document_title: Isle of Man TT

question_text: where is the tt isle of man held

question_tokens: where is the tt isle of man held

root

text: Isle of Man TT

text: Early Isle of Man TT race history (1904–1910)[edit]

text: Gordon Bennett and Tourist Trophy car races[edit]

text: Motor racing began on the Isle of Man in 1904 with the Gordon Bennett Eliminating Trial, restricted to touring automobiles. As the Motor Car Act 1903 placed a speed restriction of 20 mph (32 km/h) on automobiles in the UK, Julian Orde, Secretary of the Automobile Car Club of Britain and Ireland approached the authorities in the Isle of Man for the permission to race automobiles on the island's public roads.[11] The Highways (Light Locomotive) Act 1904 gave permission in the Isle of Man for the 52.15-mile (83.93 km) Highroads Course for the 1904 Gordon Bennett Eliminating Trial which was won by Clifford Earl (Napier) in 7 hours 26.5 minutes for five laps (255.5 mi or 411.2 km) of the Highroads Course. The 1905 Gordon Bennett Trial was held on 30 May 1905 and was again won by Clifford Earl driving a Napier automobile in 6 hours and 6 minutes for six laps of the Highroads Course. This was followed in September 1905 with the first Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Race for racing automobiles, now known as the RAC Tourist Trophy and was won by John Napier (Arrol-Johnston) in 6 hours and 9 minutes at an average speed of 33.90 mph (54.56 km/h).[12]

tag: p

text: International Motor-Cycle Cup Race (1905)[edit]

text: For the 1905 Gordon Bennett Eliminating Trial it was decided to run an eliminating trial for motorcycles the day after for a team to represent Great Britain in the International Motor-Cycle Cup Races. An accident at Ramsey Hairpin forced out one of the pre-race favourites and the inability of the motorcycle competitors to climb the steep Mountain Section of the course forced the organisers to use a 25-mile (40 km) section of the Gordon Bennett Trial course. This ran from Douglas south to Castletown and then north to Ballacraine along the primary A3 road and returned to the start at the Quarterbridge in Douglas via Crosby and Glen Vine along the current Snaefell Mountain Course in the reverse direction. The 1905 International Motor-Cycle Cup Race for five laps (125 mi or 201 km) was won by J.S. Campbell (Ariel) despite a fire during a pit stop[13] in 4 hours, 9 minutes and 36 seconds at an average race speed of 30.04 mph (48.34 km/h).[14]

text: Format of the races[edit]

text: The TT Races since the first race in 1907 have been in the format of time-trial. The races held on the Clypse Course during the period 1954–1959 were the more traditional full grid starts along with the 1924 Lightweight TT Race and Clubmen TT Races from 1948, which were also "mass-start" races. The current format is a "clutch start" and race competitors will be "started singly at 10-second intervals".[15]

text: Race procedure[edit]

text:
Start Preliminaries

First Signal – 45 minutes before the start with a warm-up of engines in the Race Paddock and assembly area.
Second Signal – 30 minutes before start.
Third Signal – 15 minutes before start, race competitors move to the start-line and form-up in qualification order.
Fourth Signal – 5 minutes before start, signal to clear the grid and race competitors move towards the exit-gate.

tag: ul

text: Eligibility[edit]

text: Entrants must be in possession of a valid National Entrants or FIM Sponsors Licence for Road Racing.

text: Race classes[edit]

text: Superbike TT[edit]

text: The 2015 specification for entries into the Superbike TT race are defined as:

text:
Any machine complying with the following specifications:

TT Superbike: (Machines complying with the 2015 FIM Superbike Championship specifications)

Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc 4 cylinders 4-stroke
Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc 3 cylinders 4-stroke
Over 850 cc up to 1200 cc 2 cylinders 4-stroke

text: Minimum Weight 165 kg (364 lb). Other machines admitted at the discretion of the Organisers[16]

text: Supersport TT[edit]

text: The 1911 Isle of Man TT was the first time the Junior TT race took place, open to 300 cc single-cylinder and 340 cc twin cylinder motorcycles, contested over five laps of the new 37.5-mile (60.4 km) Snaefell Mountain Course. The first event on the new course was the Junior TT Race contested by 35 entrants, won by Percy J. Evans riding a Humber motor-cycle at an average race speed of 41.45 mph (66.71 km/h). The 1912 event was the first to limit the Junior TT to only 350 cc machines and this engine capacity prevailed until 1994 when replaced by the 600 cc Supersport class.

text:
1911 For single cylinder motorcycles not exceeding 300 cc engine capacity and 340 cc twin cylinder motorcycles.
1912–1948 For motorcycles not exceeding 350 cc engine capacity.
1949–1953 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 350 cc engine capacity and held on the Snaefell mountain course.
1954–1959 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 350 cc engine capacity and held on the Clypse Course.
1960–1976 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 350 cc engine capacity and held on the Mountain Course.
1977–1993 for motorcycles not exceeding 350 cc engine capacity and held on the Mountain Course.
1994 onwards for motorcycles not exceeding 600 cc engine capacity and held on the Mountain Course.

text: The 2015 specifications for entries into the Supersport TT race are:

text: TT Supersport: (Machines complying with the 2015 FIM Supersport Championship specifications)

text:
Over 400 cc up to 600 cc 4 cylinders 4-stroke
Over 600 cc up to 675 cc 3 cylinders 4-stroke
Over 600 cc up to 750 cc 2 cylinders 4-stroke

text: Minimum Weight 161 kg[17]

text: Superstock TT[edit]

text: The 2015 specifications for entries for the Superstock TT, an event for production based motorcycles racing with treaded road tyres, are based on the FIM Superstock Championship specifications, as follows:

text:
Superstock TT: (Machines complying with the 2012 FIM Superstock Championship specifications)

Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc 4 cylinders 4-stroke
Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc 3 cylinders 4-stroke
Over 850 cc up to 1200 cc 2 cylinders 4-stroke

text: Minimum (Dry) Weight 170 kg[18]

text: Lightweight TT[edit]

text: The 1922 event was the first time the Lightweight TT race took place, won by a motorcycle-journalist Geoff S. Davison, riding a Levis at an average speed of 49.89 mph (80.29 km/h) for seven laps of the Snaefell Mountain Course. As with the Ultra-Lightweight TT Race, the event was dropped from the race schedule in 2004, but was reintroduced 2008–2009, held on the Billown short road circuit and then dropped again from the race schedule on cost grounds.

text:
1924–1948 For motorcycles not exceeding 250 cc engine capacity.
1949–1953 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 250 cc engine capacity, held on the Snaefell mountain course.
1954–1959 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 250 cc engine capacity, held on the Clypse Course.
1960–1976 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 250 cc engine capacity, held on the Mountain Course.
1977–2004 for motorcycles not exceeding 250 cc engine capacity, held on the Mountain Course.
2008–2009 for motorcycles not exceeding 250 cc engine capacity, held on the Billown Circuit.
2012– The event was re-introduced from the 2012 event for water-cooled four-stroke twin cylinder not exceeding a capacity of 650 cc and complying with the ACU Standing Regulations.[19]

text: The 2015 specifications for entries into the Lightweight TT race are:

text:
Machines must comply with general technical rules as per ACU Standing Regulations and 2015 IOM TT regulations.

Any four-stroke twin cylinder motorcycle originally sold for road use with a water-cooled engine of up to 650 cc engine capacity.
Eligible machines must be from models homologated[clarification needed] for road use 2006 or later.[20]

text: Sidecar TT[edit]

text: The 1923 TT was the first time the Sidecar TT race was run, over three laps (113 mi or 182 km) of the Mountain Course and was won by Freddie Dixon and passenger Walter Perry with a Douglas and special banking-sidecar at an average race speed of 53.15 mph (85.54 km/h). For the 1926 event the Sidecar and Ultra-Lightweight TT classes were dropped due to lack of entries.

text: The Sidecar race was re-introduced from the 1954 event for Sidecars not exceeding 500 cc engine capacity, run on the Clypse Course. A non-championship 750 cc class for sidecars was introduced at the 1968 event. For the 1976 event the race was held over two-legs. From 1975, the previous 500 cc and 750 cc classes for Sidecars were replaced by a 1000 cc engine capacity class.

text: The new FIM Formula 2 class for Sidecars was introduced for the 1990 Isle of Man TT.

text:
1954–1959 FIM World Championship Event for Side-Cars not exceeding 500 cc engine capacity. Race held on the Clypse Course.
1960–1976 FIM World Championship Event held on Mountain Course.
1968–1974 Non-Championship event for Sidecars not exceeding 750 cc.
1975–1989 Sidecars not exceeding 1000 cc engine capacity.
1990– FIM Formula 2 Sidecar race for two-stroke engines not exceeding 350 cc or four-stroke engines not exceeding 600 cc.

text: The 2015 specifications for entries into the Sidecar TT race are:

text:
Machines must comply with general technical rules as per ACU Standing Regulations and 2015 Isle of Man TT regulations.

