Did Star Wars Really Forgive Darth Vader?
There’s been so much discussion about Darth Vader’s big "redemption arc" and whether he ever regretted some of the bad things he did. But Star Wars actually makes a huge statement about Alderaan's destruction! That’s when Darth Vader took out an entire planet.
Who Does Leia Really Blame?
You know what happened - it's a super sad story, even with the epic space battle scenes. And since Princess Leia witnessed the destruction of Alderaan firsthand, it’s important to know that she has a ton of feelings about it.
- Star Wars has revealed something surprising in its comics. Princess Leia is really, truly bothered by her homeworld's demise - we get a hint that she thinks it’s partly her fault. She blames herself. But she's actually more terrified of a bad guy we've all met. We’ve seen that super evil Grand Moff Tarkin, the one with all the control over the Death Star! He made sure everyone watched their planet get wiped out. That’s one really scary moment. He’s really bad.
- In one Star Wars Comic, they say Leia sees Tarkin in her nightmares as much as Vader, which tells us how much power Tarkin held. That man is pretty frightening!
- That's interesting! While Darth Vader is there in her nightmares, Leia does NOT focus her fear or her blame on Vader in these comics! You know the whole Death Star construction and Imperial Rule was going on when she had to see this happen.
Did Vader Feel Regret for Alderaan?
- In A New Hope, we actually get a hint that Darth Vader might have had second thoughts! That part where he chooses to "choke" the Imperial crew - which we call "force choke," but he even uses it to take out those Empire officials.
- It might be shocking but Darth Vader does seem to feel bad, though. He is known for using fear tactics and power. But there is a sense of sorrow, like he was haunted by the moment when Alderaan disappeared - like an awful shadow. And in the later comics, he thinks back about how those billions of cries ended in utter silence! Even if Darth Vader really did use technological terror to take down Alderaan - he doesn't totally brush it off. It might just be a Darth Vader redemption arc that's starting!
- This whole Darth Vader redemption story might be slowly coming together. They have rewritten some things in Star Wars history with the whole Star Wars canon that now shows more empathy, even though we all saw his brutality, right? But Star Wars is super good at making us question things, right? They definitely put Darth Vader in the spotlight! That's how they changed his story to create those heart-wrenching moments - the Force doesn’t forgive as easily as people think it does!
Should We Really Be Giving Vader a Pass?
- In truth, we know how powerful he was - with that dark side, his force power was incredible. You’ve got to admire the way he pulled together his whole plan, but that doesn't mean you forgive him!
Star Wars is still going strong, so maybe that’s what we’ll see: Vader actually has more guilt than what we're shown! But for now, the Death Star and Darth Vader continue to be iconic even though we have so many Star Wars movies, Star Wars tv shows, Star Wars comic books and so many other adventures to explore!
