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Revision as of 16:22, 11 June 2008 by 76.106.112.248 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) See also: Anakin SkywalkerTemplate:SW Character Darth vader is a gay character in George Lucas's hit movie Space Balls. Darth Vader like to Jack off and play baggo in his spare time. Darth Vader was also the inventor of Grade Soda making him THE BLACKEST MAN EVER!!! Darth Vader also had a jewfro, which explains the shape of his helmet. Darth Vader is the most retarted douchebag in film history and was ranked #1 on America's funniest Douchebag. Darth Vader is also a homosexual and loves it up the ass. Note: All Star Wars movie are all racists, the black guy ("dark") always loses and in the background of the battle scene on Episode three you can see a KKK recruitment poster. Help stop AIDS kids.
Depiction
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Original trilogy
In the original Star Wars trilogy, which takes place 19 years after the events depicted in Episode III, Darth Vader is the primary douchebag in the star wars saga. He has the power to do whatever he wants only because he thinks he can play god but he is actually a douche.
A New Hope
Main article: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the first movie in the narrative chronology, features the character's first screen appearance. Vader is charged with recovering the stolen dildo from the dildo factory. Like Darth Vader's sex life, he fails. This movie was racist because the black guy loses.
The Empire Strikes Back
Main article: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackIn Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Vader captures Willy Wonka and forces him to suck his chocolate balls. Willy Wonka accepts it willingly and enjoys every minute of it. Vader never calls Willy Wonka again. At the end of this movie, you see Vader in his room acting like a pimp.
Return of the Jedi
Main article: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader dies. What did I tell you, the BLACK GUY DIES! Well Darth Vader never actually dies, his dick gets chopped off and then he gets raped by another bigger, stronger, black guy.
The Emperor urges Luke to kill Vader and "fulfill his destiny" by becoming Palpatine's new apprentice. Luke refuses to make-out with Darth Vader and decides to kill Palpatine by tea-bagging him to death. What a bad way to die.
Prequel trilogy
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the third prequel and sixth movie to be produced, features the character's earliest appearance in the fictional chronology.
Revenge of the Sith
Main article: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
The last episode of the prequel trilogy portrays a whiney white kid who later becomes a whiney black guy who later becomes a dead black guy.
Vader then travels to the lava planet Mustafar, where Separatist leaders have gathered, and mercilessly sucks their dick.
When Vader regains consciousness and asks for some weed, Palpatine lies, claiming Vader smoked all the weed. Vader screams and loses his soul. Now his a motha fuckin black robot!
Expanded Universe
Main article: Star Wars Expanded UniverseVader appears numerous times in Marvel Comics' Star Wars series.
As chronicled in James Luceno's book Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Vader sheds his identity as Anakin Skywalker shortly after the events of Episode III. In the months afterward, he systematically pursues and kills the survivors of the Great Jedi Purge (except Obi-Wan and Yoda); in the process, he fully embraces his new identity as a Sith lord and disavows any connection to his former Jedi self. The novel also reveals Vader's plan to eventually overthrow Palpatine and rule the Empire himself, and that his primary motivation for betraying the Jedi Order was that he resented their supposed failure to recognize his power.
In the comic book Vader's Quest, he hires bounty hunters to bring him information about the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, ultimately meeting his son Luke for the first time. Later, in the Alan Dean Foster novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (which takes place shortly after the events in A New Hope), Vader meets Luke for the second time and fights him in a lightsaber duel on Mimban. On Mimban, Vader is nearly defeated by Luke, who severs his right arm.
In The Star Wars Holiday Special, Vader searches for the Rebels responsible for the Death Star's destruction, almost thwarting Han and Chewbacca's goal of reaching Kashyyyk in order for Chewie to reach his family for Life Day.
Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy explains that Darth Vader is the first representative of the Empire to find the Noghri, a race with exceptional combat skills, whom he manipulated into serving as his personal commandos and revering him as their master. Vader later transferred their services to Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Video games
Main article: Star Wars computer and video gamesVader appears in many Star Wars video games, with minor to major roles. He has a prominent role in the 1996 Shadows of the Empire multimedia project, including the video game, which takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In the story, Prince Xizor plots to overthrow Vader and take his place as the Emperor's second in command. The story also reveals that Vader knows there is some good left in him, and that he wishes to use the Force to return his physical appearance to that of his former self. Vader will be playable in the first level of The Force Unleashed, and the game's main character will be Vader's secret apprentice Starkiller. Vader will also be a playable character in the Playstation 3 version of Soulcalibur IV from Namco.
Production and publication
Creation and concepts
The character's image was created when concept artist Ralph McQuarrie drew the opening scene where Vader and his stormtroopers board a Rebel ship. It was initially imagined that Darth Vader would fly through space to enter the ship, necessitating a suit and breathing mask. This equipment was later made permanent and incorporated in the story.
The iconic sound of the character's respirator breathing was created by sound designer Ben Burtt, who created the sound by recording himself breathing into a scuba regulator.
Darth Vader's costume is one of the areas in which Lucas' interest in feudal Japan -- in particular samurai warriors -- is most clearly manifested. According to Star Wars wardrobe master John Mollo, "Darth Vader's helmet started as a World War I German helmet".
Portrayals
David Prowse played the role of Darth Vader during filming of A New Hope. Prowse was originally given the choice between the roles of Chewbacca and Darth Vader, and chose the latter because he said "people would remember him." After filming, James Earl Jones was hired to read Vader's lines over Prowse's performance, in part due to Prowse's strong West Country accent. Lucas eventually chose Jones to provide Vader's voice for all the original trilogy films; Jones has since been closely identified with the role. In 1978, Jones returned as the voice of Darth Vader in The Star Wars Holiday Special, which used A New Hope footage of Prowse in the character's costume.
When National Public Radio commissioned writer Brian Daley to adapt Star Wars as a radio series, actor Brock Peters was hired to provide the voice of Darth Vader when James Earl Jones was not available.
The character of Darth Vader was also played by several stunt doubles, most notably fencing instructor Bob Anderson. Anderson handled all of Vader's fight sequences in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Mark Hamill, who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy, noted in a 1983 interview in Starlog #72: "Bob Anderson was the man who actually did Vader's fighting. It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told George I didn't think it was fair any more. Bob worked so hard that he deserves some recognition. It's ridiculous to preserve the myth that it’s all done by one man."
Actor and former Industrial Light & Magic visual effects artist C. Andrew Nelson has also portrayed Vader at Lucasfilm events, in the Rebel Assault II and Dark Forces video games, and in footage filmed for the 1997 Special Edition releases of the original three Star Wars films. Nelson has also appeared as Vader on various television shows and in numerous commercials.
For Revenge of the Sith, Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the preceding film, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, wore the Vader armor rather than Prowse. However, as Christensen was shorter than Prowse, certain perspective trickery was used to make him seem as physically large as Prowse: a slightly scaled-down costume was created for him; the costume had extensions built into the boots and helmet; and some of the shots of Vader standing next to Palpatine were filmed using forced perspective. No one was credited for the briefly heard voice of Darth Vader at the film's end. When asked if he had supplied the voice, either newly or from a previous recording, James Earl Jones told Newsday, "You'd have to ask Lucas about that. I don't know".
Translations
- Vader is called "Dart Fener" in Italy. Claudio Sorrentino proposed an online poll to decide whether to keep the name Dart Fener during the production of the new trilogy; 55.6 percent of voters chose "yes". However, the European packaging for the Darth Vader Voice Changer toy listed his name as "Darth Vader" in the Italian text.
- In France, Vader is known as "Dark Vador". In addition, although most characters including Vader had name changes in the original trilogy, he is one of few characters not to have his French name change reversed in the prequel trilogy and Expanded Universe. Retention of the "Dark" moniker caused several other Sith lords to be among the few characters who had French name changes in the prequels (e.g. "Dark Maul"). However, he has his original name in Québecois dubs. He was voiced by Georges Aminel in the French versions of Episodes V, VI, and III and by Denis Mercier in the Quebec version of Episode III.
