured by the Imperials. Gee-Ninety broke from the mission to free the civilians, prompting Vader to destroy the droid as punishment. Vader went on to interrogate Grapa about her mission to kill the Amidalans.

As she claimed to Vader that they were all dead, Tanka blasted her in the head for revenge. Vader then realized that the Imperials had known they were coming. When Vader asked Valance who had sent the droids, Valance confirmed they were from Romodi's command. Vader then remembered that Ochi had spoken with Romodi prior to their departure. When he confronted Ochi with this fact, Ochi tried to stammer out an explanation before giving up and running away while Valance fired at him. After stealing a spare ship, Ochi escaped from Tranchar and eventually arrived on Naboo to meet with Sabé. But as soon as he stepped out of his ship, Vader destroyed it with his TIE Advanced. After landing in front of Ochi and meeting him on the ground, Vader commended him for leading him to Sabé, which Ochi went along with and claimed to have been his plan all along. As Vader confronted Sabé, he took her Crimson Dawn badge from her and claimed that he was the Dawn.

#### Recruiting Sabé

Following this, Vader took Ochi, Sabé, and ZED-6-7 to the carcass of the sando aqua monster he had slain. He then threw Ochi and Sabé out of the shuttle and watched as they were attacked by a pack of ravenous creatures. Ochi attempted to assure Vader of his loyalty, but Vader silenced him and asked Sabé why she believed in Crimson Dawn. As she defended herself, she said that she had merely infiltrated the syndicate. Ochi fought alongside her and claimed he had done the same for the Empire. When Vader asked Sabé if she also intended to serve the Empire, Sabé said she did not as long as the Empire served chaos. Sabé went on to claim that she and Vader wanted the same thing; order.

To this, Vader levitated the creatures with the Force and told Sabé that if she killed one monster, a thousand more would replace it. He then explained that one would have to either make the monsters agree or deal with them all. With that, Vader threw the creatures at a group of long-necked beasts as they sprouted from the ground. Understanding Vader's plan, Sabé brought him to a Crimson Dawn outpost while Ochi returned to the *Executor* to speak with Romodi. Upon arriving at the outpost, Sabé informed the Dawners there that they served Vader now. To this, the Dawners attacked Vader and were easily cut down by the Sith Lord. Vader then had Ochi use Valance and the assassins as bait to draw the remaining Dawners and Romodi's forces to Oro Sankeria. As the Dawners and Imperials fought one another, they were suddenly wiped out by a pulse bomb, thus eliminating many of Vader's enemies. Vader informed Sabé that Crimson Dawn and Romodi feared him now. When he asked Sabé if she was scared, Sabé asked him why she should be scared of his true self, Anakin Skywalker.

Vader responded that Anakin Skywalker was dead. But Sabé revealed that she had deduced Vader's identity from his obsession with order, his investigation into Padmé's death, and Padmé's final words at Polis Massa. When Vader drew his lightsaber and asked Sabé what she wanted, she claimed she wanted to help him achieve order. She went on to explain that when Skywalker never returned to Tatooine to free his mother, she and Tonra secretly worked in her honor to free enslaved people and smuggle them from Tatooine to a colony on Gabredor III. Now, the colony was being exploited and neglected by the corrupt Governor Tauntaza, who was in league with Crimson Dawn. Sabé told Vader that if he helped her save the refugees, he would get the chance to destroy another Crimson Dawn cell and prove that Padmé was right about him. To this, Vader withdrew his lightsaber and accepted Sabé's proposal. He then warned her that she alone was responsible for where her path took her before they silently boarded the shuttle and left for Gabredor III.

#### Familiar faces

As they approached the planet, they were met by Tauntaza's flagship. When Vader asked ZED-6-7 if the ship's crew had detected them, the droid said they had not yet. Vader then told him to take them to the planet's surface. Sabé suggested summoning the *Executor*, but Vader said they would first visit the colony to see if she was telling the truth. Once they landed at the colony, they stepped out of the ship as ZED-6-7 introduced Vader to the refugees and asked to see their protocol droid. Since their protocol droid had long broken down, ZED-6-7 instead spoke with their astromech droid Em-Sevenbee. The droid and two of the refugees then confirmed Sabé's story. The pair of refugees then showed off a terrestrial vehicle they had built, inspired by their earlier lives on Tatooine. When Vader asked the refugees for their names, they introduced themselves as Kitster and Wald; Skywalker's childhood friends.

When Kitster asked Vader if they could do anything for him, Vader told them they could do nothing. He then sensed that the surrounding land was disturbed, to which ZED-6-7 explained that it was currently suffering from drought. When another refugee claimed things would get better once the clouds came back, Vader said they would only get worse as they were attacked by a pack of clawed beasts. While Vader and Sabé fought off the creatures, a few of them surrounded Kitster and Wald. Vader then leapt in and cut them down, saving the refugees. Kitster thanked Vader as the Sith Lord silently walked away. Sabé then asked Vader if he had seen enough and told him it was time to take out Tauntaza. However, Vader told Sabé she was not ready, since the refugees had ignored her order to stay back and put themselves in danger. He then told her that if she wanted them to live, they would have to obey her. Afterwards, Vader had Sabé don a set of Imperial equipment and recruited her into the Imperial Military under the rank of Lieutenant Commander, granting her authority over all the forces he gathered.

He then ordered an Imperial officer to open a channel to the *Executor*. When the officer reported that Tauntaza's ship was blocking their communications, Vader ordered for his shuttle to be prepared. He and his team then traveled to the governor's facility and proceeded to fight their way towards the governor. After cutting down a few repurposed battle droids, Vader was confronted by Tauntaza, who briefly subdued the Sith Lord with a life-draining weapon. Vader's team was then attacked by more battle droids and a few Crimson Dawn assassins. Once Vader recovered, he Force-choked Ochi for allowing the governor to escape. Ochi explained that he was assisting Vader, to which Vader asked Ochi if he thought Tauntaza's weapon could destroy him. Sabé then told Vader that it might have, prompting Vader to release Ochi and meet with one of the weapon's designers, Doctor Aira. Aira explained that the technology had been used to raze the planet Karolia and expressed remorse over not having known what the technology would be used for. As Sabé reassured the rest of the regretful designers, Vader seized Ochi's speeder and left to find the governor.

Catching up to Tauntaza and her escorts, Vader blocked a blast from one of her battle droids before reaching her at her escape ship. As the ship took off, Vader used the Force to hold it and destroy its interior controls. However, the ship's powerful engines ultimately allowed the governor to make her escape. Using a pair of Imperials as a diversion, Vader boarded Tauntaza's flagship and fought off more battle droids and Imperials before confronting the one in charge. When Vader asked where Tauntaza was, the Imperial claimed there had been a misunderstanding and recommended that the Sith reconsider his "hostile stance". Vader then had the ship's crew open a channel to his own ship and ordered Piett to lock onto the governor's flagship. After giving Piett the order to destroy the ship unless countermanded, Vader asked the Imperial again for the governor's location. Upon learning the location, Vader returned to his shuttle and flew toward the facility where she was hiding, only to be met by a sandstorm generated by the facility.

Despite the pilots' warnings, Vader told them to continue approaching the facility while he held the ship together with the Force. A lightning bolt then struck the ship, causing it to crash into the forest. Once Vader stepped out of the wreckage, he was met by Ochi, who he asked for Sabé's location. Ochi reported that the storm had taken her and a colonist claimed that the storm would kill them all. When Vader asked the colonist if they had any ships, he said the only ship that had not been confiscated or destroyed was Kitster's racer. When the colonist said that only Kitster could drive it, Vader said they would see as he approached the racer. ZED-6-7 told Vader that he could not trace Sabé or the other colonists, to which Vader told the droid he would command his assistance if he required it. Faced with numerous flashbacks to his past, Vader then boarded the racer and sped off into the storm. While deflecting debris with his lightsaber, Vader located Kitster on the ground alongside a large tank. Landing next to him, Vader asked Kitster where Sabé was. Kitster explained that she was trapped beneath the tank and that he had been trying to move it. Once Vader lifted the tank off of Sabé, the three of them were overwhelmed by the surrounding storm. Vader then contacted Piett and ordered him to have the *Executor* fire on his location.

When Piett warned that would incinerate everyone and everything within range, Vader choked him with the Force, prompting him to open fire. The resulting bombardment destroyed the tank and dissipated the storm. After cutting himself out from the remains of the tank, Vader took Sabé from Kitster and carried her into the distance. Eventually, the three of them returned to the colonists and Vader ordered Piett to open fire on Tauntaza's facility. However, the blasts were deflected by a shield, which ZED-6-7 explained was drawing energy from the planet. Despite Ochi's doubts, Vader remained certain the fortress possessed a weakness and, when ZED-6-7 revealed that the facility's underside was unshielded, took Em-Sevenbee with him to the facility. While he defeated more monsters on his way there, Vader placed his lightsaber within the astromech's dome. Once they arrived at the facility, he had the droid fire the lightsaber upwards into the unshielded underbelly. Vader then used the Force to guide the lightsaber through the facility, disabling the weapon and carving an entrance for himself. With the shield down, Vader entered the facility and struck down Tauntaza's soldiers.

However, he was then met by Tauntaza herself, wearing a suit of powerful armor. Tauntaza used the suit's arm cannon to fire at Vader. As he blocked the beam with his lightsaber, Vader told the governor she could not contain the power she was wielding. To this, Tauntaza accused Vader of having no control over his own power before he destroyed her arm cannon. Tauntaza then flew away as the facility exploded, leaving Vader severely injured without any power left in his suit. Sabé soon found Vader and begrudgingly restored his suit's power, allowing them to walk back to the colony. Once they returned, they learned from ZED-6-7 that Tauntaza had been receiving her orders from the Emperor himself. When Vader asked Sabé why she was smiling, she said she now knew why she had saved him. Returning to his fortress, Vader healed in his bacta tank, but broke it in anger upon remembering Sabé's words about the good still in him.

Later, Vader boarded the *Executor* and was met by Valance, Haydenn, and the Revengers. Vader chastised them for being early, to which Valance demanded to know why they were there. Vader then used the Force to fix Valance's collar, saying he expected those who served him to be held to a certain standard. Haydenn claimed that Valance had the team operating at peak efficiency. To this, Vader said they would get a chance to prove their loyalty and advised Valance to channel his energies in a less self-destructive manner. When Valance asked what their mission was, Piett explained that they had been selected to protect a medicine shipment to Bestine IV from Crimson Dawn. Vader warned the mercenaries not to disappoint him as he would be watching before they left for their mission. Vader then met with Sabé and asked her about Tauntaza's location. When she said Ochi was searching for the governor, Vader asked her what she advised they do. To this, Sabé told Vader he should do what he always did: directly confront the problem.

#### Return to Skako Minor

Following Sabé's counsel, Vader and Sabé arrived at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant aboard a *Lambda*-class shuttle to confront Sidious. As the two were unexpected, one of Palpatine's advisors tried to stop the Dark Lord, but Vader only reacted by throwing the advisor against a wall before making his way into the Emperor's throne room. Although his two present Royal Guards pointed their Force pikes at Vader, Sidious reacted by calmly asking Vader what his heart told him. Vader proceeded to hold Sabé in the air with the Force as Sidious laughed and claimed to her that she had only reminded Vader, who was remembering moments of his past at the same time, of his weakness. Dropping her, Vader refused to assist Sabé as the Emperor had his Royal Guards attempt to destroy her. Once she outwitted them in combat, Sidious killed the guards in anger and, seeing her worth as an agent, allowed Sabé to continue working with Vader.

As they returned to their shuttle, Vader and Sabé were informed by ZED-6-7 of their next mission. Jul Tambor, the grandson of Wat Tambor, was working to overthrow the pro-Imperial regime on Skako Minor through a nationalist uprising. According to Imperial intelligence, Tambor had also enlisted pirates to blockade the planet and stockpile technology to be used against the Empire. As such, their mission was to end the Skakoan's uprising and restore Imperial control over Skako Minor. In truth, Tambor had known he would have to face Vader as part of his crusade. Over the course of the last six years, the Skakoan had worked to collect and reassemble droids who had been killed by Vader, thereby allowing him to analyze their databanks to study Vader's moves. Amongst the droids he reassembled were B1 battle droids, B2 super battle droids, and Gee-Ninety. Tambor was very confident that he would be able to kill Vader.

Upon reaching the planet, Vader and Sabé discovered a crashed commercial transport from Corellia. ZED-6-7 explained that the ship had been boarded and those inside were killed by the planet's poisonous atmosphere. As they traversed the terrain, Vader killed a pack of cliff worms, saving a group of pirates. When he noticed a pile of corpses on the ground, he struck down the pirates, while Sabé hesitated and allowed one of them to escape. When Vader asked her if the pirates deserved mercy, Sabé admitted she didn't know who did anymore. Vader reminded her that she was his shadow now and she said they would need one of the pirates alive in order to locate Tambor. To this, Vader instructed Sabé to follow the surviving pirate and find Tambor while he took care of the rest.

#### Confronting Valance

Upon learning that Valance had betrayed the Empire, Vader boarded the *Righteous Fist* and had Haydenn accompany him as he approached the surface of Bestine IV in his shuttle. Once they landed, Vader and Haydenn confronted Valance and the rest of the *Edgehawk'*s crew. Drawing his lightsaber, Vader told Valance that his desertion would not be tolerated. Charging into battle, Valance told Vader that he regretted ever serving the Empire. As they fought, Vader took note of Valance's power, which he regarded as proof Valance was a waste of potential. Once he was beaten into submission, Valance said that the planet's people would still be free of the Empire. However, Vader revealed that Valance had doomed them as his forces bombed the locals, as well as his troops.

Ignoring Valance's chastisation of his lack of care for his own, Vader prepared to strike Valance down, but Haydenn insisted on finishing the job herself to make up for her previous failures, which Vader allowed. Valance tried to convince Haydenn to leave the Empire with him, but Haydenn blasted him in the face and sent him falling over the edge of the cliff. Before leaving the planet, Vader contacted Haydenn and ordered her to send in a group of Imperials to hunt Valance down in case he survived. To accomplish this task, Vader personally selected Inferno Squad.

#### Finding the Fermata Cage

As Sabé searched for Jul Tambor, Vader was called to the Imperial Palace by Sidious. Upon meeting with his master, Vader was informed by Sidious that the Sith had an enemy, claiming that recent attacks were part of a coordinated campaign of diversion. Sidious then called in Director Barsha to report on his current investigation. Barsha reported this his division within the ISB had learned of a rumor that the major crime syndicates were vying to obtain the Hutts' long-standing arrangement with the Empire. However, the rumor was coming from a single source: Crimson Dawn. As they walked through the Palace halls, Vader agreed that Crimson Dawn had orchestrated the Syndicate War but pondered how deep its influence went.

