Darth Vader can not use force lighting, because of his severed arms. Robotic hands can't summon the force lighting. However Darth Vader can still use other forms of the force, such as force choke.
Chronologically, Count Dooku is the first to use Force lightning in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. He then goes on to use it extensively all throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with he and Palpatine being the only people seen to use it in the prequels.
Due to Vader's mechanical suit, he cannot interact with lightning under the pain of suffering malfunctions in the vital life support systems he uses. This is a rare problem for him to come up against, due to only other Sith commonly utilizing such a capability.
Force lightning ability was not restricted to dark-siders. Jedi and other light-siders who were strong of will and character could learn this power without falling to the dark side—but its use was viewed as inherently corrupting, and most Jedi Councils forbade its use.
The ONLY Time Darth Vader USED Force Lightning!! - Star Wars Explained
Why can Dooku use Force lightning?
Dooku first used Force lightning at a young age. According to the audiobook, Dooku: Jedi Lost, he was once abducted for a Dark Side ritual, conjuring lightning to kill his captors and escape. Dooku went on to become one of the greatest Jedi masters, but his ability to use lightning was seemingly a natural talent.
In the Revenge of the Sith Visual Dictionary, under Darth Vader, in the Data File, it says -"As a result of having artificial arms, Darth Vader will never be able to conjure Sith lightning-nor be invulnerable to it."- Thats probably why Vader suffered so much in Return of the Jedi.
This could change over time as Cal succumbs further to the dark side's allure, so his Force Lightning could start off stunning his opponents before inflicting damage, then ultimately being used to kill.
She and Kylo Ren were both trying to bring the transport to themselves with the Force, and in her anger, she accidentally unleashed lightning upon it, destroying the ship immediately.
While many Star Wars fans would consider Yoda and Palpatine to be almost perfect antitheses of one another, it seems that they share a strange connection through Yoda's usage of Force Lightning in The Last Jedi that is eerily similar to something Palpatine did just a few years prior–and that connection goes much deeper ...
Summary. Darth Vader's true form, revealed in a Star Wars comic, is even scarier than fans can imagine, showing his remaining humanity being overwhelmed by darkness. In his meditation, Vader is depicted floating among a lightning storm over dark waters, covered in bloody tendrils and represented by white missing limbs.
When it comes down to both combatants in their prime, Yoda was superior to Darth Vader. That debate extends even further to prime Anakin Skywalker as well. He would have been outmatched by Yoda for many of the same reasons Obi-Wan outmatched him, and more.
Vader knew that he could never defeat Palpatine by himself (especially after his master bested him on Exegol as well), which is why he tried to recruit Luke to help overthrow him during the Empire Strikes Back. He may have not been able to overthrow the Emperor, but he could throw him over the railing to save his son.
Either way, while Vader can use most other Force abilities, Force Lightning needs to be channeled, and Vader's limbs are explicitly not connected to the Force. The Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Visual Dictionary confirms Darth Vader cannot use Force Lightning, and even suggests this is the reason why.
In both cases, Dooku and Rey used Force lightning during painful or hatred-fueled moments, and while Maul certainly harbored anger throughout his story arc - particularly for Obi-Wan Kenobi - he never lost himself enough to spontaneously use Force lightning. But that doesn't mean he wasn't capable of doing so.
Kylo demonstrably couldn't defeat Snoke directly, instead killing his master via deception. Kylo most likely never learned how to conjure Force lightning, which is considered an advanced skill for dark side users.
Although, with the battle against Mace Windu in his office, Palpatine's Force-lightning was reflected back and scarred his face, making it wrinkled and appear far older than he already was.
Mace Windu, with his lightsaber combat form Vaapad, could reflect the lightning back to its source with a "superconducting loop". It required tremendous effort on the reflector's part, however, as seen in Windu's battle with Palpatine; Windu was seemingly able to overcome Palpatine's lightning.
Who has the most powerful Force lightning in Star Wars?
Palpatine's Force Lightning Was Far Less Powerful Than Darth Siberus' While the Emperor was the first Star Wars character to ever use Force lightning in a movie, Darth Sidious' lightning power does not come close to what Darth Siberus could do.
Electric Judgment, also known as Emerald Lightning, was a Force power used by the Jedi to spray electric bolts of variable intensity from the hands and fingers.