- In a Chinese bootleg DVD version of Episode III known as Star War The Third Gathers: The Backstroke of the West, his name is displayed as "Reaching the west reaches" in the poor English subtitles. This was translated from "Daxi Weida", a Chinese phonetic rendering of Vader's name.
- In Japan, Vader was voiced by Toru Ohira in the films, who also voiced Boss Nass.
- In Iceland, Vader is called Svarthöfði, wich literally translates as "Darkhead" or "Blackhead"
Cultural figure
Due to his central role in the Star Wars films, the character of Darth Vader has entered the public consciousness as the quintessential villain. His powerful bass voice and imposing image (he is 6 feet 8 inches tall in his full suit), coupled with his heavy mechanized breathing, is easily recognizable. The American Film Institute's list of the greatest movie villains placed him third, beating the Wicked Witch of the West and the Terminator and coming just after Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates. He has been parodied by such figures as "Duck Vader" from Tiny Toon Adventures, "Darth Benkyou" in an episode of Doraemon, "Dearth Nadir" as played by Gonzo for The Muppet Show's "Pigs in Space" sketch, "Girth Plotz" (Thaddeus Plotz) in an episode of Animaniacs that parodied the first trilogy, "Darth Koopa" as portrayed by Bowser from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, "Dark Laser" from The Fairly OddParents, an episode of Codename: Kids Next Door where President Jimmy dresses in black and takes over the school, country music singer Darth Brooks in Late Night With Conan O'Brien, and Chef from South Park as Darth Chef in the episode "The Return of Chef". Marty McFly in Back to the Future (dressed in a radiation suit) pretends to be "Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan". At the beginning of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy, the character Hooper X gives a speech at a comic convention on how Darth Vader is a metaphor for how poorly sci-fi treats black people; he is especially offended that Vader (the "blackest brother in the galaxy") reveals himself to be a "feeble crusty old white man". The character of the Huntsman from American Dragon: Jake Long was inspired by Darth Vader and a scene from the episode "Act 4 Scene 15" parodies the scene in The Empire Strikes Back when the back of Vader's head is briefly exposed before he dons his helmet.
In Mel Brooks' 1987 Star Wars parody Spaceballs, Darth Vader is parodied as Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), a short man with an oversize Darth Vader-like helmet who occasionally opens it to reveal his face. Instead of using a lightsaber, he has a ring that gives him abilities similar to The Force (called the "Schwartz"). The Schwartz ring allows Dark Helmet to produce a lightsaber-like projection at the ring's tip. He is given to making double entendres about his helmet and his ring sword. The film also pokes fun at Darth Vader's revelation to Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back; during their climactic battle, Dark Helmet declares himself to be main character's "father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate," before admitting that this means that they have no familial ties whatsoever.
In 2006, Blame Society Productions created a series of short videos featuring Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager. Chad Vader, ostensibly Darth Vader's younger brother, wears the same armor and cape and uses phrases and concepts associated with Darth Vader in the context of a modern grocery store. More recently, Family Guy parodied Episode IV, with Stewie Griffin appearing as Darth Vader. In another episode, Darth Vader is shown attempting to take out a loan. When asked what the loan is for, Vader replies, "To build a battle station that can destroy a planet"; when the accountant voices concern over his choice, Vader changes his answer to, "I want to open a sports bar."
Darth Vader as a cultural metaphor
Darth Vader's image and name have both become synonyms for evil in the public consciousness. Lucas has pointed to Vader's iconic status as a reason for making the prequel movies, since he felt the icon overshadowed the fact that Vader was intended to be a tragic character.
