Darth Vader's costume was as iconic as the painful truth it kept hidden

With his long black cape, heavy labored breathing, and black armor, Darth Vader is one of the more dreaded villains in the Star Wars universe. Darth Vader is known for his ruthlessness and the fear he generates in the name of the Galactic Empire.

One of the attributes that makes the Dark Lord of the Sith appear more intimidating is his iconic suit. His powerful presence often overshadows other characters on screen. But his iconic look is more than just a costume, it is life support.

Darth Vader was first introduced in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope in 1977. The audience was taken aback by his menacing ways and his frosty presence. James Earl Jones' famed baritone voice made the character even more striking. David Prowse portrayed Darth Vader on screen.

During the lightsaber duel with Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), it was revealed that Vader is in fact Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s father. In the scene when Darth Vader says ‘I am your father', the audience is left stunned. It is often considered one of the more iconic moments in Hollywood history.

What happened to Darth Vader?

In Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), the fallen Jedi Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader, has an intense duel with his former master Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar. Obi-Wan Kenobi tries to reason with Anakin not to get swayed by the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. But his words do not influence Anakin, who has already chosen the dark side.

During the duel, Anakin is consumed by the fires of the lava. He gets severe burns, loses his legs and one arm, and is left with serious internal organ damage. The fatal injuries would have ended in his death, but he was rescued by Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Palpatine. A robotic black suit is created to keep him alive.

What does Darth Vader’s suit entail?

Darth Vader’s armor was designed by Ralph McQuarrie. Each part of the suit has a role to play in keeping Darth Vader alive and moving. The skull-like appearance of the mask with the heavy raspy breathing makes Vader fearsome. The whole helmet keeps his respiratory function working, which is locked into the mask.

As per Star Wars.com, the protective neck gaiter helps support his neck and has a feeding tube. This is responsible for his heavy breathing voice. The mask also comes with an aided lens to help with Vader’s vision, which was compromised. The mask also regulates the body temperature to avoid overheating and keeps him protected in cold weather.

Oscar-winning Sound Designer Ben Burtt was responsible for Vader’s iconic breathing. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said that he used his own breathing as part of the sound effects.

“Yes, that’s me breathing. It came about because the script described Darth Vader as having a respirator, some kind of breath mask with a life support system. That’s about as far as the description went. I went to a dive shop here in Marin County where they sold equipment and gave evening lessons. After the lessons were over, there were all these scuba tanks with regulators just lying around the pool. I went around and just recorded different ones breathing through them at different rates. I had a little tiny microphone that I could stuff inside the valve, so it was a very magnified recording of this mechanical opening and closing.”

He continued,

“Then later I slowed the recording down a bit and that became Darth Vader. We had to cut the breathing to be in rhythm with the speech of James Earl Jones but it was fairly straightforward. Initially, I had too many sounds going: There was the respirator, then beeping, and clicking, mechanical sounds when he was moving, but it was too distracting. So, I stripped everything away everything except the breathing. Which of course stuck and has become iconic.”

Darth Vader’s body armor is made with strong protective materials that can shield him from impact. The colorful elements on the suit are part of the control function panel that assesses and monitors Vader’s vital systems and also has comlinks. His gloves come with grip-augmented circuitry and use Mandalorian iron weave.

Add to this is the flowing cloak, which gives him an overall menacing look. It is an armor weave capable of blocking blaster fire. The suit serves as a life support for Vader, but it is highly uncomfortable. Many fans have pointed out that it must have been an evil idea from Emperor Palpatine, who believed that anger and agony would make Darth Vader even more fearful.

ALSO READ: One of Star Wars' most hated villains is back for Andor Season 2, and you might want to hate him further

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