Since his big-screen debut in 1977, Darth Vader has been considered one of the greatest villains in pop culture history. The more he got fleshed out over the years, and his eventual redemption made him one of the best characters ever, even beyond his villain status. One of the reasons he’s viewed as such a top-tier antagonist is how calm and collected he always is. Nothing seems to faze him, and it feels like he’s always in control, no matter the situation. It’s one of his most consistent personality traits.
That said, there is one scene in the entire Star Wars saga that sees Darth Vader come out of that comfort zone. It feels especially odd when you consider it’s actually the first glance the viewer gets at the character. Looking back, this moment from A New Hope feels somewhat out of place, yet there’s one movie that sheds light on what happened. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the best film in the franchise’s Disney era, showcases exactly why Darth Vader was so livid during that early scene in A New Hope.
Disney’s time with the franchise has been a mixed bag, but most people agree that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the best movie they’ve put out.
The scene that everyone seems to remember most from it involves Darth Vader boarding the Rebel command ship and going on a killing spree. Although he fails to reclaim the plans for the Death Star, it’s the most impressive display of Vader’s powers on the big screen. It’s important to note that he continues his pursuit of the fleeing ship, which has Princess Leia Organa on board.
When you first watch the early scene of A New Hope where Darth Vader confronts Princess Leia, it just seems like an intimidating presence is questioning a fierce woman. She claims to just be a member of the Senate on a diplomatic mission before Vader angrily responds that he knows she’s part of the Rebel Alliance. His voice rises and, when compared to his demeanor in every other scene of the original trilogy, he’s clearly annoyed. Over the years, the scene has become iconic because of Vader’s reaction to Leia’s response.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story helps clear up why Vader reacts the way he does. Shortly before this confrontation, he killed a bunch of members of the Rebel Alliance and literally followed Leia’s ship from Scarif. Vader knew that Leia was part of the Rebel Alliance, yet she was blatantly lying to his face. Even funnier is that Leia understood that he knew the truth about her and she lied anyway, basically rage-baiting him. It’s a dangerous game for Leia to play, but the end result was Darth Vader’s most unintentionally hilarious scene.
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