Engine Types

501 – 600 cc, 4 stroke, 4 cylinder, Production based motorcycle engines.

text: Senior TT[edit]

text: For the 1911 Isle of Man TT, the first TT event using the Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course, two separate races were introduced. The first event was a four lap Junior TT race and a separate Senior TT race for 500 cc single-cylinder and 585 cc twin-cylinder motorcycles, over five laps of the new 37.5-mile (60.4 km) Snaefell Mountain Course. The new technical challenges of the Mountain Course forced changes on entrants and motorcycle manufacturers alike. The American Indian motorcycle factory fitted a two-speed gearbox and chain-drive. This proved to be the winning combination when Oliver Godfrey won the 1911 Senior TT race riding an Indian at an average speed of 47.63 mph (76.65 km/h). Fitted with a six-speed belt drive[21] Charlie Collier riding a Matchless motorcycle finished second in the 1911 Senior TT race and was later disqualified for illegal refuelling. During an early morning practice session for the 1911 Isle of Man TT races, Victor Surridge died after crashing his Rudge motorcycle at Glen Helen, the first death of a competitor on the Snaefell Mountain Course and the first death in the Isle of Man of a person in an automotive accident.[22]

text:
1911 For single cylinder motorcycles not exceeding 500 cc engine capacity and 585 cc twin cylinder motorcycles.
1912–1939 For motorcycles not exceeding 500 cc engine capacity.
1947–1948 For motorcycles not exceeding 500 cc engine capacity and a ban on engine supercharging.
1949–1976 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 500 cc engine capacity.
1977–1984 for motorcycles not exceeding 500 cc engine capacity.
1985–2004 for motorcycles complying with ACU TT Formula 1 rules not exceeding 1,010 cc engine capacity.
2004 onwards for motorcycles complying with ACU/FIM Superbike rules not exceeding 1,000 cc engine capacity.

text: The 2015 specifications for entries into the Senior TT race are:

text:
TT Superbike: (Machines complying with the 2015 FIM Superbike Championship specifications)[23]

Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc 4 cylinders 4-stroke
Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc 3 cylinders 4-stroke
Over 850 cc up to 1200 cc 2 cylinders 4-stroke

text:
Supersport Junior TT (without limitation of tyre choice)

TT Superstock (without limitation of tyre choice)
Other machines admitted at the discretion of the Organisers.

text: TT Zero[edit]

text: Starting from the 2010 races, the TT Zero event over one lap (37.73 mi or 60.72 km) of the Snaefell Mountain Course replaced the TTXGP. The TT Zero event as an officially sanctioned TT race is for racing motorcycles where "The technical concept is for motorcycles (two wheeled) to be powered without the use of carbon based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions".[24] The Isle of Man Government offered a prize of £10,000 for the first entrant to exceed the prestigious 100 mph (160 km/h) (22 minutes and 38.388 seconds) average speed around the Mountain Course. This was achieved by Michael Rutter of team MotoCzysz in the 2012 race,[25] and has been exceeded every year since.

text: Discontinued race classes[edit]

text: Ultra-Lightweight TT[edit]

text: 1924 was the first time the Ultra-Lightweight TT race took place for motorcycles not exceeding 175 cc engine capacity. It was won by Jack Porter, riding a New Imperial motorcycle at an average speed of 51.21 mph (82.41 km/h) over three laps of the Snaefell mountain course. The Ultra-Lightweight class was re-introduced in 1951 for motorcycles not exceeding 125 cc until discontinued in 1974, and then re-introduced for 1989, again for two-stroke 125 cc motorcycles, until dropped again due to lack of entries after 2004. The event was reintroduced 2008–2009 held on the four-mile Billown Circuit and then dropped from the race schedule on cost grounds for the 2010 races.

text:
1924–1925 For motorcycles not exceeding 175 cc engine capacity.
1951–1953 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 125 cc engine capacity, held on the Snaefell mountain course.
1954–1959 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 125 cc engine capacity, held on the Clypse Course.
1960–1974 FIM World Championship event for motorcycles not exceeding 125 cc engine capacity, held on the Mountain Course.
1989–2004 for motorcycles not exceeding 125 cc engine capacity, held on the Mountain Course.
2008–2009 for motorcycles not exceeding 125 cc engine capacity, held on the Billown Circuit.

text: 50 cc race 1962–1968, an additional World Championship event for Ultra-Lightweight motorcycles not exceeding 50 cc engine capacity, held on the Mountain Course.

text: Clubman TT and Production TT[edit]

text: The Clubman races with Lightweight, Junior and Senior classes were held for production motorcycles from 1947 until 1956.[26] A Senior 1000 cc class provided an opportunity for Vincent motorcycles.[27] The riders were little-known, but as the stars were barred from entering the class, it provided a stepping-stone for future-stars but resulted in less spectator-interest. The series became dominated by one model – the BSA Gold Star,[28][29][30] and with little competition from other manufacturers, was discontinued. When previewing the impending re-introduction of a specification-controlled, roadster-based class in March 1967, David Dixon wrote: "lack of inter-make rivalry probably put the final nail in the coffin".[28]

text: Writing in UK monthly magazine Motor Cyclist Illustrated, racing journalist Ray Knight, who had achieved a lap speed of nearly 88 mph on a Triumph Tiger 100 roadster-based racing motorcycle in the Manx Grand Prix,[31][32][33] commented in early 1965 that the ACU had refused a request from manufacturers to run a production TT race, which he thought was a missed opportunity, particularly considering the dwindling support for the 500 cc race.[34]

text: A Production TT for roadster-based motorcycles having classes for maximum engine capacities of 250 cc, 500 cc and 750 cc was introduced from 1967 until 1976 when the class was discontinued.

text: The Production TT was reintroduced for the 1984 races in three classes, reduced to two classes on safety grounds for the 1990 races. For the 2005 races the Superstock class replaced the previous 1000 cc & 600 cc Production TT classes that had been part of the race schedule since 1989.

text: Practice sessions[edit]

text: At the TT races there is usually one week of practice and one week of racing. Historically there was an early morning practice session from 05:00–07:30 am but this was discontinued from the 2004 races. During an early morning practice at the 1927 Isle of Man TT, Archie Birkin, brother of Tim Birkin of the Bentley Boys, was killed at Rhencullen. From 1928 practice sessions for the Isle of Man TT Races and Manx Grand Prix were held on closed roads. Evening practice sessions were introduced for the 1937 Isle of Man TT and continue to this day. The Thursday afternoon practice session from 13:45–17:00, introduced in the late 1950s, was discontinued from the Centenary races in 2007.

text: A schedule for practice sessions is announced each year well in advance. For the 2016 races a provisional schedule was announced by mid-July 2015,[35] and changes in the schedule were highlighted.[36]

text: But for example, the 2015 event began with a Saturday evening untimed practice session from 18:00–21:30, with the public roads that comprise the Snaefell Mountain Course closed. The section of the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road from Ramsey Hairpin to Creg-ny-Baa was to close at 16:45 for the practice periods (from 17:00 hours from the Bungalow), 1 hour and 15 minutes before the rest of the course.[37]

text: The first practice session in 2015 was to provide four controlled laps for newcomers, two for new Solo competitors and two for new Sidecar competitors. Competitors would be escorted for one lap of the Mountain Course by the Travelling Marshals at a steady pace and accompanied by experienced Isle of Man TT and/or Manx Grand Prix competitors.

text: The schedule for the first Saturday untimed session in 2015 was:

text: Practice week sessions[edit]

text: The main practice and timed practice sessions are usually held on Monday-Friday of the next week. The public roads forming the Mountain Course were to be closed in 2015 between 18:00 – 21:30 for the Solo and Sidecar classes. Some would-be racers need to qualify for races by achieving satisfactory practice times during these sessions.

text: Schedule for the five-day timed session Monday-Friday of practice week in 2015:

text: Race week practice sessions[edit]

text: Further scheduled timed practice sessions after the race periods for the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races:

text: Saturday 6 June:

text: Mad Sunday, 7 June: No practice sessions were scheduled during "Mad Sunday", a day when many fans ride the TT course themselves. An exception to this non-scheduling was in 2013 when there was racing on the afternoon of Mad Sunday. In 2013, Inspector Derek Flint said: "Even though the benefits of the mountain being one way are in place for the entire two weeks these days, Mad Sunday is traditionally a time for that little bit of extra exuberance, which creates us problems when people run out of skill, then run out of road". Police are out in force, and in 2013 large numbers of fans were expected to ride due to very favourable weather forecasts.[38]

text: Monday 8 June:

text: Wednesday 10 June:

text: Practice TT Zero[edit]

text: Schedule for the TT Zero Challenge timed sessions in 2015 was:

text: Friday 5 June 20:30 – 20:50

text: Saturday 6 June 17:45 – 18:30

text: Monday 8 June 16:00 – 16:30

text: In the event of inclement weather either delaying or leading to the cancellation of one or more timed practice sessions, a reserve morning session could be held with the public roads closed 06:00 – 07:30 on the Mountain Course. Further untimed practice sessions are held during race week after the racing has been completed for selected race classes.

text: Race schedule[edit]

text: In 2015 there were four scheduled race days:

text: Saturday 6 June:

text: Monday 8 June:

text: Wednesday 10 June:

text: Friday 12 June:

text: The section of the primary A18 Snaefell Mountain Road from Ramsey Hairpin (Barrule Park, Ramsey) to Creg-ny-Baa was to close for the race periods 45 minutes before the rest of the course (30 minutes from the Bungalow).[39]

text: TT course official vehicles[edit]

text: After the completion of a practice or race period, an official course vehicle displaying the notice Roads Open proceeds around the Mountain Course, passing each point opening the roads including side-access junctions to public use. On the Snaefell mountain road section from Ramsey to Douglas, the official vehicle displays the notice Roads Open One Way.

text: Crossing places during practice and races[edit]

text: The 1982 Road Racing Act (Isle of Man) and the supplementary TT Road Races Orders allow vehicles and pedestrians to cross the Snaefell Mountain Course at certain points between scheduled race periods under the supervision of a police officer. Several permanent pedestrian overbridges have been erected. These points include:

text: In Douglas[edit]

text:
A2 St Ninian's Crossroads with the A22 Ballaquayle Road and the A22 Ballanard Road
A2 junction at Bray Hill with the Tromode Road and Stoney Road
A1 Peel Road between Braddan Bridge (Jubilee Oak) and the Quarterbridge
A2 Governor's Road, Onchan, the A2 Glencrutchery Road and Victoria Road at Governor's Bridge
A2 Glencrutchery Road between Second & Third Avenues and Victoria Road
A18 Bemahague Road at Bedstead Corner, Onchan

text:
Pedestrian overbridge at Glencrutchery Road, Douglas, close to start/finish and TT Grandstand

Pedestrian overbridge at Bedstead Corner, Douglas, with Hailwood Avenue junction to right

text: Elsewhere[edit]

text:
A1 Douglas to Peel road with the A23 Eyreton Road and the B36 Old Church Road, Crosby
A3 Castletown to Ramsey road junction with B10 Sartfield Road and the Ballaleigh Road at Barregarrow Crossroads, Michael
A3 junction with A10 Station Road and C37 Ballaugh Glen Road at Ballaugh Bridge
A3 junction with A14 Sandygate Road and A14 Tholt-y-Will Glen Road at Sulby Crossroads
A2 Albert Square and Princes Road, Ramsey at the junction with A18 Snaefell Mountain Road, close to May Hill

text:
Pedestrian overbridge before School House Corner, western approach to Ramsey town

Pedestrian overbridge exiting Ramsey town centre, looking south-east towards May Hill

