The Darth Vader costume changes

Does you know if someone has done a comparison between the old and new Vader costumes? I really hate the Vader that has been in use since Episode III, and I'd like to have a closer look at what exactly the changes that irk me so were.

As near as I can tell, the helmet was certainly shortened and possible slightly remodelled. I seem to recall someone defending the choices as being 'to make him look newly minted' and 'the old helmet was never satisfactorily modelled' or something to that effect.

The helmet for Episode III was completely remodelled.The helmets in the OT were all derived from the one source however they also changed extensively between films most noticably between ANH and ESB.The costume itself was not that different other than the sizing had to be different to accomodate Hayden.The helmet is a source of much continuing controversy.Personally I really like the design for the vader helmet for Epsiode III.The main changes were the widened back,neck flare,flat lenses as opposed to curved for the eyes,sharpened cheeks and the neck piece and face plate were one piece.The main changes that are immediately apparent to look at are the neck flare and the lenses.

I agree that the differences were to make him look newly constructed and that the look of the helmets between ROTS and ANH would make for a process of de-evolution rather than evolution due to damage and reconstruction,etc.

Here is my Master Replicas Episode III Vader helmet.The MR was taken from the original Episode III mold so this is entirely accurate to the last detail as to that which Hayden wore on screen:

Yeah, I always hated the new Vader too. Enough subtle changes that he just doesn't look right. Thanks bigbaddaddy for all that info and the pics.

Yes thanks goes to the prop expert.

I too don't like the changes. Not because I hate the movie it comes from and not in a "it's different so it sucks" close minded fan boy kind of way but seriously it's the whole costume, the proportions are just....

....not good.

If that walked through the door in 1977 I don't know if Vader would be such a feared character and imposing figure.

But you can't blame Hayden. Who wouldn't want to be a part history and appear as Vader on screen.

edit: looking at that picture I'm some how reminded of Dark Helmet.....

The head doesn't look right . . . too big?

Looking at that picture the problem is the helmet is too big for the body... not dissing Hayden but Prowse was a bodybuilder - a big guy.  They should have gotten somebody bigger to play vader at the end of ROTS.  But like auntie said, who can blame Hayden?

Definitley looks wrong though.  And don't get me started on the Emperor... geez.

Yoda Is Your Father said:

Looking at that picture the problem is the helmet is too big for the body... not dissing Hayden but Prowse was a bodybuilder - a big guy.  They should have gotten somebody bigger to play vader at the end of ROTS.  But like auntie said, who can blame Hayden?

Definitley looks wrong though.  And don't get me started on the Emperor... geez.

Or the REALLY creative way to go, since they had to build a new costume for Hayden anyway, would have been to downsize the entire thing proportional to the size difference between Hayden and Prowse - in essence, scale down the costume proportional to the body, like the way they make smaller versions of halloween costumes for kids.

The Ep3 helmet was made symmetrical which was the major deliberate design change.They took a scan of an OT (Jedi I believe) helmet and took one side and mirrored it to create the new helmet.

zombie84 said:

http://www.secrethistoryofstarwars.com/visualdevelopmentofdarthvader.html

 

This might be of some help. ROTS changes are at bottom. But the costume changed a lot for ESB as well.

Zombie, as always, an excellent article, and the images showing Vader in his various influences and incarnations are great.

At the end of the article, you discuss darthblade's article on Vader's chestbox and its possible Hebrew meaning. Although darthblade's site has disappeared from the net, I used (with his permission) some of the photos from his site in my own analysis of the writing on Vader's chestbox:

http://erikstormtrooper.com/sithprophecy.htm

To sum up, I concluded that the writing was Hebrew gibberish. The writing changes from ESB to ROTJ (and then later it changes 2 more times for the Visual Dictionary and the tour suit seen at the Magic of Myth). The Hebrew letters are often flipped upside down or cropped. And I have yet to get in touch with anyone who can REALLY read Hebrew who's willing to go through the various versions for me.

The chestbox for ROTS, like the ANH version, does not have any writing. Since most aspects of the ROTS suit seem to be based on the later ESB and ROTJ look, I'm guessing the lack of writing was intentional. I doubt it was for visual consistency with the ANH suit.

Not that anyone except me cares about any of this ;)

Anyway, using Hayden in the Vader suit was a bad call on Lucas' part. He's just too small. Even if Lucas has a thing against Prowse, he could have easily found someone of his stature. In the end, it comes down to laziness, like most things in Star Wars these days.

The EP3 helmet has flat lenses and the OT helmets had curved "bubble" lenses.As mentioned they made the helmet symmetrical for ROTS by taking a scan of an OT helmet,halving and then mirroring it.

There's one thing I heard that I wish to have confirmed.  Is it true that, if Hayden had not asked for otherwise, that GL would have CGed Darth Vader in Episode 3?

I knew there were differences in the ROTS helmet- but I couldn't put my finger on what looked different. The crown of the helmet looks like it's bigger/broader than the OT helmets.

Does anyone have good reference shots of the OT helmet(s)?

http://www.starwarshelmets.com/

Under real original helmets and Darth Vader.Everything you need to know.Jez runs a great site there.

Mielr said:

I knew there were differences in the ROTS helmet- but I couldn't put my finger on what looked different. The crown of the helmet looks like it's bigger/broader than the OT helmets.

Yeah. Either the crown's too big or the faceplate's too small. Plus, it's too symmetrical. I think I could have forgiven both those points, however, if they'd put a bulky guy in the suit so as to make Vader imposing. Instead, he just looks like a scrawny little wimp who needs to increase his meat and vitamin D intake.

I suppose at the end of the day, Darth Vayden is kind of a metaphor for the PT as a whole. He resembles Vader, but something's off...

It kinda resembles Star Wars, but something's off...

See what I mean?

I don't get it they were able to get Prowse back for some obscure star wars boardgame vhs, but they could not use him for either the special editions or the prequels.

They even got Gil Taylor to do the shoot for that game. 

Both Taylor and Prowse have been banned in the past by Lucas because they did something that angered him.

Prowse For leaking fake script dialogue that was fed him on purpose to look like an ass, when Guiness and Hamill Were Given the real dialogue at the last minute.  Prowse told the Press that Obi Wan was Luke's father. lol. 

Gil Taylor fought Lucas on the location shoots in Africa And On the Elstree set.  He did not like the Gauze lenses that Lucas had told him to use, so he changed them with Kurtz okay and Lucas was so furious he wanted him fired but Left it up to Kurtz.

I like the original Trilogy Vader helmet because It reminds me of both a german world war II helmet and a samurai helmet from feudal japan.  I like how menacing and Black it was in star wars and empire strikes back.  I like the eye lenses better in empire though.  Jedi made the suit far too pristine and shiny and Sith was just the epitome of horrible.  Anything designed on a computer versus traditional design is shit.

And they Got Chad Vader for Force Unleashed instead of James Earl Jones, and some terrible actor to replace Ian for the Emperor.  Both ideas speak of fail on the part of Lucas or should i say Greedo, as i like to call him now or better yet LucashFilms Limited on Integrity and Ideas.