I've shown Star Wars to people who haven't seen it. It's one of my favorite things to do, actually. There's a joy in showing people great things so that you can watch them experience it for the first time. Unfortunately, a lot of the friends I have shown the original Star Wars to have found Darth Vader to be kind of lackluster. "That's the bad guy?" they ask me incredulously. "He's not scary at all."

I understand where they're coming from. In the first Star Wars, Darth Vader is just a tall, cloaked figure who lumbers around the Death Star making funny breathing noises. But what my friends don't understand is how it felt watching Star Wars for the first time as a kid. Darth Vader's theme would blare out with those heavy horns and he would emerge, and...I would be terrified. Honestly. He was scary to me. And then his abilities with the Force made him doubly intimidating. He was a gargantuan villain in my mind, and I never lost that perspective of him.

To those of you who know exactly what I'm talking about, you'll be delighted to have your beliefs confirmed by some of the awe-inspiring facts I've collected about Darth Vader that you may not have known about. And to those of you who don't think that Darth Vader is all that great of a villain, I invite you to read ahead, where I will do my utmost to convince you that he is the most menacing villain I have ever had the pleasure to see in a film.

25 That Moment We All Talked About

For those stubborn friends of mine who insist that Darth Vader is a pansy in a black cloak, taking them to see Rogue One was the perfect medicine. Rogue One showed a gritty side to the Star Wars universe that only ardent lore-readers had experienced. And who can forget that Darth Vader scene at the end. The rebels are desperately trying to get the Death Star plans off of the falling cruiser. A door is jammed. Sirens are wailing in the darkened hallway.

And then the infamous, mechanical breathing begins.

A red lightsaber is ignited and it illuminates the dark tower that is Darth Vader. The sheer power, awesomeness, and terror of that moment is practically indescribable. More than anything, I am so grateful to Rogue One for giving us this moment. It showed my friends the Darth Vader I had seen when I was a kid watching Star Wars for the first time.

24 A Walking Hospital

Darth Vader's neat duds are not just for show (even though his outfit is awesome). Underneath all that black leather and durasteel armor is a mobile life support unit. With all the damage that he received after his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, Vader could not survive as he used to. His armor contains all the machinery and circuitry needed to keep what is left of his human body alive.

Not that he's much of a human anymore.

There's a reason why Obi-Wan called him "more machine" than man. Darth Vader is a veritable cyborg. The fact that he can fight and intimidate enemies and underlings while having to function as a walking medical unit is a feat to wonder at.

23 The Force Baby

I threw up my hands in despair while I was watching The Phantom Menace and I heard that Anakin had no father. "Give me a bleeping break!" I shouted at the screen. My ire was lessened somewhat when I read into some Sith lore. Apparently, Darth Plagueis and his apprentice, Darth Sidious, decided to try and create life. Plagueis and Sidious had tried to make a being by usurping the power of the Force to their will. They failed, but they believed that in response to the illicit use of their power, the Force rippled in the opposite direction, and instead of creating the ultimate evil being, they created the prophesied Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force. I don't believe this story is canon anymore, but it's an interesting explanation for Anakin's inexplicable birth.

22 A Chest Full Of Surprises

You want more evidence that Darth Vader is an amazing villain? How about the idea that he survived a bolt to the chest. Now, this may sound like a cupcake of a thing for a Dark Lord of the Sith to survive, but bear in mind that Vader's entire suit is meant to keep him alive, and his torso is about the only part of him aside from his head that still has working flesh and blood. A failed attempt on Vader's life proved that he could survive a massive amount of damage. It was an odd moment to read. On the one hand, I sympathized with the characters trying to off Vader because they could not stand the oppression of the Empire. But on the other hand, Vader's swift handling of the situation was impressive.

21 An Old Friend

An aspect of the prequels that annoyed some Star Wars fans (aside from Anakin's Jesus conception) was the revelation that Anakin Skywalker, future Dark Lord, created the neurotic C-3PO. How was this possible if Darth Vader never showed any sign of recognition towards the golden droid in the originals? A comic book released after the prequels showed Darth Vader share a tender moment with C-3PO during the events of Empire Strikes Back. After Han, Leia, Threepio, and Chewie landed on Bespin, Threepio was taken apart by the Imperial forces that had followed them there. In one panel, Vader holds the deactivated head of Threepio close to his own faceplate, in a rare moment of sentimentality. But he leaves the broken apart Threepio in a box and does not attempt to put him back together afterwards.

