One of the biggest reasons I like the RotS helmet the most is how the neck goes underneath his chest armor. That little tweak makes it more believable that Vader's actually sealed into his suit. 👍
I don't think it was really meant to. There's a brief moment where the neck is over the chest armour when the helmet is being put on. I think it may've been a wardrobe continuity mistake, or they needed Vader to turn his head more and hoped that fans like us wouldn't notice, but we did lol
@@Alienkiwi730 There's behind the scenes footage of stage crew putting the helmet on Hayden's head and making sure the front area is under the chest armor. I think if it wasn't done that way the longer neck would look pretty wonky. But yeah, that movie shot with the neck area hanging out always bugged me!
My headcanon is that his helmets might get wonky over time and the extensive use he puts them through. So a helmet would be perfectly symmetrical the second he got it but after he's fought in it for a while it might deform.
The comics show him getting into fights all the time. His suits get damaged, sometimes pretty badly so he has to get them replaced over the years. Plus I'm sure he would work on them and upgrade it himself when the time was necessary
Also his helmet gets destroyed in the obi wan kenobi series, maybe he then "fixxed" it and thats why its asymmetrical in "A new hope" it actually makes sense if you look how the helmet was cut in the kenobi series...
@@jens3545the Obi Wan helmet was asymmetrical already. Look at the cheeks, his left swoops up like in the OT and RO, right does not. This can be seen clearly in the scene with the fire.
Just a quick correction. At 5:43 you mentioned that the cheeks were see through for David Prowse. There was a helmet that had smoked opaque cheeks but it was for the man who stood in for Prowse during the lightsaber fights in ESB. The man was a fencing champion and needed to be able to see through the cheeks to move during the fight simulation.
I was remembering the same thing - that David Prowse did not do any of the sword swinging himself, unlike in A New Hope, but he had a stunt double for that. Thanks for making that correction, so I don't need to.
@@white-dragon4424 Will you stop already? George wanted to show how Jedi and Sith fought like at peak connection with the Force, they don't *predict* the opponent's next move, they *SENSE* it, their attacks are planned 4 moves in advance 🤦🏻♂️. I practise HEMA IRL and even I know the difference, stop comparing real life fencing with Star Wars, it's a *fictional* franchise where knights move spaceships with their minds. Go outside, get some actual Sunlight and go practise a sport, maybe you'll develop a connection with the Force yourself (TLDR: *grow up already,* you're at least 30) 💪🏼☀️...
I think all the helmet designs are great in their own way. My personal two favorites, are the rogue one helmet, and the one from the obi wan show. I do like the more symmetrical versions better.
Agreed, the whole suit looks brand new, which it is even though it’s outdated on purpose by Sidious. Vader had many helmet/suit changes, but for me RoTS is also the best because we witnessed Darth Vader without the suit first.
Rots fixed the helmet. While I do understand why it is the way it is in ANH, it is kinda dumb for him to have an asymmetrical helmet in universe. The perfectly symmetrical, and all black helmet from rots just has a different vibe that looks much better. I think it’s a combo of the bigger dome, symmetry, paint job, and the way it’s tucked into the armor. It just look so menacing and real.
Except that it looks too cutesy and handsome in episode 3. Nobody watching the original film realized that that the mask was asymmetrical. It just looked angry and scary. In episode 3 it was too perfect
The ROTS helmet looks good on screen but weird in person the organic asymmetry of the original adds character to it , the ROTS is like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa
@@earthwormjim2003You're making the assumption that the Darth Vader helmet in ROTS is based on something comparable to the Mona Lisa and not a childrens drawing. Something like this being asymmetrical and hand sculpted is unlikely in this universe. In this universe, technology has advanced far beyond our own and we already use computers and industrial manufacturing, both of which are more inclined to make things symmetrical and simpler. Keep in mind that all of Vader's suit components were off the shelf including the mask. There wasn't time for the emperor to make something custom for Vader.
You have quiet a few inaccuracies here. ESB was sculpted from ANH but then modified. Also it was Bob Anderson not Dave Prowse who did the sword fighting in the clear stunt helmet.
Robert James Gilbert Anderson was an English Olympic fencer and a renowned film fight choreographer, with a cinema career that spanned more than 50 years and included films such as The Empire Strikes Back, Highlander, The Three Musketeers, The Princess Bride, The Mask of Zorro, The Lord of the Rings, and Die Another Day.
