He dies within ten minutes of a near total shutdown of his suit after throwing Lord Sidious down a reactor shaft, and in Episode III, his heart actually stopped during his transformation before his suit's helmet is sealed. At most, I'd say about ten to fifteen minutes.
If he were to take his mask off, the Sith Lord would soon suffocate. So it's the most crucial part of his armor. He can only breathe without the need for his mask when he is in one of his meditation chambers seen in The Empire Strikes Back.
Without his suit functioning, he'd be in terrific pain and then die. He may be choosing to die a bit quicker, removing his mask, but he's dying one way or another.
He was in his 40s during the original trilogy, 41 standard in 3277 (Rogue One, ANH), and 45 when he died in 3281.
Why Can't Darth Vader Breathe Without His Mask? Dark Vader cannot breathe without his mask because his mask is connected to a life support system. His famous black armor suit covers this life-sustaining system.
Vader's suit is unbearably itchy. He also has needles stuck in him all the time. The Dark Lord has claustrophobia due to his suit. The iconic "I am your father" line was initially kept secret, even from the actors.
Vader's suit took care of most of his need, which also included food. The suit feed Vader nutrients, which gave him the energy he needed to continue throughout his days. He also consumed RepMed vita paste through a straw, which was located within the grills of his mask.
He Loses Control Over Himself
Fear is the first emotion to truly hold a dictating grip over Anakin. Aside from his sensitivity to the Force, the Jedi are keen to note the overpowering sense of fear that controls him.
It appeared that Darth Vader was more machine than we thought. His armor could be hacked and controlled by a device. In a turn of events, Darth Vader's right limb holding his dangerous scarlet lightsaber was moving of its own accord toward his neck. This was a dangerous weakness indeed.
Now, Darth Vitiate lived for around 1,500 years, which is by far the longest lifespan of any Sith Lord on this list. With a major appearance in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Darth Vitiate presented himself as one of the big bads in the Star Wars universe.
According to this Star Wars fan's math, it can be estimated that Darth Vader is at least 68.85% man, with the loss of his limbs alone.
Strong enough to lift a man off the ground with one arm. Interesting question.
As a Sith commander, Vader was a highly skilled tactician and a very capable leader. Due to his experience from the Clone Wars, he had an excellent reputation of never being defeated. Those serving in his unit, rarely if ever died under Vader's command. He could also use his opponents own tactics against them.
Vader's suit can help to regulate bodily temperature just as the human body can. The armor gets hot and sweaty, but its sensitive temperature regulation system controlled by a function box on the belt take care of that problem.
With Vader's death in the Battle of Endor, the armor was destroyed.
In Star Wars Canon, only Luke Skywalker can be acknowledged as the one who truly defeated Darth Vader.
1. Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Sure, it may be the most obvious rivalry in the galaxy, but the dark-side rift between Darth Vader and his son Luke is also the most iconic in Star Wars history.
Even after his brutal scorching in the fires of Mustafar, sand remained the only natural phenomenon that Vader feared. To him, sand was a reminder that he'd failed to save his mother or Padme from death.
In the duel, Anakin lost both of his legs, his one remaining organic arm, and suffered (possibly up to) fourth-degree burns across what was left of his body that were severe enough to damage his internal organs.
Yes. Triple amputation plus serious burns. That sounds a lot like what real life people have faced after explosions or anything else regarding fire. However, most people don't survive if their lungs were damaged beyond repair, which Vader's were, and that is a bit of a sticking point.
The Force choke is an ability fueled by emotions that flow through the user. Although Darth Vader is best known for this power, other users of the dark side have employed Force hoke - including Savage Opress, Dooku, Kylo Ren, Barris, and Palpatine himself.
Purpose. Darth Vader's meditation chamber was a life support pod that allowed the Sith Lord to survive for extended periods without the helmet and mask of his suit. The injuries Vader sustained during his duel against Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar normally made this impossible.
History. Bacta tanks already existed during the Clone Wars, when the Galactic Republic used them to treat its injured soldiers. A bacta tank was located in Darth Vader's castle on Mustafar, where the Dark Lord would relax and meditate outside of his life support armor with a modicum of comfort.