I know that Vader’s evil Mordor castle is a product of the 1970s, but since it never actually appeared in the OT, I guess I never really liked it. I don’t like things that make Vader closer to being Dracula or something. Vader to me is more of an efficient, dystopian villain, who spends his time in sterile, technological conference rooms and control centers. He has no interest in or time for melodramatic things like evil fortresses surrounded by lava. That sort of chthonic or infernal imagery is way too on the nose and thematically inconsistent with Vader’s story. Vader lives in an efficient, sterile world of starship technology and life support systems.
Vader’s the sci-fi equivalent of a wraith. Wraiths live in hell.
Yes, Vader’s cold. But he has a furnace heart, this boiling tranquil rage that surfaces when the opportunity arises to use it as a weapon to enforce his rule, when he conquers opponents and punishes his own men. Almost like lava.
When your heart is that scalding, all your blood goes cold, like a third-degree burn.
It’s not the first time he’s been associated with Hell imagery.