While I like the Empire Strikes Back version the most, I have mad respect for the attention to detail Rogue One had with recreating the A New Hope helmet - that deserves a round of applause :) Excellent video, man I could watch these all day, I love when you do this sort of design deep-dive on Star Wars stuff Pizza's on me
@@weirdpigeonproductions Sadly, they weren't as accurate with the stormtrooper helmets. They should have hired the guys from that little British repicla company who produce stormtrooper helmets by using the original molds. Their helmets look better than the ones used in Rogue One.
I think it's really sad it will probably never get more than 90 seconds of screen time. It's such a beautiful helmet, and I honestly think Vader immediately after ROTS is probably the most compelling and complex version of the character.
The “Revenge of the Sith” helmet has a much wider dome. It’s easy to see how wide it is compared to the others. I’m really surprised you didn’t mention this.
Actually I have a feeling the mask itself was just smaller, as Hayden was younger, leaner, and not as large as David Prowse. Not saying i'm right, but that's my cheeky guess. As for the Kenobi series I think they used the same dome from Revenge, but used a larger, more accurate mask.
Rots helmet is its own thing. It has nothing to do with all the other version. And yes, the Rots helmet is much smaller than the ANH helmet. The ANH dome itself was really big and wide.
I have a Rots Vader costume and the helmet is big I can blow buble gum inside and the view from inside is even wider than the empire version and return of the jedi
I think there is one difference between episodes 5 and 6. In episode 5, Vader's helmet's top dome part is always glossy, but in episode 6, it's glossy but later half in the movie it's matte. Personally my favorite Darth Vader helmets have been Empire Strikes Back and the animated version from Rebels.
The original ANH helmet is perfect. The all black, symmetrical ROTS helmet looks like it was modeled after a cheap knockoff action figure instead of ANH Vader. If Disney did one thing right, it is fixing this, and going back to the ANH look, with Rogue One and Kenobi.
I've always preferred the A New Hope helmet/mask, it is more aggressive and emotive whereas the others are a bit colder and more robotic...but they're all great.
They used the same face mask from ANH for ESB and made the vent bigger. The Eye lenses were grey in ANH and looked red because of the skin colour behind the mask. And the Kenobi Helmet has nothing to do with the ROTS helmet.
My wife offered to buy me a “real” Darth Vader helmet so I did all the research and comparing. I found that when they made Rogue One, they used an actual helmet made by Bookface aka Skunkworks Props who recreated an exact copy of the A New Hope helmet with all the imperfections, scratches, and flaws seen in the movie prop. Rogue One producers decided to “fix” the imperfections so it would appear better on todays high definition screens. Since I prefer the more sinister look of ANH, but want something nice to look at and not need to explain all the scratches, etc, We ordered the Skunkworks Rogue One helmet. It will have the distinction of being actually attached to a film, rather than an artists copy. Don’t even start with the Hasbro ones 😝
That’s so awesome! I honestly didn’t know that! If I could afford it, I would love to get a screen accurate helmet like that. Maybe someday 🤔. Thanks for the comment!
The kenobi series helmet isn't symmetrical, and has a lot more in common with the rogue one helmet than ROTS which is certainly the design it deviates the furthest from. There's really good and accurate information, though somewhat hard to sort through, on various oldschool style fan forums including 501st legion, RPF, and rebelscum among others.
Your description of the ROTS helmet is not very accurate. It was made from scanning half of an ESB helmet and mirroring it, but the differences go way beyond that. Two notable ones are the longer "neck" and flat lenses, but I could rattle off many more.
There are many bits of info on this video that need to be corrected. 1.- Vader´s helmet on ESB was not made from scratch. A cast was made by Rick Baker from the original ANH helmet that remained on he US. Then, the original helmet was sent to the UK and another mold was made, which was used to cast all other helmets used in ESB and ROTJ. Today, the actual ANH helmet is part of the Grunberg private collection. 2.- Dave Prowse only did the fencing on Episode 4, grandmaster Bob Anderson did all of the fights on EP5 and 6. 3.- The stunt helmet pic seen on this video is a faithful replica of the one used by ESB production in its current, weathered state. And contrary to what is stated on the vid, the chin vent did have the grills, they just fell off due to bad storage of the prop. 4.- For ROTJ, there were at least 7 different helmets used during production. 5 hero helmets, 1 stunt helmet (the only one with the fat bottom lip) and one reveal helmet. A lot more info can be found on the RPF and The Prop Den forums. Cheers!
