Return of the Jedi: Why does Darth Vader Die???

I've just watched Return of the Jedi. I've seen it many times before, but despite this, something struck me which I'd never really thought of before.

Why does Darth Vader die???

Just to remind you, here's what happens. Luke and Darth are having a good old light sabre battle and Luke unleashes his anger and starts smashing away at Darth on a bridge. Luke gets a good, strong shot in and hacks off Darth's right arm at the elbow. A good shot and pretty disabling from the heavy-breathing one's point of view. However, considering Luke's had his own arm chopped off and replaced twice, and that Darth originally lost all four limbs in a pool of volcanic lava, you wouldn't think the loss of an arm would cause him to stop living.

Anyway, then Luke throws his light sabre away and tells the Emperor that he won't turn to the dark side. The Emperor unleashes a can of whoop-ass in the form of some blue lightening bolts and Luke screams in agony.

Darth gets up and is apparently in colflict over what to do - but at this point, despite his limb-loss, he's essentially healthy - breathing and moving normally. Eventually, his good side overcomes his bad one, and Darth picks up the Emperor and chucks him down a hole.

Suddenly, Darth is dying. He's having difficulty with his infamous breathing and can't walk too well. Luke has to half carry him to his ship to escape. Then Darth requests that Luke remove his mask. Luke points out that he'll die if he does. Darth says, "Nothing can stop that now." His mask is removed, they have a tender moment and Darth carks it.

So my question remains - why did he die? Losing an arm was never a problem for Star Wars characters before. Anyway, he still had the strength to chuck his master down a hole. But all of a sudden he's on the way out!

Can anyone explain where the life threatening injuries which suddenly killed Darth Vader actually came from?
 
Well, he did have trouble breathing properly. Plus when you lose a limb, chuck a lightning-bolt-shooting Emperor down a shaft AND happen to be 5000 years old into the bargain (as seen without the mask) all of that would tend to have an effect.
 
You mention episodes VII-IX. Not sure if you meant this as a joke or not, but I'm sure I remember hearing something a few years back about George Lucas making three sequels in the future.

I may well be imagining it but does anyone know if there's any truth to this? And if there was, where do you think the story would head? Would Mark Hammil return as Luke Skywalker, training up a new generation of Jedi knights?
 
But he wasn't 5000 years old. He would have been in the region of 45-55, considering he was in his twenties when his son was born and his son was around 25-30 at that point.

And he wasn't having trouble breathing when he threw the Emperor over the side. Only straight after.

Also, why would throwing the Emperor down a shaft contribute to Darth dying? If I threw a man down a shaft, I'd be a bit out of breath for a few seconRAB, but I'd recover. I certainly wouldn't be on my death bed after it. And I'm not nearly as powerful as Darth Vader.
 
I assume its something to do with what was said in episode 3. The emperor told him that he could teach him how to avoid death by using the force. He was very badly injured of course so maybe the emperor was what was keeping him alive?
Rubbish theory I bet but im sure someone will be along soon with a better one. ;)
 
But he wasn't though. He'd lost a limb - which in Star Wars isn't a major mishap, due to them being able to fit Terminator-style prosthetic arms onto living tissue!
 
The emperor should of left anakin as he found him in episode three n turned him into vader as he was, he would of been yodas height then :) "Luke i am your father" "Noooooooooooooo your to damn small"
 
I have tended to think that Darth Sidious was the one keeping Darth Vader alive since i saw Revenge of the Sith. Vader kills Sidious in return of the jedi, he loses his life line and becomes one with the force etc. By all rights Darth Vader should have died in that lava pit. But Lucas and logic does not go together very well i guess.
 
He has said many time he will never make a third trilogy and is concentrating on the new Star Wars TV series which is set durng the clone wars and features some of the characters only seen in the backround of the films.
Im not sure if I would like to see 3 more films or not tho, if they are as poor as episodes 1 and 2 then no thank you but if he managed to recapture that old magic then yes.
Not sure he has it in him tho to be honest which is a shame,
 
I had actually thought that and admittedly Darth did get a small amount of blue lightening over him. But it was nowhere near the amount that Luke was subjected to and Luke got up and walked away. Considering that Darth Vader was supposed to be bloody powerful, I can't see that this should have killed him - even if it is combined with the loss of an arm (which we've already ascertained wasn't that much of an injury).
 
Actually, since posing the question about this, I've done a bit of looking around. This website has plots for episodes 7, 8 and 9, supposedly written by George Lucas. It also quotes the man himself saying he is definitely making three sequels, but not for another 10 years. Anyone know if this site is bulls*it, or if this is in fact true?
 
Darth Vader was near dead at the end of Episode 3. The Emperor used his force abilities to revive him, and machinery to keep him going.

When the Emperor used Force lightning, he damaged Vader's suit, and when he died his influence went too. Vader's body malfunctioned and he struggled without it!

He probably 'surrendered to the Force' as well.
 
I watched ROTJ again yesterday and I wondered why he died. There are several points that sont add up now the prequels have been made. How come Leia didnt know her surname was Skywalker? She said she remembers her mother but she was taken away from her mother the moment she was born so how could she remember her?
 
Anakin was powerful, but Darth Vader was just a cyborg really. He needed his suit to live, and that couldn't stand the lightning.

Loosing his arms was irrelevent to his death- all his limbs were robotic anyway!
 
Bail Organa (The senater in Episode 3) and his wife, the Queen of Alderaan, adopted her and raised her as a princess. She didn't know she was a Skywalker, and Lucas made a big mistake killing Padm
 


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