From his black mask and artificial breathing to his deep iconic voice (voiced by the legendary James Earl Jones), Lord Vader has been one of the most iconic villains in all of cinematic history since he first appeared in A New Hope in the original trilogy in 1977.
Here, I’ve collected Darth Vader’s most famous lines in one place. They span A New Hope, the Phantom Menace, and even Revenge of the Sith.
1. “No. I am your father.”
Ah, yes. The pivotal moment where Luke is confronted with the truth about his father is the most important in The Empire Strikes Back. It’s a plot twist that has stood the test of time and become meme-worthy (the highest honor) in popular culture. So naturally, this is number 1.
2. “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
From: Star Wars
After we first meet Darth Vader, we’re intrigued to see more of him. But this scene turned him from a unique character design with an epic voice actor into the most famous villain in cinematic history (at the time, at least).
Darth Vader says this on the Death Star at a meeting with the Imperial military’s generals. Let’s say they disagree, and Darth Vader needs a show of force to put his comrades in their place.
And we all know how that worked out…
3. “Don’t underestimate the force.”
From: A New Hope
This quote comes after Darth Vader feels the presence of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the Death Star. Right before this scene, there’s a short but important clip of Darth Vader recognizing Obi-Wan through the force.
He says, “I sense something; a presence I’ve not felt since…” and then trails off, thinking. A genius editor on YouTube put together a clip of what Darth Vader might be remembered as he takes a brief pause… check it out here:
When Vader walks away, he goes straight to General Tarkin and tries to tell him that if Obi-Wan is on board, something must be up, but Tarkin seems to dismiss him.
However, Darth Vader knows Kenobi is there. And maybe he senses such a strong sensation because his son (spoiler alert!) is also on the ship, although he doesn’t know who that would be yet. Here’s the full scene:
4. “He will join us or die.”
From: The Empire Strikes Back
When we first meet the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, it’s one of the coolest scenes in the franchise, and it’s the first moment we realize that Darth Vader is not the series’ ultimate villain. He’s essentially a pawn of the emperor, which gives him more nuance.
We also learn important information in this scene, which has a completely different meaning when we reach the end of the movie and learn the truth about Vader and Luke.
5. “We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner, but now I am the master.”
Of course, Darth Vader does confront Obi-Wan in one of the most epic moments of the original film. This quote comes from when Darth Vader sees Obi-Wan for the first time in what we presume to be decades, as Obi-Wan is an old man.
While this scene was epic in its day and set the stage for many epic lightsaber battles, it isn’t exactly the coolest choreographed fight ever seen.
Speaking of lightsabers – do you know what the different colors mean and why they have those colors?
It was the first time they tried to create lightsabers, and Alec Guinness (who plays Old Ben Kenobi) was an old man and couldn’t do any crazy stunts.
So, over time, fans have tried to create their version of what that fight would look like if it could have been choreographed like the prequels and other following Star Wars films. Here’s one example:
Outstanding editing, excellent CGI, and over 43 million views (and 1.5 million likes) validate that the fans would have LOVED to see this fight.
6. “Anakin is gone. I am what remains.”
From: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Luckily, we got the closest thing to seeing Old Ben and Vader duel it out with a cinema-level budget thanks to the Obi-Wan prequel series, which gave us this epic fight scene.
The series re-imagines a plot line between Revenge of the Sith and New Hope, where Obi-Wan and Vader duel again between their fight on Mustafar and their last duel on the Death Star.
It’s a great line from a series with plenty of great ideas and scenes. While it doesn’t hold up to the original Star Wars movies, it gives the fans exactly what they always wanted: Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan fighting Darth Vader, both in their prime.
7. “I am what you made me.”
From: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Before we leave the Obi-Wan prequels, there’s one other great line – before Kenobi sees Anakin as Darth Vader for the first time, they have a tense stand-off as Anakin views his former friend and student, now more machine than man.
Anakin: What have you become?
Obi-Wan Kenobi: I am what you made me
Excellent delivery by James Earl Jones, and in a way, it gives us something we didn’t even know we wanted: by showing us the scene where these two see each other again for the first time, we get all the drama of the realizations of the consequences of the past.
Obi-Wan has to confront the consequences of not killing Anakin, and Darth Vader gets to show Obi-Wan those consequences and relish the look of horror on Obi-Wan’s face.
8. “You will try.”
From: Revenge of the Sith
Some of the best quotes from the series come from Vader confronting Obi-Wan. This scene is the first time the pair dueled in Revenge of the Sith from the prequel trilogy.
At this point, the evil Emperor Palpatine has already got his hooks into Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and has warped his mind to turn against the Jedi and everyone he loves.
His transformation into Darth Vader is nearly complete – there’s just one last step: duel Obi-wan and defeat his former master. And then you know it pops off! Check out the scene above for the first part of the fight.
9. “From my point of view, the Jedi are evil.”
From: Revenge of the Sith
As the two Jedi knights battle it out on Mustafar, they have a moment of respite floating down the lava streams of the planet. They pause just long enough to have one last conversation, which is where this quote comes from:
And now, here’s the second part of the fight – the scene that started it all and transformed Anakin into Darth Vader!