Honestly? I think the revenge of the sith helmet in Kenobi makes sense. Having Obi-wan cut that helmet also gives a canon reason for movie watchers as to why his helmet in Rogue One/ANH looks different whether it be repairing the cut helmet or needing a new one altogether.
Here's a few things to add to your review that may help add some details. David Prowse did a considerable amount of saber work during ANH, for the rest of the OT however, all credit goes to Olympic fencer Bob Anderson of which you will find video footage of Anderson training an out of breath Mark Hamill on YT. Mark gave his best during the saber fights and it clearly shows how much effort he put into learning the moves. The ANH Vader helmet was originally designed as an all-black affair however, grey highlighting was added when they realized just how badly it looked on-film (the all black looked washed out). For ROTS they were able to get away with an all black helmet although they did use different shades/finishes here and there so it would highlight in certain angles. TESB / ROTJ helmet was painted in Black and Gun Metal Grey, the strip running over the dome was wider and the point on the front of the dome rounded (almost straightened) and no longer pointed. ROTJ helmet was molded more symmetrical and the bottom "lip" on the TESB mask was thinner over the thicker ROTJ version. The picture in your video of the helmet displaying the missing "little knobs" you refer to are "tusks" of which were merely broken off from wear 'n tear over the years. The "tusks" were removed only to prevent injury to Mark Hamill when dueling in close proximity. There were different versions of "stunt" and "hero" helmets used throughout, the stunt helmets had transparent cheeks and the chin grill was removed for improved field of vision. The "stunt" helmet was a highly modified version of the "hero" helmet used during standard shooting, and was specially created so that Olympic fencing champion Bob Anderson had a much clearer vision when he was performing the fight sequences with Mark Hamill. The helmet had inner padding for further comfort. Hope that helps.
I never even noticed the "characteristic" and how the helmet isn't symmetrical, I just always loved how scary and clean the revenge of the sith looked like. It looks like a medical device and not just a plastic helmet
I have heard people talk about it being asymmetrical originally... But I can't tell the difference between the symmetrical and the asymmetrical versions lol
The ROTS dome is too wide, while the mask is too narrow. The neck sculpt is beautiful though. I like the menacing look of ANH the best, while the ESB one is the best looking. IMO
Star Wars fans will find the most atomic things to complain about. Every time Mark Hamil shaves his pubes Star Wars fans complain that it's not lore accurate to Luke's appearance in Empire Strikes back.
The dome looked too big for the mask. The gap between the two pieces, on the sides, really stuck out to me during my last viewing. Specifically as he rises on the table. My personal favorite helmet the kenobi helmet and then it’s the rogue one helmet. I love the matte with the red lenses and thick neck and shiny dome, but not too shiny like in esb and rotj
I cannot deny that the Kenobi Helmet is just perfect... For real! is exactly a mix of all of them! ESB, ROTS, ANH, ROGUE ONE... I have seen the videos of the creators of the show and i can confirm it was done in a computer and the design is just all the helmets... And the suit is just cheff kiss.. I'm doing a Kenobi Vader Cosplay, i can certainly say it is coming together nicely. But i am broke so it is going from time to time..
While I love ROTS I just thought that the mask was a bit small compared to the helmet on top. Probably my favourite is the ESB one, not because it’s asymmetrical, but just because of the proportions.
I seem to remember reading some time way back that when Anakin was first put in the suit that the suit was a old standard off the rack battle space suit not a custom made. The same for his helmet and mask Guess the emperor was a little on the cheep side back then also that it was supposed to be just good enough so as to not let Anakin have any piece from wearing it keeping him weaker than the emperor. Having all the little differences kind of makes it feel more real. New helmet every so often since they took battle damage every soften. .
Shen I was younger I always thought ROTJ had the best Vader look. Now I can't really decide, I like sifferent things from each version. I love the red lenses though.
It made no sense for Vader to have a later version of the helmet in ROTS, he was literally just given the armor and so it should have been ANH in it's appearance.
I like the New Hope version of Vader because his helmet actually reminds me of who he once was. His helmet looks angry, pissed, y'know. Anakin fell to the darkside through anger, and he was even more angry after becoming Vader. But in reality, I like all of the Vader helmets. ROTS and ANH are both the best imo.
