Well I was out huntin up some desert possum the other day when I got to thinkin. This here Vader fellow, seems he loses a lot of ability in the transition from eps. 3-4. I'm guessing the midi-chlorians work like mitochondrial DNA. When his limbs were hacked off the midi-chlorians residing in the cells that comprised those body parts were lost as well. I've heard it said that as he was losing body parts, the midi-chlorians were moving to a more central location in his body to prevent too much loss, but that don't quite compute does it? I think his loss of midi-chlorians would explain his slower movement and seemingly diminished ability with a lightsaber.

I know what y'all are thinkin: heck, the suit's what slowed him down. I think any Jedi worth his Dagobah salt could've manipulated that suit better though. I think it was the shock of losing some midi-chlorians as well as losing touch with the force that led to a slower Vader.

I know the debate rages, and yes I've read Dark Lord, The Rise of Darth Vader, but a lot is still left unanswered.