Star Wars Fan Points Out Bizarre Detail About Darth Vader In The Empire Strikes Back

29.02.2024 - 01:19 / gamerant.com / Dan Conlin

The Empire Strikes Back set many precedents and established plenty of important lore for theStar Wars universe. But one fan discovered a particularly obscure yet oddly significant detail regarding Darth Vader in the movie. Maybe Anakin Skywalker's eternally memed aversion to sand had some other effects.

The ice planet Hoth section of The Empire Strikes Back remains among the most iconic sequences in the entire Star Wars franchise. To give an idea of how impactful this sequel still is, that section is also one that fans quickly forget as the film moves to more exciting and impactful moments. But it's not just the brilliant cinematography and action that elevates it. It also features one of the few moments where Darth Vader joins a battle alongside his troops. This is even well before he begins foreshadowing his big twist in The Empire Strikes Back.

But as pointed out by Wheatley-Crabb on the Star Wars subreddit, this battle marks another significant first for Darth Vader. It turns out that this is the only time in the entire original trilogy that Vader sets foot planetside on any world. Go ahead, try to think of another one. It's not that easy? That's because, as strange as it sounds, he never comes into contact with the actual ground anywhere but in this scene during these first three films. Perhaps his hatred of sand, as seen in Attack of the Clones, affected his willingness as Vader to touch grass.

For those still having trouble believing this claim from someone who woke up and chose chaos, another user looked at Darth Vader's various appearances throughout the trilogy to drive it home. First, he shows up on the Blockade Runner ship in search of the Death Star plans inStar Wars: A New Hope, then spends the rest of the movie on the Death Star itself (give or take the time in his spinning TIE Advanced fighter trying not to hurl). In Empire Strikes Back, aside from the Hoth scene, Darth Vader is either on his flagship with his suit apparatus or in Cloud City, a city in the clouds, not on the ground. Wild, right?

«Funny, I had never thought of this but it's true.

ANH: First seen on the Blockade Runner then spends the rest of the movie on the Death Star

ESB: Outside the [mentioned] scene on Hoth, Vader is either on his flagship or Cloud City

RotJ: Vader goes between being on a Star Destoryer or the Death Star for most of the movie. For the scene on Endor he is high up on the landing platform/AT-AT docking bridge.»

Finally, Return of the Jedi sees Darth Vader do more traveling but ultimately still adhere to the claim. Some might bring up his scene on the forest moon of Endor, but he never leaves the landing platform during that scene. Technically, not planetside, and Star Wars fans love their technicalities. Hey,