'Star Wars: Power of the Jedi' Action Figure Review: Darth Vader - Emperor's Wrath

Although Darth Vader would perish without his body armor's life support system, he remains a powerful and imposing figure. His black suit and the dark side of the Force protect him from numerous opponents until he loses his cybernetic right hand in a fateful lightsaber duel with Luke Skywalker on the second Death Star.  -Jedi Fact File, Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath) figure

Released in 2001 by Hasbro as part of its post-Episode I "Power of the Jedi" product line, Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath) is yet another scene-specific action figure based on the central character of George Lucas' six-Episode Star Wars saga set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away."

 This almost spectral figure depicts Anakin Skywalker's Sith alter ego as he appears in the climactic "redemption" scene in which "Darth Vader" sacrifices his life by picking up his long-time Master Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine and enduring an onslaught of Force lightning before tossing Sidious into the Death Star's central core, thus saving his Jedi son Luke's life and regaining his former identity of Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight.

The figure resembles many of Hasbro's post-Kenner re-releases of the basic Darth Vader figure, especially those with capes made of semi-rigid plastic materials, but in particular it seems to share many of the spectral-looking features of the previous year's Darth Vader (Dagobah) figure that reproduced the ghostly apparition Luke faces off against in "the magic tree" scene in The Empire Strikes Back.  That figure's rendition of Vader's suit is done in a way that the armor looks nearly transparent (because Vader is really an apparition on Dagobah), and while Emperor's Wrath Vader is a bit more "substantial," it's not rendered in the usual Vader-ish black-silver armored suit fashion, either.

Perhaps the most telling detail is the "customized" look of Vader's Nazi-styled helmet and skull-like breath mask; to reflect the devastating effects of Palpatine's fatal Force lightning strikes, the figure's entire head and "face" have been rendered in a blue-gray-green hue, with "electricity" effects painted on for good measure.  It's also - like Darth Vader (Dagobah) - molded of translucent plastic that lets some ambient light be absorbed in order to give the figure its "mortally wounded" look.

Also like Darth Vader (Dagobah), the redeemed Anakin's gloved hands appear translucent; the one on the right is closed slightly to hold a red-bladed Sith lightsaber and has a seam at the wrist, perhaps indicating the hand is detachable to recreate a "severed" look.

Speaking of the lightsaber, it's really pretty well done considering its small dimensions; the handle is black and silver - a darker version of Anakin's Jedi lightsaber, really - and sporting the now standard transparent blades that more accurately replicate the laser sword effects seen in all six Star Wars films. Made of red translucent plastic, Vader's sword "gleams" in a scarlet hue when held up to a bright light - a far more convincing effect that that of the 1978-1985 era figures' laser swords.

 All in all, while most figures of The Tragedy of Darth Vader's central figure are essentially subtly-different variations on a theme, this one is a compelling collectible, even though it shows a Vader seen on screen for a few seconds and perhaps a bit inaccurately, for when he does fulfill the prophecy of the Chosen One, his right hand has already been amputated by a dark side-driven Luke Skywalker's lightsaber stroke. But the unusual look of the figure more than makes up for this small quibble, and collectors would be shortchanging themselves if they pass on Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath).

 All in all, while most figures of The Tragedy of Darth Vader's central figure are essentially subtly-different variations on a theme, this one is a compelling collectible, even though it shows a Vader seen on screen for a few seconds and perhaps a bit inaccurately, for when he does fulfill the prophecy of the Chosen One, his right hand has already been amputated by a dark side-driven Luke Skywalker's lightsaber stroke. But the unusual look of the figure more than makes up for this small quibble, and collectors would be shortchanging themselves if they pass on this figure.

Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath) also comes with a small booklet called a Jedi Fact File with role-playing stats and basic data about the character. For example, Vader's life form designation is human, and his planet of origin is listed as Tatooine.

As with all Star Wars figures, Hasbro recommends this toy for children 4 and up since the small parts pose a clear and present choking hazard, especially for children under 3 years.

(C) 2001 Hasbro Toys and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)