Vader's Frankenwalk

Vader's Frankenwalk refers to the distinctive striking gait of infamous Star Wars bad boy Darth Vader. Though Vader is not overtly known for this peculiar stride, it was a noticeable characteristic when he ceased to be Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader for the first time at the end of 2005's Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Director George Lucas deliberately invoked the imagery of Frankenstein to demonstrate's the reborn Vader's first steps with his cybernetic legs. Author James Luceno gave an even greater description of the walk in his novelization of Episode III as well as his 2006 follow-up novel Star Wars Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader. The Darth Vader "Frankenwalk" was also seen in the beginning of the 2008 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. In the very first level of the game, the player moves Darth Vader through the forests of Kashyyyk where he ultimately duals with a rogue Jedi and finds young Galen Marek, whom he takes under his wing. When viewed from the profile, Vader's stride is very distinctive, indicating that he had only recently undergone his cybernetic conversion.

James Luceno describes Vader's legs as "...bulbs of grafted flesh, inserted into machines that triggered movement through the use of modules that interfaced with his damaged nerve endings". The alloy that comprised his lower legs was bulked with strips of armor of an inferior density that were anchored to his knee and ankle joints. These strips protected the electromotive lines that ran inside the circuitry of his cybernetic prosthetics. Unfortunately, the interior lining of his pressurized bodysuit perpetually caught itself on the places where the strips were anchored to the joints, causing Vader great discomfort and also caused his stark, heavy walking pattern. Vader's artificial claw-like feet were raised in the heel, which caused him to lurch forward, forcing him to march with exaggerated caution or else he would risk toppling over. In time, Vader learned how to compensate for the excessive weight of his cybernetic components and was able to move more effectively, if not gracefully.