CT Why was Darth Vader so obsessed with ruling the galaxy?

He says that to Padme (at 1:44):

And he says that to Luke:

 

I'd rule the Galaxy if I could.

 

I don't think he was obsessed with ruling the galaxy so much as trying to impose his vision of how it should be upon it. Plus, in the second clip, the notion of ruling the galaxy was a component of his revenge against Sidious Palpatine for essentially creating him. It was a way to draw Luke in to join him, as well. He's a Sith. Taking what Sidious had away from him would be part of overthrowing him.

 

VADER
Join me and I will complete
your training. With our combined
strength, we can end this destructive
conflict and bring order to the
galaxy.

The question remains whether he really believed in that or whether he merely told Luke what he "needed" to hear to give the offer a thought.

 

That's the best way of putting it.

 

Because why not? You can do whatever the hell you want.

 

because (obviously) he has always had control issues.

 

This.

 

"So we have this little picnic where Anakin brings out the uncomfortable subject of previous boyfriends which boys have a tendency to do, and then we get into this political discussion which allows us to get a little insight into Anakin and Palpatine's influence over Anakin and some of his thought process."

--George Lucas, AOTC DVD Commentary.

The meadow picnic was important as it illustrated his thought process which was that people should be forced to do what's in their best interests, rather than debate about it endlessly and then signing some documents that might enforce it. Palpatine has spent years enforcing this notion in his head to the point where he actually agrees with it. He's sided with Palpatine who is a strong leader who will rule over the Republic, but now he's being blinded by the dark side and believes that he should be the leader. This is the downside of being a Sith Lord, which is that personal ambition gets in the way and the Apprentice wants to become the Master. In ROTS, Anakin is drunk on power and believes that what he said three years earlier is still true and that Padme would go with it. But then he's injured and she's dead because of him and so Vader is forced into servitude. That is until Luke comes along and he sees an opportunity to fulfill his earlier vision. That is why he wants Luke in TESB.

 

He was obsessed with it the same way presidents are obsessed with becoming president and the same way kings are obsessed with becoming kings. Some people just want power and to impose their vision of how things should be run. Vadar no different.

Plus it's just a cool movie plot. lol

 

I think a lot of it has to do with the whole "Chosen One" prophecy. If you are believed to have the most potential out of any force-sensitive in history, wouldn't you think you were special? Vader believes it's his right to take control of the galaxy because of his own inflated ego.

 

The Galaxy was torn apart by the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. Vader felt he could unite the combatants under his supreme control allowing his son to rejoin his Father restoring the Skywalker family. The House of Skywalker would remove Darth Sidious from the throne and wipe out the resistance from the remaining star systems.

 

the classic supervillain motivation-world domination (or galaxy in this case)

 

"We can make thing's the way we want them to be."

 

It was a Sith thing. Sith seek power.

 

I think it's also impossible to remember that Darth Vader's rise to power was both fuelled by a selfish desire for power and a genuine search for order.

We see Anakin turn to the Dark Side in an attempt to safe Padmé, but he also ends up in a place where he feels invincible. In his last conversation with Padmé, it appears he is ready to strike down anyone, who would stand in the way of him and his loved one. Padmé declines his invitation to rule the Galaxy by his side, and the appearance of Obi-Wan strengthens his belief that every Jedi is evil.

If we go back to the point where Anakin turns, it is clear that he fully embraces Palpatine's elaborate lies about the Jedi Order. Palpatine always treated him like he was something special, like a son worthy of appraisal and protection. I get a feeling that Anakin knows he is doing the wrong thing by turning to the Dark Side, but he goes along with it anyway, because he can excuse it - not only did the Jedi betray their own philosophy when they tried to kill his mentor, but the same mentor also promised to save his loved one. So, Anakin marches on the Jedi Temple, urged to action by the promise of peace.
To Palpatine, the extinction of the Jedi equals peace. With the Sith in charge of the things, there will be order in the Galaxy once more. I'm inclined to believe the same is true for Darth Vader.

I think it's fair to assume that this desire for order carries on well into the OT. However, in the era of the OT, the Alliance has replaced the Jedi Order (and the Seperatists) as the main threat to society. Darth Vader holds a Sith-typical grudge against his master, and naturally wants to overthrow him. I wouldn't be surprised, if it was because he also believed it would stabilize the Galaxy.

 

Another thing is that Luke had personally witnessed Vader's "order" when he saw the smouldering remains of Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen.

 

All Sith Lords are this way. Anakin isn't motivated because of the prophecy. He even thinks that the prophecy is bunk.

 

I think that it's best that Vader is obsessed with being with someone and that he's insecure in the PT and lonely in the CT.

 

I think what Vader truly wanted wasn't the power trip (that was more Palpatine's thing), but the idea of bringing order and union through a common mindset. If people couldn't agree on something, they should be forced to agree. He wanted a democracy that was more efficient and agreeable.

 

He thought that it was the only way to bring order to the galaxy, end slavery on planets such as Tatooine, etc. He was also disgusted with Palpatine for using trickery and deception to rule the galaxy and for creating and prolonging conflict to amass power.

 

he never had control and that was a problem for him as the most important people in his life he were either taken from or had died.

 

This. Anakin grew up a slave with no power over his destiny. When he was finally able to escape his life as a slave, he had to give up the only person who ever truly cared for him. Couple this with what happened with Padme, and you have the recipe for a deeply insecure individual. At his core, he simply did not want things to change, as he said in TPM, and what is the most extreme way of putting this into practice than to rule everyone, everything, everywhere? Also, there is the fact that it is the very nature of the Sith power; this is what fueled the Order since the time of Darth Bane.

 

Yes, it is the one thing he is terrified of, not of Palpatine, not of the Jedi. But that events might slip out of his control and that he may become a plaything of destiny or other people again. He is the ultimate control freak. That's also why he tends to micromanage when a mission is very important to him (see TESB). He honestly believes that if a wise man could enforce order, control, that everyone would be the better for it. Before ANH, he thinks the Emperor to be that man and thus serves him loyally. After ANH, the Emperor disappoints him and Vader turns against him. At the same time, he becomes disillusioned with the way the Empire is run, as it isn't an instrument of order and peace any more. But instead of destroying the Empire, he seeks to reform it. The rebels for him are a source of chaos and thus deserve to be eradicated. Only when Vader gives up on trying to control Luke's destiny is he able to shake off his own paranoia and the grip of the darkside. He accepts that Luke is his own man, not a tool to be moulded how Vader sees fit.

But did he give up his vision for the galaxy? Some TFA concept art would imply not so. It seems like Anakin/Vader still seeks to influence galactic events.

Well, that's at least my interpretation.

 

All he had left was power. It's sad if you think about it.