While he doesn't have a ton of screen time, it’s still nearly impossible for Star Wars fans to hold back their excitement over seeing Darth Vader appear in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. After all, this is one of the most iconic movie characters ever – someone IGN named the greatest villain of all time.
In Star Wars continuity, Rogue One is Vader’s first live-action movie appearance after we see Anakin Skywalker fall to the Dark Side of the Force in Revenge of the Sith. But what happened in those two decades in-between? Below, you'll find what we know about Vader’s actions in-between Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One, thanks to the official canon Star Wars novels and animated series that have used him in that time period. [Keep in mind, while Vader has also been in many canon Star Wars comic books in the past few years, all of them took place after Episode IV: A New Hope.]
As seen in Star Wars: Lords of the Sith
Around five years after Order 66 took place, Vader was still close enough to his old life to occasionally think back on it – in a way Palpatine would likely not be happy about. Which perhaps explains why the Emperor sticks so closely to his apprentice during this timeframe, venturing out in a more direct way than usual in order to use himself as tantalizing bait to lure in a resistance force on Ryloth that is causing the Empire some problems. Along the way, Vader gets to show his incredible power during this mission, decimating his foes in a way that adds to his legend.
When Vader and Palpatine crash land on a remote area of Ryloth, after escaping the destruction of their Star Destroyer, the two Sith more directly join forces in a frightening yet impressive manner, destroying a horde of the vicious, large, insect-like lyleks that attack them. Shortly after, Vader stops Palpatine from killing a young Twi'lek girl, Drua, who they encounter, so that she may guide them to her village and to a communicator so that they can contact the Empire for retrieval. Drua doesn’t know who these men are, and is kind to them, but ultimately, Palpatine orders Vader to kill her and everyone in her village, after they witness more than he wishes them to see – something Vader does indeed go through with, reinforcing his loyalty to his Master and again proving just how far he’d fallen.
As seen in Star Wars: Tarkin
Shortly after the events on Ryloth, Vader would end up on a mission with another key Imperial figure, Moff Tarkin (not yet “Grand”), investigating an attack on the base Tarkin was using to oversee construction of the Death Star. During the course of their investigation, Tarkin’s personal ship, the Carrion Spike, was stolen, with Vader’s meditation chamber onboard – giving the pursuit a more personal touch for both of them.
Vader was initially as cold to Tarkin as he was to every Imperial officer, but during their journey the two began to develop a mutual respect – and while Tarkin kept it to himself, we learned he was smart enough to realize Vader was likely his old Clone Wars ally, Anakin Skywalker. By the end of their time together, it became more clear why Tarkin could refer to Vader as “my friend” when they eventually served together on the Death Star. In the meantime, Vader coldly had Imperial Admiral Rancit executed, after his traitorous role in the insurgency Vader and Tarkin were tracking was uncovered.
As seen in Star Wars Rebels: Season 1
Leaping forward about a decade, Vader was seen personally giving orders (albeit via hologram) to the Grand Inquisitor, one of many agents used to wipe out any remnants of the Jedi who had escaped, with Vader tasking him to find Force-sensitive children, in order to either recruit them or kill them. However, after the Grand Inquisitor was killed in battle, Vader personally accompanied Grand Moff Tarkin to the planet Lothal, as the Emperor grew concerned about rising Rebel activity in the area.
As seen in Star Wars Rebels: Season 2
Vader made it clear in his first encounter with the escaped Jedi, Kanan Jarrus, and his apprentice, Ezra Bridger, they were no match for him, with the two barely escaping with their life. Shortly after, Vader flew his own TIE Fighter in a battle against the Rebels, showing his abilities as a pilot, as he took out one Rebel ship after another. However, he was shocked when he felt the presence on one of the Rebel ships of Anakin Skywalker’s former apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. Vader informed the Emperor of this discovery, as the two spoke of being able to perhaps use Ahsoka to lead them to other surviving Jedi – including Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the meantime, Vader dispatched two more Inquisitors – the Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister – to track down the Jedi he'd encountered among the growing Rebellion.
As seen in Star Wars Rebels: Season 2
The Fifth Brother, Seventh Sister and a third Inquisitor, the Eighth Brother, would all die trying to eliminate the former Sith, Maul, who’d been discovered on Malachor working to retrieve a Sith holocron. Vader himself then arrived on the planet, and while Maul escaped before Vader encountered him, Vader once more effortlessly defeated Ezra - only to be confronted by none other than Ahsoka.
This monumental battle between the former master and apprentice would take a toll on both of them, with Ahsoka having to come to terms with what Anakin Skywalker had become, while also physically hurting Darth Vader in a way he perhaps hadn’t been since he battled Obi-Wan on Mustafar - at one point slicing half of his mask off, revealing his scared face underneath. The two viciously fought until the chamber they were in collapsed. When the dust cleared, Ahsoka’s fate was unknown, while the injured Vader limped away, perhaps more focused on his pain and anger than ever.
Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheEricGoldman, IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at http://ift.tt/LQFqjj.
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