Sidious went on to state that they had orchestrated the other attacks as well, saying that Crimson Dawn had targeted the Sith. He then asked Vader about the syndicate's leader, Qi'ra, who Vader fought and failed to acquire Solo from. Vader told Sidious that while Qi'ra had not been a true threat to him, she was trained in Teräs Käsi and possessed a fighting style which reminded Vader of his master's. From this, Sidious and Vader deduced that, since Qi'ra wallowed in the criminal underworld, she must have been trained by Maul. Sidious then concluded that Maul must have trained Qi'ra to use her as an instrument of revenge and went on to ponder what else he had taught her. With the Sith aware of Crimson Dawn's role in recent events, an alert was sent out the rest of the Imperial Military to track down the *Vermillion*, which made Qi'ra order her assets in the Empire and other major factions to sow chaos across the galaxy to further distract the Sith. With the Screaming Key they had stolen from Vader, the Knights of Ren, meanwhile, traveled to a location known as the dark side hellscape, a location unknown to Vader and Sidious, alongside "the Archivist" on orders from Qi'ra to retrieve an artifact known as the Fermata Cage.

Vader was amongst Palpatine's tools in the crusade to root out Dawn agents across the Empire. During his effort to destroy the Dawn, Vader bisected a traitorous stormtrooper in an industrial environment. At one point, Vader nevertheless returned to his castle on Mustafar, where he was called by the Eye of Webbish Bog. Upon entering the Eye's cave, the Eye showed Vader a moment from the Clone Wars, where he, Yoda, and their clones had fought B1 battle droids, and glimpses of the future, including one of him being confronted by Amidala's surviving handmaidens. Vader then realized that he had been lured there as a test before being attacked by Mustafarians. After killing them, Vader claimed that the Eye had wasted his time with puzzles. To this, the Eye explained that the visions were warnings for the end of everything. When Vader asked why he should care, the Eye reminded Vader that he was a part of everything, but, if he refused to accept this, he could not be helped. Just as the Eye had shown him, Vader, with his helmet slightly damaged, returned to his fortress and, after sensing a great disturbance in the dark side, was contacted by Sidious to discuss the disturbance.

Informed by Sidious that Qi'ra claimed to possess the Fermata Cage, Vader was ordered to find the artifact and kill anyone who knew of it. Sidious also told Vader about Qi'ra's central claim about the artifact: it contained an ancient Sith Lord who was so powerful they had needed to be locked away. In truth, no such Sith Lord existed; Qi'ra simply needed a claim that would draw both Sith to the Cage, allowing her to lock them both into it and free the galaxy from their rule. Her initial effort to open the cage, however, had resulted in the Knights of Ren abandoning Crimson Dawn out anger at being hurt in the attempt and out of fear of the ripple it sent out. Vader made his way to the site of the disturbance, where he only found wreckage from the experiment. Although he was certain it was the origin of the disturbance, he deduced, due to a lack of bodies, that no Sith Lord had been released. Vader then returned to the *Executor* and reported his findings to Sidious via its holoprojection chamber.

Declaring he would continue his mission to locate the Cage, Vader then asked Sidious if there truly was an ancient Sith within it. Sidious explained it was possible, noting that the Cage was built by Darth Momin to imprison people and places outside of time. He declared that the mere possibility of the ancient Sith existing was the greatest danger to everything they had built together because of the urge all Sith felt to dominate. Amid their conversation, the two suddenly felt the Cage begin to open once more as the Archivist and her assistant, archaeologist Kho Phon Farrus, tried to use Ascendant-designed technology to focus nearby dark side energy into it. Although Farrus shut off their technology as the Cage began to leach life energy from them both, the experiment had carried on for long enough that Sidious was able to track the disturbance to the planet both were on. Sidious sent Vader to retrieve the Cage and destroy those present.

#### The Orphans

Once the *Executor* arrived at the planet, Vader, intending to handle the situation on his own, ordered Piett to prepare his *Lambda*-class T-4a shuttle and landed at the seemingly-deserted site with two stormtroopers. In the vicinity of the artifact, while he could not single out the presence of the supposed ancient Sith, Vader sensed a great deal of dark side power from the Fermata Cage. Vader discovered the Archivist and Kho Phon Farrus trying to hide beneath the remains of their machine. In Vader's presence, the Archivist found that the Sith Lord radiated a dark energy. While Farrus, having been warned of Vader by their rival Doctor Aphra, quickly surrendered, the Archivist refused, so Vader began to choke both Dawn agents with the Force. However, he was interrupted by the arrival of Chanath Cha and her Orphans, consisting of Sear, Ladybright, and Imara Vex. When Cha asked Vader if he remembered her, Vader simply stated that he would kill her as he bared his lightsaber.

Cha went on to introduce herself, explaining that Vader had slaughtered her family and that she had spent every day since then plotting her revenge. Vader quickly forgot her name once more before the Orphans attacked. After being electrocuted by Ladybright and burned by one of Cha's acid bombs, Vader pushed the Orphans back and walked into the ocean to recover. Once he did, he returned to the shore and saw Ladybright, Vex, Pharrus and the Archivist fleeing for the *Siroto*. When Vader mentioned Qi'ra's death to Cha and Sear, he sensed their confusion and lack of fear, indicating that Qi'ra was still alive. As he fought Cha and Sear, he chastised them for their arrogance and prepared to strike Cha down, only for Vex to snipe off one of his hands, prompting him to tip over the *Siroto* with the Force and throw Vex into the forest. With Vex severely injured, Ladybright, Pharrus and the Archivist fled in the *Siroto* before returning to assist Cha and Sear. However, the *Siroto* then turned back around and left the planet, much to Cha's relief. With Sear and Vex defeated, Vader twisted Cha's introduction of herself by re-introducing himself and stabbed her through the chest.

With Cha dead, Vader left the planet to find Qi'ra and reunited with his master. Both traveled a dark, smoky location, where Sidious asked Vader if he actually felt the presence of an ancient Sith Lord in the Cage. With Vader admitting he only felt intense dark side power from it, he engaged Sidious in a sparring duel, the first they had engaged in in some time, at his master's request, allowing Sidious to explain how he would enforce the Rule of Two if another Sith Lord indeed existed. After Sidious pushed back Vader with a final strike and declared the duel over, Vader made one last rush at his master before stopping when his master repeated their duel was over. Declaring to his apprentice that they had no choice but to follow the ripple in the Force caused by the next opening of the Fermata Cage, Sidious took the moment to admit Qi'ra, whom he admitted had laid a beautiful trap, would be missed as he and Vader looked across the location.

Qi'ra attempted to sure up her chances by reaching out the Knights of Ren, reminding them that they had attacked Vader's fortress and thus would be hunted by the Sith for the rest of their lives if they did not help her destroy Vader and Palpatine. Around the same time, the Spark Eternal artificial intelligence, created thousands of years prior for use against the Sith by the Ascendant cult, resolved to hunt down Vader. The AI had taken over Doctor Aphra's body to carry out its mission, further collecting 0-0-0 and BT-1 to help in its quest. When Aphra used a virus she had installed into the two droids to regain control of her body, the Spark introduced, much to Aphra's horror, their Sith hunting mission against Vader. By possessing Aphra, it had access to her memories of Vader and saw how she considered the Sith Lord a monster, but the AI believed itself ready to take on the Sith Lord and his master. Because Aphra had once outmaneuvered Vader, the overconfident Spark thought itself skilled enough to engage him in one-on-one combat. In fact, Qi'ra contacted the Spark to request its help in destroying the Sith.

#### Destroying the Dawn

The Archivist moved the Fermata Cage and the equipment needed to finally open it to an ancient Amaxine space station in the Outer Rim, where the Cage could feed off the plant life and dark side energy left behind by the ancient Drengir beings. Sensing the disturbance in the Force caused by the opening of the Cage, Sidious and Vader, just as Sidious said they would need to in the name of enforcing the Rule of Two, followed the disturbance aboard the *Executor* with a fleet of Star Destroyers at their back. The Sith Lords and their forces reached the station shortly into the opening process. Overlooking the station from the *Executor*'s bridge, Vader found himself with overwhelming desire to board the station and meet the possible Sith, hoping to test himself against that Sith Lord's power no matter if he survived the encounter. Able to sense his apprentice's wish, Sidious felt the same but declared it a foolish desire and ordered the *Executor* to destroy the station.

Before the *Executor* could fire, the warship's crew detected an entire enemy fleet emerging from hyperspace. While Vader initially assumed it was the Rebel Alliance, the force was Qi'ra's secret Dawn Fleet, which targeted the *Executor*'s long-range weapons, thereby forcing the *Executor* to divert power to its shield batteries and delay the Emperor's order to destroy the station. With his master unwilling to take any chances, Vader boarded a *Lambda*-class T-4a shuttle with Sidious and an escort of death troopers and Emperor's Royal Guards, flying through the space battle under the escort of crimson TIE interceptors. As their troops engaged with Dawn soldiers who had set up a parameter in the hangar, Sidious and Vader disembarked from their shuttle into the station, which was filled with dark side energy that Sidious could tell was not all related to the Fermata Cage. Unsure of what they would find, the two Sith Lords led the charge with the mission to totally destroy the Dawn.

Leading from the front, Vader and Sidious fought their way through the station. As the two Sith could deflect blaster bolts with their lightsabers, Dawn Squads Two and Three attempted to engage Sidious and Vader with electrified melee weapons, but both Sith effortlessly fought through the guards. Still, Vader toyed with one soldier until Sidious ordered him to stop and simply kill them. As they journeyed closer to the Cage, Sidious revealed to Vader that the weapon was never used lightly by their Sith forebears, but they were confronted by the Spark Eternal-possessed Aphra before they could see what the Cage contained. As the Spark mocked the two Sith, Vader deduced Aphra was under some kind of possession and stayed behind to deal with her while Sidious carried on. Believing she could weaken him, the overconfident Spark engaged Vader with the cortosis alloy-based Null Blade, which would temporarily shut down lightsabers.

To the Spark, the battle represented a chance to finally fulfill the dream of its long-dead creator, Miril, by destroying the Sith Order, even if the battle proved too much for Aphra's body. The blades of Vader and the possessed Aphra clashed several times, thereby shorting out the Sith Lord's lightsaber. While the Spark at that moment thought it was ready to destroy Vader and jumped at him, Vader effortlessly excised the Spark from Aphra's body with a Force push as a group of new arrivals watched: Aphra's former lover Sana Starros had gathered a crew of Aphra's friends and loved ones to rescue her from the Spark. Unknown to Vader, who declared the Spark to be a weak enemy, he had effectively ended the dream of the Ascendant cult by defeating its main weapon, having done so without much effort as well. After a terrified Aphra awoke under Vader and escaped as the opening Cage sent out a ripple, Vader elected to return to his master's side rather than hunt down his former ally. With Vader out of sight, the Spark attempted to possess Aphra once more, but the intervention of Farrus, Starros, and another one of Aphra's ex-lovers, Magna Tolvan, saved her.

Vader took his place at an eager Sidious's side as the Cage finally opened. However, only a small disc without any connection to the Force fell out: inside, there had been nothing of interest to the Sith and no secret Sith Lord. Watching from afar aboard each of their starships, the Archivist and Qi'ra prepared to shut the Cage, encasing Vader and Sidious in a time-lock. Qi'ra intended to recover the Cage with the two Sith trapped inside and throw their prison into a star. However, it was at that moment that cannon shots from beyond the space battle suddenly broke into the station and destroyed the Cage: while it remained physically together, the Cage's time-lock collapsed, freeing the two Sith from its grasp but sending a Force Wave out across the galaxy. The cannon shots had come from the *Night Buzzard*, personal transport of the Knights of Ren: although Ren had watched Vader and Sidious fall victim to Qi'ra's plan from a distance, he believed Sidious would ultimately find his way out of the Cage and thus believed the only way to save his crew was to align themselves with the Sith.

The wave sent out by the collapse of the Cage wiped out much of the Dawn Fleet, giving the Imperials a chance to wipe out the Dawn forces as an escaping Qi'ra gave a retreat order. As they collected the destroyed but intact Fermata Cage, both Sidious and Vader sensed the great rending in the Force sent out by its collapse, with Sidious admitting it made his grasp on the Force tenuous. As the Spark Eternal hid within the disc dropped by the Cage, Sidious and Vader came face-to-face with the Knights of Ren, who revealed themselves as having saved the Sith in return for mercy. Sidious, however, responded with a blast of Force lightning to punish the Knights, promising that whatever was left of the group would be put to excellent use. Still, Sidious declared the Knights' future a small matter and ordered Vader to depart with him. In the aftermath of the Crimson Dawn war, the syndicate was shattered while the defeated Qi'ra fled into hiding. The effects of the Force Wave varied at different times: Force-sensitives could find themselves with a limited connection to the Force at one time but could wield great power when the Wave returned. Vader came to fear the great energy provided by the Force Wave because he could not control it.

### Darth Vader and Commander Sabé

#### Reunion with the Handmaidens

As the Force Wave vanished for the time being, Vader returned to the *Executor* and meditated, reflecting on Kenobi's words that only a Sith dealt in absolutes and declaring that no one in the galaxy should forget his allegiance. Afterward, Vader had Piett contact the recently-returned Ochi, who had returned to the *Executor* with Sabé, to bring Sabé into a room aboard the ship. Within, Vader had also summoned Sabé's recently assigned personal guards, stormtroopers KA-336 and KV-222; both troopers had broken protocol by openly speaking about her classified assignment, with Vader demanding the woman before him kill them both with a nearby E-11 blaster rifle as punishment. In truth, Vader suspected that the woman was not Sabé, but another of Amidala's surviving handmaidens, and was testing that theory. Vader also created a struggle when he urged the troopers to also run for the blaster. "Sabé" grabbed it first and fired at them, injuring both but leaving them alive. This confirmed Vader's suspicion that this was not Sabé and instead another handmaiden, Dormé. Lifted into the air via a Force choke, Dormé claimed that Sabé wouldn't have killed them, which Vader declared meant Dormé did not know Sabé at all.

Upon realizing that Ochi had helped her get inside as part of a scheme get rid of Sabé, whom Ochi saw as a rival, Vader threw Ochi into a wall and told Dormé that Sabé served him willingly. Dormé denied Vader's claim, saying Sabé was the best of them. To this, Vader brought her to a hangar and told her she should follow Sabé's lead by claiming the same power. When Ochi advised against this, Vader tossed him aside, saying he simply needed her to serve his purpose. Dormé stated once again that neither she nor Sabé would serve Vader. Vader then said they would see before he took her aboard a *Lambda*-class T-4a shuttle and traveled to the planet Fedalle.

Shortly after, Dormé's fellow handmaidens Eirtaé, Saché, and Rabé Tonsort arrived on the planet. When Dormé insisted they go after Sabé instead, the handmaidens told her they wouldn't leave her as they engaged Vader in combat. Despite their coordination, the handmaidens were subdued by Vader, who gave them one final chance to join him. However, Saché revealed that Eirtaé had seized codes from Vader's suit during the fight, allowing the handmaidens to complete Dormé's sabotage of the *Executor*. Before they could destroy Vader's flagship, which would kill thousands in the name of rescuing Sabé and defeating Vader, Vader declared they were just as bloodthirsty as he needed them to be to join him. However, he was contacted by Piett, who showed him a transmission from Tambor. After arriving on the planet Brentaal IV, Sabé had confronted Tambor while he was helping out a village of exiled Skakoans, urging him not to go up against Vader and declaring that the Sith Lord had only grown more dangerous since her own failed efforts on Polis Massa. She was certain that Tambor's efforts against Vader would fail and that the Sith Lord would slaughter the hundreds of Skakoans on Brentaal IV in retaliation.

