CT Why did Vader die exactly?

Vader said "nothing can stop that now", which means he would have died whether Luke took off his mask or not.

 

well if the iron lung wasn't working properly, and we can hear that it wasn't , just how long did it take luke to get him from the throne room down to the hangar? Plus, i suppose the lightning could have done other damage to him we didn't see.

 

JEDI-RISING has a good point. The only obvious damage we can see/hear is the fact that Vader's breathing changed to a wheezing gasp. If you look at the DVD release his skin is tainted blue a sign that he isn't getting enough air.

From the looks of things he can barely move so either his limbs are damaged or his suit is too damaged to help relay the signals.

We honestly don't know what else the suit did or what was done to him during the surgery.

 

90% of his body was mostly metallic, robotic parts and an iron lung. Every single one of those delicate instruments that worked together to keep him alive for 23 years were all basically fried when he was dosed with a near-lethal bombardment of Sith lightening. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader's_armor

This has more detail on his armor and basically what happened to him when he got zapped.

 

Due to Vader's suit which is a life support, he can't take a lighting, also that's the reason why he can't use electricity.

 

I think it's due to the electrical shock to the system combined with damage to cybernetics.

 

This was explored a bit in "Return Of The Jedi: Infinities" which depicted an alternate universe where events in ROTJ goes differently and ends with Vader being confronted by both Luke and Leia aboard the Death Star. Vader turns away without being injured by Palpatine, who manages to escape before the Death Star is destroyed. Now good again, Anakin changes his suit and replaces his destroyed arm.



He joins the Alliance in order to help destroy the Empire.

 

Your write and Luke mentions it would kill him.

 

Here is a article that has an interesting theory about Vader's death and how it is linked to Padme's death in ROTS.
http://www.retrozap.com/padm-didnt-...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

In total Anakin is electrocuted: once in Attack of the Clones, twenty-two times in the Clone Wars, (and once in the microseries). The twenty-fifth time in The Return of the Jedi was just too much for the guy.

 

He lost the will the live....just kidding

Probably the electroshock keeping his systems alive.

I still think he could have lived.
Options:
1. Force push Palpatine down shaft
2. Call lightsaber to his side and slash him

I am so glad this is not canon, but in the force unleashed 2 game he got electrocuted from Starkiller and lived which would make his death seem odd in ROTJ.

Still why couldn't he use the Force to keep himself alive?

 

Just randomly throwing out thoughts here.

He sure survives a lot in the Marvel comics. A couple lightning bolts seem meager

Spoiler

compared against blasts that can level an entire building

. And of course there is Mustafar.

I sometimes wonder if it is not only the apparatus that keeps him alive, but also his hatred, just as Maul was kept alive by his hatred. Did he use the darkside to keep himself alive all these years? And maybe Palpatine showed him (the Plagueis technique?), taught him how to do it, because in ROTJ he also looks like he should be rightfully dead by now. They probably both unnaturally prolonged their lives, Vader more-so than Palpatine, because Vader quite literally is a dead man walking.

Perhaps it was the injuries sustained by Palpatine's attack, as well as his turn to the light, that caused him to die.

Vader was pretty adamant about staying on the dark side when he had his talk with Luke on the forest moon. Maybe he knew that the price of redemption would be death.

Vader appeared weaker, winded even, before Luke cut of his hand. It seemed like he sorta ran low on battery. Like as if most of his dark side mojo has left him at that point, while Luke is still fresh and drawing upon the strength of the force.

 

Under the circumstances this is a perfect example when someone would loose the will to live. The reality of throwing your entire life away , having destroyed everything that you and all those that you loved believed in and being detested by the entire galaxy. Talk about wanting a hole to swallow you up.

 

Well - considering all the pain Anakin had gone through - since having to leave Tatooine and Shmi Skywalker ... the loss of her... the loss of Padme ... the long painful path he took to still redeem himself well with Luke's help and fulfill the Chosen One Prophecy... the fact he protected Luke from death from Force Lightning - and how it damaged his bionics badly ... and perhaps Anakin realized 'my time is done now ... my job is done ... I have fulfilled my Role in the Prophecy ... time for me to return to where I belong ...' - given like how Padme - probably mortified what Anakin would become despite being 'physically healthy ...' so ... and also perhaps he wanted to also impart how Leia was right and such ...

 

Plus there is more than one angle one can approach this from. Anakin may have died to link the themes of redemption and sacrifice.

 

Probably because Vader didn't know that technique? Could be possible that Palps did know how to save people from death but lied to Vader about not knowing it.

If Vader's suit was failing, you would think the lights on his chest box would be flickering or some sort of failure warning light would come on like a SES light in a car.

At any rate it seemed Anakin had finally accepted loss and his own death which may be another reason he died.

 

We already know some about how Sith survive what should kill them.

Hate is the key, the injured Sith must hate like mad.

But both Sith who did this, also had help, Maul in the form of Talzin, Vader in the form of Palpatine. Two Sith together can save one life.



But the technique would have limitations, I don't think it's possible to survive an explosion that tears the whole body apart.

 

Personally, I don't even think it was 'only' accepting his death, he actually WANTED to die by this point - his repentance is genuine but he knows he cannot be redeemed or forgiven by the Galaxy at large, so death would be welcome. In the Prequels he wanted revenge, he also still thought Padme was still alive and wanted to 'save' her. By the time he next 'dies' he's got nothing left to live for. The Force probably COULD have kept him alive... he just told it where to go.

 

xD Oh god, pure genius!

Robot
"For reasons we don't understand, we're losing him."

Luke
"He's just been zapped by the Emperor, what the hell do you THINK happened?!"

Robot
"He's lost the will to live."

Anakin
"That was the excuse they used on my dying wife."

Luke
<blinks in confusion>

Robot
"I failed poetry class."

 

it's mythology. everyone seems to miss that part.

 

Not everyone.

 

He died of respiratory failure.

 

Well probably the most obvious answer is that fear, anger and hate was keeping him alive all those years and had virtually infested every part of his being.

Once he let go of all that and came back to the good side he let go of everything.

It really does tie into Padme. There really is no reason that she died that we know of. So really the same goes for Vader besides the obvious physical problems but machines held most of that together.

 

Logical reasons

Lightning
Taking off the helmet

Other

The force wanted
Anakin Wanted it
George Lucas.