The death of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is viewed as the villain's ultimate sacrifice in an effort to save Luke Skywalker. However, a new theory suggests that the real reason why Vader died has something to do with Emperor Palpatine's demise.
The theory was posted on Reddit points out that Luke initially refused to remove Vader's helmet in fear that it would kill him. However, it reportedly wasn't the helmet that was keeping the Sith Lord alive.
"When Vader asks Luke to remove his helmet, Luke warns that if he does, he will die. Vader responds by saying, 'Nothing can stop that now.' This takes place almost immediately after he kills Emperor Palpatine. So Palpatine knows the secret to keeping others alive... I've always seen Darth Vader as a cyborg, or complicated life support system with wrinkly old Ani inside, but if the Force energy from Palpatine is the only thing keeping him alive it kinda changes my perception of things. He's almost more of a walking zombie or a lich, only living by the Emperor's necromancy. Ok, lich is a stretch, but it's still much different than half-man half-machine."
Well, that's certainly a lot to think about. Although it's interesting to view Vader's relationship with Darth Sidious this way, the fan also missed out on some key details prior to the emotional helmet removal scene, as one comment pointed out.
"Vader wanted to overthrow the Emperor with Luke, remember? That wouldn't really work if Vader needs Palps alive to survive," the comment reads.
Nevertheless, some fans are still hoping that we'll actually find out if Darth Sidious did know the secret to keeping people alive. There are even speculations that this idea will be explored in Star Wars: Episode IX.
Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled for release on December 20, 2019.
Related: Star Wars Episode IX Leak Teases General Hux's Fate After TLJ
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