Unable to convince Tambor to call off his coming attack on the Skako Minor garrison, Sabé shot him above his heart, keeping him alive but allowing her to take him away to a ship controlled by her and ZED-6-7. Aboard, Tambor listened to her reasoning about the danger Vader posed and declared that it was time to kill the Sith Lord, capturing Sabé after his rebuilt droids reached the starship. After showing Sabé video footage of Vader, Tambor sent his hologram to Vader, in which he revealed her capture and baited him to come after him. While fully aware of the Sith Lord's ruthlessness and not doubting Vader's willingness to slaughter his refugee camp in retaliation, the Skakoan had come to believe that Sabé was Vader's weakness, which would finally give him an advantage over the Dark Lord. On Fedalle, realizing they would need Vader and his forces to stage a daring rescue, the handmaidens reluctantly joined Vader to go after Tambor, much to Ochi's annoyance. The group returned returned to the *Executor* aboard his Lambda shuttle and eventually left for Brentaal IV.

#### Corrupting Sabé

Upon reaching Brentaal IV via a *Lambda*-class shuttle with the handmaidens and ZED-6-7, Vader reflected on his last meeting with Amidala on Mustafar and how he wished it had gone, privately declaring to himself he would finally have his idealized outcome. He also saw it as a way to have his idealized version of the duel on Bespin, privately comparing the situation to him reaching out to Luke Skywalker. Entering a building on-world, Vader and the handmaidens were met by Moore, who explained with Vader how each of the handmaidens could benefit from serving the Empire and the Sith Lord. When none of the four agreed to his demands, he telekinetically threw all four outside through an opening created by Tambor's forces, who had tracked down the Sith Lord and his reluctant allies, and forced them to fight the B1 battle droid horde alone. To Vader, the battle was a chance for the handmaidens to earn their places at his side and show them their own power. Overlooking their victory, Vader remained silent as Moore declared it an example of their skills, which she promised would only grow under Vader's service.

Shortly thereafter, Eirtaé discovered from one of the B1's memory banks that Tambor's command ship, in which she learned Sabé was being held, was three klicks to the south of their position. However, Tambor, ignoring Sabé's continued pleas that Vader would wipe out his refugee camp if he continued, sent three platoons of B1s and a Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry to attack a civilian village, hoping it would trap his enemies into the village's canyon and let him escape with Sabé. Both Vader and Moore understood the attack was a trap, with Vader declaring it an example of the weakness that the handmaidens would need to overcome. When the handmaidens demanded that Vader assist them in aiding the populace, Vader elected to use them as a distraction, effectively turning them into his pawns so he could get to and corrupt Sabé, and teach them another lesson: as they fought the B1 horde, he could slip past the droids' lines, leaving the handmaidens to seize their true potential against a major enemy. Riding into battle on speeder bikes, Vader cut down the gunship but left the handmaidens to the droids, cutting into Tambor's ship to save Sabé and confront the revolutionary.

Inside Tambor's ship, Vader took position in front of Sabé's cage but was met by the rebuilt Gee-Ninety, who fired upon the Dark Lord before releasing magnetic spheres. Having deduced that Vader would attack with brute force, Tambor and the droid had created the spheres specifically to immobilize him via electrocution. However, the handmaidens then arrived and used Eirtaé's own magnetic devices to force down the spheres, although Tambor and Gee-Ninety managed to flee by detaching the room from the rest of the ship while Vader recovered. The Sith Lord maintained that he had not betrayed the handmaidens, instead declaring that he had granted them a chance to claim their true power, before Force choking Eirtaé and Dormé against the wall. Both had just released Sabé from her cage and begged her to leave Vader's service, but Vader offered her a chance at creating order instead of allowing the innocent-attacking Tambor to run free. As he made the offer and the handmaidens begged Sabé to turn back, Vader remembered his lived and idealized versions of the meeting with Amidala on Mustafar and with his son on Bespin.

Sabé almost took Vader's hand, but was tackled and pulled out of the room by Dormé while Eirtaé and Saché provided covering fire against Vader. Vader drew his lightsaber and pursued the handmaidens outside, only for the group to take Sabé into the air with Eirtaé's antigravity devices to an overhead Star Commuter 2000 as Vader watched on. The ship was in fact being piloted by Ochi, who had made a deal with the handmaidens that they would convince Sabé to abandon Vader to make sure he would never see any of them again. However, Sabé believed her handmaiden sisters did not have the tools needed to put a stop to Tambor's campaign, deciding the only way to save the civilians Tambor was on the cusp of attacking was to join Vader's violent crusade. She also decided that, by staying with Vader, she could continue to bring about Amidala's declaration that good existed in Anakin Skywalker. Bidding her fellow handmaidens goodbye, Sabé detached her antigrav device to fall back to Vader, who guided her to the ground with the Force. While a force of stormtroopers had arrived via a *Lambda*-class T-4a shuttle and were firing upon the escaping Star Commuter, Vader called their assault off, declaring that the incident was over before walking back to the shuttle with Sabé at his side.

The following day, returning to the *Executor* and receiving an update on Tambor's gunships, Vader made it clear to Piett that the campaign against Tambor was under Sabé's command. Ordering her own shuttle be prepared for departure, Sabé enginneered the downfall of Tambor without even killing the Skakoan; contacting the revolutionary, she claimed that twelve Skakoan refugees, whom were actually in the same room as her, were imprisoned with Vader and his forces in the abandoned village of Kantiema, which Tambor quickly bombed. Seeing that the man they thought would protect them was willing to throw away their lives and then brag about his coming rule, the people of Skako Minor quickly abandoned Tambor's crusade. With that, the Empire granted all his refugees amnesty and began an armistice process on Skako Minor. After Tambor's droid army was wiped out, Sabé reported her success to Vader, who meditated and accepted her rational for not killing Tambor, as doing so would have made the Skakoan a martyr and cost hundreds of lives. Still, Vader felt the need to correct her by claiming they were bringing order, not mere peace.

He also inquired to her about how she felt about the power at her fingers, telling her she would continue to grow stronger as she remained in his service. However, Sabé remained convinced that her fellow handmaidens, dismissed by Vader as weak, had only left because they did not know he was Anakin Skywalker. Before leaving the room, Sabé declared it meant she was the only one present who had to lose their soul by staying under his command. Feeling a pain and losing control of the Force, Vader declared to himself that Sabé was wrong in thinking she was the only one who had to lose their soul in return for the future they were working towards. Feeling a great anger, Vader was unable to control the Force as his rage began to tear apart the *Executor*.

### Redemption

#### Gambit in the Endor system

Per his master's plan to counter the Alliance operation that sought to destroy the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station Vader was sent to the Endor system to notify Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod of the Emperor's arrival, and that he was to complete its construction on time, even if he needed more men. Indeed, the Emperor arrived weeks later and was greeted by Vader, Jerjerrod, hundreds of officers and stormtroopers lined up to honor him. Satisfied with the Death Star's state, the Emperor sensed Vader's wish to continue his search for his son, but told him to have patience, much to Vader's displeasure. Nevertheless he complied, and remained on the *Executor* despite intelligence reports of the Alliance Fleet massing near Sullust. During his stay on the Super Star Destroyer, the Rebel shuttle *Tydirium* requested permission to land on the forest moon of Endor; Vader allowed it sensing Luke's presence in it.

Restless after sensing his son, Vader returned to his master's side and reported the shuttle's arrival and his son's presence with it. The Emperor allowed him to land on Endor at the shield generator base, where he was to await Luke, who according to the Emperor, would come to him. He complied with his orders and landed on Endor with the *Lambda*-class T-4a shuttle *ST 321*; as predicted by Sidious, during the night Luke surrendered himself in an attempt to talk to him and bring him back to the light side. Although Vader complimented his son's skills with the Force and his skills in building a lightsaber, he refused his son's pleas. Rebuffed, Luke said his father's identity as Anakin Skywalker was "truly dead" as Vader sent Luke to the Emperor.

#### One last duel

Vader escorted his son to the Death Star and into the Emperor's throne room. Shortly afterward, the Alliance Fleet arrived to find that the SLD-26 planetary shield generator was still operational and protecting the Death Star. As the battle between the Imperial and Rebel fleets raged, and the Endor strike team sought to destroy the Endor base, the Emperor tempted Luke to give in to his anger. In a moment of weakness, Luke lashed out, but Vader stopped his strike and dueled him once again. Throughout the duel, the two seemed to be evenly matched, but Vader was not trying to kill Luke, only to lead him closer to the dark side. This succeeded when Luke used the dark side to overwhelm his father and kick him down several stairs. When the Emperor told him to use his anger again, Luke realized what he had done and took a more defensive position. Eventually, Vader telepathically sensed the existence of his daughter and Luke's twin sister, Leia, and threatened to corrupt her instead. Only then did his son lose control and viciously attack him, cutting Vader's right hand off and knocking him down.

Vader was then betrayed by the Emperor, who demanded Luke to finish Vader and take Vader's place at his side. Vader waited for Luke to kill him, as it was the way of the Sith to destroy the weak, and believed that Luke would replace him, just like Vader had replaced Dooku decades earlier. Luke, realizing that he was becoming what he sought to destroy, threw his lightsaber aside and declared himself a Jedi, just as Anakin Skywalker had been before him. Infuriated, the Emperor unleashed continuous streams of Force lightning against Luke, intending to torture him to death. Luke begged Vader to save him. Vader knew that his son would die, viewing it as the price Luke would pay for his weakness. However, he began to question whether it was really weakness, since Luke had shown him mercy. He also saw how Luke still believed that there was good in him. Vader became conflicted over whether to save his son, or continue to serve his master, similar to when he chose Sidious over Windu 23 years earlier.

Hearing his son's plea for help again, Vader returned to the light and chose to save Luke. He grabbed the Emperor with what was left of his arms and lifted his master high in the air, lumbering toward the reactor shaft. Surprised but angered by his apprentice's betrayal, the Emperor turned a yet more powerful lightning attack on Vader, now Anakin once again; in his hatred, his only thought was to cause his now-former apprentice more pain, even though he could still have used his powers to save himself. At the cost of the Emperor heavily damaging his life-supporting armor, Anakin hurled his former master down into the reactor to his death. The persona of Darth Vader was no more, and Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, was reborn. By killing Darth Sidious and ending the Sith's reign, the redeemed Jedi brought balance to the Force and thus fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One, which Qui-Gon Jinn had projected 35 years earlier.

#### Death

Just before Calrissian on the *Falcon* and Wedge Antilles destroyed the Death Star's main reactor, Skywalker was carried by his son to the Imperial shuttle *ST 321*, where he asked Luke to remove his mask; for a moment, Anakin looked upon his son's face for the first and only time. He finally saw him not as a Jedi, or a threat, or a mistake, but as his and Amidala's son, and gave Luke a real smile—the smile that only his wife ever saw. As Kenobi and Yoda appeared to Anakin behind Luke, smiling down at the redeemed Skywalker, Luke insisted that he had to save him, but Skywalker told him he already had and asked him to tell his sister he had been right about him. He smiled at his son.

As he died, Skywalker tried to speak to Amidala, telling her of how their son had saved him before trying to apologize, but he passed on before he could finish the thought, dying in the arms of his son while Imperial forces panicked around them, unconcerned with the fate of their former lord. However, Anakin's soul would survive death; his heroic sacrifice allowed his spirit to be preserved in the Force by Kenobi and Yoda. With the death of Anakin Skywalker, Luke took his father's body aboard the shuttle and escaped just before the Death Star's destruction. Back on Endor, Skywalker built a funeral pyre for his redeemed father, and cremated him in the manner of a Jedi's funeral in solitude, for the sight of Vader's helmet consumed by fire would be cause for rejoicing to everyone but him. Having fulfilled his destiny and saving his son, Anakin joined Yoda and Obi Wan, once again a hero, though unsung to everyone except in the eyes of Luke.

### Post-death

As his son set the pyre ablaze to burn his armor, he was found by C-3PO and R2-D2, who invited him back to an Ewok village to celebrate their victory. As Luke rejoined his friends and sister, Leia at an amid the celebrations, Skywalker returned from the Netherworld of the Force in his pre-fall form alongside Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. All three at peace for balance had returned to the Force, they smiled at Luke—pleased to know that, despite the best efforts of the Emperor, the Jedi had returned. Each thought to warn Luke about the future, as each saw that there was yet much danger ahead for him and more darkness to overcome; instead, they decided not to burden him with this then. Luke, in turn, saw them and felt their approval and their sense of peace.

Skywalker then asked his two mentors whether Luke would end up alright. Kenobi responded, noting that it was possible, given that he had been alright thus far. For the next years, Anakin's spirit, alongside Obi-Wan and Yoda, continued to guide Luke.

Following the Battle of Endor, Vader's castle remained standing on Mustafar, and his former servant, Vaneé, was freed from the captivity the Sith Lord had placed him into when two young Mustafarians, Tuttel and Giggek, tried to destroy the fortress. Surviving the blast but breathing in the unfiltered lava fumes of Mustafar, Vaneé began to hallucinate that which he feared the most, his master; Vaneé thought he was hearing the voice of Vader and that he could help resurrect his master. After using nightmares to lure Lina Graf's crew to Fortress Vader, Vaneé began the process to restore Vader, yet Rebel officer Lina Graf, having realized that the servant was only hallucinating, pretended as if she was the reborn Vader to be freed, then turning on Vaneé and freeing her companions.

Vaneé was again left imprisoned in Fortress Vader, forced to breath in the lava fumes and hallucinate nightmarish visions of Vader. Meanwhile, Graf tried to use the lightsaber given to her by Vaneé to lead her crew out of the castle, yet the blade failed to activate when she needed it. Instead, the true Force spirit of Anakin Skywalker intervened, appearing in the fumes and making a lightsaber appear in his hands. Unable to see the face of their savior, the crew assumed it was Graf and followed the light of the blade outside to safety. As the crew left Mustafar aboard the *Rabbit's Foot*, they were left to speculate whose lightsaber they had seen in the fumes; Skywalker, standing on the surface of Mustafar with the lightsaber he had summoned still drawn, laughed to himself when Graf claimed she knew ghosts did not exist.

In 21 ABY, Skywalker's son, Luke began searching for Exegol and came into conflict with nine paranormal Sith wraiths. When Luke found himself against impossible odds, a ghostly blue figure appeared, whom the Jedi initially mistook for his master Obi-Wan Kenobi. After fighting off the wraiths with his lightsaber, the figure turned, revealing himself as none other than Anakin Skywalker. Skywalker reached out his hand and Luke took it, and then found himself back on Tython as if he had never left.

