Whom Did Vader Respect and Consider a Friend?

Darth Vader, known in the Star Wars universe as a fearsome Dark Lord of the Sith, is usually seen as cold and unfeeling. But, there’s a lesser-known side to him. 

Believe it or not, Vader does show respect to some Imperial lieutenants. It’s not something all of them experience, but a select few have indeed received this rare acknowledgment from the Dark Lord.

Erv Lekauf

Erv Lekauf, an Imperial Lieutenant, served as a personal aide to Vader during the initial two years of the Galactic Empire’s rule. Vader found Lekauf to be quite distinct from his other officers. 

Lekauf was fearless, always ready to join Vader in battle, even when facing a dark Jedi assassin, despite the risk of death. His loyalty to Vader was unparalleled.

Lekauf was also a devoted family man, a trait that earned him Vader’s respect. 

In recognition of Lekauf’s bravery and loyalty, Vader once suggested him for a secret Imperial project aimed at creating new clone armies using human DNA.

A significant incident occurred when Vader, Palpatine, and Lekauf were returning to Coruscant in a shuttle. 

They were ambushed by a treacherous rebel named Sheyvan. During the attack, Lekauf shielded Vader from the flames, suffering severe burns in the process.

Lekauf was immediately rushed for medical treatment. Vader used the Force to ease his pain during the journey to the Medical Bay. 

Although Lekauf survived, his injuries were so severe that he retired from the Empire and spent his remaining days with his family on Coruscant.

In his retirement, Lekauf devoted his time to raising his grandson, Jori. He would often regale Jori with tales of his adventures with Vader, expressing his deep admiration for the man.

Ensign Nanda

Ensign Nanda, a female Imperial lieutenant that got to work with Darth Vader in 5 days, at the end she got rewarded however it also came with a tragedy.

Nanda’s first big mission was to fly their shuttle to Coruscant’s Data Center. When they got there, she had to talk to a deck officer who checked every ship’s crew and cargo. 

Inside, Nanda saw Darth Vader’s harshness for the first time, and it really scared her.

A few hours later, she flew their new ship, called the Archer, to a place called Bothawui. There, Vader’s soldiers quickly dealt with some Bothans suspected of being data slicers. Their next stop was Kuat, where Vader was really tough on the command staff of his old ship, the Devastator. Nanda watched all of this, totally shocked.

After they left the shipyard at Kuat, Nanda was alone in the cockpit for a while. When Vader came back, he told her to fly to the Alderaan system because they thought they saw an X-wing starfighter and an old Star Destroyer there. 

Nanda wasn’t sure about the tip but followed Vader’s orders to go “at once.”

In the Alderaan system, they found a ship called the Audacity with a guy named Tag Rogaren on it. 

Vader sent his best soldiers to grab Rogaren and bring him to the Archer. But when those soldiers came back, they suddenly attacked Vader. Nanda was right to worry because their fight damaged the ship. 

After Vader handled the attackers and fixed the ship, he got some info from Rogaren and then told Nanda to head to the Chandrila system.

In Chandrila, Nanda found out that a guy they were after, Bircher, was related to Mon Mothma, a big leader in the Rebel Alliance. After telling Vader what she found, they destroyed Bircher’s family estate.

After all that, Nanda got a promotion and a bunch of credits. But spending five days with Darth Vader left her really shaken up, and she kept thinking she saw the Dark Lord everywhere.