Vader’s redemption is based in repentance, as reflected in his choosing to throw Sidious to his death.

The pathos of Star Wars is fundamentally about good and evil, having to choose between them. Family bloodlines can be a curse as much as an advantage (Luke vs. Vader).

Pretending that the SW universe would somehow advance by cutting itself loose of this struggle, as if it were a crippling defect, is to insinuate that the journey into an amoral fog is a transcendental relief.

To that I would just ask, why watch Star Wars in the first place? However successful SW is at it, the universe has always lived on top of timeless themes which are a part of many cultures for thousands of years. Destiny, identity, good versus evil. Repentance and Redemption.

Vader isn’t forgiven because he saves his son. He’s forgiven because he makes a critical decision to change his alignment which fundamentally betrays the dark side — the side he’s fought for, invested in, and built up over decades, countless murders and crimes. He decides to kill his entire legacy in a single moment. This is the fundamental understanding at work in such a simple Good vs Evil story.

The lack of recognition of Vader’s final decision by Snoke and Kylo Ren in their insistence on Vader’s greatness is a curious feature of the new trilogy. Almost as if he needed to be exhumed and reanimated as the Old Darth in order for the New Order to have legitimacy. As if nobody remembered this key moment ever happened, including Master Luke-turned-nihilist as if he hadn’t single-handedly caused the death of the Emperor, the collapse of the Empire, and the ultimate coup by turning Vader.

I’d be more optimistic about the direction of the new trilogy if there was some sort of light shining on the horizon.