Darth Vader’s suit is one of the most iconic costumes in movie history. It makes him look menacing, and it also allows him to move, fight, and even breathe.
Considering the suit is so much a part of Vader, you may be wondering why he never had it upgraded. He could have had improvements made to it over time, right? So why didn’t he?
Palpatine used the suit to control Vader, so he probably never offered any upgrades. But even if he did, Vader likely would have turned down the offer due to the risks involved and the emotional pain it would allow him to experience.
Contents
Why Did Darth Vader Need His Suit?
In Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker–now known as Darth Vader–fought a duel on the lava planet Mustafar. He dueled his old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, when the latter confronted him about his fall to the dark side.
Obi-Wan took the high ground in the duel and warned Vader not to continue fighting. But, filled with rage and intent on destroying Obi-Wan, Vader attacked again.
Obi-Wan sliced off Vader’s legs and remaining arm. Vader landed close to a lava flow, where his body caught on fire. He suffered extensive internal and external injuries like horrible burns all over his body, lung damage, broken bones, blood loss, and organ failure.
Obi-Wan left him for dead, and Vader would have died if Emperor Palpatine didn’t find him and outfit him with his iconic black suit.
This full-body suit functioned as a life-support system for the rest of his life; it replaced his lost limbs with prosthetics, enabled him to breathe, and let him heal somewhat from his injuries.
Could Vader Have Survived Without His Suit?
This question is up for debate.
George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, suggested that Vader no longer needed the suit to survive after an initial recovery period–he chose to keep wearing it to enhance his abilities, as he would have been a weakling without it.
However, there are more reasons to believe Vader did need the suit for survival.
If the suit’s only purpose was about enhancing his abilities, he likely would have upgraded it multiple times, continuously improving his speed, strength, fighting ability, and other physical skills. Removing the suit to obtain these upgrades would not have been so risky.
In the movies, Vader is seen with parts of the suit, such as the mask, removed. This occurred during meditation or time spent recovering in Bacta tanks. He has to have the suit cleaned and maintained monthly, so it must be removed at times–but temporarily.
![Darth Vader Breathing in Bacta Tank - First Appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iLef7mLugNs/0.jpg)
This suggests that removing it under other circumstances or for longer periods of life would likely kill him.
In Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Vader turns against Palpatine to save Luke and gets electrocuted by Palpatine’s Force lightning. This shorts out the life-support systems of his suit, and Vader dies a few minutes later.
This is, perhaps, the best reason to believe that Vader could not have survived without his suit.
Could Darth Vader Have Upgraded His Suit?
In the Legends novel Star Wars: Death Star, Vader had the opportunity to upgrade his suit. Emperor Palpatine presented him with a new and improved version of his suit which would have further enhanced his abilities.
However, Vader declined the upgrade because it wouldn’t have decreased his pain levels, and it would have required a long, risky, painful procedure to transfer his body to the new suit.
Why Didn’t Darth Vader Upgrade His Suit?
Within Canon, Vader was not given the opportunity to upgrade his suit as he was in Legends.
There are several reasons why he wouldn’t have been given an opportunity, and why he would have turned it down even if the option was presented to him.
Palpatine’s Control
On the one hand, Darth Vader’s suit was a life-giving gift from Emperor Palpatine. On the other hand, it was a device Palpatine used to ensure Vader would never grow too powerful.
Palpatine used the suit to keep Vader under control because Vader depended on the suit for his life.
Since it was a means of control, Palpatine likely wouldn’t have offered any upgrades. He wanted Vader to be a powerful Sith Lord, but keeping him in the same suit and never offering upgrades prevented Vader from growing too powerful.
The Risks Involved
Even if Palpatine had offered upgrades on the suit, Vader likely would have declined them, as he did in Legends. The primary reason for this is the risks involved in making the upgrades.
As we discussed, the suit was a complex, wearable life-support system. Every part of it kept him alive–from the iron lung machine which forced air in and out of his lungs to the tiny needles sticking into his skin, providing nutrients and removing waste.
Keeping Vader alive and functioning was all about maintaining a delicate balance.
To upgrade the suit would have been risky because the process would have involved long, painful surgical procedures and disabling the life support functions of the suit.
Because he would be without these functions during the upgrade, there was a strong possibility he could die on the operating table. So upgrading the suit would have meant risking death.
Though an upgraded suit may have limited his pain and improved his physical skills, he likely wouldn’t have considered these small improvements worth the risks.
Connection to the Dark Side
Vader’s suit kept him in constant pain. This pain and suffering was a continual reminder of how he got to that point. It kept him in agony, in turn, keeping him closer to the dark side.
So, Vader was not as physically powerful as he could have been, but he had greater Sith powers and abilities. Despite his limitations, he was a strong Sith Lord thanks to his connection with the dark side.
Additionally, to have lost the physical pain and agony would have allowed him to think more like the previous version of himself and the mistakes he made.
He would have had to confront many memories that would have caused far greater levels of suffering–memories like the part he played in his wife’s death.
So, the physical pain caused by his suit kept him steeped in the dark side while distracting him from far more painful memories. There is a good chance Vader preferred the physical pain over emotional and mental suffering.
Conclusion
There were several reasons Darth Vader never upgraded his iconic black suit, though he had the opportunity to in one Legends-era novel.
Since he depended on the suit for his life, the long and painful process of having it upgraded could have killed him. Additionally, the pain the suit inflicted on him likely kept him distracted from his emotional pain.
It also kept him connected to the dark side, so he maintained his status as a powerful Force user and Sith Lord despite his physical limitations and handicaps.
Sarah Hood is a freelance content writer and editor with a love for all things Star Wars. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time in the great outdoors.