Pedestrian overbridge at The Bungalow, on Snaefell mountain

text: TT Course access road[edit]

text: The TT Access Road runs parallel to a section of the A1 Peel Road, which is part of the Snaefell Mountain Course, and operates during practice and race periods to enable vehicles to pass from inside of the race course to the outside. It runs along a section of former railway line on the historic Douglas to Peel route, from the junction of the A5 New Castletown Road at the Quarter Bridge, passing under the course at Braddan Bridge, to an exit at Braddan School Road in Douglas outskirts, near the former Braddan Railway Halt and the A23/Ballafletcher Road junction. The access road is a narrow, single-track width with passing places and is restricted to cars and light vans below a weight limit of 3,500 kilograms (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons). When used for vehicular traffic, pedestrian access is prohibited, but at other times it is part of a system of nature-trails.[40][41]

text: Description[edit]

text: The Oxford Companion to World Sports and Games notes:

text: The oldest motor-cycle racing circuit still in use is the Snaefell Mountain Course over which the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races are run. Starting at the town of Douglas on the south-east coast, the course takes a wide sweep to the west and north to enter the town of Ramsey on the north-east coast and thence return to the starting point, each lap measuring 37 3⁄4 miles (60.7 km) and taking in over 200 bends while climbing from sea level to an altitude of over 1,300 ft (396 m). This circuit is the epitome of the natural road course, all the roads used being ordinary public highways closed for the racing and practice sessions.[42]

text: During race week, the TT races create a carnival atmosphere with picnicking spectators flanking vantage points on the circuit similar to other community festivals in another form of cycle racing – the Tour de Yorkshire and Le Tour de France.

text: Safety[edit]

text: Between 1907 and 2017 there have been 255 rider competitor fatalities during official practices or races on the Snaefell Mountain Course (this number includes the riders killed during the Manx Grand Prix, and Clubman TT race series of the late 1940s/1950s).[43][44] In 2016, 5 riders died on the course during official practices or races, bringing the total number of fatalities to 252.[45][46][8][47] There were six fatalities among competitors in the 1970 Isle of Man TT, making it the deadliest year in the history of the event.[48][49][50]

text: Total overall race winners[edit]

text:
Rider
Wins

Joey Dunlop
26

John McGuinness
23

Dave Molyneux
17

Ian Hutchinson
16

Michael Dunlop
15

Mike Hailwood
14

Bruce Anstey
12

Steve Hislop, Phillip McCallen
11

Giacomo Agostini, Robert Fisher, Ian Lougher, Stanley Woods
10

Mick Boddice, David Jefferies, Siegfried Schauzu
9

Jim Moodie, Chas Mortimer, Phil Read, Charlie Williams
8

Mick Grant, Tony Rutter
7

Geoff Duke, Jimmie Guthrie, Jim Redman, John Surtees
6

Alec Bennett, Nick Crowe, Robert Dunlop, Brian Reid, Michael Rutter, Carlo Ubbiali
5

Ben Birchall, Klaus Enders, Freddie Frith, Wal Handley, Trevor Ireson, Dave Leach, Ray Pickrell, Tarquinio Provini, Bill Smith, Jock Taylor, John Williams
4

Adrian Archibald, Ray Amm, Simon Beck, Graeme Crosby, Max Deubel, Harold Daniell, Carl Fogarty, Alex George, Tom Herron, Alan Jackson, Ryan Farquhar, Tony Jefferies, Klaus Klaffenböck, Dave Leech, Rob McElnea, Bob McIntyre, Phil Mellor, Dave Morris, Chris Palmer, Walter Schneider, Ian Simpson, Darren Carguillo, Rolf Steinhausen, Luigi Taveri, Barry Woodland
3

Fergus Anderson, Hugh Anderson, Manliff Barrington, Artie Bell, Geoff Bell, Lowry Burton, Kel Carruthers, Charlie Collier, Steve Cull, Howard R Davies, Freddie Dixon, Charlie Dodson, Cameron Donald, Iain Duffus, Marc Flynn, Dick Greasley, Shaun Harris, John Hartle, Fritz Hillebrand, Gary Hocking, John Holden, Tim Hunt, Bill Ivy, Gary Johnson, Alistair King, Con Law, Eddie Laycock, Ivan Lintin, Bill Lomas, Graeme McGregor, Brian Morrison, Trevor Nation, Gary Padgett, Cecil Sandford, Dave Saville, Tom Sheard, Edwin Twemlow, Nigel Piercy, Steve Plater, Jock Porter, Malcolm Uphill, Eric Williams, Paul Williams
2

Steve Abbott, Dario Ambrosini, Frank A Applebee, Ivor Arber, Reg Armstrong, Georg Auerbacher, Mark Baldwin, W.H. Bashall, Ian Bell, Dieter Braun, Eric Briggs, Norman Brown, Ralph Bryans, Jimmy Buchan, Trevor Burgess, Roger Burnett, Florian Camathias, Maurice Cann, Phil Carpenter, Shannon Carpenter, Phil Carter, Harold Clark, Rod Coleman, Harry A Collier, Syd Crabtree, Dave Croxford, J.D. Daniels, Leo Davenport, G.S. Davison, Steve Day, Tommy de la Hay, Ernst Degner, Eddie Dow, P.J. Evans, Helmut Fath, Jack Findlay, Rem Fowler, Sid Gleave, Oliver Godfrey, Les Graham, Stuart Graham, Werner Haas, Conrad Harrison, Dean Harrison, Ron Haslam, R.J. Hazlehurst, F.G. Hicks, James Hillier, Mac Hobson, Bill Hodgson, Robert Holden, Rupert Hollaus, Colin Hopper, Clive Horton, Eric Housley, Dennis Ireland, Mitsuo Itoh, Brian Jackson, Nick Jefferies, C. W. Johnston, Ken Kavanagh, Bob Keeler, Neil Kelly, Ewald Kluge, Ray Knight, David Lashmar, Monty V. Lockwood, Frank Longman, Heinz Luthringshauser, Jack Marshall, Keith Martin, Hugh Mason, Cromie McCandless, Bill McVeigh, Georg Meier, Ted Mellors, Mark Miller, Derek Minter, George O'Dell, Eric Oliver, Mat Oxley, Les Parker, Denis Parkinson, Graham Penny, A. Phillips, Derek Powell, Cliff Pritchard, Cyril Pullin, Brian Purslow, Richard Quayle, Johnny Rea, Tim Reeves, Harry Reed, Tommy Robb, Brett Richmond, Tony Rogers, Nigel Rollason, Dave Roper, Fritz Scheidegger, Martyn Sharpe, Dave Simmonds, Bill Simpson, Jimmie Simpson, Barry Smith, Omobono Tenni, Steve Tonkin, G.H. Tucker, Kenneth Twemlow, Henry Tyrell-Smith, Chris Vincent, Terry Vinicombe, Graham Walker, Frank Whiteway, Cyril Williams, Peter Williams, Stan Wood, T.L. Wood
1

tag: table

text: FIM Championship Rounds (1949–1976)[edit]

text: The Isle of Man TT was part of the FIM Motor-Cycle Grand Prix World Championship (now MotoGP) between 1949 and 1976. During this period the Isle of Man TT Races counted as the United Kingdom round including the Sidecar TT, 50 cc Ultra-Lightweight TT, 125 cc Lightweight TT, 250 cc Lightweight TT, 350 cc Junior TT and 500 cc Senior TT races counted towards the FIM Motor-Cycle Grand Prix World Championship. After the 1972 races, multiple world champion and dominant motorcycle racer of his time Giacomo Agostini announced he would never race again at the Isle of Man, declaring it too dangerous for international competition and that it was outrageous that such a race should never be part of a scenario where riders were forced to do such a race; at this point the Isle of Man TT was not suited to the growing professionalism and business aspects of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. More and more riders joined his boycott, and by 1976 the race was stricken from the championship and replaced by the British Grand Prix.

text:
Year
50 cc (Ultra-Lightweight TT)
125 cc (Lightweight TT)
250 cc (Lightweight TT)
350 cc (Junior TT)
500 cc (Senior TT)
Report

Rider
Manufacturer
Rider
Manufacturer
Rider
Manufacturer
Rider
Manufacturer
Rider
Manufacturer

1976

 Tom Herron
Yamaha
 Chas Mortimer
Yamaha
 Tom Herron
Yamaha
Report

1975

 Chas Mortimer
Yamaha
 Charlie Williams
Yamaha
 Mick Grant
Kawasaki
Report

1974

 Charlie Williams
Yamaha
 Tony Rutter
Yamaha
 Phil Carpenter
Yamaha
Report

1973

 Tommy Robb
Yamaha
 Charlie Williams
Yamaha
 Tony Rutter
Yamaha
 Jack Findlay
Suzuki
Report

1972

 Chas Mortimer
Yamaha
 Phil Read
Yamaha
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
Report

1971

 Chas Mortimer
Yamaha
 Phil Read
Yamaha
 Tony Jefferies
Yamsel
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
Report

1970

 Dieter Braun
Suzuki
 Kel Carruthers
Yamaha
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
Report

1969

 Dave Simmonds
Kawasaki
 Kel Carruthers
Benelli
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
Report

1968
 Barry Smith
Derbi
 Phil Read
Yamaha
 Bill Ivy
Yamaha
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
Report

1967
 Stuart Graham
Suzuki
 Phil Read
Yamaha
 Mike Hailwood
Honda
 Mike Hailwood
Honda
 Mike Hailwood
Honda
Report

1966
 Ralph Bryans
Honda
 Bill Ivy
Yamaha
 Mike Hailwood
Honda
 Giacomo Agostini
MV Agusta
 Mike Hailwood
Honda
Report

1965
 Luigi Taveri
Honda
 Phil Read
Yamaha
 Jim Redman
Honda
 Jim Redman
Honda
 Mike Hailwood
MV Agusta
Report

1964
 Hugh Anderson
Suzuki
 Luigi Taveri
Honda
 Jim Redman
Honda
 Jim Redman
Honda
 Mike Hailwood
MV Agusta
Report

1963
 Mitsuo Itoh
Suzuki
 Hugh Anderson
Suzuki
 Jim Redman
Honda
 Jim Redman
Honda
 Mike Hailwood
MV Agusta
Report

1962
 Ernst Degner
Suzuki
 Luigi Taveri
Honda
 Derek Minter
Honda
 Mike Hailwood
MV Agusta
 Gary Hocking
MV Agusta
Report

1961

 Mike Hailwood
Honda
 Mike Hailwood
Honda
 Phil Read
Norton
 Mike Hailwood
Norton
Report

1960

 Carlo Ubbiali
MV Agusta
 Gary Hocking
MV Agusta
 John Hartle
MV Agusta
 John Surtees
MV Agusta
Report

1959

 Tarquinio Provini
MV Agusta
 Tarquinio Provini
MV Agusta
 John Surtees
MV Agusta
 John Surtees
MV Agusta
Report

