In the original Star Wars trilogy (Star Wars: Episode IV through Star Wars: Episode VI) Darth Vader is the right-hand man of Emperor Palpatine and is tasked with crushing the Rebel Alliance. He is later revealed to be the father of Luke Skywalker, the rebel protagonist. In the final episode Vader betrays the emperor in order to save his son’s life, but he is fatally wounded in the process. A prequel trilogy traces young Anakin Skywalker’s travels as a young Jedi and his flirtation with the dark side of the Force before ultimately becoming Darth Vader.