Both Darth Malgus and Darth Vader went through brutal transformations. We know they were both nearly killed, only to be rebuilt with cybernetics, more machine than man. But here’s where things get interesting—Malgus could still unleash Force lightning, while Vader never could.
So why is that? If both relied on life-supporting machinery, why did one still have access to this devastating power while the other didn’t? Was it their training, their mastery of the dark side, or something deeper—something about how their bodies handled the Force after their transformations?
Darth Vader Could Never Use Force Lightning Because of His Armor
After his catastrophic duel on Mustafar with Obi-Wan Kenobi, we know Darth Vader was left in a state that would have killed almost anyone else. He lost his left hand, and both legs and suffered severe burns all over his body, forcing him to rely on a life-support suit just to survive. But while the suit kept him alive, it also became a major limitation—especially when it came to using Force powers like Force lightning.
Vader’s suit was built for durability and function, not for enhancing his connection to the Force. The materials—mostly heavy metals and non-conductive components—acted as a barrier, preventing him from channeling Force energy the same way other Sith could. On top of that, the electronics in his suit were incredibly sensitive to electricity. We saw just how dangerous that was when Palpatine’s Force lightning fried his systems, ultimately killing him. If Vader ever tried to use Force lightning himself, he’d be putting his own life at risk by short-circuiting the very systems that kept him alive.
In Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, it’s made clear why Vader could never use Force lightning—his cybernetic limbs made it impossible. The book outright states, “His arms and legs were mechanical, and he could never cast Force Lightning.” His artificial limbs couldn’t channel the energy the way a Sith’s living body could.
And if that wasn’t enough proof, Revenge of the Sith (Junior Novelization) reinforces this idea even further. In that book, Darth Sidious himself reflects on how much potential Vader had lost after Mustafar. It states, “The Force—dark side as well as light—was generated by living beings, and it took living flesh to manipulate it. Darth Vader would never be able to cast blue Force lightning; that required living hands, not metal ones.” With so much of his body replaced by machinery, Vader was forever cut off from some of the more advanced abilities of the dark side, including Force lightning.
Darth Malgus
Unlike Vader, Malgus didn’t lose most of his body to cybernetics. His injuries were brutal, but they didn’t cut him off from the Force the way Vader’s did. And here’s the key difference—before Malgus ever needed cybernetics, he was already a fully realized Sith Lord, not just a warrior but a master of the dark side. He wielded its power with absolute control, using it as both a weapon and a tool to dominate the battlefield.
We’ve seen how Malgus tore through Republic forces during the Great Galactic War, leading brutal campaigns with a mix of raw power and tactical brilliance.
Unlike Vader, though, Malgus’s enhancements were concentrated—his jaw, parts of his face, and his respiratory system, all damaged from his brutal battles. His limbs and core remained mostly intact, keeping his body organic enough to maintain a strong bond with the Force.
That difference is massive. Malgus’s cybernetic enhancements weren’t just mechanical replacements—they were likely enhanced with Sith alchemy, built to complement his connection to the dark side rather than restrict it. His modifications didn’t disrupt the Force flowing through him; they worked in harmony with it. That’s why he could still unleash Force lightning, a power that requires a Sith’s body to act as a conduit for dark-side energy.
And if we consider the idea that Force lightning must be channeled through a Sith’s actual hands, then Malgus had another advantage over Vader—his arms were still his own. The most severe damage he suffered was to his jaw and lungs, but his hands remained intact, allowing him to generate and direct the raw energy of the dark side without limitation.
Psychological Factors
The psychological impact of Vader’s transformation from Anakin Skywalker, a once-heroic Jedi, to a Sith Lord was profound.
His ongoing internal conflict and the pain from his physical condition could have weakened his connection to certain aspects of the dark side, like Force lightning, which requires a deep and unconflicted channeling of dark energies.
Malgus, more consistently aligned with the dark side and its philosophies, faced no such inner turmoil, possibly making it easier for him to harness and utilize dark side abilities fully.