1958

 Carlo Ubbiali
MV Agusta
 Tarquinio Provini
MV Agusta
 John Surtees
MV Agusta
 John Surtees
MV Agusta
Report

1957

 Tarquinio Provini
Mondial
 Cecil Sandford
Mondial
 Bob McIntyre
Gilera
 Bob McIntyre
Gilera
Report

1956

 Carlo Ubbiali
MV Agusta
 Carlo Ubbiali
MV Agusta
 Ken Kavanagh
Moto Guzzi
 John Surtees
MV Agusta
Report

1955

 Carlo Ubbiali
MV Agusta
 Bill Lomas
Moto Guzzi
 Bill Lomas
Moto Guzzi
 Geoff Duke
Gilera
Report

1954

 Rupert Hollaus
NSU
 Werner Haas
NSU
 Rod Coleman
AJS
 Ray Amm
Norton
Report

1953

 Leslie Graham
MV Agusta
 Fergus Anderson
Moto Guzzi
 Ray Amm
Norton
 Ray Amm
Norton
Report

1952

 Cecil Sandford
MV Agusta
 Fergus Anderson
Moto Guzzi
 Geoff Duke
Norton
 Reg Armstrong
Norton
Report

1951

 Cromie McCandless
Mondial
 Tommy Wood
Moto Guzzi
 Geoff Duke
Norton
 Geoff Duke
Norton
Report

1950

 Dario Ambrosini
Benelli
 Artie Bell
Norton
 Geoff Duke
Norton
Report

1949

 Manliff Barrington
Moto Guzzi
 Freddie Frith
Velocette
 Harold Daniell
Norton
Report

text: Current lap records[edit]

text:
Category
Rider(s)
Machine
Tyres
Year
Time
Average speed
Source[51]

mph
km/h

Outright (all categories)
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
Dunlop
2016
16:53.929
133.962
215.591
[1][2]

Superbike TT
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
Dunlop
2016
16:58.254
133.393
214.675
[52][53]

Supersport TT
Michael Dunlop
Honda CBR600RR
Dunlop
2013
17:35.659
128.666
207.068

Lightweight TT
James Hillier
Kawasaki ER650
Metzeler
2015
18:43.955
120.848
194.486
[citation needed]

Ultra-Lightweight TT
Chris Palmer
Honda RS125

2004
20:20.87
110.52
177.86

Senior TT
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
Dunlop
2016
16:53.929
133.962
215.591
[1][2]

Superstock TT
Ian Hutchinson
BMW S1000RR
Metzeler
2016
17:00.510
133.098
214.200
[54][55]

TT Zero
John McGuinness
Mugen Shinden
Dunlop
2015
18:58.743
119.279
191.961
[citation needed]

Sidecar TT
Ben Birchall and
Tom Birchall
LCR Honda 600cc Sidecar
Avon
2017
19:19.746
117.119
188.485
[56][57]

text: Current race records[edit]

text:
Category
Rider(s)
Machine
Tyres
Year
Race time
Average speed

mph
km/h

Superbike TT (6 laps)
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
Dunlop
2016
01:44:14.259
130.306
209.707[52][53]

Supersport TT (4 laps)
Ian Hutchinson
Yamaha YZF-R6
Metzeler
2016
01:11:36.808
126.445
203.494[58][59]

Lightweight TT (4 laps)
Ivan Lintin
Kawasaki ER650
Metzeler
2016
01:16:26.681
118.454
190.633[60]

Lightweight TT (3 laps)
Ivan Lintin
Kawasaki ER650
Metzeler
2015
57:06.070
118.936
191.409[61]

Senior TT (6 laps)
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
Dunlop
2016
01:43:56.129
130.685
210.317[1][2]

Senior TT (4 laps)
John McGuinness
Honda CBR1000RR
Dunlop
2015
01:09:23.903
130.481
209.989

Superstock TT (4 laps)
Ian Hutchinson
BMW S1000RR
Metzeler
2016
01:09:47.543
129.745
208.804[54][55]

TT Zero (1 lap)
John McGuinness
Mugen Shinden
Dunlop
2015
18:58.743
119.279
191.961

Sidecar TT (3 laps)
Ben Birchall and
Tom Birchall
LCR Sidecar
Avon
2015
58:24.971
116.259
187.101

text: Race awards[edit]

text: Race winner trophies[edit]

text:
Race
Trophy
Rider(s)
Machine
Tyres
Year
Average speed

mph
km/h

Senior TT
Senior Tourist Trophy1
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
Dunlop
2016
130.685
210.317[1][2]

TT Superbike
TT Superbike Trophy
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
Dunlop
2016
130.306
209.707[52][53]

TT Superstock
John Hartle Trophy
Ian Hutchinson
BMW S1000RR
Metzeler
2016
129.745
208.804[54][55]

TT Supersport Race 1
Junior Tourist Trophy
Ian Hutchinson
Yamaha YZF-R6
Metzeler
2016
126.445
203.494[58][59]

TT Supersport Race 2
Classic TT Trophy
Ian Hutchinson
Yamaha YZF-R6
Metzeler
2016
125.905
202.624[62]

TT Lightweight
Lightweight TT Trophy
Ivan Lintin
Kawasaki ER650
Metzeler
2016
118.454
190.633[60]

TT Sidecar Race 1
Fred W. Dixon Trophy
John Holden and
Andrew Winkle
LCR Suzuki 600 cc
Avon
2016
114.282
183.919[63][64]

TT Sidecar Race 2
Sidecar TT Trophy
Ben Birchall and
Tom Birchall
LCR Honda 600 cc
Avon
2016
115.658
186.134[65]

text: ^1 Marquis de Mouzilly St Mars Trophy.

text: Fastest lap awards[edit]

text:
Race
Trophy
Rider(s)
Machine
Year
Average speed
Time

mph
km/h

Overall
Jimmy Simpson Trophy
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
2016
133.962
215.591
16:53.929[1][2]

Senior TT
Norman Brown Trophy
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
2016
133.962
215.591
16:53.929[1][2]

TT Superbike
John Williams Trophy
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
2016
133.393
214.675
16:58.254[52][53]

TT Superstock
Don Ryder Trophy
Ian Hutchinson
BMW S1000RR
2016
133.098
214.200
17:00.510[54][55]

TT Supersport Race
Formula 2 TT Trophy
Ian Hutchinson
Yamaha YZF-R6
2016
128.259
206.413
17:39.013[66]

TT Sidecar Race
Jock Taylor Trophy
Ben Birchall and
Tom Birchall
LCR Honda 600 Sidecar
2016
116.798
187.968
19:22.928[63][64]

text: Special awards[edit]

text:
Award
Trophy
Rider(s)
Machine
Year

TT Solo Championship
Joey Dunlop Trophy
Ian Hutchinson
BMW S1000RR
Yamaha YZF-R6
2016[1]

TT Privateer's Champion
TT Privateer's Champion
Daniel Hegarty
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
2016[1]

Overall Sidecar Championship
RAC Sidecar Trophy
John Holden and
Andrew Winkle
LCR Suzuki 600 cc
2016[67]

Sidecar Passenger Championship
Craig Trophy
Andrew Winkle
LCR Suzuki 600 cc
2016[67]

Supersport Championship
TT Supporters' Club Trophy
Ian Hutchinson
Yamaha YZF-R6
2016

Sidecar Chassis Championship
Fred Hanks Trophy
John Holden and
Andrew Winkle
LCR Suzuki 600 cc
2016[67]

Newcomers Sidecar Driver Championship
Peter Chapman Trophy
Lionel Mansuy
Windle 600 cc
2015

Newcomers Sidecar Passenger Championship
Dave Wells Trophy
Matty Ramsden
LCR 600 cc
2015

British competitor
British manufacturer
Joe Craig Trophy
Guy Martin
Triumph 675 cc
2015

Irish (North or South) solo competitor
Martin Finnegan Trophy
Michael Dunlop
BMW S1000RR
2016[1][2]

Isle of Man solo competitor
Gavin Lee Trophy
Conor Cummins
Honda CBR1000RR
2016[2]

text: Other Special awards[edit]

text: Fastest Newcomer – The Vernon Cooper Trophy

text:
Rider(s)
Machine
Year
Average speed
Time

mph
km/h

Derek McGee
Honda 1000 cc
2015
121.928
196.224
18:33.999

text: Most Meritorious Female – The Susan Jeness Trophy is awarded yearly by the Executive Committee of the TT Supporters' Club, in recognition of the "most meritorious performance by a female competitor" during the previous TT meeting.[68]

text:
Rider(s)
Race Category
Year

Jenny Tinmouth
solo rider
2010

Jenny Tinmouth
solo rider
2011

Debbie Baron
as driver, Ireson Kawasaki Sidecar 600 cc
2012

Estelle Leblond
as driver, Sidecar 600 cc
2013

Estelle Leblond
as driver, Sidecar 600 cc
2014

(undecided)

2015


document_title: Scalability

question_text: adding a cpu to a single node is which type of scalability

text: Scalability

text: Horizontal and vertical scaling[edit]

text: Methods of adding more resources for a particular application fall into two broad categories: horizontal and vertical scaling.[5]

text:
To scale horizontally (or scale out/in) means to add more nodes to (or remove nodes from) a system, such as adding a new computer to a distributed software application. An example might involve scaling out from one Web server system to three. As computer prices have dropped and performance continues to increase, high-performance computing applications such as seismic analysis and biotechnology workloads have adopted low-cost "commodity" systems for tasks that once would have required supercomputers. System architects may configure hundreds of small computers in a cluster to obtain aggregate computing power that often exceeds that of computers based on a single traditional processor. The development of high-performance interconnects such as Gigabit Ethernet, InfiniBand and Myrinet further fueled this model. Such growth has led to demand for software that allows efficient management and maintenance of multiple nodes, as well as hardware such as shared data storage with much higher I/O performance. Size scalability is the maximum number of processors that a system can accommodate.[4]
To scale vertically (or scale up/down) means to add resources to (or remove resources from) a single node in a system, typically involving the addition of CPUs or memory to a single computer. Such vertical scaling of existing systems also enables them to use virtualization technology more effectively, as it provides more resources for the hosted set of operating system and application modules to share. Taking advantage of such resources can also be called "scaling up", such as expanding the number of Apache daemon processes currently running. Application scalability is the improved performance of running applications on a scaled-up version of the system.[4]

text: There are tradeoffs between the two models. Larger numbers of computers means increased management complexity, as well as a more complex programming model and issues such as throughput and latency between nodes; also, some applications do not lend themselves to a distributed computing model. In the past, the price difference between the two models has favored "scale up" computing for those applications that fit its paradigm, but recent advances in virtualization technology have blurred that advantage, since deploying a new virtual system over a hypervisor (where possible) is often less expensive than actually buying and installing a real one. Configuring an existing idle system has always been less expensive than buying, installing, and configuring a new one, regardless of the model.

