For eight months, the mysterious DARTH VADER
has enforced the Emperor's commands.
For some, the EMPIRE brings fear.
For others, it brings hope.
But for Vader, it brings nothing but SUFFERING...
Vader is an American Star Wars Fan Film series directed by Danny Ramirez, written by the people behind the YouTube channel Star Wars Theory and uploaded on the latter.
As the title implies, it focuses on Darth Vader. The story takes place in the aftermath of the events that concluded Revenge of the Sith, as Vader has an internal conflict between his former self, Anakin Skywalker, mourning the loss of the love of his life, Amidala, and the new cursed life he now leads as Emperor Palpatine's pawn.
Episodes and release dates:
- Episode 1: Shards of the Past (December 21, 2018)
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This fan film series provides examples of:
Episode 1: Shards of the Past
- Affably Evil: Palpatine is an evil bastard all right, but he also treats Vader like a friend, gives him decent life advice, and even encourages him to get stronger and claim his revenge.
- All Just a Dream: The whole sequence with Vader battling Clone Troopers, his vision of Padmé Amidala and his fight with the Emperor are all just a dream.
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Vader insists that Anakin is dead and he’s a true Sith now, Palpatine angrily asks why he seems to have less power than Anakin did. Vader has no response.
- Bad Liar: For a Sith Lord, Vader can’t hide his emotions very well, and Palpatine mercilessly rips into him for it.
- Body Horror: We get to see Vader in the process of getting his limbs and armor reattached. It’s not a pretty sight...
- Bullet Catch: Vader freezes blaster shots in mid-air like Kylo Ren did in The Force Awakens, only here he does so with way more than one.
- Continuity Nod:
- Darth Vader briefly flashes back to the scene in The Phantom Menace where Anakin gives Padmé his necklace to remember him by.
- Mention is made of Palpatine being a native of Naboo, and the plot is kicked off when Vader has to return to Theed Palace to deal with a surviving Jedi.
- Do Wrong, Right: Palpatine spends much of the episode trying to get Vader to be a better Sith... as in, to be even more evil and treacherous.
- Dramatic Gun Cock: Not a gun, but Vader gets the same result from flicking on his lightsaber.
- Human Shield: During the dream sequence, Vader uses one of the red-clad Emperor's Royal Guards as shield with the Force to take Palpatine's Force lightning in his place.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Evil Jerkass he may be, but Palpatine raises some surprisingly relevant points in his tirade to Darth Vader, calling out on how he’s just wallowing in his grief rather than doing anything to improve his situation.
- In-Series Nickname: The 501st are derisively referred to as “the Boys in Blue” by the Clone Troopers on Naboo.
- Kick the Dog: When a Clone commander mentions to Vader that some troopers have gone missing in the Catacombs, Vader bluntly snaps that he doesn’t care.
- Leitmotif: A number of classic John Williams leitmotives from the franchise are used, the "Imperial March" chief among them, of course.
- The Lost Lenore: Vader is still haunted by the death of Padmé.
- Mook Horror Show: The unlucky Clone Troopers who go up against the Jedi on Naboo. You don’t even see what happens to them, just hear their terrified screams for help.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Vader is clearly brooding over his involvement in the deaths of Padmé and the Jedi Order, even if he refuses to admit it.
- Mythology Gag:
- During the dream sequence, Vader performs a blaster shot Bullet Catch similar to the one Kylo Ren did in The Force Awakens. Keeping with that film’s theme of Kylo being a pale imitation of his grandfather, Vader catches far more shots than Kylo ever could have.
- When he’s having his limbs and suit put back on, Vader wears a rebreather that makes him look very much like Darth Malgus.
- Never My Fault: For all his remorse, in his dream, Vader places the blame for his life going to hell solely on Palpatine’s manipulations instead of taking responsibility for his actions.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Darth Vader comes off as one, complete with nightmares.
- Stock Sound Effect: The classic “Wilhelm Scream” can be heard when the Clone Troopers are attacked in the Catacombs of Theed.
- Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred!: Palpatine openly challenges Vader to kill him, and is actually pretty pissed off when Vader refuses.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Once again, the mark of the Sith. In Vader's dream sequence, his vision of Padme eventually opens her eyes to show them—proving her merely one of Palpatine's illusions to put him off guard. Notably: when he wakes up, his own gold eyes eventually revert to his original blue, a vulnerable moment suggesting the Dark Side's hold on him is still not absolute.
- That Man Is Dead: Vader, as usual, insists that Anakin Skywalker is dead by his hand. He doesn’t sound very genuine, which Palpatine immediately calls him out on.
- Time Skip: The episode takes place eight months after Order 66 and the creation of the Empire in Revenge of the Sith.
- Villain Episode: The series is essentially one for Darth Vader.
