We may like to think of Vader as an all-powerful Sith lord, but his reality was the opposite. This video provides an overview of how becoming Vader was worse than we imagined. The big picture was that Anakin went from the “promise of being a Jedi” to the “mechanical enforcer of the Empire.” That was quite a transformation. The minutiae include how Anakin lost his relationship with Padme and his status as the “hero of the Clone Wars.”
Vader’s future with children and as the deliverer of peace to the galaxy was also forsaken for the trapped life of Vader. Within these parameters, we can see a mix of physical and psychological suffering that makes becoming Vader unbearable.
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Vader’s Physical Torture
For the physical aspects, Anakin’s tremendous injuries and the terrible surgery process defined his initial struggles. This reconstructive surgery was extremely painful as the medical droids worked to reforge his cybernetic limbs and restore life-support connections. Here, we can be reminded of the extreme nature of Vader’s transformation.
Moreover, Palpatine purposefully did not provide anesthetics to Anakin-Vader to fuel his pain and hatred. The Emperor wished to draw Vader further into the dark side and make him dependent on him. Vader’s suit, while saving his life, was likewise designed to cause Vader physical pain and suffering.
This Star Wars Theory video relays how Palpatine made Vader’s suit this way to “torture” him and “remind him” of his failure against Obi-Wan. Vader also came to embrace this constant pain as a means to fuel his dark side power. By design and twisted acceptance, Vader’s life became physically worse than we think.
Moreover, Vader’s enclosed helmet and mask experience stripped him of his former human perspective. Among the interesting facts about his helmet, Vader struggled to get “a good night’s rest” with it. Hence, the helmet enhanced his anguish.
The Psychological Side of Vader’s Suffering
The claustrophobic nature of Vader’s helmet and suit reflects the psychological side of his existence. Yet, as Anakin emerged as Vader from the operating table, his mental imbalances set in from what he realized about Palpatine’s true intentions.
As Vader arose, Sidious informed him of Padme’s demise under the premise that Vader was at fault. But we get a sense quickly that Vader actually knew the truth. With Anakin’s scream, as this video breaks down, Vader used the Force to smash “the Emperor up against a wall,” according to the comics. It dawned on Vader that he had just given up everything for a twisted, evil Sith lord.
That was the root of Vader’s psychological suffering. Palpatine’s planned control over the severely injured Anakin was at the heart of Vader’s mental torment. It began with his waking moments and extended through his time as Vader.
In the annals of Star Wars, Sidious’s control of Vader is legendary, and it provoked a vast hatred from Vader. In the Darth Vader #40 comic issue, taking place between Empire and Return, Vader’s fixation with killing Palpatine, or “the man he hates most in the galaxy” has fully been established.
While this hatred may have increased Vader’s dark side powers, it also pushed him to his psychological limits. In the above issue, Vader was even willing to be consumed by the Scourge (an ancient AI) to defeat Sidious. Vader’s desperation surfaced because of the ongoing mental torture he had to endure.
Regret likewise fueled Vader’s agony. The regret came immediately and carried onward with his anger. Knowing that his previous life of promise was forever gone, that “he was the one who destroyed it”, Vader festered in “self-loathing.” Quite simply, Anakin-to-Vader’s regret over what happened haunted “him forever.”
This video explores how even Bacta tanks were not much help to Vader. They did provide some “temporary relief from his physical torment.” However, Bacta especially could not help with “the deeper scars,” or “the ones that haunted him every time he was left alone with his thoughts.” His mediations in the tank conjured up not mental healing but psychological suffering.
The Worst of Becoming Vader
The mental haunting of regret-anger may have been the worst part of becoming Vader. His physical suffering was immense, but the psychological scars locked him in a zone of suffering that encased him more than his suit. The fate of Vader, until his redemption, may even be more than the worst villains should suffer.