The dark side power of Force choking is synonymous with Star Wars' most iconic villain, Darth Vader, with the Sith Lord using it numerous times in the franchise - and not just because he is evil. The Force choke is an ability fueled by emotions that flow through the . Although Darth Vader is best known for this power, other s of the dark side have employed Force hoke - including Savage Opress, Dooku, Kylo Ren, Barris, and Palpatine himself. Even Jedi like Ahsoka Tano, Rey, and even Grogu have used Force choke in moments of need and emotion.
But nobody uses Force choke more than Darth Vader, and it can be considered his signature move. While Darth Vader is deadly with a lightsaber, there are reasons he employs this Force choke so often. It's not just because it cements the image of power and strength; George Lucas himself has explained why he decided to show Vader choking his enemies so many times.
Darth Vader Force Choking People Is Linked To The Force, Life & Buddhism
Speaking to Darth Vader's true power, for he is cutting people off from the Force, draining their life. While Jedi submit to the will of the Force, a Sith exerts his own will over it; thus Force choke is a symbol of the dark side itself.
There are even deeper meanings to Lucas' Buddhist link, though. Buddhism teaches that life is suffering while reflecting on the importance of pursuing inner peace. Darth Vader's defeat years ago left him living a life of suffering and pain, but he was incapable of finding peace until Luke was able to redeem him. Thus Vader's Force choking is not just a way of cutting off others' lives; he is taking his own suffering out on others.
Anakin Skywalker Force Choking People Was A Massive Dark Side Hint
Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side was signposted by the fact he was no stranger to Force choking people even when he was a Jedi. Anakin's volatile emotions so often got the better of him, and he demonstrated the ability on more than one occasion. He brutally tortured Poggle the Lesser in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and also Force choked Miraj Scintel, Asajj Ventress, and a random Ithorian bartender when hunting for the bounty hunter Rako Hardeen.
All of these victims were getting in the way of Anakin saving people he loved or at least from trying to bring the people who hurt them to justice. It goes back to his fear of death, with him becoming both a Jedi and Sith for this reason. This ability is one of the most significant hints that Anakin was destined to fall to the dark side, especially since it came from a place of fear and emotion, and it signified the dark side path he would continue down as the Star Wars saga progressed.