At Tython, Skywalker's figure flashed in and out and shifted between him as a young Jedi and him as the old man Luke had seen behind the mask of Darth Vader. Luke noticed that he seemed to be in pain and afraid. Skywalker explained that there was a disturbance in the Force that was a shadow from an ancient time. He also clarified that the seeing stone had sent a part of Luke to Exegol and that it had taken everything in him to bring him back. Anakin reminded Luke that he could divert the path of the Force if he needed to, and that no matter how dark things seemed he was never alone as long as he allowed the Force to be his guide. Skywalker then disappeared.

### Legacy

#### Remembered by the galaxy

Following the events of the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker confirmed his father and the Emperor's death over Endor to the Alliance, which in turn, sent word of the battle's outcome in mass communications claiming to be the new power in the galaxy. Furthermore, in wake of the deaths of the Emperor, his top enforcer and many high-ranking officers during the battle, as well as the resulting power vacuum, the Galactic Empire collapsed due to internal power struggles and its fragmentation into several factions. The Imperial remnant implemented disinformation campaigns, leading to only rumors being spread that both Vader and the Emperor were dead, in some parts of the galaxy. Among those who knew the truth, there were sympathizers who tagged graffiti stencils of Vader's helmet with the phrase "Vader lives" beneath it, as on Taris and Coronet City.

The Acolytes of the Beyond was a group of Sith cultists and fanatics with an interest in Vader, whom they considered to be greater than the Empire. They purchased a lightsaber they believed to be Vader's from a Kubaz named Ooblamon, intending to destroy it and return it to him in death. Months after the Battle of Endor, the Acolytes organized a revolution on Coronet City, Corellia, during which they attacked a Peace and Security station in order to access a museum's basement and steal a red-bladed lightsaber for unknown reasons. Another Sith cult, the Alazmec of Winsit, established a colony in the Corvax Fen amidst the ruins of Fortress Vader. There they revered Vader as their Dark Lord and the galaxy's "true father" and ruler.

While Vader had once been a secretive figure kept away from public knowledge, his reputation had grown over the course of the Galactic Civil War and after his death. By the time of his death, Vader had become, in the words of the later Jedi Padawan Rey, the "most hated man in the galaxy." Like its stormtroopers and other military forces, Vader was left to become a symbol of the fallen Empire he had helped enforce. Decades after his death, Darth Vader remained a despised and controversial figure in the New Republic. When it was publicly revealed that Organa was his biological daughter, her reputation was ruined, which eventually led to her resignation from the Galactic Senate. The message, which had been recorded by Bail Organa for Leia and which explicitly revealed that Vader had once been the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, was made public by Centrist Senator Ransolm Casterfo, under the machinations of Carise Sindian, an agent of the First Order.

The cruel actions of her father were also used against Leia by the Quarren general Nossor Ri during diplomatic negotiations between her and the king of Mon Cala, Ech-Char, about potential support for the Resistance from Mon Cala in 34 ABY. The former Imperial stormtrooper, Terex, having become an agent of the First Order Security Bureau, remained unintimidated by Captain Phasma, feeling she was not as threatening as Vader.

Anakin's grandson, Ben Solo, born to his daughter, Leia and her husband, Han Solo, inherited his mother's connection to the Force and was sent to study under his uncle Luke. Under the influence of the mysterious Snoke, Ben took on the name of Kylo Ren after he became a master of the Knights of Ren and a warlord of the First Order and vowed to finish the work that Vader had started a generation earlier—and to succeed where Vader and his sentimentality had failed

One of those times, where Ren wanted to surpass Vader, was when he fought the Benathy—just like Vader did years before him—to prevent them from expanding their territory. He took Ruthford, the last survivor from Vader's battle that was still alive, with him and had a short conversation with Kristoff, the successor of the king that Vader had killed many years ago, about how Vader was taller and had seemed more impressive than Ren. Following that, Ren killed him with his lightsaber. He then went on to fight the Benathy and although Ruthford suggested retreating, Ren kept on fighting, talking to Ruthford about how Vader also did not retreat. When the god of the Benathy, a Zillo Beast, appeared, Ruthford warned Ren extensively and stated that he could not prove anything to a dead man. Ignoring that, Ren took a shuttle and let the beast swallow him—killing it to Ruthford's surprise from the inside and succeeding where Vader had failed. With their king and their god dead, Ren had control over the Benathy and even the rather skeptical Ruthford admitted that Ren had won the competition against his grandfather.

In his crusade, Ren decided to seek Snoke and betray the Jedi Order, and was the cause of Skywalker's subsequent exile in search of the first Jedi Temple on Ahch-To. After losing his apprentices in the destruction of his Jedi Temple and Solo falling to the dark side in the same night, Skywalker came to believe that the Jedi Order should end with his death as the last Jedi. By then, he held the Jedi responsible for the training and creation of Darth Vader. As a consequence of shutting himself off from the Force, Luke lost the guidance of Anakin's spirit.

Ren was also in possession of Vader's disfigured helmet, which had been scavenged from his funeral pyre on Endor. A silent symbol of both the dark side's power and its weakness, it remained within Ren's private quarters aboard the *Finalizer*; Ren communed with it whenever he felt drawn to the light. Another object that once belonged to him—the lightsaber he built after the First Battle of Geonosis, the one carried by his son until their duel on Bespin—resurfaced in Maz Kanata's possession and called to Rey, a young scavenger from Jakku, who ended up using it to duel Ren during the Battle of Starkiller Base and win. When Ren changed quarters from the *Finalizer* to Snoke's flagship the *Supremacy*, he left Vader's charred helmet behind him because he was not ready to face Vader's "visage" until he recovered from his failure on Starkiller Base. Ren's master, Snoke, owned a ring with obsidian taken from Vader's castle.

#### Balance preserved

After Skywalker's death, a group of Alazmec cultists established a settlement in the Corvax Fen region of Mustafar near Fortress Vader, and began to worship Vader alongside Lady Corvax. At some point, they acquired an ancient Sith wayfinder that once belonged to Vader.

In 35 ABY, Kylo Ren led a massacre of the Alazmec cultists and stole Vader's wayfinder from the ruins of the battle. When Ren discovered Exegol using this wayfinder, Emperor Palpatine, the public identity of Darth Sidious, who had been resurrected at some point after his death, used the voice of Darth Vader to speak to Ren in his head.

As Leia Organa Skywalker Solo prepared to release the last of her strength to reach her son, Ben Solo, she allowed the voices and faces of her family to surround her. Among the voices she heard was that of Anakin Skywalker, whose apology she finally accepted, returning his love in a way she had never before. Skywalker's voice was later heard by Rey among the voices of many Jedi of the past who aided her with destroying Darth Sidious during the Battle of Exegol, telling Rey to restore the balance as he did. He and the many Jedi used their eternal power to help Rey bring Sidious down once and for all and the balance Anakin had created was maintained. Ren, who had assumed the identity of Ben Solo once again, sacrificed himself to save Rey, following in his grandfather, Anakin's path of redemption. While Solo was the last of the Skywalker bloodline, Rey took on the name Skywalker, and Anakin was reunited with his family in the afterlife at long last.

## Personality and traits

### Jedi of the Republic

As a child, Anakin Skywalker showed kindness and generosity, as exemplified by his willingness to risk his life in a podrace to help Qui-Gon Jinn and Padmé Amidala depart Tatooine at a time of need. He made a number of friends, and his best friend was a fellow slave boy named Kitster Banai. He was not shy to express how he felt and showed a reluctance to leave those he loved behind. Indeed, Skywalker had a deep-seated fear of loss, especially in regards to his mother, which Master Yoda sensed when he was being tested by the Jedi Council. This fear of loss would follow Skywalker throughout his life and eventually led him down the path of the dark side, particularly after the death of his mother, Shmi, carrying sadness, anger, and guilt in his heart for years to come.

He also felt that fear towards his friends, noticing when he believed that Obi-Wan was killed by the bounty hunter Rako Hardeen, leading him to the dark side. But upon discovering that he was a ruse to prevent Chancellor Palpatine's kidnapping, he felt betrayed for not telling him sooner, and thus began to distrust Obi-Wan and the Jedi.

After he left his mother, Skywalker—feeling the brunt of childhood abandonment and losing the only person who had ever cared for him before meeting the Jedi—clinged onto anyone close to him. First, it had been Qui-Gon Jinn, but he then lost the Jedi Master as well. Afterward, he clinged onto others in his life, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala, and Ahsoka Tano. Similarly, his experiences as a slave would leave him with a deep resentment towards slavers. Skywalker would mostly keep these feelings to himself, very rarely talking about them, even with those he trusted, as he struggled to put his past behind him, making an effort not to think about it.

As he grew older, Skywalker became cocky, reckless, impatient, willful, and cavalier, despite Kenobi's efforts to train him as best as he could. Confident and bold, he demonstrated a lack of subtlety, which Plo Koon once noted, was one of the many traits his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, had adopted from him during her younger years. Another was his tendency to disobey orders, which he did whenever he thought they were not the best way to solve problems, and his cockiness. Despite his many failings, Skywalker remained selfless, willing to lay down his life for others, and showed commitment to things greater than himself—the Jedi, the Republic, his friends, and his wife.

Similarly, his relentless determination was rivaled by none, except perhaps by that of his Padawan. When Tano was missing in action and taken to the moon of Wasskah, Skywalker blamed himself, believing he had failed to protect his student, and relentlessly searched for her possible location on star charts, though Plo Koon suggested he trust in her abilities. Indeed, Tano survived and led others to safety, and, upon her return to Coruscant, she told her master there was no need to apologize; she explained he had already done all he needed to, as she had used his lessons to survive. When Skywalker was unsure of how to respond, she thanked him for that guidance, so Skywalker responded with "You're welcome, my Padawan." In some aspects, his journey as a mentor to Tano allowed him to mature and become more responsible. Skywalker's emotional balance, however, was disrupted by the High Council's decision to expel Tano, when she was suspected of treachery, and her subsequent decision not to return to the Order when invited back. Though he greatly missed her, Skywalker respected her wish to stay away from the Order when he sensed her aboard the *Silver Angel* by allowing the ship to pass by his *Venator-class Star Destroyer*

His heroic feats during the Clone Wars eventually made him the symbol of the Jedi Order, held by many as the warrior-savior of the Galactic Republic, earning the nickname of the "Hero With No Fear" as he was fostered and liked by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, applauded by the Galactic Senate and popularized on the HoloNet News. With a penchant to show off, Skywalker was a something of a maverick, though not in the same way as his late informal Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, known among the Jedi for being passionate and impulsive. Most of his peers trusted him, and his ingenuity, although some Jedi did consider him to have a simplistic approach to logic. The 501st Legion and its captain, Rex, considered his tactics reckless and unorthodox, but appreciated the fact that he would never risk their lives without risking his as well. Whenever Skywalker, who believed a true military leader should always lead from the front, threw caution to the wind, Rex was always by his side and had full trust in his general's instincts. Skywalker cared about his troops and even befriended Rex. Skywalker also showed eagerness and dedication to ending the Clone Wars, which he believed, by their final days, were destroying the principles of the Republic.

Though he was committed to the Jedi Order ever since he joined, Skywalker was deeply conflicted about it, wanting to walk away from the Order at several points before and during the Clone Wars, particularly because of his love and secret marriage to Padmé Amidala, whom he believed he could not live without. Overprotective and prone to jealousy, Skywalker's affection for her was suspected by some of his peers and, at least, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rush Clovis knew for certain that he was attracted to her. Ahsoka Tano also came to realize her master and Amidala had formed a relationship, and Rex knew for certain, with Skywalker trusting his captain to look out for passerby's as he spoke with Amidala. Another source of conflict was his dwindling trust and increasing resentment toward the Jedi High Council, which he felt distrusted him and was not treating him with enough respect. These fears and resentments were further fomented by Palpatine's manipulations, and some of the Council's (and Kenobi's) decisions, as well as his friendship with Chancellor Palpatine, of whom the Council was wary and kept secrets from. Kenobi and the Jedi Council not standing with Ahsoka Tano during her trial angered him.

As the Clone War came to its end, Skywalker was faced with many burdens on his emotional wellbeing; he had lost Tano, only to then lose clone troopers Tup and Fives shortly thereafter, making it seem like his personal life was falling apart. The only constant in his life was his wife, whom he hoped would never leave him after he lost his Padawan. Unlike other Jedi, Skywalker struggled to keep his emotions in check, especially his anger. He cared deeply about his friends, and, as noted by Ahsoka Tano, "looked out for them until the end." Loyal to a fault, Skywalker was willing to do anything to protect those he cared about, often resorting to the dark side of the Force to do so. Throughout the Clone Wars, as Palpatine had planned, Skywalker's anger would push him ever closer to the dark side, but his fall was ultimately triggered by his fear of loss after experiencing visions of Amidala dying in childbirth and his desire to obtain enough power to save his loved ones. He would justify his immoral and ruthless actions as all being necessary to bring peace, justice, and order to the galaxy.

As a teenager, he liked to explore and see new places, and fix things. Sometimes, when he felt troubled during his time as a Jedi, Skywalker would retire to his highly customized quarters in the Temple, wherein he would tinker with droids to pass the time. In a similar fashion, he would keep the ship *Twilight* during the Clone Wars, since the freighter offered Skywalker plenty of opportunities for tinkering with machinery. As Vader, he would continue to repair his starfighters himself, and the act of repairing things would be akin to a form of meditation for him.

### Dark Lord of the Sith

Upon his conversion to the dark side, Skywalker's arrogant streak became even more prominent, and for a short time, he believed himself to be even more powerful than Palpatine. During his early days as a Sith, Vader believed in justice and would fight to bring it to the Empire at any cost. His impulsiveness and tendency to act in anger were both magnified as well; for instance, when he discovered that Kenobi had stowed away on his wife's ship when she came to Mustafar, he immediately assumed that she was conspiring with his former master and strangled her with the Force. Despite this, Vader did experience a significant level of regret for the decisions that he had made to save Amidala.

However, all that changed following his defeat at Kenobi's hands. Having lost all that he had turned to the dark side to preserve, and having no other path, he fully embraced the dark side and became, in Palpatine's words, a "true Sith." Believing he had become an irredeemable monster, Vader devoted himself fully to furthering the development of his relationship to the Force, learning to expand his power and using the pain of Amidala's death as a fuel. Both due to what Palpatine taught him about the relationship between Sith master and apprentice and his own personal tendencies, Vader in his early apprenticeship was completely devoted to the Emperor. In his first days as a Sith Lord, Vader was confronted by a vision of himself finding redemption to the light by killing Palpatine and apologizing to Kenobi. However, Vader refused the vision, declaring that he had lost everything else in his life and an existence as a Sith was all he could be. Vader also held contempt for those who betrayed the Empire, such as when he accused Leia Organa of being a traitor.

