Darth Vader ranks third on the American Film Institutes Heroes and Villain list and is well known to most adults and children as an icon of evil.

Whats less known is Darth’s history as Anakin Skywalker and his transformation from loving husband and Jedi hero to evil lord of the dark side of the Force.

Looking at his history helps us understand the powerful impact of trauma and loss in the lives of human beings.

In Star WarsEpisode III: Revenge of the Sith, we learn about Darth Vader’s heroics as Anakin Skywalker and his secret marriage to Padme Amidala, played by Natalie Portman in the movie.

The Evil Emperor Palpatine manipulates Darth Vader into joining the Dark Side by telling him it will save his pregnant wife, Padme Amidala, from dying during childbirth. This is enough to lure Anakin to the dark side of the Force, where is renamed Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Siths.

Darth Vader next fights Obi Wan Kenobi, his mentor, and is defeated. Obi Wan actually cuts off Darth Vader’s arms and legs and leaves him to die. Rescued by Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader is reconstructed with robotic arms and legs, air rebreather mask, and armor.

When he regains consciousness, his transformation into the iconic villain is cemented when Emperor Palpatine deceitfully tells Darth that he killed his wife during the struggle with Obi Wan.

Driven into despair, Darth flies into� a rage and destroys everything around him with his powers of the Force.

Fueled by grief and rage, Darth energetically joins the Emperor in his quest to kill all Jedi knights and move the galaxy under his autocratic control.

So, it is Anakin/Darth’s fear of losing his loving wife and then his despair that he killed her, along with all the other history of his life that leads him into the path of evil displayed throughout most of the Star Wars mythology.

What would it be like to think you killed your wife? How would one recover from that?

And to have your limbs cut off during a fight with your mentor, probably a loving friend prior to the epic fight to the death…what could that be like?

Anakin was a human being with his own strengths and vulnerabilities. His transformation from heroic Jedi knight to evil Dark Lord of the Siths can be explained by the tragedy in his life, not his lust for power or all that it brings.

Princess Leia: Mythology of Twins on the Path to Power

It is significant that Princess Leia is discovered to be Luke’s twin sister, also the daughter of Darth Vader. The symbolism of Luke and Leia being twins suggests a more powerful union. Even those two, now re-united become much more powerful than either was alone and without the energy of their twinship.

This place of integration becomes the source of Luke and Leia’s power. For Luke, Leia, and other more fully integrated Jedi Knights, they see and understand the past, present and future, know their truth, mission and take action. They are not dependent humans under the mind control of some “wizard behind a curtain.”

They do not project their power onto some narcissistic demigod. I wonder if the USA would have invaded Iraq if many of us had not given over our power to a select few politicians to wage the first aggressive war in American history...but back to Luke and Leia...

They have a powerful, mystical ability to "see, hear and know" truth. They work independently and inter-dependently to fight for their belief in freedom.

Luke and Leia meet, the chemistry of their meeting is a foreboding of their substantially increased power as they join forces in the defense of the empire.

Like the mythology of twins throughout history, the joining together of Luke and Leia creates a tremendous power.

Together they are a formidable and perhaps, indestructible team fighting on the side of goodness in the world.

Surrender in the Path to Power: Luke Skwalker

For Luke, he first rescues himself by surrendering and refusing to obey his father. He chooses to be responsible to himself and the world, rather than obedient.

Second, he is rescued by recognizing his reliance and interdependence on others. However, this is not an unconscious transfer of unhealthy dependence on father, to unhealthy dependence on other “father substitutes”. Luke embraces and is embraced by a band of heroic figures who have not had to endure Luke’s trauma and hardship.

These others, Hans Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan, Princess Leai, in addition to the evil figure represented by Darth Vader, all represent Luke consciously choosing internal psychic parts which will help him become whole–a more fully integrated human being.

Luke's Loss of His Hand on His Path to Power

Darth Vader cuts off Luke’s hand. This symbolizes the blood, sweat and pain of this path to power for Luke and all of us. To leave our fathers and set a course of our own, even if it is a collision course with them, is part of our own collective destiny. We can run, but we can not hide.

The replacement of Luke’s hand with a mechanical hand also symbolizes that Luke has integrated a part of his father in him. Darth Vader or the dark father embodies all that is evil in Luke’s external world. Now he must accept and integrate his own ability to act in an evil and destructive way.

No longer is Luke the one dimensional space ship racer we see early in the story. He has grown into his power under the mentorship of Yoda culminating in facing the shocking truth that Darth Vader is his biological father.

Like any human being missing big pieces in their history, Luke first becomes shocked, but then determines to resist the temptation to join his father in the evil quests for power in the empire.

Research tells us humans who experience traumatic experiences are often trying to avoid any reminders. Avoidance and the inevitable re-experiencing of the events they try to avoid.

Luke, like all of us, can not avoid his confrontation with his father. He must do this, if he is to survive and follow his path to power.

“Join me…” said Darth Vader to Luke…”I’d rather let go and die”, thought Luke…he did let go and rescued himself with his surrender into power.

The personality archetypes and mythology of Star Wars reveal a lot of wisdom, if we look deeply enough. Luke is shocked to find out Darth Vader is his father, but follows his own destiny in letting himself fall into what seemed certain (physical) death. Luke’s letting go is a surrender and allows him to “fall into his own power.” Rather than die, he is led to his next spirit lesson, the awareness of his humanity and need for others. He can not go it alone.

He can not step into his own destiny and personal legend without accepting his own dependence on his friends and comrades. They feel his distress in the universe and fly to his second rescue…their rescue of him.

There is also the spiritual truth that to separate from our fathers, we must experience pain. Our fathers will not let us go easily or without pain. Whether they die before us or abuse us horribly making our transition into our power more treacherous.