11 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Darth Vader

Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains ever made. Even in the Star Wars Universe, Vader's mystique is so great that the Big Bad in "The Force Awakens" is a Vader fanboy. Here are 11 factoids you may not know about this Sith Lord.

1. Meet the Man Under the Helmet

In the Original Trilogy, it took no less than four actors to bring Vader to life. David Prowse wore the suit in most scenes, but stuntman Bob Anderson took over during many of the lightsaber sequences. James Earl Jones provided Vader’s distinctive voice and Sebastian Shaw played the unmasked Anakin Skywalker in the climax of “Return of the Jedi.”

2. "Lord Vader... Rise."

Hayden Christensen insisted on donning Vader’s heavy suit during the final moments of “Revenge of the Sith.” The suit had to be redesigned to account for the actor's shorter height.

3. Meet Chad Vader

The popular YouTube spoof “Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager” paid off for co-creator Matt Sloane. Sloane was later hired to provide the voice of Darth Vader in several video games, including “Soul Calibur IV” and both “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” games.

4. Jones Was Not Lucas' First Choice for Vader's Voice

According to James Earl Jones, legendary actor Orson Welles was actually George Lucas’ first choice to voice Darth Vader. However, Lucas decided that Welles’ voice was too recognizable.

5. Beware the "Ghosts of Mortis"

A pre-"Episode III" Anakin Skywalker actually had a glimpse of his dark future as Vader in the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” episode “Ghosts of Mortis.” Though Anakin was made to forget this vision, it’s possible that the experience is the source of his nightmare premonitions in "Revenge."

6. Vader's "Dark Forces"

Ten years after the release of “Return of the Jedi,” C. Andrew Nelson (pictured) became the first actor to portray Darth Vader in live-action again. Nelson donned the suit in the video games “Dark Forces” and “Star Wars: Rebel Assault II.” 

7. Vader Didn't Always Look Like Vader

Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept design featured the villain wearing a tattered scarf and cloak, rather than his iconic helmet. This design is actually similar to the look of Darth Malgus, the central villain in the video game “Star Wars: The Old Republic.”

8. "...I Am Your Father."

Very few cast and crewmembers working on “The Empire Strikes Back” were privy to the knowledge that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. In order to preserve the secret, the script had an alternate line where Vader revealed that Obi-Wan killed Luke’s father.

9. We Should Have Seen the Twist Coming

Lucas claims to have teased the shocking twist about Vader being Luke Skywalker’s father from the very beginning, pointing out that “Darth Vader” is Dutch for “Dark Father.” This has been debunked by “The Empire Strikes Back” co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, who said that the twist didn’t come about until work was well underway on the sequel. 

10. What Do Vader and C3P0 Have in Common?

Coincidentally, Vader is tied with his creation, C-3PO, for the most limbs lost over the course of the Star Wars saga. Both characters lost no less than five limbs across the six films, with Vader having his right hand sliced off three separate times.

11. Those Buttons Aren't Just for Decoration

Those flashing lights and buttons on Vader’s chest? They control the flow of oxygen and nutrients to his body since Vader can’t survive outside the carefully regulated confines of his suit for more than a few minutes.