However, as his power grew and particularly after learning of his son's existence, his devotion to Sidious dwindled considerably. Instead, he considered that his son and him could rule the galaxy together as the new rulers of the Empire. Over the years since his fall to darkness, Vader had also developed a new, more hardened and disciplined persona. He became utterly ruthless, virtually devoid of mercy, and was known to occasionally kill his own officers for their failures. Vader came to view the Galactic Civil War not as a war, but a series of executions, believing that wars were for lesser men than him and his Master. When confronted by Leia Organa on Vrogas Vas, he informed her of this belief and told her that her execution was long overdue, though he was unable to kill the princess due to the arrival of Commander Karbin.

Eventually, the identity of Vader in the Empire had arisen tales of a dark armored humanoid who served as the Emperor's most trusted enforcer and was considered to be the most feared individual in the Empire. Rumors circulated that he lived in a castle in a world of lava and that he wielded a red lightsaber, suggesting a connection to the Sith. The few who had interacted with him stated that they were unsure whether the individual behind the armor was a living person, a droid or a clone trooper. Many feared that if Vader were ever defeated, a number of duplicates would be activated in his place. The Sith Lord also had absolutely no qualms about using torture to accomplish his goals.

Considered to be the Empire's first terror weapon and noted to employ antiquated diction, he was tenacious and unstoppable, and made most Imperial naval officers uncomfortable. Contrary to the rocky relationships he had with most Imperial officers, his rapport with his stormtroopers mirrored in many ways his former persona's relationship to the Republic's clone troopers. In fact, his standing with the rank and file was such that it was known as far as Ryloth that the stormtrooper corps "almost worshiped him." Additionally, Vader commanded the absolute loyalty of his servant, Vaneé, who remained stationed at his castle on Mustafar and knew Vader viewed himself as a monster. Part of his reputation was that he would normally be quiet (and thus his presence made for a good implied threat to others) whereas shows of passivity were not. Indeed, it was well known that he usually preferred to oversee operations personally, using action to block out any intruding feelings. He was frequently at odds with those who lacked faith in the Force, finding it "disturbing" or even blasphemous.

His self-hatred led him to think of self-destructive tendencies, such as blaming his former Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for not killing him on Mustafar, and his hatred of Kenobi for what happened on Mustafar led him to have the desire to burn his former mentor's body to the same level he burned his own. Although Vader hated Obi-Wan for being the responsible for his extensive injuries inflicted in Mustafar, Vader did not hold Kenobi completely to blame for his dark fate; as he told his former master in one of their confrontations, he proclaimed that it was not Kenobi who had killed Anakin Skywalker, instead saying that himself had done it. Darth Vader continued to harbor his xenophobic hatred of the Tusken Raiders race for the murder of his mother during the end of the Separatist Crisis, which gave him the motive giving him the motive after a negotiation with the crime lord Jabba the Hutt to attack a Tusken Raider camp located on the same planet where he saw his mother died.

During his first days as a Sith, he claimed that his actions were justified, stating that the Sith were on the right side while the Jedi to be the real evil, as he told Kenobi during the Duel of Mustafar. As he grew older and lived within his suit, he claimed that he still believed in justice, claiming to be a devout believer in Imperial propaganda to bring order to the galaxy. During the manhunt for pacifist scientist Galen Erso, Vader questioned the term peace, seeing violence as the true creator of order and dismissing pacifists as fools who failed to see that. He publicly declared to his son that they would work together to reverse the disorder that existed in the galaxy. During his campaign to root out Crimson Dawn infiltrators in the Empire, Vader saw it as a way to bring about order, allowing loyal Imperials to be executed if it meant Dawn agents would also be killed. When asked why by his agent Ochi, Vader declared it as part of his quest to bring order back to the Empire by destroying the chaos of the Dawn. When his agent Sabé declared the end of Jul Tambor's revolution as a path to peace on Skako Minor, Vader was silent for a moment before correcting her, telling her it was more correct to say they were bringing order.

As a Sith Lord, Vader drew power from his anger and pain, raging at the loss of his wife and unborn child, his betrayal by the Jedi, and Kenobi for his injuries. He once razed a villa in a Mapuzo town entirely to draw out Kenobi. He often used pressurized meditation chambers that allowed him to remain without his helm—the neural connection to his armor—during which he felt the perpetual pain that Kenobi had inflicted on his flesh. During such sessions, he would meditate to use this pain to feed his hate, which in turn fed his strength, and he never laughed.

Claiming not to feel regret, and yet haunted by his past, and the screams of his wife, he was determined to never talk about his old life, and detested all that reminded him of his past self, whom he deemed to be weak. He dared not remember such a period of his life, which he hated; indeed, through the use of the dark side, he kept his memories as Anakin Skywalker buried, although it took great effort even after twenty years of practice. Although he retained access to Skywalker's memories and experience, this burial was such that he refused to even think of Skywalker as himself, referring to internally to Skywalker's memories as those of "The Jedi." As such, Vader rarely thought of his former name and believed no one in the galaxy should mistake him for Anakin Skywalker, wanting none to forget his status as a Sith Lord. Still, his rapport with the stormtroopers who supported him, and the technique he displayed in wielding his crimson lightsaber, made Wilhuff Tarkin suspect the truth.

Upon his fateful reunion with Ahsoka Tano, Vader expressed no desire to rekindle the bond he once shared with her, boasting that he had "killed" Anakin Skywalker, just as he had said to Kenobi. Although he claimed he would spare her and work alongside her once more if she helped the Empire find any hiding Jedi, he cruelly resolved to kill her when she refused his offer, and he spurned her offer of compassion. During a mission with Grand Admiral Thrawn, who had met and befriended Skywalker during the Clone Wars, Vader repeatedly declared that Skywalker was long since dead, eventually forcing the Chiss officer to admit the man he had befriended during the war was gone. Upon hearing Thrawn admit as such, Vader declared they were never to speak of the man again, although Thrawn stated he would always carry Skywalker's memory with him, befitting his philosophy that someone was never truly gone if a friend remembered them.

Much like before, Vader remained an impatient man, although he tempered his impulses with the faithful obedience he gave to his Sith master, Sidious. Vader also accepted that Sidious could be even more hateful than even himself. Vader nevertheless remained a pained man, so he would try to hurt himself and others to relieve himself. As sensed by Yoda, Vader's presence in the Force was hard and strong, fiercely pulsing when he sensed him. However, Vader's presence also carried a great, crushing loneliness, which only increased after he killed Obi-Wan Kenobi.

### Redemption of Anakin Skywalker

Following the discovery of his parenthood, Vader became emotionally conflicted. Vader's thoughts of his son, Luke, led to thoughts of his late wife, the woman he loved and destroyed—thoughts he could not allow. Memories would resurface whenever he felt Luke near him, and so, believed in erasing that part of his past. He had become afraid of his compassionate son; not because of his mastery of the Force or skill with a lightsaber, but because Luke could make him question the dark truths that had long ruled him. In the eve of the Battle of Endor, Vader claimed it was too late for him, even as his son stubbornly felt that there was still good left in him. Vader would close off the questions with the dark side, but he showed concern for his son in the end. Ultimately, it was Luke's cry for help while being tortured by Palpatine that caused Anakin to reawaken and redeem himself, showing that despite all the evil acts he has committed, there was still some good in him.

His love for Luke also challenged his loyalty to the Emperor. Vader began to distrust him, feeling like another pawn in his game. He planned to kill him to take his throne, considering himself best a ruler alongside Luke. His concern over being a pawn of Sidious ended up being validated when Sidious tried to replace him with Luke, much like when he replaced Dooku with Vader. Vader became surprised when he sensed that he was not the father of one child but two when he telepathically sensed his daughter, Leia, through Luke. Before dying, Skywalker told Luke to tell Leia that he was right about him as he wanted his daughter to remember him as a good person in the end. Smiling at his son, Skywalker then died in peace.

### Relationship with Padmé Amidala

Skywalker had first met Amidala when she posed as a handmaiden and commoner at Watto's shop in Mos Espa. There, Skywalker asked if she was an angel. He was then surprised when Padmé revealed herself to be the Queen. Ten years later, Skywalker met with her at apartment following an assassination attempt on her. As Skywalker continued to protect Amidala from further attempts, he tried to impress her and flirt with her in ways he later cringed at. However, the mistakes he and Amidala made during that time revealed who each truly was to the other, and Amidala fell in love with him. They admitted their mutual love to each other on Naboo and, following the Battle of Geonosis, married in secret.

During the Clone Wars, Skywalker and Amidala rarely saw each other due to the Clone Wars and keeping their secret. Skywalker would rescue and protect Amidala from numerous dangers such as General Grievous, the Zillo Beast, and the Blue Shadow Virus. Skywalker also felt jealous towards Amidala's close friend, Senator Rush Clovis of Scipio. Despite Amidala's assurances that it was over between her and Clovis, Skywalker felt uneasy when she accepted the Jedi Council's mission to spy on Clovis. After leaving Cato Neimoidia, Skywalker assured Amidala that he never doubted her. Later, however, Skywalker did not completely trust Clovis with Amidala. Skywalker attacked Clovis when he tried to kiss Amidala, but Amidala thought they should not see each other for a while. When Clovis appeared to have rejoined the Separatists, Skywalker led his forces and personally attempted to rescue Amidala.

Later when Amidala revealed that she was pregnant, Skywalker had premonitions about Amidala dying in childbirth. Skywalker's fear eventually led him into the dark side; Palpatine told him of how Darth Plagueis taught his apprentice how to cheat death, but he later stated he needed Skywalker's help to learn the power. Being focused on the possibility that Amidala could be saved, Skywalker did not notice the contradiction. On Mustafar, Skywalker, now Darth Vader, Force-choked her when he believed that she brought Kenobi to kill him. Following his duel with Kenobi, Vader continued to feel Amidala. After his re-birth, however, the Emperor told Vader that in his anger he killed her. Vader mourned her and gave in to his anger, destroying the medical droids surrounding him and then attacking Palpatine, screaming that he had claimed she could be saved.

Vader believed Palpatine's lie that he had killed his wife because he remembered that he had attacked her; thus, the man who once was Anakin Skywalker was cut off from his former allies and family, instead placing the Emperor as his only source for guidance and refuge. As a Sith Lord, Vader tried to find ways to resurrect Amidala, yet he found Momin's portal was unable to do so. Afterward, he decided to dedicate himself fully to the dark side, but he still longed to restore his wife, only for his attempts to always fail. Even after telling a vision of Amidala that the man she loved was dead, Force choking the vision—just as he had choked the real Amidala on Mustafar—to reject her love, he, deep down, still loved her. He could never let go of the agony caused by killing his wife.

Vader eventually discovered that Amidala had given birth to a son, Luke Skywalker, and a daughter, Leia Organa. He even learned of Amidala's last words, which filled him with sadness. Through Luke's actions of love, Vader later turned back to the light, fulfilling Amidala's dying words that goodness still remained in Anakin.

## Powers and abilities

### Lightsaber abilities

Despite being naturally extremely talented, Anakin Skywalker was initially lax with his lightsaber training, though he believed that he could rival the Jedi Masters. Despite his relative laziness, Skywalker was the best duelist in his class, even though he started later than his classmates. In his training he preferred lightsaber combat over Force mastery, and he spent more time on the physical aspects of becoming a Jedi. By the time he was nineteen, Skywalker was so gifted and skilled in dueling that he believed he already rivaled Master Yoda. When the Clone Wars began, Skywalker was a skilled enough duelist to contend against Count Dooku, who was one of the most skilled swordsmen in the galaxy. During the war, his frequent engagements in duels with individuals such as the informal Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress, Savage Opress, Count Dooku, and fallen Jedi Barriss Offee allowed him to greatly improve his capabilities with a lightsaber. By the end of the war, Skywalker had the skill to single-handedly defeat Dooku in combat, despite the fact that the Count was one of very few duelists who could hold his own against Yoda.

Dooku's taunts angered Skywalker, which unintentionally resulted in him tapping into the power of the dark side, also contributing to his victory.[*source?*] During his duel with Kenobi after his fall to the dark side, Skywalker proved to be equally matched with his former master, and was only defeated when Kenobi exploited his hubris and blinding rage to dismember him. Skywalker was considered by some amongst the Jedi, such as Kanan Jarrus, to have been the greatest warrior in the Order had during the Clone Wars, with the only possible exceptions being Yoda and Mace Windu. His former Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, once acknowledged Skywalker as someone powerful who rarely lost his battles.

Skywalker was particularly skilled in Form V—both the Shien and Djem So variants. He was able to deflect not only blaster fire with ease, but also shots from freighters. He made good use of Djem So's strength-based strikes and counterattacks to overpower or overwhelm his opponent. Skywalker also used Jar'Kai on some occasions: He used Kenobi's lightsaber during his first duel with Count Dooku on Geonosis, he wielded Barriss Offee's own lightsaber against her along with his own, and he wielded Dooku's lightsaber in addition to his own to execute him after defeating him on the *Invisible Hand*.

Skywalker was also adept in the use of Form IV, often incorporating its techniques (primarily acrobatics) into his dueling style. He was well aware that the key to deflecting the fire of multiple adversaries was fluidity of motion, which he mastered enough to having adjusted the classic techniques of Form IV to better defend against ranged attackers. He demonstrated this in a holographic recording, later found in Kanan Jarrus' holocron.

After Darth Vader received his cybernetic enhancements and armor, his dueling style became visually more direct than it had been, presumably due to his armor and cybernetics affecting his physical abilities; however, Vader's style was still similar enough to how he fought as a Jedi that Admiral Tarkin was able to puzzle out Vader's former identity largely by observing him fight. Vader continued to use Jar'Kai on various occasions. On Mustafar, he Force pulled a smuggler's lightsaber and wielded it with his own to finish off the last remaining droid in Lady Corvax's sanctum. Another time, Vader used his weapon with one of Darth Atrius's lightsabers against a group of thugs whom Sana Starros had hired to keep the Imperials off her back.

A pragmatic combatant both as Skywalker and later as Darth Vader, he had the skill to throw an activated lightsaber to attack, guiding it with the Force, or he would resort to lethally activating unsuspecting opponents' lightsabers. He once impressed Kenobi by telekinetically activating lightsabers (both in the arms dealer Chong's possession) and cutting him apart before pulling the lightsabers to his hands.

### Force powers

Blessed with impressive reflexes that were typical of a Jedi, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn saw enormous potential in the 9-year-old Skywalker and believed him to have been conceived by the Force itself. Indeed, when his blood was tested, Skywalker's midi-chlorian count was off the scale—above 20,000, reportedly even greater than Yoda's. When he was nine, Anakin was already skilled in having quick reflexes and precognition. This was something he used to an advantage when he participated in pod racing. He was also able to sense what things were without looking at them.

In his teen years, Skywalker's Force training progressed to the point where he was able to manifest various abilities, and Kenobi thought of him as being "advanced for his age." He was very skilled at using the Force to scan his surroundings, such as when he sensed poisonous kouhuns infiltrating Senator Padmé Amidala's bedroom from standing outside. He was also skilled at sensing other people's feelings and disturbances in the Force. Skywalker also showed aptitude for precognitive dreams, as when he foresaw the deaths of both his mother and his wife in dreams, but also of himself becoming a Jedi, back when he lived with his mother on Tatooine. However, Skywalker struggled in using the Force to control and befriend animals, noting that Kenobi was much better at it than he was.