text: Note that NFV defines these terms differently: scaling out/in is the ability to scale by add/remove resource instances (e.g. virtual machine), whereas scaling up/down is the ability to scale by changing allocated resources (e.g. memory/CPU/storage capacity)[6]

text: Database scalability[edit]

text: A number of different approaches enable databases to grow to very large size while supporting an ever-increasing rate of transactions per second. The rapid pace of hardware advances in both the speed and capacity of mass storage devices, as well as similar advances in CPU and networking speed is also important.

text: One technique supported by most of the major database management system (DBMS) products is the partitioning of large tables, based on ranges of values in a key field. In this manner, the database can be scaled out across a cluster of separate database servers. Also, with the advent of 64-bit microprocessors, multi-core CPUs, and large SMP multiprocessors, DBMS vendors have been at the forefront of supporting multi-threaded implementations that substantially scale up transaction processing capacity.

text: Network-attached storage (NAS) and Storage area networks (SANs) coupled with fast local area networks and Fibre Channel technology enable still larger, more loosely coupled configurations of databases and distributed computing power. The widely supported X/Open XA standard employs a global transaction monitor to coordinate distributed transactions among semi-autonomous XA-compliant database resources. Oracle RAC uses a different model to achieve scalability, based on a "shared-everything" architecture that relies upon high-speed connections between servers.

text: While DBMS vendors debate the relative merits of their favored designs, some companies and researchers question the inherent limitations of relational database management systems. GigaSpaces, for example, contends that an entirely different model of distributed data access and transaction processing, space-based architecture, is required to achieve the highest performance and scalability. On the other hand, Base One makes the case for extreme scalability without departing from mainstream relational database technology.[7] For specialized applications, NoSQL architectures such as Google's Bigtable can further enhance scalability. Google's horizontally distributed Spanner technology, positioned as an relational alternative to Bigtable[8], supports general-purpose database transactions and provides a more conventional SQL-based query language.[9]

text: Strong versus eventual consistency (storage)[edit]

text: In the context of scale-out data storage, scalability is defined as the maximum storage cluster size which guarantees full data consistency, meaning there is only ever one valid version of stored data in the whole cluster, independently from the number of redundant physical data copies. Clusters which provide "lazy" redundancy by updating copies in an asynchronous fashion are called 'eventually consistent'. This type of scale-out design is suitable when availability and responsiveness are rated higher than consistency, which is true for many web file hosting services or web caches (if you want the latest version, wait some seconds for it to propagate). For all classical transaction-oriented applications, this design should be avoided.[10]

text: Many open source and even commercial scale-out storage clusters, especially those built on top of standard PC hardware and networks, provide eventual consistency only. Idem some NoSQL databases like CouchDB and others mentioned above. Write operations invalidate other copies, but often don't wait for their acknowledgements. Read operations typically don't check every redundant copy prior to answering, potentially missing the preceding write operation. The large amount of metadata signal traffic would require specialized hardware and short distances to be handled with acceptable performance (i.e. act like a non-clustered storage device or database).

text: Whenever strong data consistency is expected, look for these indicators:

text:
the use of InfiniBand, Fibrechannel or similar low-latency networks to avoid performance degradation with increasing cluster size and number of redundant copies.
short cable lengths and limited physical extent, avoiding signal runtime performance degradation.
majority / quorum mechanisms to guarantee data consistency whenever parts of the cluster become inaccessible.

text: Indicators for eventually consistent designs (not suitable for transactional applications!) are:

text:
write performance increases linearly with the number of connected devices in the cluster.
while the storage cluster is partitioned, all parts remain responsive. There is a risk of conflicting updates.

text: Performance tuning versus hardware scalability[edit]

text:
It is often advised to focus system design on hardware scalability rather than on capacity. It is typically cheaper to add a new node to a system in order to achieve improved performance than to partake in performance tuning to improve the capacity that each node can handle. But this approach can have diminishing returns (as discussed in performance engineering). For example: suppose 70% of a program can be sped up if parallelized and run on multiple CPUs instead of one. If

α

{\displaystyle \alpha }

 is the fraction of a calculation that is sequential, and

1
−
α

{\displaystyle 1-\alpha }

 is the fraction that can be parallelized, the maximum speedup that can be achieved by using P processors is given according to Amdahl's Law:

text: Substituting the value for this example, using 4 processors we get

text: If we double the compute power to 8 processors we get

text: Doubling the processing power has only improved the speedup by roughly one-fifth. If the whole problem was parallelizable, the speed would also double. Therefore, throwing in more hardware is not necessarily the optimal approach.

text: Weak versus strong scaling[edit]

text: In the context of high performance computing there are two common notions of scalability:

text:
The first is strong scaling, which is defined as how the solution time varies with the number of processors for a fixed total problem size.
The second is weak scaling, which is defined as how the solution time varies with the number of processors for a fixed problem size per processor.[11]


document_title: Darth Vader

question_text: when do you see darth vader's face

question_tokens: when do you see darth vader 's face

text: Darth Vader

text: Creation and development

text: Concept and writing

text: In the first draft of The Star Wars, tall, grim general "Darth Vader" was already close in line with his final depiction,[12] and the protagonist "Anikin Starkiller" had a role similar to Luke Skywalker's as the 16-year-old son of a respected warrior.[13]

text: After the success of the original Star Wars (1977), series creator George Lucas hired science fiction author Leigh Brackett to write the sequel with him. They held story conferences and, by late November 1977, Lucas had produced a handwritten treatment. The treatment is similar to the final film, except that Vader does not reveal he is Luke's father. In the first draft that Brackett would write from this, Luke's father appears as a ghost to instruct Luke.[14] Lucas was disappointed with the script, but Brackett died of cancer before he could discuss it with her.[15] With no writer available, Lucas had to write the next draft himself. In this draft, he made use of a new plot twist: Vader claiming to be Luke's father. According to Lucas, he found this draft enjoyable to write, as opposed to the year-long struggles writing the first film.[16]

text: The new plot element of Luke's parentage had drastic effects on the series. Michael Kaminski argues in his book that it is unlikely that the plot point had ever seriously been considered or even conceived of before 1978, and that the first film was clearly operating under an alternate storyline where Vader was a separate character from Luke's father.[17] After writing the second and third drafts in which the plot point was introduced, Lucas reviewed the new backstory he had created: Anakin had been Obi-Wan Kenobi's brilliant student and had a child named Luke, but was swayed to the dark side by Palpatine. Anakin battled Kenobi on the site of a volcano and was badly wounded, but was then reborn as Vader. Meanwhile, Kenobi hid Luke on Tatooine while the Galactic Republic became the tyrannical Galactic Empire and Vader systematically hunted down and killed the Jedi.[18] This change in character would provide a springboard to the "Tragedy of Darth Vader" storyline that underlies the prequel trilogy.[19]

text: After deciding to create the prequel trilogy, Lucas indicated the series would be a tragic one depicting Anakin's fall to the dark side. He also saw that the prequels could form the beginning of one long story that started with Anakin's childhood and ended with his death. This was the final step towards turning the film series into a "saga".[20]

text: For the first prequel, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Lucas made Anakin nine years old to make the character's separation from his mother more poignant.[13] Movie trailers focused on Anakin and a one-sheet poster showing him casting Vader's shadow informed otherwise unknowing audiences of the character's eventual fate.[21] The movie ultimately achieved a primary goal of introducing audiences to Anakin.[3]

text: Michael Kaminski, in The Secret History of Star Wars, offers evidence that issues in Anakin's fall to the dark side prompted Lucas to make massive story changes, first revising the opening sequence of the third prequel, Revenge of the Sith (2005), to have Palpatine kidnapped and his apprentice, Count Dooku, killed by Anakin as the first act in the latter's turn towards the dark side.[22] After principal photography was complete in 2003, Lucas made even more massive changes in Anakin's character, re-writing his entire turn to the dark side; Anakin's fall from grace would now be motivated by a desire to save his wife, Padmé Amidala, rather than the previous version in which that reason was one of several, including that he genuinely believed that the Jedi were plotting to take over the Republic. This fundamental re-write was accomplished both through editing the principal footage, and new and revised scenes filmed during pick-ups in 2004.[23]

text: During production of the Clone Wars TV series, Ahsoka Tano was developed to illustrate how Anakin develops from the brash, undisciplined Padawan apprentice in Attack of the Clones (2002) to the more reserved Jedi Knight in Revenge of the Sith.[24] Clone Wars supervising director and Rebels co-creator Dave Filoni said that giving Anakin responsibility for a Padawan was meant to place the character in a role that forced him to become more cautious and responsible. It would also give him insight into his relationship with Obi-Wan and depict how their relationship matured. Ahsoka and Anakin's relationship was seen as an essential story arc spanning both the animated film and Clone Wars television series.[25] Filoni began thinking about the final confrontation between Ahsoka and Vader ever since he created Ahsoka;[26] different iterations had different endings,[27] including one in which Vader kills Ahsoka just as she slashes open his helmet to reveal Anakin's scarred face.[28]

text: Ahsoka's presence in Star Wars Rebels was necessary to allow Darth Vader to encounter the show's lead characters without the latter being "destroyed"; Ahsoka can "stand toe-to-toe" with Vader.[29]

text: In Rebels Recon of the episode The Holocrons of Fate, Filoni reveals that he has always felt that one of the reasons for Anakin's turn to the dark side was the lack of compassion of the Jedi; in their dedication to selflessness, they "almost forgot to care".[30]

text: Design

text: The original design of Darth Vader's costume did not originally include a helmet. The idea that Vader should wear a breathing apparatus was first proposed by concept artist Ralph McQuarrie during preproduction discussions for Star Wars with George Lucas in 1975. In an interview with Star Wars Insider Magazine, McQuarrie stated that Lucas's artistic direction was to portray a malevolent figure in a cape with Samurai armour. "For Darth Vader, George [Lucas] just said he would like to have a very tall, dark fluttering figure that had a spooky feeling like it came in on the wind." McQuarrie noted that the script indicated that Vader would travel between spaceships and needed to survive in the vacuum of space, and he proposed that Vader should wear some sort of space suit. Lucas agreed, and McQuarrie combined a full-face breathing mask with a Samurai helmet, thus creating one of the most iconic designs of space fantasy cinema.[31][32] McQuarrie's 1975 production painting of Darth Vader engaged in a lightsaber duel with Deak Starkiller (a character prototype for Luke Skywalker) depicts Vader wearing black armour, a flowing cape and an elongated, skull-like mask and helmet. Its similarity to the final design of Vader's costume demonstrates that McQuarrie's earliest conception of Vader was so successful that very little needed to be changed for production.[33]

