Star Wars reveals the moment Darth Vader became a Sith

Nov 15, 2025

InStar Wars: Revenge of the SithAnakin Skywalker turns to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader. Although Anakin and Vader are the same person, they are treated as separate individuals.

From a certain point of view, Anakin died betraying the Jedi. Then Vader was born. But while the prequel trilogy ends with Vader becoming Palpatine's apprentice, he was not yet a Sith at that point. The character's transformation is shown in the novel Star Wars: Master of Evil.

The action of The Master of Evil takes place approximately a couple of years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. In the early days of the Empire, Vader is obsessed with finding out the truth about Darth Plagueis and how he cheated death. He believes he can bring back his late wife Padmé. Ironically, it is the interaction between Padmé and Vader that makes the latter realize that it is time for him to turn the page and embrace the path of the Sith.

Vader was possessed after Revenge of the Sith

Padmé was the first reason why Anakin turned to the Dark Side. Therefore, it is quite understandable that her death continued to torment him years later.

Padmé is still the driving force behind Vader's existence. In one of the first scenes of the book, he expresses impatience, feeling that Palpatine still has not fulfilled his promises. And a piece of Anakin is still alive, which makes the Emperor unhappy.

In typical Palpatine fashion, he manipulates his apprentice. Vader goes on a mission that becomes the main theme of the book.

Palpatine instructs Vader to go to the planet Diso, where a powerful Force shaman lives. He specifically calls the shaman a "resurrector", giving Vader hope. What happens next was probably foreseen by Palpatine when he gave Vader this task.

Having found the shaman and learned the location of the ancient Temple of Diso, Vader goes in search of him.Once inside, Vader encounters the confines of the Dark Side and enters the Force Void, where he sees various images of his past. One of these visions is Padmé's manifestation, which ultimately convinces Vader to kill Anakin within himself.

While Vader is in the void, Padmé comes to him: “The past is another place. This is a place you cannot conquer, a place you can only destroy. This is the only way to become who you are meant to be.”

This moment refers to Kylo Ren's line from the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi, where he tries to convince Rey that leaving the past behind is “the only way to become who you are meant to be.” Hearing this, Vader comes to the conclusion that Padmé is right and fully embraces the Dark Side. He stabs Padmé with a lightsaber, something that would be unthinkable for Anakin but necessary for Vader.

Text “Anakin Skywalker is dead. Darth Vader is born" confirms that it was at this moment that Vader became a Sith.

The ending of Master of Evil clearly hints that this is exactly what Palpatine wanted. Meeting with his master, Vader presents the Emperor with the remains of the Temple of Diso and says, “Here is your temple.” Palpatine begins to laugh, confirming that he never wanted to go to the temple himself. Instead, he wanted complete control of Vader.