Skywalker was skilled in telekinesis. Even as a late beginner, by his own admission, he was very good at it, better than any of his peers and most of the older Padawans as well. He could lift lightsabers in the air and ignite them with ease, as he did once to scare a pair of Padawans who had called him a "slave to his emotions." Despite having an exceptionally strong connection to the Force, Skywalker tended not to use it very often during lightsaber duels and focused instead on the physical aspects of combat. This tendency held even when facing opponents who made liberal use of the Force during duels, such as Count Dooku. He also could make use of animal control.

During the Clone Wars, Anakin's power and skill continued to increase. He became capable of utilizing telekinesis to accomplish such esoteric tasks as creating air bubbles around another person's head to enable breathing underwater, as shown when he saved Padmé's life at Mon Cala. During his mission to Utapau, Anakin was able to feel brain waves on a dead body, and when he first met Grand Admiral Thrawn, he was able to feel his thoughts by reaching out to him through the Force. At one point during the war, Skywalker was able to telekinetically subdue both the Son and the Daughter simultaneously. However, this empowerment was lost when the Dark side grew too powerful and disrupted the balance in the Force.

After his cybernetic reconstruction, Vader's connection to the Force strengthened considerably, to the point where his master Darth Sidious once complimented his powers as being "unparalleled." Though his injuries had physically crippled him, Vader believed that the suffering that he had experienced had both perfected his spirit and freed him from the needs of the flesh, allowing him to concentrate solely on his relationship to the Force. He demonstrated enough telekinetic power to stop an AT-AT from stepping on him and had been in the process of tearing it apart before he was interrupted in doing so. On another occasion he telekinetically lifted two AT-DP walkers off of himself without any apparent strain. He also demonstrated the ability to grab hold of an engine-damaged Twi'lek freighter and bring it to the ground, and crush a *Lambda*-class shuttle's engines in midflight to take it down. He was able to utilize a Force push in a wave-like manner that was powerful enough to blow apart numerous lyleks simultaneously, despite the fact that the creatures' carapaces were impervious to even heavy blaster fire.

Vader could also project Force barriers to protect himself and others. These barriers were powerful enough to protect him while submerged in the lava of Mustafar, though only for a short time. On at least one occasion, he demonstrated that he was able to telekinetically manipulate targets without the need to gesture at them as virtually all other Force adepts did. This granted him the ability to throw objects with the Force whilst actively engaged in swordplay. He was also capable of using the Force Stasis ability and was skilled enough in its execution that on one occasion he used it to freeze two Inquisitors simultaneously.

Vader was also capable of using his telekinetic abilities to perform extremely delicate, complex, and precise tasks. On one occasion, he returned his badly damaged cybernetic limbs to perfect working order by dismantling a broken droid and telekinetically repairing himself with its components. He also demonstrated the ability to crush internal organs with the Force. At one point during an interrogation he used the Force to inflict torturous amounts of pain on several insurgent prisoners, to the point of causing heart failure in one of them.

Skywalker developed a tendency to use Force choke over the course of his time as a Jedi, especially when angered or using it as a means of interrogation when an individual was uncooperative. Skywalker would go on to use this power to deadly effect when he assumed the name Vader, generally using the choke to kill those who insulted him or failed to meet his expectations as well to instill fear. He also used the technique to twist, crush or snap his victim's neck, notably executing Commander Fox this way as well as other clone troopers and later stormtroopers.

Like most Force adepts, Vader also had the ability to vastly augment both his strength and speed with the Force. He was also very skilled at using the Force to leap great distances. During the mission to investigate Geonosis, Captain Rex remarked that Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus had yet to demonstrate Skywalker's skill with Force jumps, despite having just jumped across a chasm more than 40 meters wide.

Vader demonstrated on numerous occasions the ability to probe the thoughts of others, including those of Force adepts of similar power to himself. Due to his strong connection with his son, Luke, he was able to sense his presence through the Force quite easily—as opposed to his master, who was skeptical about this ability, and quickly became able to mentally communicate with him upon Luke learning he was Vader's son.

### Other skills

Even at a young age, Skywalker demonstrated a great aptitude for piloting, mechanics, and engineering. He rebuilt the protocol droid C-3PO, an advanced droid fluent in over six million forms of communication, as well as a functional podracer. Although during his adulthood, he would rarely use his talent as a mechanic, he kept the skill of repairing technology. Vader had displayed great power in hunting and exterminating the Jedi Order, leaving his later efforts against enemies like Crimson Dawn to require far less effort. Once most Jedi had been killed, Tarkin believed that Vader was actively searching for stimulating opponents to challenge himself.

As a pilot, Skywalker showed an amazing ability that few were able to surpass, and Kenobi would later describe him to his son Luke as "the best star pilot in the galaxy." Anakin was able to pilot a pod racer and was the first and only human thus far to compete in a pod race. He was also able to survive the Battle of Naboo, and he went on to improve his skills in flying and aerial combat. Throughout the Clone Wars, Anakin was known for being the best pilot in the Republic and was known for leading the charge in battles and coming out alive. He was very skilled in chasing down targets, shaking off-target locks, and outmaneuvering opponents. His strength in the Force also gave him quick reflexes, an ability that would help in dodging fire and focusing in on enemy targets. He also displayed incredible precognition, as he was capable of predicting his targets' movements during dogfights with pinpoint precision. He once managed to land the *Invisible Hand* when it was half-destroyed and breaking up in the atmosphere.

After becoming Vader, he remained an exceptionally skilled pilot, as shown when he single-handedly almost destroyed Phoenix Squadron in a lone TIE Advanced x1, easily out-flying their entire fleet and forcing their command to abandon ship. He also obliterated several Alliance squadrons during the Battle of Vrogas Vas. Despite this, Skywalker would occasionally be shot down during his combat piloting career, with Ahsoka Tano once proclaiming they always crashed when he flew, although Skywalker had a habit of blaming whatever ship it was he was flying. Although he mainly used lightsabers, Skywalker was extremely proficient at the use of blaster pistols. He also had some training on the use of staves, a skill he once taught to a Felucian village so that they could defend themselves. Skywalker spoke Galactic Basic Standard, Huttese, Jawa Trade Language, and Meese Caulf, and he understood binary and the Bith language. As Vader, he learned the ancient Sith tongue, and he spoke it along with his master, Sidious.

## Equipment

It is requested that this article section be expanded. *Please improve it in any way that you see fit, and remove this notice once the article section is more complete.*

Main article: Anakin Skywalker's first lightsaber
Main article: Skywalker lightsaber
Main article: Kirak Infil'a's lightsaber
Main article: Darth Vader's lightsaber
As a slave on Tatooine, Skywalker wore a tan tunic. Equipped with tools, he was able to rebuild C-3PO and complete his own podracer. During the Battle of Naboo, he piloted a N-1 starfighter and wore a Naboo pilot's helmet. After becoming a part of the Jedi Order, he wore Jedi robes and was given a Padawan braid. He also kept a bit driver on himself, which he lost during the rescue of Yoda, and had his own lightsaber that was destroyed on Geonosis. Afterward, he was given a replacement saber that had a green blade for the arena battle before having a new lightsaber for the Clone Wars. During the early days of the war, Skywalker wore pieces of commander armor over his Jedi clothing. Later, he wore different Jedi robes without the armor, although he had donned the armor again when he met Commander Thrawn. Whilst undercover on the *Halcyon*, Skywalker wore a brown and grey outfit, which defined his muscular build, that included a cape.

During the Clone Wars, Skywalker flew his own Delta-7B *Aethersprite*-class light interceptor until, later in the conflict, he replaced it with the new Eta-2 *Actis*-class light interceptor. Both starfighters were yellow; at least in the case of the Eta-2, the color was a tribute to his old podracer. Skywalker also kept the *Twilight*, the freighter stolen from Teth that allowed him to go on undercover missions. From the *Venator*-class Star Destroyer *Resolute*, the Jedi General commanded a fleet of starships. As a Jedi General, he could also he transported to battlefields aboard a Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunship. While trying to reach the Republic Center for Military Operations, Skywalker and Captain Rex flew in a Praxis Mk. I turbo speeder.

During his earliest days as a Sith Lord, Darth Vader continued to wear his Jedi robes and flew a green Eta-2 *Actis*-class light interceptor. After burning on Mustafar, he was given his black life support armor that was also equipped with a black cape. After killing Kirak Infil'a and stealing his lightsaber, Vader bled the kyber crystal to make his own lightsaber, which he further modified after a failed assassination attempt. As a Sith, Vader flew a personal starship during the early days of the Empire, black Eta-2 fighters, and the TIE Advanced x1. Palpatine also gave Vader the old Naboo Royal Starship of Padmé Amidala. After being tortured by Sidious and left on Mustafar, Vader repaired his armor using parts from the remains of battle droids and restored his green Eta-2. He also obtain an ancient wayfinder. After again saying he would serve his Sith Master, his armor was repaired.

## Behind the scenes

Anakin Skywalker, originally introduced as Darth Vader, made his first appearance as one of the primary antagonists in *Star Wars*: Episode IV *A New Hope*. As the *Star Wars* universe continued to evolve, Skywalker's character would be developed and explored in detail, with George Lucas eventually making him into a central figure in the six initial *Star Wars* films. The character's popularity and focus would make him into a mascot of sorts for the *Star Wars* franchise, most commonly depicted in merchandise as the suited Vader. Lucas intended the name "Darth Vader" to suggest "dark father."

The character of Darth Vader was not originally planned to be a suited cyborg. In the original scripts for *A New Hope*, the name "Darth Vader" was given to a normal Imperial general. The concept of a cybernetic Vader was created when the concept artist drew the opening scene where *Tantive IV* was being boarded. It was initially imagined that Darth Vader would fly through space to enter the ship, necessitating a suit and breathing mask. This suit was later made permanent and incorporated in the story. Vader's usage of an all-black uniform, alongside his devotion to Emperor Palpatine, was also intended to be an analogy to the *Schutzstaffel* (SS) in Nazi Germany.

In order to keep the "big secret" of *Star Wars*: Episode V *The Empire Strikes Back* under wraps from potential film spies, Lucas actually used a diversion technique: actor David Prowse was instructed to say, "Obi-Wan killed your father" during filming. Later, James Earl Jones' voice was dubbed in, revealing the actual truth of Vader's progeny in the famous line, "*I* am your father." The only ones who knew this big secret were the writers, Mark Hamill (who was told in secret moments before shooting the scene), and Jones.

There have been claims that George Lucas took the name "Anakin" from his friend and fellow film director Ken Annakin. However, Lucas denied this via his publicist following Annakin's death in 2009.

On both the 2005 DVD cover of *Star Wars*: Episode III *Revenge of the Sith* and the film's poster, the scar on the right side of Skywalker's face is absent.

Anakin, along with certain actions of his, have been represented by numerous musical motifs during the film scores. These include "Anakin's Theme," "Anakin's Betrayal," "Anakin's Dark Deeds," "Across the Stars" (his love theme with Padmé), and "The Imperial March" (as Darth Vader).

### Darth Vader as a cultural figure

Due to his central role in the films, Vader has entered the public consciousness as the quintessential frightening villain; the American Film Institute's list of the greatest movie villains placed him third, after Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates. Lord Vader's powerful, basso profondo voice coupled with his heavy, eerie breathing is easily recognizable to moviegoers— it is symbolic of his transformation from a man of the light to an evil cyborg.

Vader has been heavily parodied and imitated by other characters in popular culture.He has been mocked by such figures as "Dark Helmet" from *Spaceballs* and countless other parodies from cartoons, such as "Duck Vader" from Tiny Toon Adventures and "Darth Koopa" from the *Super Mario Bros.* TV series. Other fictional characters follow Vader's archetype in a more serious manner. One example would be "Death's Hand" from the video game Jade Empire—who was similarly imprisoned in a suit of armor, including a masked helmet, although using magic rather than cybernetics. Other similar character would be Dr Doppler, the main antagonist from the videogame Rockman X3 who after similarly being corrupted by a different character, modified his own body and later sacrificed himself to destroy the villain, save the protagonist and redeem himself. Another example is the primary antagonist of *Final Fantasy IV*, Golbez, who Takashi Tokita stated was based on Darth Vader. Similar to Vader, Golbez had been turned to evil by an outside influence due to traumatic experiences, primarily wore dark armor after his fall, and was a relative of the main protagonist (his brother, in this case). The incarnation of Bane in the Batman film *The Dark Knight Rises* also takes inspiration from Vader, particularly due to his hulking size and high intellect (retained from other incarnations of the character), along with his unique mask and distinctive breathing. Within *Star Wars* canon, the character of Kylo Ren is not only inspired by Vader, but aspires to be like him in-universe and has a similar appearance and personality to Anakin prior to his injuries.

Vader was also referenced in the 1982 *Space: 1999* compilation film *Cosmic Princess*, as Captain Duro from the Year Two episode "Space Warp" was renamed "Vader, commander of the Whills Interplanetary Starfleet" in reference to the *Journal of the Whills*, by George Lucas.

Furthermore, Darth Vader's name has become a synonym for frightening evil. During the later phase of its construction, Washington National Cathedral held a competition for children to design new grotesques for the west towers. One winner was a design featuring Darth Vader (backup link).

Lucas once mentioned in an interview that he based Darth Vader on the android villain Hakaider from the 1972–73 live-action Japanese television series *Jinzo Ningen Kikaider*, which he watched while visiting Japan in the early 1970s. The book *Star Wars: The Complete Vader* explored the cultural impact of the Vader character in detail.

In 2011 and 2012, the luxury car company Volkswagen aired two Super Bowl commercials featuring the character of Darth Vader. The first ad was entitled "The Force" and featured a young boy wearing a costume of Darth Vader's armor. The boy attempted to use the Force to pull his parents' car to him but ran away when the car's alarm sounded, his parents watching from the window. The 2012 commercial aired after a different ad for Volkswagen that did not feature Vader. It featured Darth Vader strangling Doctor Cornelius Evazan because Evazan had commented that the new commercial was more moving than the Vader one from the previous year.

Darth Vader's burned helmet appears in *Star Wars*: Episode VII *The Force Awakens*. Having Anakin appear in the film as a Force spirit or in a Force vision was a topic of debate among the filmmakers: concept artist Iain McCaig, while inspired by the phrase "When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow," created a 2013 artwork depicting Anakin's ghost morphing back and forth between both of his identities. However, according to Phil Szostak, McCaig pitched the idea but was unprompted by J.J. Abrams or any member of the film's crew. As far as Szostak recalls, Anakin's Force ghost artwork was not from an early film draft or treatment. Hayden Christensen was originally approached to reprise the role, but Anakin's inclusion in the film was ultimately dropped.