text: Working from McQuarrie's designs, the prop sculptor Brian Muir created the helmet and armour used in the film.[34][35]

text: The sound of the respirator function of Vader's mask was created by Ben Burtt using modified recordings of scuba breathing apparatus used by divers.[36] The sound effect is trademarked in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under Trademark #77419252 and is officially described in the documentation as "The sound of rhythmic mechanical human breathing created by breathing through a scuba tank regulator."[37]

text: Commentators have often pointed to the influence of Akira Kurosawa’s films such as The Hidden Fortress (1958) on George Lucas, and Vader's Samurai-inspired costume design is held up as a significant example of the Japanese influences on Star Wars.[38]

text: Portrayals

text: Darth Vader was portrayed by bodybuilder David Prowse in the original film trilogy, and by stunt performer Bob Anderson during the character's intense lightsaber fight scenes.[12][39] Lucas originally intended for Orson Welles to voice Vader (after dismissing using Prowse's own voice due to his English West Country accent, leading to the rest of the cast nicknaming him "Darth Farmer").[40] After deciding that Welles's voice would be too recognizable, he cast the lesser-known James Earl Jones instead.[41][42] Jones initially felt his contributions to the films were too small to warrant recognition and his role was uncredited at his request until the release of Return of the Jedi (1983).[12] When Jones was specifically asked if he had supplied Vader's voice for Revenge of the Sith—either newly or from a previous recording—Jones answered, "You'd have to ask Lucas about that. I don't know".[43] Hayden Christensen and Gene Bryant alternately portray Vader in Revenge of the Sith.[44][45][1] During the production of Revenge of the Sith, Christensen asked Lucas if a special Vader suit could be constructed to fit his own body, rather than have a different actor don one of the original sets of Vader armor worn by Prowse.[46] Brock Peters provided the voice of Darth Vader in the NPR/USC radio series. Both Spencer Wilding[47] and Daniel Naprous portrayed Vader in Rogue One (2016), with Jones reprising his role as the character's voice.[48]

text: Vader's character has also been portrayed in several video games; in games such as Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire and Star Wars: Dark Forces, visual effects artist C. Andrew Nelson appears in short sequences in the Vader costume, voiced by Scott Lawrence. Matt Sloan, who appeared in the YouTube parody Chad Vader, provided the voice of Darth Vader in The Force Unleashed .[2] As a result of his video game appearances, Nelson was cast to appear as Vader in brief sequences inserted into the 1998 special edition of The Empire Strikes Back, in which Vader is seen boarding his shuttle.[1]

text: During production of Return of the Jedi, the casting crew sought an experienced actor for the role of Anakin Skywalker since his death was unquestionably the emotional climax of the film, and Sebastian Shaw was selected for the role.[49] When Shaw arrived at the set for filming, he ran into his friend Ian McDiarmid, the actor playing the Emperor. When McDiarmid asked him what he was doing there, Shaw responded, "I don't know, dear boy, I think it's something to do with science-fiction."[50] His presence during the filming was kept secret from all but the minimum cast and crew, and Shaw was contractually obliged not to discuss any film secrets with anyone, even his family. The unmasking scene, directed by Richard Marquand, was filmed in one day and required only a few takes, with no alteration from the original dialogue.[49] Lucas personally directed Shaw for his appearance in the final scene of the film, in which he is a Force Ghost of Anakin. Shaw's image in this scene was replaced with that of Christensen in the 2004 DVD release. This last attempt to tie the prequel and original trilogies together proved to be possibly the most controversial change in the Star Wars re-releases.[51][52] Shaw received more fan mail and autograph requests from Return of the Jedi than he had for any role in the rest of his career. He later reflected that he very much enjoyed his experience filming for Return of the Jedi and expressed particular surprise that an action figure was made of him from the film.[49]

text: When The Phantom Menace was being produced, hundreds of actors were tested for the role of young Anakin[53] before the producers settled on Jake Lloyd who Lucas considered met his requirements of "a good actor, enthusiastic and very energetic". Producer Rick McCallum said that Lloyd was "smart, mischievous and loves anything mechanical—just like Anakin."[54][55] During production of Attack of the Clones, casting director Robin Gurland reviewed about 1,500 other candidates for the role of the young adult Anakin before Lucas eventually selected Hayden Christensen for the role.[56] When Revenge of the Sith was being produced, Christensen and Ewan McGregor began rehearsing their climactic lightsaber duel long before Lucas would shoot it. They trained extensively with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard to memorize and perform their duel together. As in the previous two prequel films, McGregor and Christensen performed their own lightsaber fighting scenes without the use of stunt doubles.[57]

text: Anakin has also been voiced by Mat Lucas for the 2003 micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars, and by Matt Lanter in the CGI animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the television series of the same name and for Anakin's cameos in Star Wars Rebels. For Vader's appearances in the Star Wars Rebels animated series, James Earl Jones has reprised the voice role.[58][59] Both Lanter and Jones contributed their voices for the second-season finale of Rebels, at times with identical dialogue spoken by both actors blended together in different ways.[60]

text: Appearances

text: Darth Vader appears in seven of the nine live-action Star Wars films and The Clone Wars animated film and spinoff series. He has a recurring role in Star Wars expanded universe material.

text: Featured films

text: Original trilogy

text: Darth Vader first appears in Star Wars as a ruthless cyborg serving the Galactic Empire. He is tasked, along with Imperial commander Grand Moff Tarkin, with recovering the secret technical plans for the Death Star, which were stolen by the Rebel Alliance. Vader captures and tortures Princess Leia Organa, who has hidden the plans inside the droid R2-D2 and sent it to find Vader's former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Tatooine. During Leia's rescue, Vader kills Obi-Wan in a lightsaber duel. Having placed a tracking device aboard the Millennium Falcon, Vader is able to track down the Rebels' base on the planet Yavin 4.[61] During the Rebels' attack on the Death Star, Vader attempts to shoot down Luke Skywalker's X-wing fighter, but Han Solo intervenes and sends Vader's ship spiraling off course, allowing Luke to destroy the Death Star.

text: In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader becomes obsessed with finding Luke[61] and leads the Imperial attack on the Rebel base on Hoth, but the Rebels escape. While conversing with the Emperor, Vader convinces him that Luke would be valuable to the Empire if he could be turned to the dark side of the Force. Vader hires a group of bounty hunters to follow Luke and his friends, and negotiates with Bespin administrator Lando Calrissian to set a trap for them so that Luke will follow them.[61] After Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO arrive, Vader tortures Han, freezes him in carbonite and gives him to bounty hunter Boba Fett.[61] When Luke arrives, Vader defeats Luke in a lightsaber duel, severing his opponent's hand. Vader then tells Luke that he is his father[61] and asks Luke to help him overthrow the Emperor so they can rule the galaxy together. Horrified, Luke escapes through an air shaft. Vader telepathically tells Luke that it is his destiny to join the dark side.

text: In Return of the Jedi, Vader and the Emperor are supervising the second Death Star's construction. Unknown to Vader, the Emperor intends to replace him with Luke as his apprentice.[61] Thinking that there is still good in his father, Luke surrenders to Vader in hopes that he can be redeemed. Vader brings Luke to the Emperor on board the Death Star. While there, the Emperor tempts Luke to join the dark side by appealing to the young Jedi's fear for his friends, which leads to Vader dueling with Luke once again.[61] Realizing that Leia is Luke's twin sister, Vader threatens to turn her to the dark side if Luke will not submit. Furious, Luke overpowers Vader and severs his father's robotic hand. The Emperor orders Luke to kill Vader and take his place. Luke refuses, however, and the Emperor tortures him with Force lightning. Moved by Luke's pleas for help, Vader throws the Emperor down the Death Star's reactor core to his death; he is mortally wounded by the Emperor's lightning in the process.[61][62] After asking Luke to remove his mask, the redeemed Anakin Skywalker tells his son that there was good in him after all before he dies.[62] Luke escapes the Death Star with his father's remains, and ceremonially burns them in a pyre. Anakin's spirit reunites with those of Obi-Wan and Yoda to watch over Luke and his friends as the Rebels celebrate the Death Star's destruction and the fall of the Empire.[62]

text: Prequel trilogy

text: Anakin first appears in the prequel trilogy in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which takes place 32 years before the original Star Wars, as a young slave[63] living on the planet Tatooine with his mother Shmi. Anakin was conceived without a father and he can foresee the future. Also a gifted pilot and mechanic, Anakin has built his own protocol droid, C-3PO. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn meets Anakin after making an emergency landing on Tatooine. Qui-Gon senses Anakin's strong connection to the Force and becomes convinced that the boy is the "Chosen One" of Jedi prophecy who will bring balance to the Force. After winning his freedom in a podrace, Anakin leaves for Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi, but is forced to leave Shmi behind. During the journey, Anakin forms a bond with Padmé Amidala, the young queen of Naboo. Qui-Gon asks the Jedi Council for permission to train Anakin, but they sense fear in the boy and refuse. Eventually, Anakin helps thwart the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo by destroying their command ship. After Qui-Gon is killed in a lightsaber duel with Sith Lord Darth Maul, Obi-Wan promises to train Anakin, with the Council's reluctant approval.[62] Palpatine later befriends Anakin and tells him that he will watch the boy's career "with great interest".

text: Anakin is Obi-Wan's Padawan apprentice in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, which takes place 10 years after The Phantom Menace. Having rescued Padmé, who is now a senator, from an assassination attempt, Anakin travels with her to Naboo, where they fall in love. Sensing that Shmi is in pain, Anakin travels to Tatooine to rescue her. While there, Anakin learns she was kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. Anakin locates Shmi at the Tusken campsite, where she dies in his arms. Anakin, enraged, massacres the Tuskens and returns to the Lars homestead to bury Shmi.[62] Anakin travels with Padmé to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan from Sith Lord Count Dooku, Qui-Gon's old master and leader of the Separatists, a conspiracy of star systems bent on seceding from the Galactic Republic. Dooku captures them, however, and sentences them to death. However, a cadre of Jedi arrives with the Kaminoan clone army to halt their executions. Obi-Wan and Anakin confront Dooku during the ensuing battle, but the Sith Lord beats them both in a lightsaber duel and severs Anakin's arm. Yoda intervenes and rescues the Jedi. By the end of the film, Anakin is fitted with a robotic arm and marries Padmé in secret.