Love the dewback and troopers on desk behind you. I would imagine in the stories Vader would've modified and adjusted his helmet, symetic is obviously the best. I just wish the red eyes were kept. Sith eyes faintly glowing with hatred beneath the mask.
The Revenge of the Sith version of Vader's suit is definitely my favorite. The different looking helmets, chest panels etc. can be explained away as parts being replaced as they break down or are damaged in combat.
I didn't notice anything until I saw this video. I never pay that much attention to movies like this. I just watch them and enjoy the story. I'm not too much into technical details.
My main problem is that you bring up chronological inconsistencies in the video, but the fact of the matter is that the Revenge of the Sith helmet, story-wise, predates the New Hope design. And in Kenobi and Rebels, he has his helmet destroyed by Obi-Wan and Ahsoka BEFORE we see him in a New Hope.
I think the problem is less that the symetry looses character it‘s more that the perfekt symetry makes him look like a droid or something with the imperfections it looks like a man in armor so it reduces the disconnect like imperfect stormtroopers are way more believable just to the eye then perfect clones where nothing wobbles and everything is symmetrical
The kenobi helmet has red lenses. I hope you made an updated version of this. You should also explain why they went with the symmetrical version. Lucas had always intended for it to be symmetrical. The molding process is why it's warped.
You do know it wasn't just the cheek, and it was the same all way through left silver cheek right eye silver, except in the later films ESB ROTJ it was sprayed on not painted, it was to make the facial features stand out more in certain lighting
The reason GL changed it for ROTS was that he didn't want to pay royalties to the original sculpt. The British designer of the original mould helds the rights for the image at the time
I like to think Vader’s helmet had been damaged and repaired, which threw the symmetry out that little bit. He obviously had many adventures over his life as a Sith Lord.
Since the release of Kenobi, you could argue that the in-universe reason for the different helmets between E3 and E4 comes from Vader's battle with Obi-Wan during the show, as his helmet was damaged there and he would need a replacement. In comes the helmet we see in R1 and E4, and then some time after, Vader modified the design to perhaps be more practical, leading to the design we see in E5 and E6.
It's all well thought out by them. The Sith helmet continues into Obi-wan, Obi-wan destroys it, he gets the red lens one for Rogue One, A New Hope, and by Empire he gets another for some reason. And Empire and Jedi's helmet is best.
My guess, why the didn't made Vaders helmet in episode 3 not like the original one is, that his episode 4 appearance was considered to be kind of a movie-mistake back in the day. Maybe George saw all of the helmets as the same, without any changes in universe. A perfect helmet was ever intended, but couldn't be made with the relativly low budged of the first movie. So Vaders helmet actually looking different, could be more of a redcon. That is just my opinion, why it was made that way in episode 3. There is also a little frustrating detail of his episode 3 helmet. In the shot, where the mask is put on vaders face, you can see, the sides on the bottom of the mask, don't line up with the chin armor.
I'm sure it's come up in the discussion over the last year, but I just first saw this now. Quick correction, Lucasfilm did use the red tint lenses in Vader's helmet for the Obi-Wan series. But I agree with a lot of the posts, ROTS is the best of his helmets. Absolutely loved this video and great research!
RotS is definitely the worst. It seems like the back is shorter, breaking Vader's overall silhouette. It certainly doesn't help that Christensen is much smaller than Prowse, making it look like a child cosplaying. There's also an argument to be made that asymmetry suits a villain, since our brains associate symmetry with beauty.
As a Star Wars fan and a former mega Star Wars fan, I think ROTS helmet fixed his helmet. I like how they didn't use an asymmetrical helmet for the two Jedi games unlike Battlefront. But at least his Battlefront helmet was all black and his dome was prolly symmetrical.
The bigger vent was so the actor could look down and see his marks on the floor. He complained that he kept walking to the wrong spot in the first movie
I like the more precision-machined, symmetrical look that the ROTS and Obi-Wan Kenobi helmets have. The only thing I don't like about the ROTS version is the proportions of the mask section to the dome helmet. I feel like they made the dome too big but like others have mentioned it's probably a matter of the helmet being fitted around Hayden Christiansen's face, who has more slim features than David Prowse. The Obi-Wan Kenobi helmet on the other hand, stays closer to the OT version's proportions, and it also follows another trend of the OT helmets and having the different surfaces of the face be different shades of grey and black asymmetrically applied. It simulates light bouncing off a shiny surface so it makes the helmet look more dynamic even if you light it with flat lighting. I like the idea, in terms of it being an effective film prop, but I'm hesitant to say that I inherently like it better than the full glossy black of the ROTS version tho.