On June 22, 2006, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney referred to himself as the Darth Vader of the Bush administration. Discussing the need for vigorous pursuit of intelligence, he said to CNN's John King, "It means we need to be able to go after and capture or kill those people who are trying to kill Americans. That's not a pleasant business. It's a very serious business. And I suppose, sometimes, people look at my demeanor and say, 'Well, he's the Darth Vader of the administration.'" Jon Stewart put on a Darth Vader helmet to "talk" to Dick Cheney as a "kindred spirit" on The Daily Show on January 25, 2007. Cheney's wife, Lynne, presented Stewart with a Darth Vader action figure on her appearance on the show on October 10, 2007. Both Stewart and Stephen Colbert have occasionally referred to Cheney as "Darth Cheney". In the satiric cartoon show Lil' Bush, Dick Cheney's father is portrayed as being Darth Vader. At her presidential campaign event on September 19, 2007, Hillary Rodham Clinton also referred to Cheney as Darth Vader. At the 2008 Washington Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner, Cheney joked that his wife Lynne told him that the Vader comparison "humanizes" him.
Then-Vice President Al Gore referred to Tele-Communications Inc.'s John Malone as the "Darth Vader of cable." Political strategist Lee Atwater was known by his political enemies as "the Darth Vader of the Republican Party."
In 2005, former Cornell University entomologists Quentin Wheeler and Kelly Miller named 65 new species of slime-mold beetle of the genus Agathidium, with one named Agathidium vaderi after Darth Vader.
In the last years of construction, Washington National Cathedral held a competition for children to design new grotesques for the western towers. The third-place winner was a design featuring Darth Vader, which looms over the southern side of the northwest tower. Brisbane, California, has an ominous-looking building made of dark reflective glass and the architecturally acclaimed Dakin Building, a white futuristic antithesis -- these buildings are known as the "Darth Vader building" and "Luke Skywalker building", respectively.
The Fourth and Blanchard Building in Seattle, WA is informally dubbed the 'Darth Vader building'.
See also
References
- ^ "Darth Vader (Behind the Scenes)". Star Wars Databank. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- DiGiacomo, Frank (2008). "The Game Has Changed". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Burns, Kevin and Edith Becker (2004). Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (Documentary).
- Henderson, Mary (1997). Star Wars: The Magic of Myth. Bantam Books.
- Ingram, Richard (2007). Buying and Selling Wartime Collectibles: An Enthusiast's Guide to Militaria. Crowood. p. 17.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Not specified (1983), Starlog #72, Starlog Magazine, text available at TheForce.net
- Template:Cite " web
- "Vader o Fener? Ecco il responso".
- "Transcripts". The Situation Room. Cable News Network. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- Gunther, Marc (2005-08-22). "Al Gore Battles Old Cable Demons". CNN. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- "Harvey Leroy "Lee" Atwater, was a Republican political consultant". Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- "Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are now species of slime-mold beetles -- but strictly in homage". Cornell News. Cornell University. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- "About Darth Vader". Washington National Cathedral. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- Egan, Timothy (June 29, 1986). "Focus: Seattle; Creating An Office Empire". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
- "the bell awards - Tom Graff (interview)". Belltown Messenger. June 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
Further reading
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Novelization, 1st edition paperback, 1999. Terry Brooks, George Lucas, ISBN 0-345-43411-0
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Novelization, 2003. R. A. Salvatore, ISBN 0-345-42882-X
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Novelization, 1st edition hardcover, 2005. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1
- The New Essential Guide to Characters, 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2
- The Dark Side Sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast, 1st printing, 2001. Bill Slavicsek, J. D. Wiker, ISBN 0-7869-1849-7
- Vader: The Ultimate Guide, 2005.
- Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1998. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-3481-4
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 1999. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-4701-0
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2002. Dr. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-8588-5
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary, hardcover, 2005. James Luceno, ISBN 0-7566-1128-8
- Shooting script of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi as available at Internet Movie Script Database
- Shooting script of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as available at Internet Movie Script Database
- Star Wars Technical Commentaries, Dr. Curtis Saxton, 1995-2005. Available at TheForce.net
- Star Wars Databank. Skywalker, Anakin, Vader, Darth
External links
- Darth Vader in the StarWars.com Databank
- Anakin Skywalker on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
- Darth Vader Costumes
- The Vader Project Platform Show
- Darth Vader at The World of Star Wars
- Darth Vader and Date Masamune
- Darth Vader on Darthipedia, the Star Wars Humor Wiki
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