### Portrayal

Considering the drastic changes that he goes through in the *Star Wars* series, Anakin Skywalker has been portrayed by many actors in different media, often with numerous actors bringing the character to life within the same installment (particularly in the original trilogy).

Darth Vader, as he was initially established, was portrayed on-set by David Prowse in the original trilogy, while James Earl Jones provided the iconic voice of the suited Vader, a role that he reprised for *Star Wars*: Episode III *Revenge of the Sith*, *Star Wars Rebels*, *Rogue One: A Star Wars Story*, and *Star Wars*: Episode IX *The Rise of Skywalker*, and the *Obi-Wan Kenobi* television series. Sebastian Shaw played the dying Anakin, his head freed from his cybernetic armor in *Star Wars*: Episode VI *Return of the Jedi*.

*Star Wars*: Episode I *The Phantom Menace* featured Anakin Skywalker as a nine-year-old boy, a role that was landed by then child actor Jake Lloyd after casting director Robin Gurland looked at three thousand different actors to play the role. Hayden Christensen played Skywalker in both *Star Wars*: Episode II *Attack of the Clones* and *Star Wars*: Episode III *Revenge of the Sith*. Christensen auditioned for the role of adult Skywalker with no concept that he would get the part. Christensen and Ewan McGregor, the actor who played Kenobi in the prequel trilogy, practiced lightsaber rehearsals, which Christensen said was the most fun he had, and he described it as "playing with your friend every day."

Christensen's voice was later heard in a cameo in Episode IX *The Rise of Skywalker*. Hayden Christensen reprised the role of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in the *Obi-Wan Kenobi* television series, alongside Jones.

In the *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* film and television series, the character of Anakin Skywalker was voiced by Matt Lanter. In *Rogue One*, Vader is portrayed by both Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous. Lucasfilm Ltd. president Kathleen Kennedy said that Christensen was not considered to play Vader in *Rogue One* because the scene of Vader chasing the rebels "was just such a specific action sequence." Christensen was not part of any of the conversations about *Rogue One*, but he loved what the film did with the character and he thought it was brilliant.

Prowse was originally intended to talk in Vader's armor, although his West Country accent made Vader seem too silly, so his voice was quickly replaced. Jones decided to do the voice work, as the need for Vader to sound intimidating matched his own voice. Prowse, however, was not aware that his voice was replaced until the film's release. Jones was not credited until Episode VI, as he felt he did not deserve the credit due to only supplying his voice for Vader. For fight scenes in Episodes V and VI, swordsman Bob Anderson wore the suit. In new footage shot for the Special Edition of the original trilogy, actor and former Industrial Light & Magic visual effects artist C. Andrew Nelson played the infamous Dark Lord.

In the original *Return of the Jedi*, Skywalker's redeemed Force ghost was a robust, middle-aged to elderly man with graying brown hair and a kindly face, but upon release of the Special Edition DVD of *Return of the Jedi*, Skywalker is in his twenties just before his fall to the dark side. George Lucas stated that redeemed Jedi would revert as a Force ghost to their pre-fall form.

In *Revenge of the Sith*, Christensen briefly wore the Vader suit, which the costume department specifically designed to fit his body. The actor had a difficult time moving around in the suit, and it was extremely rigid. When he told Lucas about this, the director suggested that wearing the suit should feel very mechanical and unnatural. His stand-in double for the UK shoot was Christian J Simpson, who also played alongside the young Skywalker in Episode I as Bravo Six, Lt. Gavyn Sykes. The few lines of the suited Vader speaking are of Jones, but at one time, there was some debate over this. Some fans believed that he did not participate at all, since his name does not appear in the credits of *Revenge of the Sith*, and the voice heard in the first trailer for the movie was Christensen's, albeit altered digitally. The matter was settled with the Summer 2005 issue of *Starlog*, in which producer Rick McCallum stated they had Jones for a partial day of work on *Revenge of the Sith*.

In the Legends radio-drama adaptations, Brock Peters performed as Vader, with David Birney performing as Skywalker on the final episode of the *Return of the Jedi* radio drama. Legacy audio of Peters was used for the canonical 2015 release *Episode IV: A New Hope Read-Along Storybook and CD*. In the *Clone Wars* cartoon, Skywalker was voiced by Frankie Ryan Manriquez as a child and Mat Lucas as an adult. In *The Clone Wars* CGI series and its feature film, the character is voiced by Matt Lanter. For many of the *Star Wars* video games, including *Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds*, *Star Wars: Force Commander*, and *Star Wars: TIE Fighter*, Vader was voiced by Scott Lawrence; in titles, such as *Star Wars: The Force Unleashed* and *Star Wars: Empire at War*, Matthew Sloan, who provides the voice of Vader in the Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager shorts, provides Vader's voice.

In the Japanese localizations, Daisuke Namikawa acts as the voice of Anakin as an adult, while as young Anakin, Akiko Yajima provides his voice in the Clone Wars. As Darth Vader, the voice is provided by Tōru Ōhira in most incarnations starting with the DVD release, save for *Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds* (where he is voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo), and a number of other substitute voices in the original films. Ōhira also by proxy, reprises his role in the Japanese version of SoulCalibur IV. After Ōhira's death, the role was taken up by Taiten Kusunoki for *Rebels* onwards.

In the original ending of *Rogue One*, the final scene for Darth Vader was not him attacking and chasing the Rebels with the Death Star plans. Instead, Vader was going to kill Krennic.

### *Obi-Wan Kenobi* television series

In a meeting, writer Stuart Beattie explained that his two core ideas for an Obi-Wan Kenobi project involved Kenobi leaving Tatooine and coming face-to-face with Darth Vader. He was told that neither of those could happen, so he cited *Return of the Jedi* when Vader told Luke Skywalker that Kenobi once believed there was still good in him. Beattie explained that this never happened in *Revenge of the Sith*, which convinced them that he had a point. He added that people would need to believe that Vader killed Anakin Skywalker. This convinced the team to hire Beattie to write the script for the first of three Kenobi feature films. One of his main purposes in writing the story was to show Kenobi going on a journey to accept the fact that Anakin Skywalker had been killed by Vader.

Beattie wrote Vader as being obsessed with Kenobi and revenge. From the beginning of Beattie's story, Emperor Palpatine would tell Vader to forget Kenobi and focus on the present problems. The film would begin with Vader taking on five Jedi and killing them, which Beattie wanted to establish that Vader was "the big Jedi killer." In one scene, Palpatine sent Vader to crush a rebel uprising and he was trying to forget Kenobi. Vader told Palpatine that Kenobi and Yoda were the two biggest threats, causing Palpatine to get angry and remind Vader of his place. Kenobi told the Inquisitor Reva that Vader was Anakin Skywalker, allowing her realize she had been wrong the whole time. Reva then told Vader that she killed Kenobi, prompting him to kill the Inquisitor. This action saved Kenobi and ended Vader's obsession with the Jedi Master. Vader and Kenobi would duel on a space station that was falling apart in the atmosphere of a large planet. The whole story would build up to Kenobi taking off or slashing Vader's helmet and giving him a scar. Vader would push Kenobi off and he would not have the chance to find Kenobi. Seeing Skywalker's face would have convinced Kenobi that Vader killed Skywalker. Beattie found it important to separate the two during the duel because he believed Kenobi would kill Vader if he had the chance. At the end of the story, Vader would believe Kenobi was dead, which would explain why Vader stopped hunting Kenobi and justify why he was shocked to learn that his master was alive in *A New Hope*. Beattie's story was eventually turned into the first season of the *Obi-Wan Kenobi* television series.

During production of the series, the creative team began remapping Kenobi's story and they went through an internal debate about whether Vader should return. Director Deborah Chow wanted Vader to return because he was important to Kenobi in his life. She believed that there is a "love-story dynamic" between Kenobi and Vader, so she felt like it was difficult to not include the person who left Kenobi in a state of anguish. Chow was intrigued by the idea that Kenobi might still care deeply about Vader despite what he had become. The debate carried on for a long time and was talked about constantly. The crew questioned whether introducing Vader in the story would detract from their duel on the Death Star in *A New Hope*. The team was aware that they were under a high level of scrutiny from the fans, and they figured a story point such as Vader returning would be highly scrutinized. Eventually, it was decided that Vader would appear in the series and he would be played by Christensen again. Writer Joby Harold thought it was important to have Christensen be a part of the project because he was a massive part of the character. Harold said that the whole crew made it a priority to handle Vader with as much care as possible "to honor one of the greatest villains and antagonists in the history of entertainment."

When Harold was writing Vader, he wanted to trump Vader's scene in the ending of *Rogue One: A Star Wars Story*. At one point, Vader was a lot more extreme, though Harold got pulled back a little bit. For the scenes on Mapuzo, Harold decided that Vader had to express his feelings in action to reveal the character beneath. During the writing process, Harold thought of having Kenobi learn that Anakin Skywalker survived their duel on Mustafar to get the series to a place of intense drama for Kenobi. He first had to ask *Star Wars* lore advisor Pablo Hidalgo how much Kenobi knows during the show's time period, and Harold was given permission to use the scene. Harold had Kenobi and Vader duel in the series because he found that there was no line in a *A New Hope* that said they could not. Harold said the key to the duel on Mapuzo and Vader is feeling and articulating the range and anger under it all. He also wanted to find ways to feel the rivalry between the characters and to define the opportunities that are present in the fight.

In the fall of 2019, director Deborah Chow went to Christensen's farm to make her pitch in person. Chow talked about the project and her vision for it. She promised that Vader would add a new dimension that could reframe the way fans look at their duel in *A New Hope*. Christensen thought it sounded wonderful and was excited to return to *Star Wars*. When Christensen first came on the set, Chow thought it was intense to have an iconic character and that she was able to direct and film new scenes with him. When Chow became the showrunner, she championed a rematch between Kenobi and Vader as Lucasfilm contemplated going that route. In March, 2020, Vader's return was finalized.

To prepare for playing Vader again, Christensen watched all of the *Star Wars* films, *Star Wars: The Clone Wars*, and *Star Wars Rebels*, and he read some of the comics. He also practiced with a lightsaber with McGregor's stunt double, Ross Kohnstam. Harold said that Vader's shadow was cast over much of production of the show and Vader was written to be there emotionally for Kenobi and possibly beyond. Vader was meant to not be as fully formed as he was in *A New Hope*. Chow and the crew made sure that Darth Vader was not overused in order to keep the character's mystique.

Vader was played by Christensen, Dmitrious Bistrevsky, and Tom O'Connell. Christensen wore a Vader costume that was very hot and heavy, but there was an under-layer with cooling liquid in it. Between takes, Christensen was plugged into a device that circulated the liquid and helped him cool down. Christensen said that the mechanical element made him feel more like Vader. The costume also had tinted helmet lenses. Olga Sokolova, a choreographer and "Vader movement specialist," made sure that Christensen moved and walked correctly in the suit. This was done because the actor wanted to stay true to how Vader moves and how he is perceived by fans. It took Christensen nine months to gain 25-30 pounds to fit in the suit. Bistrevsky wore the suit during full body shots with the helmet on while O'Connell wore the suit during fighting scenes. Bistrevsky spent five months of training for the role and he learned all of his lines. He said that it was dark and heavy in the suit. While on set, he used meditation to stay in Vader's mindset. Some scenes required switching back and forth between multiple actors. Sokolova worked as Bistrevsky's movement coach and consultant, and she gave him notes in real time via a secret hand language. The first scene shot of Bistrevsky was the street scene on Mapuzo. Bistrevsky quickly learned that speaking with anger made the helmet shake, so his friend Dorian voice acted the scene, and Bistrevsky would act to his intensity while adding his own character voices.

When Christensen spoke Vader's lines on set, he pulled aspects from James Earl Jones' delivery and intonation. Vader's voice in the series was artificially created with Respeecher, which uses archival recordings and a proprietary A.I. algorithm to create new dialogue with the voices of performers. Respeecher, which also created the voice of young Luke Skywalker for *The Book of Boba Fett*, was used because Jones's voice has altered with age and he has stepped back from the role. After *The Rise of Skywalker*, Jones had mentioned he was looking into winding down Vader. Matthew Wood presented Jones with Respeecher's work, and the actor signed off on using his archival voice recordings to keep Vader alive and vital even by artificial means.

Jones is credited for guiding the performance on *Obi-Wan Kenobi*. Wood described his contribution as "a benevolent godfather." They informed the actor about their plans for Vader and heeded his advice on how to stay on the right course. Based in Ukraine, Respeecher finished work on the series amid the 2022 Russian invasion. While he stated the alternatives "wouldn't be as good" as Respeecher's work, Wood confirmed Lucasfilm's main concern was always with their wellbeing and would have pursued other options if the Respeecher team had wanted to flee the conflict.

Vader's costume was desgined by costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb. The first scene shot with Christensen was when he played Anakin Skywalker in a vision seen by Kenobi. Christensen also played a helmet-less Vader in a bacta tank in the series. The crew knew the actor would have to hold his breath while submerged in the water, so he worked with a dive instructor who helped him build up his breath holds. Christensen was not allowed to breathe through the regulator. A team of make-up artists spent four to five hours applying make-up on Christensen for him to play Vader in those scenes. He worked very closely with executive creative director of Lucasfilm, Doug Chiang, who gave input into the overall look. Christensen also played Anakin Skywalker during the Order 66 flashbacks. Chow wanted to make Vader's arrival in the Mapuzo mining village to be similar to a horror movie where the monster would appear and then disappear. Christensen and McGregor trained with lightsabers for the flashback of Skywalker and Kenobi training in the fifth episode. They both had dots on their face for the de-aging technology.

### Non-canon history

The *Darth Vader and Son* series of books by Jeffrey Brown depict Darth Vader of the Imperial era as a loving father to Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, buying them ice cream, playing tea party, and even reading bedtime stories.

In the *Angry Birds Star Wars* titles, Anakin is the feared "Lard Vader," the feared porcine military commander who seeks to become Emperor, commanding the Pork Side.

Darth Vader and Darth Sidious appear as the main antagonists in the non-canon *LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures*. While probing the Jedi Archives, Vader learns about the existence of a powerful lightsaber called the Kyber Saber, which was made from several kyber crystals. However, the Jedi Master who made the Saber had deemed it too powerful and destroyed it before scattering the crystal throughout the galaxy. Darth Sidious sought to collect all the crystals so he could destroy the galaxy. However, the two Sith Lords were opposed by the Freemakers, a scavenging family, and the Jedi Naare.

In *Are You Scared, Darth Vader?*, a number of classic villains, such as a wolfman and a "ghost" attempt to terrorize Vader, only for him to either be confused by them or simply not scared. As the story comes to a close, however, readers discover what really has the power to terrify Lord Vader.

On October 29, 2014, for a Halloween-themed update, a costume of Darth Vader was added to *The Sims 4* for playable Sims to wear in-game. The costume is purely cosmetic and offers no gameplay changes.

