Vader's lightsaber proof armor....

During the duel on Bespin Luke strikes Vader's right shoulder, but does little or no damage. Which raises the question: What type of material is able to withstand a lightsaber?

In TPM Qui-Gon uses his lightsaber to melt the blast doors that Gunray is hiding behind, so what makes Vader's armor so special?

The only answer I have right now, is that Vader stole Frodo's ethereal, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case.

Thoughts...

 

Luke just grazed him. He didn't hit Vader hard enough to cause any severe damage.

 

I don't think Luke followed through with his swing, so it wouldn't really do anything to it.

 

Yea Luke just grazed the shoulder and if luke really wanted to he would have taken the arm right off. Also i think that terror played a role in it because he really didn't know what to do really and he is just trying to defend himself and when the fight or flight instincts kick in there is very little one can do about it.

 

It was a glancing blow.

If his suit was lighsaber proof then Luke wouldn't of been able to cut his arm off in ROTJ.

 

That's a good point, Solo.

 

Well, it probably wasn't cortosis, since that's been shown to actually short out lightsabers. More than likely it was some material that's blaster resistant and the glancing blow just nicked across the top layer.

Also, did Vader actually absorb the blaster bolts Han fired at him in the banquet hall with the Force, or was that also his armor doing the job?

 

luke just gave vader a quick little notch on his
shoulder. if you watch the scene closly, luke
didn't have time to follow through with his attack
because vader was about to open a can of whoop-a$$

 

Is it possible that just the shoulder plates and a few other areas were made of lightsaber-resistant materials?

Also, Vader absorbed the energy from Han's blaster shot (although that's an EU explanation and I know people around the OT and PT forums aren't too fond of EU explanations)

 

No lightsabers can cut through anything but thicker, more durable materials take longer to cut through. So like everyone said he was just grazed.

 

For the record, Frodo's armor is mithril, not ethereal, but thats not the point anyways.

Luke's blow only grazed him, thats why there was no damage.

There is, in the EU, some materials, namely cortosis, that are lightsaber resistant, but even those can be cut given time.

 

Graze man lightsaber is the ulitmate weapon it grazed him. Or Luke didn't want to hurt his old man as simple as that.

 

Given he didn't know Vader was his father at that point, I think we can discount the latter

 

Yeah, but Luke didn't know it was his old man yet.

 

Vader was a monster swords man he dodged the it I made a mistake haven't seen ANH in a while sorry guys. Lets put it this way Vader was s damn good that he didn't get anything but grazed an Luke was fighting with anger.

 

Didn't he strike at the shoulder pad? It probably absorbed the blow, and Luke was not able to follow through with his swing since he lost his momentum or whatever you want to call it. I'm pretty sure that the emperor made sure his armor wasn't made out of plastic either. What troubles me more is that a young novice like Luke was even able to inflict that damage.

 

Or, he used the Force to absorb some of the energy, like he did with Han's blaster shots.

 

It didn't absorb the blow. He went "Graaa!" and clenched his shoulder. Then he got pissed and Luke said goodbye to his hand.

 

I love that part where Vader is swinging his lightsaber around everywhere, Luke ducking and running because the **** was scared out of him. I love that sound Vader makes when he gets hit, and then gets pissed off.

 

This is one of my favorite 'subtle ESB' scenes, Vaders pretty much toying with Luke the whole duel, then Luke tags his shoulder, he gets pissed and ends this fight seconds later, removing Lukes saber and that pesky hand of his.

 

omg, he doesn't absorb the blaster... If force users could just absorb blaster energy, then why didn't they do it when all those clonetroopers were, you know, killing all those jedi, by shooting them

 

"Yea Luke just grazed the shoulder and if luke really wanted to he would have taken the arm right off."

I'm pretty sure that Luke wanted to cut kill him on a count of he was an evil sith lord who killed alll the jedi, so no, Luke tried to hurt him but wasn't powerful enough.

 

I don't know, I always thought that was a preaty healthy blow Luke got in there, certanly enough to mame someone who wasn't protected.

I figgured Vader's shoulder coverings were either
a. made of the same material as a blast door (which Qui-Gon couldn't cut through in Ep I)
or
b. some sort of Sith Alchemy/EU/mumbo-jumbo.

And as an asside, what did Vader do on Cloud City if he didn't absorb Han's blaster shot?

 

He's apparently one of those challanged individuals that thinks it was his glove that stopped it.

Didn't see Yoday absorb the lightning I guess.
Didn't see obi/anakin fight twelve inches above lava.

Some people just watch the flickering lights, the miss the movie entirely.

 

OK, I'm getting alot of votes for "grazed him", but I don't see how a lightsaber that melts blast doors, chops droids (and Darth Mauls) in half, absorbs lightning, destroys hinges on At-Ats, and detaches people's heads from their bodies can be rendered ineffective by a "girly" swing. Vader's armor plate has to be at least lightsaber resistant.

[Yoda] Swing harder you must, or only annoy your enemy will you. [Yoda]