20 The Light Has Its Ways

Darth Vader's power is based off of the Dark Side of the Force. There is no denying that he is a powerful Force user when you see him in action. Vader was also a powerhouse back when he was Anakin Skywalker. As a Jedi, he was an adept fighter; it's just a shame that he was swayed by the Dark Side. But did you know that when he was Darth Vader, he was also tempted to return to Light? While constructing his new lightsaber, Vader was plagued with visions of his friend Obi-Wan and of Padmé in the Light's attempt to turn him back. However, he resisted the Light's influence. But hey, at least this is evidence that Vader was actually conflicted when Luke came into his life.

19 On Pins And Needles

Vader's existence seems like it would be nothing but pain. I'm not just talking about having to live with the knowledge that he Force-hurt his wife. I'm also talking about the fact that he has needles into his brain from his helmet. No, I'm not even kidding. The needles extend into his brain so that neurological signals can be sent to his chest piece, which then allows him to move his limbs. This is similar as to how actual neurological signals are sent to muscles to allow movement in a regular human body. But think about how uncomfortable those needles must be! Oof, more than uncomfortable. Uncomfortable is the understatement of the century. It's probably extremely painful. I wasn't joking when I said Vader's life is nothing but pain.

18 The Iron Lung

The sound of Darth Vader's breathing is infamous. His deep, raspy, and filtered breaths are probably the most iconic nerd-sounds ever. For Vader, it must be a constant reminder of his new life as a half-robot. His lungs were seared to well-done levels after his fight with Obi-Wan on Mustafar. Sitting by a river of lava and taking in all that heat was the most likely culprit for his lungs' condition.

After that, Vader needed to have a machine regulate his breathing for him.

That's why his breathing is always so paced. He's forced to breathe at the same rate all of the time. Before you start hurling the asthma jokes Vader's way, remember that he survived being burned to a crisp. I think he's allowed to breathe a little funny after that.

17 The Secret Life Of Kyber Crystals

Darth Vader does not torment only living beings. He also bends nonliving objects to his will as well. In order to make their own lightsabers, Sith have to collect the kyber crystals from a Jedi's lightsaber and bend them to their will. This is not a gentle process for the crystals. Once the crystals have been corrupted, they "bleed."

The process of making a Sith lightsaber is actually called "bleeding."

It sounds like a pretty horrific way to make a weapon. Normally, when I read fantasy or sci-fi books about crafting weapons, there always seems to be a lot of passion and caring behind the methods. Bleeding a kyber crystal takes a lot of effort, but it does not look like it takes a lot of love.

16 The Power Of Glove

The power that any Force user wields can be immense, but Darth Vader's always seemed more potent. You wouldn't think that hand dominance would be a factor in using the Force, but it's a fact that Darth Vader's right hand is stronger than his left. When Anakin Skywalker lost his right arm to Count Dooku, he himself took part in making his new mechanical arm. This made the construction of the arm of a higher quality than the rest of his mechanical limbs. Palpatine also gifted Darth Vader with a mystical Sith gauntlet for his right hand. This not only made his hand physically stronger, but it also made his right hand stronger in the Force. I guess this means that all Imperial employees of the Death Star hoped they would get Force-attacked by Vader's left hand.

15 Unfriending

Another terrifying attribute of Darth Vader's is how quickly he can throw away years of friendship. By the time Revenge of the Sith rolls around, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker have known each other for thirteen years. That is no short amount of time.

And yet, Vader was ready to fight his friend to the end.

I mean, if Obi-Wan hadn't gained the mysteriously helpful high ground, I'm pretty sure that Anakin would have had no compunctions about slicing his friend in two. That's some scary stuff right there. You need look no further than this to see why Vader is such a frightening persona. He can be friends with someone for thirteen years and still not have any qualms about ending their life after all that time.

14 Style

I know that the Anakin we meet in the prequels is a tad annoying, so it's easy to forget the fact that he is an accomplished lightsaber duelist. He was able to hold his own (at least momentarily) against the great Count Dooku during Attack of the Clones when he was only a Padawan. Anakin was agile and quick; these two abilities were some of his greatest strengths during a lightsaber battle.

But as Darth Vader, all of that changed.

The weight of Vader's armor and mechanical systems prevented him from engaging in combat the way he used to. Agility is kind of impossible when you're a hulking behemoth of a Sith Lord. In order to maintain his skill in combat, Vader had to learn a whole new style of lightsaber fighting. And he had to do it quickly if he was going to be thought of as a fearsome opponent in the new Empire.

13 Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

It's easy to forget that Darth Vader is only comprised of a human head and torso since he walks around in his giant black suit. But remove all of his machinery, and Darth Vader is nothing but a legless and armless worm. He has none of his original limbs left attached to his body. I never thought about that until I saw Revenge of the Sith. In Return of the Jedi, we see Vader's wired interior for the first time when he gets wounded fighting Luke. But the fact that all of his limbs are mechanical was driven home after his fight with Obi-Wan. Swish-swish went Obi-Wan's lightsaber, and poor Anakin was a human snake. Of course, the fact that Vader has no actual limbs doesn't matter when he's being awesome and slaying stuff left and right. No one cares about deformities if you're that cool.