I believe the change from ROTS to Rogue one makes sense with the Obi-Wan Kenobi series since we do see Obi-wan Damage Vader's helmet which forced him to change it to the red lenses version
Me who is a total Darth Vader fan loves the asymmetrical in a new hope but I also love the symmetrical miss what they did in revenge of the Sith and why it makes it from a technological standpoint because of they're in a time period like say 4000. which would make them way advance enough to have technological advances for the helmet and arms and legs. For such an injury on Mustafar
The helmet for empire was not a completely new sculpt….there were just adjustments made. The stunt version of the helmet with the clear cheeks and neck was worn by bob anderson for the sword fighting
Plenty of people keep praising the rogue one suit as the best Vader suit and claim ROTS ruined it, but I think these people are blind. The only thing holding the ROTS suit back is how lean it is. Everything else about it rocks.
The vent is not for breathing, is for looking down While he walks because it is impossible to see in a straight line with so much material around the head
I gotta say, the perfect symmetrical design fits the character better, in my opinion. There is not supposed to be a human characteristic present. He's supposed to look faceless, and with the perfectly symmetrical look that's achieved. It's more intimidating to give Darth Vader an unnaturally symmetrical look.
This video, while otherwise being very thorough, failed to mention the most glaring and obvious discontinuity between the various presentations of Vader's helmet throughout the Star Wars saga. That would be at the end of the 2nd episode of the Kenobi series when we see Vader's helmet and mask lowered onto his face simultaneously as if they are a single molded piece instead of the two completely separate pieces that we see put on in ROTS and taken off in ROTJ. This scene took me out of the story while watching and had me seriously wondering whether the Disney generation creatives who had worked on the scene had ever actually bothered to watch any of the earlier Star Wars films.
I don’t think it was an improvement per se, but I do believe it with the right choice as Hayden‘s head was smaller than Dave Prowse’s as was his physique. They had to make a smaller more slim down version so it looked normal.
something I don't like with the RotS armor is how the chest piece seems to be a solid piece over the shoulders while in the OT it stops before going over the shoulders with shoulder pads protecting the shoulders allowing Darth vader full movement of his arms while the RotS would prevent him from lifting his arms above his chest height.
That is actually explained in some comics, Vader has different types of armor. One for extreme battles, one for space (lol yeah), one for "chilling around".
Bob Anderson was actually the man in the suit in ESB during the fight. A lot of the angles in the sequence are shot from a lower pov since Anderson was not as tall as Prowse
@@robgreive3657arguably his best fight scene, not sure if it was Kershners directing having Bob go through those progressions in the fight. Clearly Vader is toying with Luke until the arm hit then you see Vader switch it up, always loved his intensity there.
19 years passes between Revenge of The Sith and A New Hope. It makes sense that his suit would change over time. I mean he wears it every single day and parts of it are robotic. Parts need to be replaced and the whole suit needs to be maintained. It just makes sense.
The difference between ESB and ROTJ is also the space between the dome and the eyes which is larger. Giving the bottom part of the helmet (behind the head and to the shoulders) a more lengthy look wich I much prefer, along with the rounder eye aspect. I didn't like the ROTS helmet because the bottom part of the helmet was way too short.
Quien pelea con el sable en Ep. V, no es Dave Prowse, sino Bob Anderson. En Ep. VI, también es Bob Anderson quien pelea. Prowse, sólo prestó su imponente presencia.
Vader's helmet in OWK wasn't perfectly symmetrical, it was somewhat symmetrical. But they shoulda used the ROTS helmet for OWK, or at least made Vader's helmet completely black but keep his triangular breathing vents silver or gray and his lenses red.
ROTS version of the suit is the best. Symmetrical helmet makes way more sense for the galaxy with technology level where every junk yard starship has a hyperdrive. And the neck is the most correct, IMHO. It actually creates a feeling that the suit is air tight.
Vaders helmet in ANH looked pretty wonky compared to the newer versions. The whole suit did. The chest box attached to him with leather straps isn't very advanced looking or a good design for what it's purpose was. The plugged in look of the chest box looks so much better than it strapped to him. It's looks like its a part that's plugged into him. That seems much more realistic to the purpose of the chest box that it just hanging around his neck. In fact, the entire suite looks more modular and plugged into Vaders body in the Obi Wan series. I thought that looked really good. All those boxes and the neck collar really were plugged into him and a functioning part of his body instead of just cool looking decorations.
