The man once known as Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi Knight who was eventually seduced to the Dark Side by the Emperor during the Clone Wars. When he was only nine years old, Anakin was found on Tatooine by Qui-Gon Jinn, and was trained as a Jedi Knight by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Over the next ten years, he realized that he was becoming more and more powerful, exceeding in his skills any of the other Padawans, and even (or so he thought) Kenobi. Skywalker was rebellious and arrogant, always beleiving he was the best. Palpatine, who was slowly beginning to take control of the galaxy during the clone wars, manipulated him by agreeing with him.At last, Anakin, knowing he was ready, and full of rage as well, challenged his master to a duel. However, he was severely injured during the duel from a fall into a pit of molten lava, barely alive and with most of his limbs missing or severely damaged. As the Emperor was taking control, he took Anakin and made him into a living cyborg, replacing Anakin's destroyed lungs with a breathing apparatus that would haunt the ears of all who would later come near him. Anakin then gave himself to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, as well as the Emperor's right hand man. Because of his fall to the Dark Side, Anakin's two children, Luke and Leia, were hidden from him; the former to reside with Senator Bail Organa, and the latter with Owen and Beru Lars.
Now an agent of evil, Darth Vader served the Emperor as the next Sith Lord, as well as one of the leading rulers of the Empire. Vader personally hunted down and killed all of the Jedi with the exception of Master Yoda and Obi-Wan, assuming that they were dead.
Years later, Vader discovered the son he never knew he had: Luke Skywalker had joined the Rebellion, the leading opposition and only true threat to the Empire. After Skywalker destroyed the Death Star, Vader became obsessed with finding his son, agreeing with the Emperor to turn him to the Dark Side. During a climatic duel in the halls of Cloud City, Darth Vader managed to slice off Luke's hand and reveal to him that he was Luke's father, trying to convince him to turn to the Dark Side and overthrow the Emperor. "Join me, and together we will rule the galaxy as father and son."
Luke, unwilling to let the Dark Side possess him as it had his father, threw himself down a shaft, where he wound up hanging from narrow pipes as the bottom of Cloud City.
A year later Vader and Luke reunited. During the Battle of Endor, Luke gave himself to Vader, sensing that there was still a measure of good left in him, and knowing that he could turn Vader back to the Light Side. After a climatic lightsaber duel, Luke managed to remove Vader's hand as Vader had done to him, but sensing the anger within himself, Luke tossed down his weapon and let himself be destroyed by the Emperor.
Just as Palpatine was about to kill Luke with Sith Lightning, Darth Vader miraculously picked him up over his head and threw him down the reactor shaft, himself being electrocuted in the process.
In his final moments, Vader removed his mask and looked upon his son with his own eyes. He admitted to Luke that he was right, that he had in fact turned him back over to the good side. And so died Anakin Skywalker--not Darth Vader.
On Endor, after celebrating the Rebellion's final victory, three spirits visited Luke in the forest of Endor: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker.
Statistics
Homeworld: Tatooine
Species: Human
Sex: Male
Height: 2.02 Meters (in armor)
Weapon: Lightsaber
Vehicle: None
Affiliation: Empire, Sith
Note: You may also find it helpful to look at the biography of Anakin Skywalker.
