Darth Vader: Canon vs. Legends - How's He Different?

How is Darth Vader Different in Canon and Legends?

Even though Darth Vader was a huge player in both the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies, the two versions of Star Wars' story - Star Wars Canon and Star Wars Legends - have slightly different takes on him! They keep some of his key things, but there's a whole bunch of other stuff that makes him a bit different.

How Did "Star Wars" Continuity Change?

There was this huge reset in 2014! Star Wars decided to clear everything out, so only some stuff stayed, while a bunch of the old stuff got shelved into Star Wars Legends! All of the original six films still stuck around but they didn't include any books, games or comics, which they previously called "The Expanded Universe."

So How's Darth Vader Different?

Darth Vader's castle. In Legends, it's on this cool planet called Vjun! And the Canon? He’s got that castle on Mustafar, his super fiery planet!
His lightsabers! In Legends, Darth Vader made his lightsaber. He put those special dark side crystals - the ones that make them red! But, the Star Wars canon version, well, he steals the lightsaber from a Jedi Master and kinda makes it red!

Any Other Changes To Darth Vader?

Yes, there are some other big changes. When it comes to trusting the Empire troops - in Legends, Darth Vader trusted those Stormtroopers a bit more! But, in Canon? It's kind of a different story! They were almost like, he’s a tough, strict leader and would totally be a jerk. That makes Darth Vader a whole lot darker! It also turns out in Canon that he wasn’t actually a big strategy guy! In Legends, Darth Vader was this super smart tactical genius.

What Are the Big Takeaways?

Even though the big movie story stayed the same - the changes in these extra Star Wars stories make Darth Vader an even more fascinating character!

It’s super interesting to check out how both the Canon and Legends versions show Darth Vader's power. He's still an epic, fearsome figure in Star Wars. But you know what they say? There's more than one way to tell the same story - which makes the world of Star Wars even more cool,