Regarding Vader and the negative portrayal of prosthetics/cybernetics, I think this is more like a visual metaphor for losing one’s humanity. In a separate conversation I was having in the OT section with ZkinandBonez, we were talking about how Star Wars is to some extent written as a timeless piece of mythology. If it weren’t set in some psuedo-futuristic space civilization, but instead set in like, a Lord of the Rings type high-fantasy environment, Vader would be something like a “Ring Wraith” or Gollum or some kind of decrepid yet powerful being, whose loss of humanity and descent into evil is symbolized by some kind of physical deterioration or dependency on dark magic. Vader’s cybernetic suit and iron lung serve a similar function, as a visual representation of a formerly good person who became evil. The cybernetics was simply a handy visual metaphor suggested by the sci-fi setting.
There’s also buried underneath all of this a very Christian theme of a “deal with the Devil” type thing, where achieving great powers of darkness comes with a very severe price of physical deterioration. Lucas implemented this idea very literally with having Vader fall into lava after embracing the Dark Side. The Emperor also appears physically deformed, presumably because he’s been screwing around with Dark Side powers for so long.
However, I don’t completely agree with this interpretation. I think it’s partially true, but Vader’s cybernetic suit also serves as a manifestation of a very modern fear about technology consuming our humanity (whatever that means in practice). This is a running theme in Star Wars, where reliance (or over-reliance) on technology is considered a bad thing, which is why Luke has to switch off his X-Wing targeting computer before pulling off the impossible shot, and a primitive Ewok tribe is able to defeat the technologically advanced Imperial troops.
I agree with this take. I don’t have a problem with, and in fact revel in, cybernetics being used to make Darth Vader scarier and more monstrous, because again, it’s about the circumstance. Vader’s mask looks like a skull and overall he has in appearance similar to the Ring Wraith’s (love the comparison). However, Luke and Lobot are cyborgs and are not evil for it. I’m a big fan of mythological motifs too. I eat up the Heaven and Hell imagery in ESB.
Regardless, the idea that the cybernetics somehow makes Vader less powerful is really an entirely off-screen idea that isn’t really apparent in any of the films themselves. If I recall correctly, the first time I even heard this idea was in the context of trying to reconcile the highly kinetic, acrobatic, fast-paced lightsaber duels in the Prequels, with Vader’s slow, sometimes almost clumsy fighting style in the OT. In other words, the idea that cybernetics makes Vader less powerful probably emerged from out-of-Universe inconsistencies in choreography and special effects between the two Trilogies.
This is true as well. Technically you’d only know through Lucas quotes, though you could really say the same about most of the power scaling in Star Wars; even with Disney having made Vader extremely powerful again (some sources even saying or implying superior raw power over the Emperor), you’d only really know through supplemental material. I just get annoyed by how it’s hard to talk about Vader, even in just the context of the new Canon, without someone shoving Prequel era Lucas quotes in my face and chastising me for preferring Vader’s Canon interpretation because “Lucas is the creator therefore you must always agree with him”. Especially when this idea of making Vader appear weak is a PT invention; Lucas was more then willing to indulge in Vader glazing in the OT era.
It really annoys me that Lucas says that the Vader vs. Ben duel is the way it is because it’s a fight between “an old man and a cyborg” and people go with it. First, the script literally describes them as seasoned warriors and the duel as powerful, not to mention all of the scenes that are designed to make Vader look strong. Second, the ESB and ROTJ duels disagree. Third, I think Dooku, Yoda, and Grievous would have something to say about that.