12 Daddy Day Care

Disciplining your child in a caring but strict manner is an important part of being a parent. Vader kind of forgot the "caring" part of that statement when he was trying to capture his son for the Emperor. Vader's plan for transporting Luke to the Emperor involved tricking him into a carbonite freezing chamber and then pushing him into the pit where they actually freeze things into carbonite.

This process is deadly!

I know Vader tested it on Han Solo first, but just because it worked that one time does not mean that it would work a second time. And at this point, Vader knew that Luke was his son. You would think that Vader would hold off on such a dangerous procedure for his progeny. But nope! Vader is so cold, he did not give two hoots if his son could not withstand the freezing process. Thankfully, Luke has an amazing ability to jump out of pits.

11 Pushing The Limits

Anakin Skywalker was not one for closed, restrictive spaces, so you can understand how being stuck in Darth Vader's suit would not be ideal for him. Being dependent on his suit to live must have been absolutely frustrating for him. But he actually had the stones to try and function without it. Those times that Darth Vader spent in his meditation chamber were not spent solely on meditating. Vader was testing himself, seeing how long he could remain without having his helmet on. His ultimate goal was to be able to exist without having to rely on such a clunky support system. Breathing was painful with the apparatus necessary for helping him, but imagine trying to breathe without it. Even seeing was hard for him to do without his helmet. You've got to admire Vader for his relentless endurance.

10 Embracing Your Fear

If there was a planet where I lost a fight to my best friend, hurt the love of my life, and got horribly disfigured on, I would avoid that planet at all costs. Not Darth Vader. Even though Mustafar was a place of horrible tragedy for him, he decided to build his castle there. Maybe it's a Sith thing to embrace the darkness. I don't know. But the lava that scorched his lungs and skin flows right through his home sweet home. Admittedly, while this is a pretty tough power move on Vader's part, I do wonder at the wisdom of this choice. I don't think lava is good news for the foundation of a building. And I don't think being in constant contact with the environment that ruined you forever as a person is a wise move either.

9 Being A Looky-Loo

Bet you didn't know this. Darth Vader's helmet allows him to see in total darkness because he can see using infrared and ultraviolet vision. So you remember that moment in Rogue One where he appears in the darkened hallway behind those fleeing rebels? He could probably see in perfect clarity while all they saw was blackness. That makes Vader even more terrifying, doesn't it?

His vision makes him like a night-time predator.

He can see his victims before they see him. Of course, that loud breathing probably gets in the way of him being the ultimate stealth master. It's kind of (try very) hard to be sneaky when your presence is announced by a hoarse, electronic mouth-breather noise.

8 Sheer Willpower

It was pretty unbelievable that Anakin could have survived the de-limbing and the scorching he received on Mustafar without immediate medical attention. Granted, Palpatine did arrive in a timely fashion to help his pupil, but Anakin had just had an arm and his legs chopped off. Plus, he was nearly burnt to a crisp.

There is no way that he should have survived that experience.

The explanation given for Anakin's survival is his ability to use the Force. Apparently, Anakin used the Force to keep living for the precious few minutes he had to wait until Palpatine could get him to those 2-1B surgical droids. It suddenly doesn't seem so perplexing that his daughter could survive in the vacuum of space for a couple of seconds, doesn't it?

7 The Munchies

You may have wondered, just like me, how Vader gets food into him. If he has problems breathing, he must have problems eating. Turns out, he can eat these nutrient pastes just fine. However, Vader doesn't like the taste of these pastes. (Can't blame him, really. I mean, just calling a food a paste makes it seem unappetizing.) He would much rather get nutrients into him through intravenous feeds. So when Vader sits down to dinner, he prefers to hook himself up to these things and get those sweet, sweet nutrients inside him that way. This fact makes me feel sorry for him more than anything, but it sounds like a pretty stalwart thing to do. Vader's so tough, he'd rather eat through needles.

6 Never Getting Fired

Vader was not Palpatine's only choice for a successor. True, there was Darth Maul and Count Dooku before him, but even after Palpatine singled Anakin Skywalker out, he had competition set in store for his new apprentice. After Vader made a mistake during a mission (sounds amazing, that Vader would make a mistake, but it's true), Palpatine hires a group of potential replacements for Vader's position. These replacements try their best to usurp Vader's spot by offing him, but Darth Vader is Darth Vader. Even when one of them deactivates his suit, Vader gets right back up and deals with these would-be usurpers. I honestly don't know what these people were expecting when they decided to go up against Vader. He's Darth freaking Vader.