Was Vader’s residency on Mustafar his way of torturing himself?

Mustafar is an important part of Star Wars history because of the role it played in shaping Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader.

Mustafar. A desolate rock of a planet where it’s hot and Jedi go to die. However, there is so much more to the planet than what Revenge of the Sith portrayed on-screen. The same applies to Star Wars Rebels.

During the Darth Vader comics and Rogue One, we witness a whole different side to the volcanic planet. It’s portrayed as Darth Vader’s home where he spends time in a batch tank to help his pain after his fight with Obi-Wan all those years earlier.

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However, there is one question few people think about. Was Vader torturing himself by living on Mustafar?

The present

In the Darth Vader comics, we learn Lord Momin, an ancient Sith Lord, had been ‘revived’ through his helmet. Vader has Momin possess a Mustafarian and the deceased Sith designs Vader’s fortress. Vader goes along with the design and builds the castle.

We see the fortress in its full majesty during Rogue One though it doesn’t appear to be much. We see where the bacta tank and landing bay are but not much else.

The past

The planet has significance to Vader as it was the place where Anakin Skywalker died. Now, fans will argue Anakin died the second he pledged his allegiance to the Sith. Consider when Anakin burned to a crisp that was when he truly died. The moment the helmet and mask go onto his head and we hear the breathing for the first time that is when the birth of Vader happens.

Revenge of the Sith shows how Anakin lost himself. He traded his soul to save Padmé and their unborn children’s’  lives. Mustafar is where he lost them, so it would make sense he would want to relive his greatest failure repeatedly.

Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

Theory and comments from other characters

As stated before, Mustafar is where Jedi go to die. Star Wars Rebels has Hera Syndulla reveal to her team of Rebels what her partner, Kanan told her about Mustafar. In final couple of episodes in Rebels’ first season,  Kanan gets captured by the Empire.

Desperate to save their friend, Syndulla explains to Ezra and the others that Kanan told her Mustafar is where Jedi go to die. It’s unknown how he knew the full truth.

However, a Reddit user, u/Delta_62 came up with a unique theory.

They point out the use of Mustafar in the first anthology film, Rogue One where the planet is featured throughout. The user says the planet serves as a graveyard for Jedi for whom Vader kills in his castle, which lives on the planet itself. The lava banks are where Anakin Skywalker died as a Jedi Knight and was reborn a Sith Lord.

The theory explains Kanan and other Jedi survivors must have uncovered what happened there. Though, they didn’t have all the details the Jedi that ‘died’ there was Anakin. They also wouldn’t know he fought Obi-Wan, only for the older Jedi to leave his former friend for dead.

The structure itself is seen as the devil’s pit while Mustafar serves as hell and Vader is the devil. This corresponds with what Kanan told Hera about what Mustafar means to any Jedi who survived Order 66. Vader (as Anakin) lead the assault and slaughter of the Jedi on Coruscant and therefore, is the harbinger of doom.

Conclusion

In a galaxy’s nutshell, Vader’s residency on Mustafar was his own personal hell. He lost what he valued most on the planet and lost his original identity because of his plans to save his beloved wife from death when he only caused her death to happen. He did not deserve his fate and he should have seen the red flags coming a parsec away.