No one ever points out the inspiration for Darth Vader was clearly taken from Marvel Comic's Doctor Doom who was created 15 years BEFORE SW: A New Hope came out.
I think the helmet just get more damage over the years? That actually would make sense if you think that revenge of the sith is 20+ years before "A New Hope" so maybe the helmet get "destroyed" more over the years.
One of the biggest reasons I like the RotS helmet the most is how the neck goes underneath his chest armor. That little tweak makes it more believable that Vader's actually sealed into his suit. 👍
I don't think it was really meant to. There's a brief moment where the neck is over the chest armour when the helmet is being put on. I think it may've been a wardrobe continuity mistake, or they needed Vader to turn his head more and hoped that fans like us wouldn't notice, but we did lol
@@Alienkiwi730 There's behind the scenes footage of stage crew putting the helmet on Hayden's head and making sure the front area is under the chest armor. I think if it wasn't done that way the longer neck would look pretty wonky. But yeah, that movie shot with the neck area hanging out always bugged me!
Even though RotS “fixed” the wonkiness of the original Darth Vader helmet, I still prefer the ANH helmet to all the other iterations.
My headcanon is that his helmets might get wonky over time and the extensive use he puts them through. So a helmet would be perfectly symmetrical the second he got it but after he's fought in it for a while it might deform.
The comics show him getting into fights all the time. His suits get damaged, sometimes pretty badly so he has to get them replaced over the years. Plus I'm sure he would work on them and upgrade it himself when the time was necessary
Also his helmet gets destroyed in the obi wan kenobi series, maybe he then "fixxed" it and thats why its asymmetrical in "A new hope" it actually makes sense if you look how the helmet was cut in the kenobi series...
@jens3545 that series sucked lol can't mention that without having to talk about its quality. It shouldn't be canon because it's so bad
@@jens3545the Obi Wan helmet was asymmetrical already. Look at the cheeks, his left swoops up like in the OT and RO, right does not. This can be seen clearly in the scene with the fire.
Okay, good point. Character-wise, though, the perfectly symmetrical helmet works. An unnatural symmetrical characteristic seems to belong there.
The ROTS suit is my favorite, no question.
It does look amazing for the few scenes it’s in!
I think revenge of the sith is the best darth Vader costume of all time.
Underated opinion! Glad to know I'm not alone!.. exactly -
@@Your_Casual_Fan that and the voice modulation they did for all 2 lines of his dialogue was just perfection
The shoulders can't move on that one.
I agree. Im not certain what it is, but i think revenge of the sith suit looks broader or something
Same.
Just a quick correction. At 5:43 you mentioned that the cheeks were see through for David Prowse. There was a helmet that had smoked opaque cheeks but it was for the man who stood in for Prowse during the lightsaber fights in ESB. The man was a fencing champion and needed to be able to see through the cheeks to move during the fight simulation.
I think it was Bob Anderson.
I was remembering the same thing - that David Prowse did not do any of the sword swinging himself, unlike in A New Hope, but he had a stunt double for that. Thanks for making that correction, so I don't need to.
@@sebastianb.2385yes, it was Bob Anderson, RIP. There are many photos of him unmasked on the set of ESB including with Mark Hamill.
Yes, proper swordsmanship, unlike what we saw in the PT, where they just spin their swords like batons.
@@white-dragon4424 Will you stop already? George wanted to show how Jedi and Sith fought like at peak connection with the Force, they don't *predict* the opponent's next move, they *SENSE* it, their attacks are planned 4 moves in advance 🤦🏻♂️.
I practise HEMA IRL and even I know the difference, stop comparing real life fencing with Star Wars, it's a *fictional* franchise where knights move spaceships with their minds.
Go outside, get some actual Sunlight and go practise a sport, maybe you'll develop a connection with the Force yourself (TLDR: *grow up already,* you're at least 30) 💪🏼☀️...
I think all the helmet designs are great in their own way. My personal two favorites, are the rogue one helmet, and the one from the obi wan show. I do like the more symmetrical versions better.
I’m with ya on that one!
I loved the red lenses too and the matte mask and shiny dome
Can't lie, the RotS version is my favorite Darth Vader helmet.
