One of the most iconic movie images of all-time is the dark helmet worn by Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
But did you ever wonder why Vader wore that helmet?
Yes, we found out why in “Revenge of the Sith,” but what about the decision making process way back in the 1970’s when the original movie was being made? Was it to make Vader the ultimate bad-guy in the lexicon of great movie bad guys?
No so much.
Ralph McQuarrie, the conceptual designer for the movies recently revealed to SciFi Wire the real reason Vader wore the helmet.
“Darth Vader evolved out of numerous design concepts and discussions with George,” McQuarrie said. “He was described in the script as leaping aboard the starship through a hole in the hull, wearing flowing black robes. The first thing I thought was, ‘Shouldn’t he have some sort of breathing apparatus if he’s entering the vacuum of space?’ I asked George and he said, ‘Fine, give him a breath mask.'”
“It was then decided to give him a samurai helmet, and as I continued to work on the concept it evolved into a close approximation of what you see on screen,” McQuarrie continued. “Later on, the storyline was developed to explain the mask and such, but at the time it was a purely practical reason that it was introduced.”
McQuarrie, who has worked on a number of iconic genre projects, retired from the movie-making business before the advent of CGI effects. He said he doesn’t dislike the use of the technology so long as it doesn’t take the place of creativity.
“As a tool, I think they can help the artist do amazing things,” he wrote. “However, it’s just another tool. It does not replace the skill or technique required to design, compose and execute an illustration. When I used to go to conventions and meet young artists, all too often I would see beautiful renderings of ‘Star Wars’ imagery, or other existing characters and concepts. The advice I always tried to give was to show imagination in their work, come up with their own ideas and designs.”
All through film and TV history, the most iconic of images and ideas have evolved in the exact same way as what McQuarrie described: simple practical necessities. It’s when people set out to make something specifically iconic that it usually ends up being stupid.
Bronzethumb is right about iconic images stemming from the practical. Another example: In “Hellraiser”, they intended to use the grid pattern on Pinhead’s head only to ensure the pins were evenly spaced, but once they saw the pattern along with the pins, they liked it, decided to keep it, and the rest is history.
JFStan is right about Bronzethumb’s observation about practical concerns producing to iconic images.