Tools of Characterization

Characterization in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Actions

Sure, Anakin can bend the knee to Chancellor Palpatine and pledge his service to the dark side. But, we really know that he's gone bad when he goes into the Jedi Temple and slaughters a bunch of defenseless, adorable kids.

He killed the younglings. Even the one with the accent worthy of the movie Oliver! That's just pure evil. Then, he goes to Mustafar, kills all of the Separatist leaders who beg for mercy, and even strangles his visibly pregnant wife. Yeah, those actions leave little doubt in our minds as to what kind of dude Darth Vader is.

Clothing

It's pretty easy to tell the good guys and the bad guys apart in these movies because they all wear good-guy/bad-guy uniforms. The Jedi wear the earth-toned bathrobes, and the Sith Lords wear black, hooded cloaks (the better to hide their evil faces).

Perhaps the most important moment in which clothing defines a character is when Anakin is finally transformed into his iconic Darth Vader alter ego. His Jedi robes are burned beyond recognition, and in order to save his life, he's forced to wear the Darth Vader chest plate, cape, and wheezing black helmet.

Names

George Lucas isn't exactly known for his subtlety. So, when he had to give his bad guys names, he just went for it.

There's no way a guy named Darth Tyranus could ever be a good guy. His name is like the Latin for "tyrant." Or Darth Sidious. Or General Grievous, for Pete's sake. And, "Vader" is pretty dang close to the German word for "father." His name is literally Darth Father.

Hello, daddy issues.