Welcome to this Wisecrack Edition of Star Wars Explained where we explore the The Philosophy of Darth Vader. What ultimately turns the innocent Anakin Skywalker of The Phantom Menace movie into the Dark Lord of the Sith is something we all confront: a paralyzing fear of death. Anakin must choose between two competing ideologies when faced with the impending death of his loved ones – The Sith way, or the Jedi way. From Buddhist texts to Pulitzer Prize-winning discourses on death anxiety, we dive deep into one of the most iconic characters to ever star on the silver screen.