Bingowings said:DarkFather said:Bingowings, on the last page I explained how Vader is anything but weak. It'd be neat if you decided to respond to it instead of continuing to insist that he's some weakling hiding in a suit.With respect I think I did respond by re-asserting my view that he is a weak broken person kept alive by machinery and the negative side of the Force.
He is emotionally weak because he is a bully sitting on a house of cards assembled by Palpatine and despite his plans to the contrary feels powerless to do anything about it on his own.
He is physically weak, as soon as his life support is buggered up by Palpatine's Force lightning he dies within a few minutes.
He takes out his weakness on those around him, he can't breath so he chokes the life out anyone who steps on his toes.
He only becomes strong when his compassion tunes him back into the light side of the Force (something Palpatine cannot master).
As a military commander he is limited to controlling people through fear and never commands respect (Tarkin seems to be able to handle both) and he allows his emotional attachment to his son and his hope that it will give him the upper hand over Vader to push himself and those around him to ruin.
You can and obviously do hold different views so it's pointless to press them further either way.
You think he is battle hardened and those sounds weaken the strong arm of the Emperor's forces, I think he is battle damaged and the sounds flag up the fragile human hiding inside the bionic monster.
We will have to agree to disagree on this one.
Vader is something of brute in his actions. By no means do I endorse or condone his actions in any way, but on an objective level, can't we admit that in his instabilities, he does have a strength? He kills his former Jedi peers without any sort of remorse, chokes Imperial officers who he has been around long enough to know without second throught afterward... see the strength through detachment that I'm getting at? Just because someone is cruel to those around him, doesn't deny him great strength in mind and spirit. We've been socially programmed to think otherwise. If anything, to say cruelty equals inner weakness in the cruel person is a defense mechanism for the oppressed. We're pinning a weakness onto those who oppress us, when in reality, that weakness might not even really be there. Poignant, but it's the cold, hard truth.
Arrogance doesn't always come from an inferiority complex. Sometimes it's a superiority complex where the person deep down, honestly believes themselves to be worthy of the universe, and everyone else are desposable tools to an end. Call it narcissicm, call it sociopathy, it is what it is.
That's the emotional/psychological standpoint.
Now, as far as the life support system being vulnerable to Force Lightning: I think that actually helps my side of this discussion. It's a very vulnerable point for his physical being. Everyone has one. Vader, despite his vulnerable point/Achilles' Heel, managed to survive over two decades. He survives DESPITE that vulnerable point, which is a signifier of even greater strength.