Okay, in case you missed the idea of this entry (and that would be hard), I'm asking the question 'Why is it that Darth Vader (and/or Anakin for those of you that look at him in that light) becomes less powerful after his unfortunate run in with Obi-Wan's lightsaber on Mustafar, and the ensuing BBQ.

To illustrate what I'm referring to, I'll quote from Matt Stover's exceptional adaptation of Revenge Of The Sith (it's better than the movie in some ways)

And you rage and scream and reach through the Force to crush the shadow who has destroyed you, but you are so far less now than what you were, you are more than half machine, you are like a painter gone blind, a composer gone deaf, you can remember where the power was but the power you can touch is only a memory.....

Right, it sounds very painful, heart wrenching etc etc......I still haven't heard why his power has diminshed.

Take Darth Sion for example (KOTOR 2, and yes this will cause an argument about what's canon and what isn't but what the hell).

To quote the website:

His body has been torn and knitted back together into a patchwork of mutilated flesh. His skeleton has been shattered and meticulously rebuilt. Darth Sion is a Sith Lord in eternal pain, his broken body held together by sheer force of will. Only his hatred and the power of the dark side keep him alive.

If one Sith, whose body is COMPLETELY shattered, can hold his body together (and make himself an absolute b#st#rd to kill), and still excude Dark Side power out the wazoo, then what's stopping Darth Vader?

He's supposed to be the most powerful Force User in the whole universe. Yes, he's upset that he messed up his marriage, and killed (he thinks) his child, but as the book mentions, this just peeves him off all the more. Since being angry with the universe appears to be the key to using the Dark Side, how is it that these injuries inhibit him? Keep in mind that for the next 20 years, Darth Vader has no children to be soft over, and to all intents and purposes, wades in a pool of blood as he carves a new empire for his master. If this doesn't help him to regain what he lost, then I don't know what would.

The significant level of machination integrated with his body shouldn't limit him. Since he's so angry about it, it should do quite the opposite.

I'm gonna hold it here for a bit, since my brain has run out of steam, and also to gauge what you guys think. Get stuck in, but lets keep it clean, no punches below the belt line.......leave that to me

Regards,

Dojoyoda.

EDIT: sometimes living in Australia sucks. This goes out to America at 2.30 in the morning.