Summary
- Darth Vader’s armor isn’t made of beskar, but of durasteel, allowing mobility and absorbing energy from lightsaber blows.
- Obsidian in the armor supercharged Vader’s dark side power, turning anger into a power source.
- The Empire couldn’t use beskar in the armor due to a lack of knowledge on forging the Mandalorian alloy.
Darth Vader‘s armor may be impressive, but it’s not actually made of one of the hardest materials in the Star Wars galaxy – beskar. Created by a group of high-ranking Imperial scientists after Anakin Skywalker’s defeat on Mustafar in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the SithDarth Vader’s armor is both a portable life-support system and a powerful exoskeleton, boosting his formidable strength. It’s dominated by Darth Vader’s chest plate, which helps him breathe.
Surprisingly, though, Darth Vader’s armor isn’t made of beskar – the precious alloy from Mandalore. A beskar suit would have been perfect for Darth Vader, given the alloy is resistant to lightsabers, and Vader and his Imperial Inquisitors were the galaxy’s pre-eminent Jedi hunters. But what is Darth Vader’s armor made of, and why doesn’t he use beskar?
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
What Is Darth Vader’s Armor Made Of?
Darth Vader could pack a punch with his armor
It’s important to understand that, as formidable as Darth Vader’s armor may be, its main purpose was to keep Darth Vader alive. That means it was constructed of fairly common substances in the Star Warsi galaxy, with a plastoid girdle and a plasteel helmet – lighter to allow Darth Vader more mobility. The bulk of the armor, though, was composed of durasteel – a metal alloy used for everything from combat armor to construction.
Durasteel is nowhere near as tough as the Mandalorian alloy beskar, but it is still tremendously durable.
Durasteel is nowhere near as tough as the Mandalorian alloy beskar, but it is still tremendously durable. It’s stronger than standard steel but weaker than titanium, able to absorb kinetic energy with minimal damage, and it’s often used for defensive plating on starships. Darth Vader was able to use the durasteel to his advantage, adopting a more savage lightsaber form that took advantage of his hydraulic limbs. The durasteel absorbed the energy of his blows if they were blocked, meaning he didn’t feel any strong impact.
Darth Vader’s armor also contained obsidian
Darth Vader’s armor also contained obsidian, which perhaps explains the traditional black color. Obsidian is a volcanic mineral-like substance commonly found around active volcanoes, and it was likely in plentiful supply on Mustafar, the planet where Darth Vader was truly born and the world that became his base of operations. Obsidian can be infused with the dark side of the Force, and can even be charged to power lightsabers.
Darth Vader was phenomenally powerful in his own right, but the obsidian in his armor would effectively supercharge his dark side power. The obsidian would naturally absorb the anger and hatred of the Sith Lord, turning it into a battery he could draw upon. It’s certainly typical of the Sith to turn a life-support unit into a weapon.
Why Darth Vader’s Armor Isn’t Made Of Beskar
The Mandalorian alloy wouldn’t have been available
But, given the Sith clearly weaponized Darth Vader’s armor, why wouldn’t they incorporate beskar into it? The Empire certainly knew about beskar, but they had one problem: according to Kristin Baver’s Star Wars: 100 Objects“the Empire had difficulty finding an armorer capable of shaping the metal into its strongest form.” The secret of forging and shaping beskar had been kept by Mandalorian armorers for countless generationsand the Empire simply didn’t know how to make use of it.
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In any case, Darth Vader’s armor was constructed at speed, when he had sustained fearsome injuries that threatened his life. There was no real time to experiment with rare alloys; the scientists who worked on the armor simply had to work with the tools at hand. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that Palpatine or Darth Vader added the obsidian later as an improvement – but a total redesign involving beskar would have been impossible.