Agreed, the whole suit looks brand new, which it is even though it’s outdated on purpose by Sidious. Vader had many helmet/suit changes, but for me RoTS is also the best because we witnessed Darth Vader without the suit first.
Rots fixed the helmet. While I do understand why it is the way it is in ANH, it is kinda dumb for him to have an asymmetrical helmet in universe. The perfectly symmetrical, and all black helmet from rots just has a different vibe that looks much better. I think it’s a combo of the bigger dome, symmetry, paint job, and the way it’s tucked into the armor. It just look so menacing and real.
Totally agree!
Fax, Lucasfilm shoulda went for a symmetrical helmet prop for Rogue One
Except that it looks too cutesy and handsome in episode 3. Nobody watching the original film realized that that the mask was asymmetrical. It just looked angry and scary. In episode 3 it was too perfect
The ROTS helmet looks good on screen but weird in person the organic asymmetry of the original adds character to it , the ROTS is like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa
@@earthwormjim2003You're making the assumption that the Darth Vader helmet in ROTS is based on something comparable to the Mona Lisa and not a childrens drawing.
Something like this being asymmetrical and hand sculpted is unlikely in this universe. In this universe, technology has advanced far beyond our own and we already use computers and industrial manufacturing, both of which are more inclined to make things symmetrical and simpler.
Keep in mind that all of Vader's suit components were off the shelf including the mask. There wasn't time for the emperor to make something custom for Vader.
You have quiet a few inaccuracies here. ESB was sculpted from ANH but then modified. Also it was Bob Anderson not Dave Prowse who did the sword fighting in the clear stunt helmet.
Robert James Gilbert Anderson was an English Olympic fencer and a renowned film fight choreographer, with a cinema career that spanned more than 50 years and included films such as The Empire Strikes Back, Highlander, The Three Musketeers, The Princess Bride, The Mask of Zorro, The Lord of the Rings, and Die Another Day.
I really like symmetrical Vader in revenge. Also he’s super shiny in revenge which makes it look more sleek
I mean Vader has been tinkering with his outfit
While I like the Empire Strikes Back version the most, I have mad respect for the attention to detail Rogue One had with recreating the A New Hope helmet - that deserves a round of applause :)
Excellent video, man
I could watch these all day, I love when you do this sort of design deep-dive on Star Wars stuff
Pizza's on me
Hahaha thanks a bunch! When researching this video I was blown away by how accurate to ANH the Rogue One helmet was, this stuff is so fascinating
@@weirdpigeonproductions Sadly, they weren't as accurate with the stormtrooper helmets. They should have hired the guys from that little British repicla company who produce stormtrooper helmets by using the original molds. Their helmets look better than the ones used in Rogue One.
The R1 Vader is a terrible replica of the ANH suit. They missed the mark completely.
What’s really interesting about the Kenobi Vader is that the action figure they made of him for that show has red eyes like in a new hope
I think it's really sad it will probably never get more than 90 seconds of screen time. It's such a beautiful helmet, and I honestly think Vader immediately after ROTS is probably the most compelling and complex version of the character.
Nobody talks about the how the button on Vader’s chest was blue but has been green since ROTS
The “Revenge of the Sith” helmet has a much wider dome. It’s easy to see how wide it is compared to the others. I’m really surprised you didn’t mention this.
Actually I have a feeling the mask itself was just smaller, as Hayden was younger, leaner, and not as large as David Prowse. Not saying i'm right, but that's my cheeky guess. As for the Kenobi series I think they used the same dome from Revenge, but used a larger, more accurate mask.
Rots helmet is its own thing. It has nothing to do with all the other version. And yes, the Rots helmet is much smaller than the ANH helmet. The ANH dome itself was really big and wide.
I have a Rots Vader costume and the helmet is big I can blow buble gum inside and the view from inside is even wider than the empire version and return of the jedi
Prowes didn’t wear the stunt helmets in ESB or ROTJ Bob Anderson did all of the lightsaber fights in those movies
I think there is one difference between episodes 5 and 6. In episode 5, Vader's helmet's top dome part is always glossy, but in episode 6, it's glossy but later half in the movie it's matte. Personally my favorite Darth Vader helmets have been Empire Strikes Back and the animated version from Rebels.
The original ANH helmet is perfect. The all black, symmetrical ROTS helmet looks like it was modeled after a cheap knockoff action figure instead of ANH Vader. If Disney did one thing right, it is fixing this, and going back to the ANH look, with Rogue One and Kenobi.
