The smashing success of the 1977 film Star Wars made Darth Vader the biggest movie villain since Dracula. Vader's signature black helmet, echo-box breathing and portent-of-doom musical theme all became pop culture favorites. According to the Star Wars storyline, Vader began life as Anakin Skywalker and was trained by the Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi before being seduced by the "dark side" of the mystical Force. He became a servant of the nefarious Emperor Palpatine and used the powers of the Force for evil.
