By Chris Snellgrove
| Printed 27 seconds in the past
For probably the most half, Star Wars followers assume that Darth Vader was fairly good. In spite of everything, he went from being a technical prodigy to a educated Jedi and was a Chosen One with a particular future all his personal. Nonetheless, the blunt reality is that Darth Vader is astoundingly dumb, one thing confirmed by Revenge of the Sith. That movie confirmed Palpatine providing to save lots of Padme’s life earlier than revealing that he couldn’t do it minutes later, and but the fallen Anakin Skywalker nonetheless threw in with the Darkish Aspect and murdered nearly everybody he knew.
Darth Vader Is Dumb
When you don’t imagine Darth Vader is dumb, you merely have to revisit the well-known Revenge of the Sith scene wherein Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu go to confront Palpatine about being a Sith Lord. To sway Anakin towards his Jedi colleague, Palpatine tells the younger man, “I’ve the ability to save lots of the one you like,” and that he “should select.” Anakin complies and cuts off Windu’s hand, however after Palpatine kills the Jedi Grasp, he admits that he isn’t truly able to saving Padme.
Particularly, the long run Emperor circles again to their earlier dialogue of Darth Plagueis, the mysterious Sith who realized the secrets and techniques of immortality. “To cheat demise is an influence just one has achieved,” Palpatine mentioned, “but when we work collectively, I do know we are able to uncover the key.” Merely put, the long run Darth Vader is revealed to be utterly dumb when he continues to go together with Palpatine’s plans after the older man reveals that he can’t save Padme, which is the entire motive Anakin was prepared to turn into a mass assassin within the first place.
Now, there are some Darth Vader defenders who say he isn’t actually dumb on this movie. As a substitute, he’s falling sufferer to old-school manipulation methods. And it’s true that real-life cult leaders and different comparable figures typically find yourself stringing their followers alongside so as to get the issues they need. The issue with this logic, although, is that it threatens to undercut the dramatic rigidity that makes the prequels value watching within the first place.
Whether or not you like them or hate them, the prequels play an necessary position in Star Wars mythology as a result of they clarify how Anakin Skywalker, Chosen One and probably the most gifted Jedi in galactic historical past, was seduced by the Darkish Aspect. We are supposed to see how the prodigal Jedi’s deep attachment to Padme is in the end sufficient to get him to betray every part and everybody he is aware of. In brief, the temptation needs to be this emotionally highly effective so as to lure him away, and we get to witness the tragedy of this gifted Jedi hero turning into a villain.
When you settle for that Anakin might be persuaded by a cult chief approach even a Stormtrooper might see by, then it’s important to settle for that this future Darth Vader is dumb as a field of rocks–er, kyber crystals, eradicating all rigidity from the prequels. Like, the Emperor makes a proposal that his darkish protege can’t refuse, and after the arch villain reveals he can’t make good on that supply 5 minutes later, Anakin nonetheless throws in with him. This could be the real-world equal of turning into Ted Bundy’s sidekick in trade for a test that you simply’ll be getting any day now.
Newsflash: you’re by no means going to get that test and Anakin was by no means going to get what Palpatine promised. All the things from his prodigious skills within the Pressure to his fundamental intelligence ought to have instructed him that, however he nonetheless goes on to turn into House Hitler based mostly on the galaxy’s most evident lie. Positive, Darth Vader often is the scariest man in Star Wars, however make no mistake: he’s additionally dumb sufficient to make Jar-Jar Binks appear like a rocket scientist.