### Translations

* In the Italian original and prequel trilogies, Darth Vader is known as **Lord Dart Fener**. In 2004, Lucasfilm announced a "referendum" to Italian fans about the changing of the name into Darth Vader for *Revenge of the Sith*, but "Dart Fener" won, and the name was reverted to "Darth Vader" for materials from *The Force Awakens* onwards.
* In French, Vader is called **Dark Vador**. "Dark" is the French word for "Darth" and was applied to later-introduced Sith characters. In French Canada, the name was reverted to "Darth Vader" for materials from *Revenge of the Sith* onwards.
* In Icelandic, Vader is called **Svarthöfði**, which translates to "black head."
* In Chinese, Darth Vader is directly transliterated into Cantonese-spoken Traditional Chinese as "**達斯·維達**" and in Mandarin-spoken Simplified Chinese as "**达斯·维德**." The most common translation in Chinese is "**黑武士**" (Dark Knight), although Darth Vader is also translated to "**黑衣勋爵**" (Lord in Black) or "**帝国大将**" (Imperial Grand General) in Simplified Chinese. While Anakin is transliterated as "**安纳金**" in Hong Kong (a Cantonese-speaking country) and "**阿纳金**" in Mandarin, Skywalker is paraphrased as "**天行者**" (sky-walker) in Hong Kong or "**任天行**" (travel the sky at will) in other countries.
* In Japanese, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are transliterated and written in katakana as "**アナキン・スカイウォーカー**" and "**ダース・ヴェイダー**" respectively.
* In Korean, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are transliterated and written as "**아나킨 스카이워커**" and "**다스 베이더**" respectively.

## Appearances

* *Master & Apprentice* audiobook
* *Queen's Peril*
* *Queen's Peril* audiobook
* *Star Wars*: Episode I *The Phantom Menace*
* *The Phantom Menace* Golden Book
* *Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace*
* *The Prequel Trilogy Stories*
* *Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel*
* *Star Wars Journeys: Beginnings*
* *5-Minute Star Wars Stories*
* *Star Wars: Galactic Defense*
* *Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes*
* *Star Wars: Force Arena*
* *Star Wars Battlefront II*
* *Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi* 1
	+ *Obi-Wan and Anakin* 1
	+ *Obi-Wan and Anakin* 2
	+ *Obi-Wan and Anakin* 3
	+ *Obi-Wan and Anakin* 4
	+ *Obi-Wan and Anakin* 5
	+ *Queen's Shadow* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Queen's Shadow* audiobook (Mentioned only)
	+ "The Lesson"—*Star Wars* (2020) 25
	+ *Choose Your Destiny: An Obi-Wan & Anakin Adventure*
	+ *Star Wars*: Episode II *Attack of the Clones*
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "Yoda vs Count Dooku – Size Matters Not"
	+ *Attack of the Clones* Golden Book
	+ *Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade*
	+ *Queen's Hope*
	+ *Queen's Hope* audiobook
	+ *Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu* 5 (Appears through imagination)
	+ *Brotherhood*
	+ *Brotherhood* audiobook
	+ *Hyperspace Stories* 1
	+ *Hyperspace Stories* 5
	+ "The Eye of the Beholder"—*Stories of Jedi and Sith*
	+ *Stories of Jedi and Sith* audiobook
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales* 1
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales* 2
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales* 3 (Indirect mention only)
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales* 4 (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales* 5
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Cat and Mouse"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Hidden Enemy"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* film
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Clone Cadets" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi* – "Practice Makes Perfect"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Rising *Malevolence*"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Shadow of *Malevolence*"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Destroy *Malevolence*"
	+ *Age of Republic - Anakin Skywalker* 1
	+ "501 Plus One"—Age of Republic Special 1
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Rookies"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Downfall of a Droid"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Duel of the Droids"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Bombad Jedi" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Cloak of Darkness" (Appears in hologram)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Dooku Captured"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Gungan General"
	+ "Dooku Captured"—*The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark* (Mentioned only)
	+ *The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark* audiobook
	+ *Choose Your Destiny: A Clone Trooper Mission* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Jedi Crash"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Defenders of Peace"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Trespass"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Blue Shadow Virus"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Mystery of a Thousand Moons"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Storm Over Ryloth"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Innocents of Ryloth" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Liberty on Ryloth"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Holocron Heist"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Cargo of Doom"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Children of the Force"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Bounty Hunters"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Zillo Beast"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Senate Spy"
	+ "A Jedi's Duty"—*Stories of Jedi and Sith* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Landing at Point Rain"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Weapons Factory"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Legacy of Terror"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Brain Invaders"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Grievous Intrigue"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Deserter" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Lightsaber Lost"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Mandalore Plot"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Voyage of Temptation"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Duchess of Mandalore"
	+ "Separation Anxiety Part One"—*Star Wars Adventures* (2020) 9 (Appears in hologram)
	+ *Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel* audiobook (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Death Trap"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "R2 Come Home"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Lethal Trackdown"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Academy"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Assassin"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "ARC Troopers"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Sphere of Influence"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Evil Plans"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Hostage Crisis"
	+ "Hostage Crisis"—*The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark*
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Hunt for Ziro" (In flashback(s))
	+ "Intermission, Part I"—*Star Wars Adventures* (2017) 12
	+ "Intermission, Part II"—*Star Wars Adventures* (2017) 13
	+ "The Incident, Part 1"—*Star Wars Adventures* (2020) 5
	+ "The Incident, Part 2"—*Star Wars Adventures* (2020) 6
	+ *Star Wars Forces of Destiny* – "Teach You, I Will"
	+ *Star Wars Forces of Destiny* – "The Imposter Inside" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: Forces of Destiny—Ahsoka & Padmé* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Forces of Destiny: Daring Adventures: Volume 1* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Forces of Destiny* – "Unexpected Company"
	+ *Star Wars Forces of Destiny* – "The Padawan Path"
	+ *Forces of Destiny: Daring Adventures: Volume 2*
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Heroes on Both Sides"
	+ "Pursuit of Peace"—*The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark*
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Nightsisters"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Witches of the Mist"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Overlords"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Altar of Mortis"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Ghosts of Mortis"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Citadel"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Counterattack"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Citadel Rescue"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Padawan Lost"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Wookiee Hunt"
	+ "Hide and Seek"—*Star Wars Adventures* (2017) 20
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Water War"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Gungan Attack"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Prisoners"
	+ "Roger Roger"—*Star Wars Adventures* (2017) 19
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Shadow Warrior"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Nomad Droids" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Darkness on Umbara"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The General" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Plan of Dissent" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Carnage of Krell" (In flashback(s))
	+ "The Shadow of Umbara"—*The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark*
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Kidnapped"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Slaves of the Republic"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Escape from Kadavo"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "A Friend in Need" (Appears in hologram)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Deception"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Friends and Enemies"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Box"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Crisis on Naboo"
	+ "Bane's Story"—*The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark* (Mentioned only)
	+ "The Lost Nightsister"—*The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Brothers"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "A War on Two Fronts"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Front Runners"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Soft War" (Appears in hologram)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Tipping Points"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Gathering" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Bound for Rescue" (Indirect mention only)
	+ "Almost a Jedi"—*The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Secret Weapons"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Point of No Return"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Revival"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Lawless" (Mentioned only)
	+ "Kenobi's Shadow"—*The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark*
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Sabotage"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much"
	+ "Sisters"—*Age of Republic Special* 1 (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "To Catch a Jedi"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Wrong Jedi"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Unknown"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Conspiracy" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Orders"
	+ *Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising* (Voice only)
	+ *Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising* audiobook (Voice only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "An Old Friend"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Rise of Clovis"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Crisis at the Heart"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Lost One"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Voices"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Destiny" (Vision to Yoda)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Sacrifice" (Vision to Yoda)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "A Death on Utapau"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "In Search of the Crystal"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Crystal Crisis"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Big Bang"
	+ *Dark Disciple*
	+ *Dark Disciple* audiobook
	+ *Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir* 3 (Indirect mention only)
	+ *Age of Republic - Padmé Amidala* 1
	+ *Kanan* 7
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Gone with a Trace" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Deal No Deal"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Bad Batch"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "A Distant Echo"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "On the Wings of Keeradaks"
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Unfinished Business"
	+ *The Clone Wars: Season 7: Volume 1*
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Old Friends Not Forgotten"
	+ *Star Wars*: Episode III *Revenge of the Sith*
	+ *Revenge of the Sith* Golden Book
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "The Phantom Apprentice" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars: The Bad Batch* – "Aftermath" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Shattered" (Voice only)
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 1
	+ *Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi* – "Resolve" (Indirect mention only)
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 2
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 3
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 4
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 5
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 6
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 7
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 8
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 9
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 10
	+ "The Lesson"—*Star Wars* (2020) 25
	+ *Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade*
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 11
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 12
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 13
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 14
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 15
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 16
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 17
	+ *Darth Vader Annual* 2
	+ "No Good Deed..."—*Darth Vader* (2017) 1
	+ *Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good* audiobook (Mentioned only)
	+ *Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil* audiobook (Mentioned only)
	+ *Adventures in Wild Space: The Escape* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Adventures in Wild Space: The Snare* (Appears in hologram)
	+ *Adventures in Wild Space: The Steal* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Adventures in Wild Space: The Cold* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Ahsoka* (In flashback(s))
	+ *Ahsoka* audiobook (In flashback(s))
	+ "So Much More"—*Star Wars Adventures Annual* 2019 (Appears through imagination)
	+ *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* – "Victory and Death"
	+ "Orientation" – *Star Wars Insider* 157
	+ *Lords of the Sith*
	+ *Lords of the Sith* audiobook
	+ *Tarkin*
	+ *Tarkin* audiobook
	+ *Age of Rebellion - Darth Vader* 1
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 18
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 19
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 20
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 21
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 22
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 23
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 24
	+ *Darth Vader* (2017) 25
	+ *Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order*
	+ *Jedi: Battle Scars* (Mentioned only)
	+ "Bottleneck"—*The Rise of the Empire* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Thrawn*
	+ *Thrawn* audiobook
	+ *Thrawn* 1 (Appears through imagination)
	+ *Thrawn* 5 (Mentioned only)
	+ *Thrawn* 6
	+ *A New Dawn* (Mentioned only)
	+ *A New Dawn* audiobook (Mentioned only)
	+ *Obi-Wan Kenobi* – "Part I" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Obi-Wan Kenobi* – "Part II"
	+ *Obi-Wan Kenobi* – "Part III"
	+ *Obi-Wan Kenobi* – "Part IV"
	+ *Obi-Wan Kenobi* – "Part V"
	+ *Obi-Wan Kenobi* – "Part VI"
	+ *Star Wars Jedi: Survivor*
	+ *Star Wars* (2015) 7 (Indirect mention only)
	+ *Star Wars* (2015) 15 (Mentioned only)
	+ *Choose Your Destiny: A Podracer Mission* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Lost Stars*
	+ *Lost Stars* audiobook
	+ *Lost Stars* webcomic
	+ *Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion* (Appears in hologram) (Prologue version)
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "Gathering Forces" (Indirect mention only)
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* webcomic
	+ *Battle to the End*
	+ *Star Wars: Starfighter Missions*
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "Fire Across the Galaxy"
	+ *Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions*
	+ *Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal*
	+ *Star Wars Rebels: Team Tactics*
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "The Lost Commanders" (Indirect mention only)
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "Relics of the Old Republic" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "Always Two There Are" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "Darth Vader vs. the Rebel Fleet - Fearsome Fighter Pilot"
	+ "No Sympathy"—*Star Wars Rebels* Magazine 14 (Appears in hologram)
	+ *Leia, Princess of Alderaan* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Leia, Princess of Alderaan* audiobook (Mentioned only)
	+ *Leia Organa: Ordeal of the Princess* (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "The Future of the Force" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "Shroud of Darkness"
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "Twilight of the Apprentice"
	+ *Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "Ghosts of Geonosis" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "Twin Suns" (Indirect mention only)
	+ *Thrawn: Alliances*
	+ *Thrawn: Alliances* audiobook
	+ *Thrawn: Treason* (Mentioned only)
	+ *Thrawn: Treason* audiobook (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Rebels* – "A World Between Worlds"
	+ *The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear!* (Mentioned only)
	+ *The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear!* audiobook (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Adventures Free Comic Book Day 2019*
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle* 4
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle* 5
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle* 1 (Appears in hologram)
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle* 2 (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle* 3 (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle* 5
	+ *Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire*
	+ *Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I*
	+ *Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode II*
	+ *Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode III*
	+ *Vader - Dark Visions* 1
	+ *Vader - Dark Visions* 2
	+ *Vader - Dark Visions* 3
	+ *Vader - Dark Visions* 4
	+ *Vader - Dark Visions* 5
	+ "Hard Shutdown"—*Darth Vader – Black, White & Red* 1
	+ "Inescapable"—*Darth Vader – Black, White & Red* 1 (Appears in dream)
	+ "Dissolution of Hope"—*Darth Vader – Black, White & Red* 1
	+ *Darth Vader – Black, White & Red 2*
	+ *Darth Vader – Black, White & Red 3*
	+ "Blood Moon Uprising"—*Stories of Jedi and Sith*
	+ "Red Four"—*Marvel Comics* 1000
	+ "Tales of Villainy: The Short Goodbye"—*Star Wars Adventures* (2020) 5
	+ *Obi-Wan* 1 (Cover only)
	+ *Obi-Wan* 3 (In flashback(s))
	+ *Obi-Wan* 4 (In flashback(s))
	+ *Obi-Wan* 5 (Vision to Obi-Wan Kenobi)
	+ *Rogue One: A Star Wars Story*
	+ *Rogue One: A Star Wars Story* novelization
	+ *Rogue One: A Star Wars Story* audiobook
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "Darth Vader - Power of the Dark Side"
	+ *Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel*
	+ *Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel* audiobook
	+ *Star Wars: Rogue One: Secret Mission*
	+ *Star Wars: Rogue One Graphic Novel Adaptation*
	+ *Rogue One Adaptation* 2 (Mentioned only)
	+ *Rogue One Adaptation* 4
	+ *Rogue One Adaptation* 5 (Mentioned only)
	+ *Rogue One Adaptation* 6
	+ *Bounty Hunt*
	+ "Raymus"—*From a Certain Point of View*
	+ *From a Certain Point of View* audiobook
	+ *Age of Rebellion - Grand Moff Tarkin* 1
	+ *Star Wars*: Episode IV *A New Hope* (First appearance)
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "R2-D2 - A Loyal Droid"
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "Princess Leia vs. Darth Vader - A Fearless Leader"
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "Luke Skywalker - The Journey Begins" (Mentioned only)
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (In flashback(s))
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "Han Solo – Taking Flight for his Friends"
	+ *Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures* – "Luke vs. the Death Star - X-wing Assault"
	+ *A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy*
	+ *A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy* audiobook
	+ *Star Wars: A New Hope* junior novelization
	+ *Episode IV: A New Hope Read-Along Storybook and CD*
	+ *A New Hope* Golden Book
	+ *Escape from Darth Vader*
	+ *Trapped in the Death Star!*
	+ *Star Wars: Heroes Path*
	+ *The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight*
	+ *The Power of the Dark Side*