5 best (and 5 worst) dads from sci-fi and fantasy

Fourth Worst Dad: Darth Vader from Star Wars

There are a whole three movies dedicated to showing how the plucky Anakin Skywalker turned from a well-meaning Jedi into the black-suited supervillain Darth Vader, but even if you understand what brought him to this point, it doesn’t justify his being a really bad dad to his two children, especially Luke.

Vader has two kids: Luke and Leia, and for most of their lives, none of them knew the others existed. Vader was happy spending his time crushing the Rebellion and spreading tyranny for the Empire. But when he found out that Luke was his son, he doesn’t try and straighten up and set a good example for the boy; he tries to lure Luke over to the Dark Side, figuring that killing the Emperor and ruling the galaxy together will be a fun father-son thing to do.

Darth Vader just can’t set aside his megalomania long enough to realize what a crappy dad he’s being. I mean, he reveals that he’s Luke’s father after he cuts off his sons hand in a brutal fight, and when Luke learns the truth, he wails in pain for like 10 seconds straight. This is an indication that you have been lax in your parenting.

True, Vader has a bit of a redemption moment in Return of the Jedi when he prevents the Emperor from killing Luke, and then has one final masks-off chat with him. But that only came after Luke nearly killed him in battle, and he stood by an awful long time while the Emperor zapped his son with Force lightening before deciding enough was enough. Darth Vader did the right thing in the end, but he had to be pushed to the absolute edge before he would consider it. He might not be the worst dad, but he’s definitely among the worst.