text: In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, set three years after Attack of the Clones, Anakin is now a Jedi Knight and a hero of the Clone Wars. He and Obi-Wan lead a mission to rescue Palpatine from Separatist commander General Grievous on board his starship. The Jedi battle Dooku, whom Anakin eventually executes on Palpatine's command. They rescue Palpatine and return to Coruscant. Anakin reunites with Padmé, who tells him she is pregnant. Anakin has visions of Padmé dying in childbirth and becomes determined to prevent them from coming true.[62] Palpatine tells Anakin that the dark side holds the power to cheat death, and eventually reveals that he is the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the mastermind of the war. Although Anakin informs Jedi Master Mace Windu of Palpatine's treachery, he follows Windu to make sure Palpatine is captured alive. When he realizes that Windu is going to kill Palpatine, Anakin intervenes on the Sith Lord's behalf, allowing Palpatine to kill Windu. Desperate to save Padmé, Anakin pledges himself to the dark side and becomes Palpatine's Sith apprentice, Darth Vader.[62] On Palpatine's command, Vader leads a legion of clones to kill everyone at the Jedi Temple and massacres the remaining Separatist leaders hiding on the volcanic planet Mustafar. Padmé confronts Vader and implores him to abandon the dark side, but Vader refuses. Upon witnessing Obi-Wan invited to intervene, Vader accuses his wife of conspiring against him and uses the Force to choke her into unconsciousness. Obi-Wan duels and defeats Vader, severing both of his legs, and leaving him at the bank of a lava river, where he is horribly burned. Palpatine later finds Vader still alive and takes him back to Coruscant, where his apprentice's mutilated body is covered in the black armored suit first depicted in the original trilogy. Palpatine explains to Vader that he killed Padmé in his rage; Vader screams in agony, his spirit broken. As the film concludes, Vader supervises the construction of the first Death Star alongside Palpatine and Wilhuff Tarkin.

text: The Clone Wars (film)

text: In the 2008 film The Clone Wars, Yoda assigns Ahsoka Tano as Anakin's Padawan apprentice to teach him a greater sense of responsibility, and Anakin is initially frustrated by this decision. Their early interactions are "playfully contentious", with Anakin calling her "Snips" for her "snippy" attitude and Ahsoka calling him "Skyguy" as a pun on his surname.[62] After earning Anakin's respect during a dangerous mission, Ahsoka joins him on a quest to rescue Jabba the Hutt's infant son. Her impetuousness both annoys and endears her to her master, and, by the end of the film, Anakin reveals a newfound affection for his apprentice.

text: Anthology films

text: Vader appears in the first anthology film Rogue One, played by Spencer Wilding[64] and Daniel Naprous,[65] with James Earl Jones once again voicing the character.[66] In this film, Vader meets with Imperial weapons engineer Orson Krennic, who asks him for an audience with the Emperor regarding the Death Star which Krennic lost command of to Tarkin. Vader refuses, however, and uses the Force to choke him as a way of putting him in his place and orders him to ensure the Death Star project has not been compromised. At the end of the film, Vader boards the disabled Rebel flagship Profundity with a cadre of Imperial stormtroopers and kills several Rebel soldiers as he attempts to recover the plans. However, the Alderaanian blockade runner Tantive IV (which was docked with the Profundity) escapes with the plans, setting the stage for the events of A New Hope.

text: Prior to the hallway scene being filmed, during the finale for Rogue One it was planned that Orson Krennic would survive the Death Star's assault on Scariff and Vader would then murder him for failing to stop the theft of the Death Star plans. However this scene was cut from Rogue One due to the difficulty of explaining how Krennic survived the explosion the Death Star caused.[67]

text: Television series

text: The Clone Wars (2008–2014)

text: Anakin is a lead character in all seasons of The Clone Wars. As a Jedi Knight, he goes on several missions with both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka throughout the war. While continuing to teach Ahsoka the ways of the Jedi, Anakin has developed a close bond with her and they take risks to protect or save one another. Some of Anakin's actions taken out of concern for Ahsoka violate the Jedi code, such as torturing prisoners who may know her location when she goes missing.[68] During the third season, Anakin experiences a vision of his future as Darth Vader.[69]

text: Rebels (2014)

text: Darth Vader is a recurring character in the first season of Star Wars Rebels, which takes place 14 years[70] after The Clone Wars concludes. Vader leads a squadron of Force-sensitive Imperial Inquisitors who are actively searching for and killing any remaining Jedi and Force-sensitive children. In the second-season premiere, Vader discovers that Ahsoka has joined the Rebel Alliance, and the Emperor orders him to hunt her down.

text: During their first confrontation in which Vader wipes out most of Phoenix Squadron's troops, Ahsoka is overwhelmed to recognize Anakin under "a layer of hate" in Darth Vader.[27] Later in the season, Ahsoka has a vision in which Anakin blames her for allowing him to fall to the dark side. Vader makes a brief cameo at the end of "Shroud of Darkness" in which he is brought to the Jedi temple on Lothal. In the season finale, Ahsoka duels with her former master inside a Sith Temple, allowing her friends to escape Vader and the temple's destruction. As the episode concludes, Vader escapes from the temple's ruins. Filoni said that it was "an elected decision" not to feature Vader for the third season.[71]

text: Forces of Destiny (2017)

text: Anakin appears in the episode The Padawan Path. He is voiced again by Matt Lanter.[72]

text: In The Padawan Path, Anakin is waiting along with Yoda in the Jedi temple for Ahsoka, for her ceremony.

text: Comics

text: In 2015, Marvel released a 25-issue series called Darth Vader (2015),[73] which focused on the title character in the aftermath of the destruction of the Death Star, as well as his life after learning about the existence of his son,[74] the series happens parallel to the comic series Star Wars (2015) and has a cross-over with it titled Vader Down.[75]

text: The Obi-Wan & Anakin 5-issue mini-series written by Charles Soule, depicts the lives of both Jedi between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. At New York Comic Con 2015, Dan Brooks of StarWars.com held an interview with Soule, who described the story as "pretty unexplored territory."[76]

text: A second series named exactly as the previous series Darth Vader (2017), is also written by Charles Soule. It begins moments after Vader wakes up for the first time in his black suit at the end of the film Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The series will focus on exploring the title character's reaction to Padme's death, his adjustment to his mechanical suit, how he creates his red lightsaber, as well as how he hunts Jedi, and the beginning of the Inquisitor program shown in the animated series Star Wars Rebels.[77]

text: Star Wars canon literature

text: Star Wars: Lords of the Sith was one of the first four canon novels to be released in 2014 and 2015.[78] In Lords of the Sith, Vader and Palpatine find themselves hunted by revolutionaries on the Twi'lek planet Ryloth.[79][80]

text: Virtual reality game

text: In the 2015 Star Wars Celebration, it was announced David S. Goyer is helping to develop a virtual reality game based on Darth Vader. It is said that the audience as "visitor" will be able to walk, pick up, push and open things, and might even have some effect in the story.[81]

text: Legends

text: In April 2014, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded by Lucasfilm as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise.[78][82][83]

text: Clone Wars (2003-2005)

text: Anakin is a lead character in all three seasons of the Clone Wars microseries, which takes place four months after the conclusion of Attack of the Clones. Anakin becomes a Jedi Knight and is quickly promoted to a General of the Republic's Clone Army, due in part to Palpatine's influence. Among other missions, he fights a duel with Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, helps Obi-Wan capture a Separatist-controlled fortress and rescues Jedi Master Saesee Tiin during a space battle. During the third season, Anakin frees the planet Nelvaan from Separatist control and sees a cryptic vision of his future as Darth Vader. In the season finale, Anakin and Obi-Wan go on a mission to rescue Palpatine from General Grievous, leading to the opening of Revenge of the Sith. Series creator and director Genndy Tartakovsky admitted that he was bothered that Lucasfilm declared Clone Wars non-canon, but said that he was proud of what he did and how much the microseries and the characters influenced later works.[84]

text: Literature

text: Vader is featured prominently in novels set in the Star Wars universe. In the 1978 novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster, Vader meets Luke Skywalker for the first time and engages him in a lightsaber duel that ends with Luke cutting off Vader's arm and Vader falling into a deep pit.[12] (In 1999's Vader's Quest, however, Vader encounters Luke for the first time after hiring a bounty hunter to find the pilot who destroyed the Death Star.) Shadows of the Empire (1996) reveals that Vader is conflicted about trying to turn his son to the dark side of the Force, and knows deep down that there is still some good in him.

text: Anakin Skywalker's redeemed spirit appears in The Truce at Bakura (1993), set a few days after the end of Return of the Jedi. He appears to Leia, imploring her forgiveness. Leia condemns him for his crimes and exiles him from her life. He promises that he will be there for her when she needs him, and disappears. In Tatooine Ghost (2003), Leia learns to forgive her father after learning about his childhood as a slave and his mother's traumatic death. In The Unifying Force (2003), Anakin tells his grandson Jacen Solo to "stand firm" in his battle with the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong.

text: Upon the release of the prequel films, the Expanded Universe grew to include novels about Vader's former life as Anakin Skywalker. Greg Bear's 2000 novel Rogue Planet and Jude Watson's Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest series chronicle Anakin's early missions with Obi-Wan, while James Luceno's 2005 novel Labyrinth of Evil, set during the Clone Wars, depicts Anakin battling Separatist commander General Grievous. In Luceno's Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (2005), set a few months after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Vader disavows his identity as Anakin Skywalker as he systematically pursues and kills the surviving Jedi and cements his position in the Empire. The novel reveals that Vader plans to eventually overthrow Palpatine and that he betrayed the Jedi because he resented their supposed failure to recognize his power.

text: In The Dark Nest trilogy (2005), Luke and Leia uncover old recordings of their parents in R2-D2's memory drive; for the first time, they see their own birth and their mother's death, as well as their father's corruption to the dark side. In Bloodlines (2006), Han and Leia's son Jacen - who has himself turned to the dark side - uses the Force to "watch" Darth Vader slaughter the children at the Jedi Temple.

