Darth Vader is not known for his speed. He uses his lightsaber quite effectively and responds to threats quickly, but he usually does not run. While Jedi tend to run fast, this Sith Lord usually takes his time.
So, how fast is Darth Vader? In terms of running, Vader is not very fast. Yet, Vader is very quick with his use of the Force, including wielding his lightsaber.
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Does Vader Ever Run?
In the movies, Darth Vader does not run. He usually stalks after his opponent at a steady pace. The main reason why he does not run is that his body had to be rebuilt and he uses a specially-made armor suit.
When Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader battled Obi-Wan Kenobi at the end of Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, he lost an arm and two legs. He was also badly burned by lava.
After this lightsaber duel, Vader’s body needed to be rebuilt with prosthetic limbs. These replacement limbs would not be the same as Anakin’s original ones. This is one reason why Vader does not run in the movies.
Although Vader became proficient with his replacement limbs, the durasteel alloy and metal reinforcement construction still made it difficult to move very quickly. His armor suit is the other main reason he didn’t run.
The armor completely encloses Vader’s body and contains Vader’s life-support system. The encasing armor and life support system slow him down too.
In addition, Vader is dependent on an air pump inside the mask and a respirator that goes down his throat and links to the main life support. This explains his heavy breathing and partially explains his slower movement.
The suit contains circuits that control cardiac and respiratory systems and send electrical impulses to signal muscle movement. However, this does not make for the same speed and agility that Anakin once had.
Both Vader’s artificial limbs and armored suit constrain his movements and help explain why Vader does not run. His suit contains his life-support system that provides free movement, but it does not help with running very fast.
Yet, Vader also practices a slower, methodical movement as a reflection of his power. Vader chooses not to run and uses the Force instead to defeat his opponents.
Can Darth Vader Use Force Speed?
Force speed allows Jedi and Sith to sprint, or have a burst of speed, usually for a short amount of time. This may mean that a Jedi or Sith literally moves at lightning speed.
But Force speed also allows the Force user to respond to what is happening around him or her as if it were in slow motion. Vader uses Force speed in this way, but the Star Wars movies do not show him using this power very much.
Force speed comes to those Jedi and Sith who have learned to use the Force in a way that attunes with their body and produces heightened reflexes. They can move and react very quickly.
For example, the Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi used this ability to escape from droidekas in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Anakin Skywalker uses this power to pod race in the same movie. Before he became Darth Vader then, Anakin used Force speed.
In Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back, Vader uses this ability to deflect Han Solo’s lightsaber blasts with his hand. This is one occasion where the reaction time requires Force speed.
As Vader lightsaber duels with Luke Skywalker in the same movie, his effortless deflections and strikes at Luke also reflect Force speed. Vader can almost see into the future with his lightsaber ability.
In the XBox Battlefront games, Vader does move quickly. He glides and sprints in a manner that coincides with Force speed. But in the movies, Vader does not use the Force in this way.
How Fast Can Force Speed Go?
With the example of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, we briefly see them go at the blink of an eye when concluding their fight with the droidekas. This use of Force Speed means they probably moved close to the speed of light.
In Revenge of the Sith, Mace Windu and Darth Sidious use their lightsabers in such skilled ways that they move in a blur at times. This could be considered to mean they moved as fast as near light speed.
However, Mace Windu does use a form of fighting referred to as form Vaapad combat that may also explain this speed.
Some science commentators reflect that the Force itself moves at light speed. Accordingly, use of Force speed by a Jedi or Sith allows them to move nearly as fast as the speed of light.
Is Darth Vader Fast?
Darth Vader is fast with the Force, but slow in terms of running. He is very fast in lightsaber duels and uses the Force to choke or throw his opponent. Yet, due to bodily constraints and intimidating style, Vader does not usually run. His threatening presence is enough.