VADER'S BODY ARMOR

Darth Vader, the powerful Dark Lord of Sith, lived his menacing existence sealed within a complex array of armor and life support equipment.Rumored to be more machine than man, Vader was dependent upon the black armored suit he wore for his very life.He could exist outside his highly specialized shell only by remaining within a "meditation chamber" aboard his flagship that filled all the same the same life function requirements.

Vader, formerly Anikan Skywalker, had been a healthy,young Jedi at one time.During a lightsaber battle with his Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader fell into a molten pit.Kenobi left him for dead, but Vader survived.Unable to breath on his own, Vader was thereafter forced to wear a breath mask and life-supporting armor.In various confrontations, both during his youth and after yielding to the dark side of the Force, Vader sustained massive thoratic injuries and the loss of at least one limb.

Later, as Vader became even stronger in his manipulation of the dark side of the Force, he custom designed a new breath mask unit.Terrifying in appearance, it incorporated a full helmet of black durasteel to conceal the scar tissue that covered his head.As he rose in political power under Palpitine, the black metal face of the mask he wore was the only one by which he was known.Subtle changes in the mask's appearance occurred as technology improved, allowing Vader to miniaturize some systems and retool his fearsome visage.

Built into the metal mask and helmet were visual sensors, hearing augmentation systems and an electronic voice synthesizer-all designed for funcionality, but resulting in making the countenance of the Dark Lord as frightening and formidable as possible.What remained of his body was locked into a complex pressure suit containing mechanical components and powerful enhancement devices.

Vader's life support system included a chest-worn, computerized control panel unit that regulated his respirational functions.Durasteel armor protected his shoulders and upper ribcage, as well as his shins.Belt-worn units monitored other functions.Much of Vader's "hardware" was hidden by an array of heavy black cloaks, which served to add to his intimidating appearance.

Finally turning from the dark side of the force, Vader died protecting his son, Luke Skywalker, from an attack from the Emperor.The pure energy emitted by Palpitine as he used the Force against Vader damaged the Dark Lord's life support to the point that it could no longer function, but not before Vader destroyed the Emperor by throwing him down a virtually bottomless shaft aboard Death Star 2.