text: Vader also appears in a series of tongue-in-cheek children's books by Jeffrey Brown.[85] In Brown's series, a somewhat hapless Vader sets out to be a father to a young Luke and Leia, with some scenes directly based on their darker film counterparts (for example, one scene shows Vader, Luke and Leia at the carbonite freezing chamber on Bespin, with Vader pronouncing the freezer adequate for making ice cream).

text: Comics

text: Vader appears in several comic books such as Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars Tales and Marvel Comics' Star Wars (1977–1986) series.

text: Anakin Skywalker is a major character in Dark Horse's Star Wars: Republic series (1998-2006).

text: Video games

text: Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker appear in a variety of video games such as the Lego Star Wars series and the Battlefront series. Vader plays a central role in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008). He is a playable character in the first level of the game, where he and his armies invade Kashyyyk to hunt down a Jedi who had survived the Order's destruction. Vader kills the Jedi and kidnaps the man's young Force-sensitive son, whom he raises as his secret apprentice, Starkiller. Vader sends Starkiller on various missions throughout the galaxy, with an ultimate goal to assassinate Palpatine so that Vader can rule the galaxy himself. Toward the end of the game, however, it is revealed that Vader isn't planning to overthrow Palpatine at all; he is merely using his apprentice to expose the Empire's enemies. At the game's climax, the player chooses between attacking Palpatine to help his Rebel friends escape the Death Star or killing Vader to become the Emperor's new apprentice. He also appears in the sequel Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II as the final boss.

text: Other

text: Darth Vader features in the 1981 radio drama adaptation of Star Wars, voiced by the actor Brock Peters. Vader makes his first appearance on the planet Ralltiir, where he treats Princess Leia Organa with suspicion. In later extended scenes, he is heard interrogating and torturing Leia on board his Star Destroyer and aboard the Death Star.[86][87][88]

text: Vader appears in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, where he is voiced by Jones. Vader is featured as a combatant in the popular series Death Battle, in which he is pitted against Marvel Comics villain Doctor Doom. He loses the fight due to Doom's superior weaponry and abilities.

text: Characteristics

text: In Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker feels "smothered" by Obi-Wan Kenobi and is incapable of controlling his own life.[89] By Revenge of the Sith, however, his "father-son" friction with his master has matured into a more equal, brotherly relationship.[90] Once he becomes Darth Vader, each evil act he commits shatters any hope or connection towards his previous life, which makes it harder for him to return to the light,[91] but he ultimately escapes the dark side and redeems himself by sacrificing his life to save his son, Luke Skywalker, and kill the Emperor in Return of the Jedi.[92]

text: Eric Bui, a psychiatrist at University of Toulouse Hospital, argued at the 2007 American Psychiatric Association convention that Anakin Skywalker meets six of the nine diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD), one more than necessary for a diagnosis. He and a colleague, Rachel Rodgers, published their findings in a 2010 letter to the editor of the journal Psychiatry Research. Bui says he found Anakin Skywalker a useful example to explain BPD to medical students.[93] In particular, Bui points to Anakin's abandonment issues and uncertainty over his identity. Anakin's mass murders of the Tusken Raiders in Attack of the Clones and the young Jedi in Revenge of the Sith count as two dissociative episodes, fulfilling another criterion. Bui hoped his paper would help raise awareness of the disorder, especially among teens.[93]

text: Cultural impact

text: Darth Vader's iconic status has made the character a synonym for evil in popular culture; psychiatrists have even considered him as a useful example to explain borderline personality disorder to medical students.[93] Anakin's origin story in The Phantom Menace has been compared to signifiers of African American racial identity,[94] and his dissatisfaction with his life has been compared to Siddartha's before he became Gautama Buddha.[95] A Mexican church advised Christians against seeing The Phantom Menace because it portrays Anakin as a Christ figure.[96] The slime-mold beetle Agathidium vaderi is named after Vader,[97] and several buildings across the globe are regularly compared to him.[98][99][100][101][102][103] A grotesque of Darth Vader looms over the east face of the Washington National Cathedral's northwest tower.[104] During the 2007–08 NHL season, Ottawa Senators goaltender Martin Gerber performed so well in an all-black mask that fans endearingly termed him "Darth Gerber".[105] In 2015, a statue of Vladimir Lenin in Odessa, Ukraine, was converted into one of Darth Vader due to a law on decommunization.[106]

text: Many commentators and comedians have also evoked his visage to satirize politicians and other public figures, and several American political figures have been unflatteringly compared to the character, including General George Custer, the subject of the acrylic painting Darth Custer by Native American artist Bunky Echohawk.[107] In 2005, Al Gore referred to Tele-Communications Inc.'s John C. Malone as the "Darth Vader of cable",[108] and political strategist Lee Atwater was known by his political enemies as "the Darth Vader of the Republican Party".[109]

text: On June 22, 2006, US Vice President Dick Cheney referred to himself as the Darth Vader of the Bush administration. Discussing the administration's philosophy on gathering intelligence, he said to CNN's John King, "It means we need to be able to go after and capture or kill those people who are trying to kill Americans. That's not a pleasant business. It's a very serious business. And I suppose, sometimes, people look at my demeanor and say, 'Well, he's the Darth Vader of the administration.'"[110] Jon Stewart put on a Darth Vader helmet to address Dick Cheney as a "kindred spirit" on The Daily Show on January 25, 2007.[111] Cheney's wife, Lynne, presented Stewart with a Darth Vader action figure on her appearance on the show on October 10, 2007. Both Stewart and Stephen Colbert have occasionally referred to Cheney as "Darth Cheney". In the satirical cartoon show Lil' Bush, Dick Cheney's father is portrayed as being Darth Vader. At her presidential campaign event on September 19, 2007, Hillary Clinton also referred to Cheney as Darth Vader. At the 2008 Washington Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner, Cheney joked that his wife Lynne told him that the Vader comparison "humanizes" him. George Lucas told The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, however, that Cheney is more akin to Emperor Palpatine, and that a better stand-in for Vader would be George W. Bush.[112] An issue of Newsweek referenced this quote, and compared Bush and Cheney to Vader and Palpatine, respectively, in a satirical article comparing politicians to various Star Wars and Star Trek characters.[113]

text: Many films and television series have paid homage to Darth Vader. Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985), dressed in a radiation suit, calls himself "Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan" to convince the past version of his father to ask his mother to a dance. Rick Moranis plays "Dark Helmet" in the Star Wars parody Spaceballs (1987). In Chasing Amy (1997), Hooper X speaks at a comic convention about Darth Vader being a metaphor for how poorly the science fiction genre treats black people; he is especially offended that Vader, the "blackest brother in the galaxy", reveals himself to be a "feeble, crusty old white man" at the end of Return of the Jedi. The character was also parodied in the Nickelodeon cartoon Rocko's Modern Life in the episode "Teed Off".[114][better source needed] On another Nickelodeon cartoon, Jimmy Neutron, Darth Vader's infamous line, "I am your father", was interpolated in the mini-episode "New Dog, Old Tricks".[115] The line was also alluded to in Toy Story, a film franchise also owned by Disney.[116]

text: The character has gained much positive reception as a classic film villain. Darth Vader ranked number two on Empire magazine's 2008 list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters.[117] Premiere magazine also ranked Vader on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.[118] On their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked Vader at number 6.[119] Darth Vader was also the No. 1 supervillain on the Bravo series Ultimate Super Heroes, Vixens and Villains.[120] Darth Vader was also ranked as No. 1 in IGN's list of top 100 Star Wars characters.[121] Furthermore, Darth Vader's quote in The Empire Strikes Back – "No, I am your father" (often misquoted as "Luke, I am your father"),[122] – is one of the most well known quotes in cinema history. The line was selected as one of the 400 nominees for the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes, a list of the greatest American movie quotes.[123] Vader received the Ultimate Villain recognition at the 2011 Scream Awards.[124]

text: In 2009, Vader (or, more precisely, a reproduction of him conserved at the Smithsonian Institution) had a brief cameo in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, as he, along with an Oscar the Grouch prop replica, tries to join the army formed by (the reproductions of) Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon, Al Capone and the fictional Pharaoh Kahmunrah, but they judge him only a futile robot, as he does not speak, but tries to Force-choke them, with a gesture they interpret as a sort of salute.

text: In 2010, IGN ranked Darth Vader 25th in the "Top 100 Videogames Villains".[125]

text: In Ukraine, the Internet Party of Ukraine regularly lets people named Darth Vader take part in elections.[126][nb 1]

text: Family tree

text:
[hide]

v
t
e

Skywalker family tree

Aika
Lars[a]

Cliegg
Lars[b]

Shmi
Skywalker[c]

Jobal
Naberrie[d]

Ruwee
Naberrie[d]

Beru
Whitesun[e]

Owen
Lars[f]

Anakin
Skywalker[g][h]

Padmé
Amidala[i]

Bail
Organa[j][k]

Breha
Organa[l]

Luke
Skywalker[m][n]

Leia
Organa[o]

Han
Solo[p]

Ben
Solo[p][q]

References:

Jump up ^ Hidalgo, Pablo (2016). Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded.
Jump up ^ "Databank: Cliegg Lars". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Databank: Shmi Skywalker Lars". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Jump up ^ "Databank: Beru Lars". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Databank: Owen Lars". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Databank: Anakin Skywalker". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Databank: Darth Vader". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Databank: Padmé Amidala". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
Jump up ^ Adopted father of Leia Organa, as established in Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Jump up ^ "Databank: Bail Organa". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
Jump up ^ Adopted mother of Leia Organa, as established in Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Jump up ^ "Databank: Luke Skywalker". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
Jump up ^ In the alternate Star Wars expanded universe (Legends), Luke is married to Mara Jade and has a son, Ben Skywalker.
Jump up ^ "Databank: Princess Leia Organa". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b The Force Awakens. 2015.
Jump up ^ In the alternate Star Wars expanded universe (Legends) continuity, Han and Leia have three children: Jaina, Jacen and Anakin Solo.

text: Notes

text: Jump up ^ Two men named Darth Vader were candidates at the 25 May 2014 Kiev mayoral election and the Odessa mayoral election of the same day.[127][128][129] A man named Darth Vader earlier had submitted documents to be registered as a presidential candidate in the 25 May 2014 Ukrainian presidential election; but his registration was refused because his real identity could not be verified.[130][131][132] In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Darth Vader and Star Wars characters such as Chewbacca, Princess Amidala and Yoda ran for seats in the Ukrainian parliament.[126] Candidates named Darth Vader reappeared in the 2015 Ukrainian local elections.[133]

tag: ol