We rank the 50 most memorable Star Wars deaths ever
By Ryan Wrenn
19. Captain Antilles
When Did They Die: Episode IV: A New Hope
Who Were They: Captain of the Alderaan Diplomatic Service ship Tantive IV
How Did They Die: Literally choked – not Force choked – by Darth Vader when the Sith Lord forcefully boarded Antilles’ ship.
In one of the grandest cases of burying the lede in film history, Darth Vader flat out refuses to Force-choke Captain Antilles in the first scene of A New Hope. Is it because Lucas was worried that he he brought magic up too quickly he would alienate some audience members? Or was it that Vader was just that pissed off that he wanted to kill someone with his bare hands for once?
Probably more the former than the latter, but let’s just assume that it is Vader’s rage that inspires his one and only sustained contact with another human being in the original trilogy.
That’s some serious rage, right? The job is made easier by Vader’s robotic hands, of course, but that doesn’t take away from how visceral it is to choke someone to death with one hand. Is it just that Vader wanted those Death Star plans back so bad, or was he just having a bad day otherwise? We’ll never know for sure.
Next: 18. Jabba's Band