Few have ever been able to look upon Darth Vader’s face without his mask. His apprentice, Starkiller, was one of these few. Starkiller struggled with the battle between the light and the dark side and this epic duel between the two of them was monumental.

Starkiller had to realize that behind the mask was not a monster or evil creature, but a man, just like him. A man who still had the ability to feel fear and pain. With the mask, Vader was a legend. Behind the mask, he was still a man. His humanity showed through, which had to be a very powerful circumstance for Starkiller.

This video from Star Wars Reading Club breaks down the story of how and why this happened, and what Starkiller was thinking when he say Vader sans mask.

See it here:

What do you think? Was any of this new knowledge for you, or are you a super fan who knew this already?

This battle says a lot about Vader, about Starkiller, and about the battle between the light and the dark. Starkiller realized that revenge and hate would not be the way to win this battle.

Tempted by Sidious and his own desire for revenge, but ultimately fighting against it and choosing the light side, this battle ended over 10 years of a path down the dark side.

This is absolutely a monumental moment in Star Wars lore and in Galen/Starkiller’s life. In some ways, it’s heartbreaking. You have to understand the dynamic between the two to truly understand the impact of this battle and that moment when Vader’s helmet came off and the old blue eyes of Anakin peeked out.