Darth Vader: Is he really a villain in Star Wars?

"Photo Credit: Lucasfilm"

Does Darth Vader display an inconsistent display of power?

Their Argument:

"Darth Vader and his Force powers, we get the most ridiculous possible version — a character who demonstrates nearly godlike ability in one scene, then completely forgets about it in the next."

Examples they use are that one minute Vader is flinging junk at Luke inside of Cloud City — as well as using telekinesis in snagging Han Solo’s blaster — while the next he doesn’t use the same powers to capture Luke.

"There’s no reason Vader doesn’t simply pick the boy up, float him over."

The thing about being insanely powerful is that it is much more fun to toy with weaker prey. Vader is doing it here with his son, knowing that he will capture him no matter the result. When Luke escapes, it’s a surprise to Vader, whose overconfidence allows his son to escape, not his lack of power.

Another example is shown in The Force Awakens, when Kylo Ren is toying with Finn during their duel on Starkiller Base. Once Finn gets a “lucky hit” on him, he stops messing around and delivers a decisive blow.

Kylo even toys with Rey, displaying his granddad’s overconfident, which backfires on him, when she ultimately owns him during the concluding moments of the fight.

Now, back to Darth Vader. Once Luke surprises him with a bit of skill, Vader then slices off his hand, revealing his actual display of power. So, the problem doesn’t lie in Vader’s inconsistent show of strength, but in his overconfidence.

Apparently Cracked doesn’t know the true power of the Dark Side.

Next, more (so-called) examples of Vader’s lack of power.

"That’s all fairly low-key for a space wizard. Vader can’t teleport, or fly, or time travel. He can’t blow up an X-Wing with his mind or predict the future in any practical way."

What does time travel have to do with anything? Vader also has used his mind to crash aircraft into the ground — have they read any of the Darth Vader material from the newest Star Wars comics?

In the novel, Lords of the Sith, Vader can do a similar, but more impressive feat, by choking his opponent who is in another vessel while he’s in his TIE Advanced x1.

The issue isn’t the lack of Vader’s inconsistency in prominence, but in their knowledge of the Force, specifically within the actual Star Wars canon. Y’all might need to brush up on some of the new material before making these weak statements.