10. “This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi, it will soon see the end of the Rebellion.”
From: A New Hope
Now, let’s cut back to the original Star Wars. Darth Vader thought he was about to win. He just vanquished the heroic Jedi knight Obi-Wan (as we’ve read, he had a tumultuous history with) and nearly captured Princess Leia with the rest of the main characters on the ropes.
Now, they’ve got the moon with the hidden rebel base in the sights of the Death Star, and Vader and Tarkin are about to blow it to smithereens like Alderaan… at least until…
11. “You don’t know the power of the Dark Side.”
This quote has an interesting double meaning. In Return of the Jedi, while the rest of the team is working on disabling the shield generator on Endor, Luke surrenders himself to the Imperials to confront his father and try to change him back from the dark side.
He is marched over to Vader by a battalion of stormtroopers and delivered to Vader.
While some might read that quote and think that Darth Vader is trying to sway Luke to the “power” that comes with the dark side, it’s clear, based on the context, that Vader is telling Luke he cannot turn from his master or he’ll be destroyed. He’s bargaining with him.
It’s a great scene full of nuance, especially considering what follows. But let’s take a moment to read the scene right before this, between Darth Vader and his master, the evil Emperor Palpatine.
12. “Someday I will be… I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you.”
Attack of the Clones
As a Star Wars fan, I find this quote powerful because of its foreshadowing. Not only does Anakin become the most powerful Jedi ever, but he also becomes a Sith lord and destroys the rest of the Jedi, thus fulfilling his prophecy—but not in the way he thought.
The quote has another interesting element: he mentions the ability to stop people from dying. Here’s the full quote:
“Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you. I will even learn how to stop people from dying.”
Unfortunately, Anakin accomplishes his goal only through the destructive conflict of Order 66, the end of the Jedi, and three decades of Imperial rule.
While that’s not exactly something he accomplishes, he can defeat the Emperor, which does stop millions of people who would have died otherwise.
13. “No disintegrations.”
One of the coolest villains from the Star Wars franchise is the Bounty hunter Boba Fett, who unfortunately doesn’t have enough lines from the original series to fill up a “best of ” quotes article.
Thankfully, the team behind The Mandalorian brought Boba Fett back and even gave him his show, which is great.
But this moment, when Darth Vader (and the audience) meets Boba Fett for the first time, is quite epic, even though very little is said. Let’s say there’s a reason he points at Boba Fett when he says this iconic line. Check it out:
Darth Vader: There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive. No disintegrations.
Boba Fett: As you wish.
14. “I do not want the Emperor’s prize damaged.”
From: The Empire Strikes Back
This line is iconic because of its implications. Vader says this when Lando Calrissian shows him the carbon-freezing chamber in preparation for Luke’s arrival.
Famously, Lando double-crossed Han Solo, Leia, and Chewie to save his mining colony, Bespin City. But he immediately has second thoughts, especially after Vader reveals his plan to test the carbon-freezing chamber on Solo before Luke.
15. “You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away!”
From: A New Hope
When we first meet Darth Vader, he’s an intimidating presence. He and a fleet of Stormtroopers take out an entire ship of rebels who helplessly try to defend themselves from the most powerful force in the galaxy.
This quote in our collection comes from the moment after we meet Vader: when he confronts Princess Leia in a direct conversation.
16. “You have failed me for the last time…”
From: The Empire Strikes Back
This is something Darth Vader has said a thousand times, though we only really hear it in the films this once. But when you work with an incompetent group of bureaucrats like the Imperial elites, you would probably get as worked up as Vader.
Whether or not you’d force-choke everyone who fails you depends entirely on whether or not you’re a Sith lord.
Final Thoughts
The Star Wars films are some of the most iconic films ever. Their enduring success led to the creation of the summer blockbuster trilogy as we know them today.
The original Star Wars trilogy laid the groundwork for some of history’s most successful film franchises. Without Star Wars, we wouldn’t have the Harry Potter film series, the Lord of the Rings (movie) trilogy, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The formidable Sith Lord Darth Vader is the most unforgettable of all the memorable fictional characters in the series.
His transition from the innocent slave boy Anakin, who was supposed to bring balance to the Force but later in life chose to defy the Jedi order and walk the dark path, reminds everyone about what happens if you let life’s darkness consume you.
There are many other great Darth Vader quotes, whether he’s calling out the “lies of the Jedi” or sharing the “true nature of the force,” but we have to stop here, or we’d have to post every line he speaks in the franchise.
Perhaps it’s just James Earl Jones who elevates everything the character says to another level. It’s impressive that he managed to be the voice of Darth Vader for nearly 50 years, only to step back at 91. Let’s see if future speech synthesis engines can carry his legacy. If so, the dark lord’s voice will genuinely be artificial.
If you enjoyed this one, you’ll probably also want a compilation of the top quotes from the Star Wars franchise’s second-most famous villain (granted, this wasn’t the intention).
Check out our list of the series’ top Jar Jar Binks quotes!