What Darth Vader Can Teach Us About the Value of Setting Goals
The opening crawl of The Empire Strikes Back makes one thing clear: Darth Vader is a man on a mission. In the previous Episode, the Rebellion has struck a critical blow to the Empire with the destruction of the Death Star, but Vader remains undaunted.
If anything, his failure has only strengthened his resolve. The last paragraph sums up his motivation:
The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space….
Say what you will about the Sith — Vader is all about setting goals. He knows what he wants, he knows what he must do, and he’s willing to do anything to achieve them. Just ask Captain Needa.
Towards the end of the First Act, he dispatches an armada of Star Destroyers into an asteroid field just to capture Han Solo, on the off-chance that Han might lead him to Luke.
Thousands (I’m guessing) die in the process, and Vader even executes a couple of senior officers just to drill home the point that he is not f-cking around.
The crazy thing is, this stunt works. Vader’s plan actually leads to Luke Skywalker’s capture, albeit temporarily…