I've always preferred the A New Hope helmet/mask, it is more aggressive and emotive whereas the others are a bit colder and more robotic...but they're all great.
They used the same face mask from ANH for ESB and made the vent bigger. The Eye lenses were grey in ANH and looked red because of the skin colour behind the mask. And the Kenobi Helmet has nothing to do with the ROTS helmet.
It was a new face mask, the cheeks weren't as pronounced as the ANH version either
My wife offered to buy me a “real” Darth Vader helmet so I did all the research and comparing. I found that when they made Rogue One, they used an actual helmet made by Bookface aka Skunkworks Props who recreated an exact copy of the A New Hope helmet with all the imperfections, scratches, and flaws seen in the movie prop. Rogue One producers decided to “fix” the imperfections so it would appear better on todays high definition screens.
Since I prefer the more sinister look of ANH, but want something nice to look at and not need to explain all the scratches, etc, We ordered the Skunkworks Rogue One helmet. It will have the distinction of being actually attached to a film, rather than an artists copy.
Don’t even start with the Hasbro ones 😝
That’s so awesome! I honestly didn’t know that! If I could afford it, I would love to get a screen accurate helmet like that. Maybe someday 🤔. Thanks for the comment!
I have the skunkworks new hope vader..its awesome
The kenobi series helmet isn't symmetrical, and has a lot more in common with the rogue one helmet than ROTS which is certainly the design it deviates the furthest from. There's really good and accurate information, though somewhat hard to sort through, on various oldschool style fan forums including 501st legion, RPF, and rebelscum among others.
The original 77 helmet with its dull black dome deeper peak over the eyes and red eye lenses was the best looking one IMHO, it has more character
The revenge of the sith vader suit is my favorite version, I wish it was used more often
Same
Same bro
Your description of the ROTS helmet is not very accurate. It was made from scanning half of an ESB helmet and mirroring it, but the differences go way beyond that. Two notable ones are the longer "neck" and flat lenses, but I could rattle off many more.
There are many bits of info on this video that need to be corrected.
1.- Vader´s helmet on ESB was not made from scratch. A cast was made by Rick Baker from the original ANH helmet that remained on he US. Then, the original helmet was sent to the UK and another mold was made, which was used to cast all other helmets used in ESB and ROTJ. Today, the actual ANH helmet is part of the Grunberg private collection.
2.- Dave Prowse only did the fencing on Episode 4, grandmaster Bob Anderson did all of the fights on EP5 and 6.
3.- The stunt helmet pic seen on this video is a faithful replica of the one used by ESB production in its current, weathered state. And contrary to what is stated on the vid, the chin vent did have the grills, they just fell off due to bad storage of the prop.
4.- For ROTJ, there were at least 7 different helmets used during production. 5 hero helmets, 1 stunt helmet (the only one with the fat bottom lip) and one reveal helmet.
A lot more info can be found on the RPF and The Prop Den forums.
Cheers!
7 helmets..I suppose by Return of the Jedi the production crew could afford it..🤣
Honestly? I think the revenge of the sith helmet in Kenobi makes sense. Having Obi-wan cut that helmet also gives a canon reason for movie watchers as to why his helmet in Rogue One/ANH looks different whether it be repairing the cut helmet or needing a new one altogether.
Here's a few things to add to your review that may help add some details.
David Prowse did a considerable amount of saber work during ANH, for the rest of the OT however, all credit goes to Olympic fencer Bob Anderson of which you will find video footage of Anderson training an out of breath Mark Hamill on YT. Mark gave his best during the saber fights and it clearly shows how much effort he put into learning the moves.
The ANH Vader helmet was originally designed as an all-black affair however, grey highlighting was added when they realized just how badly it looked on-film (the all black looked washed out). For ROTS they were able to get away with an all black helmet although they did use different shades/finishes here and there so it would highlight in certain angles.
TESB / ROTJ helmet was painted in Black and Gun Metal Grey, the strip running over the dome was wider and the point on the front of the dome rounded (almost straightened) and no longer pointed. ROTJ helmet was molded more symmetrical and the bottom "lip" on the TESB mask was thinner over the thicker ROTJ version.
The picture in your video of the helmet displaying the missing "little knobs" you refer to are "tusks" of which were merely broken off from wear 'n tear over the years. The "tusks" were removed only to prevent injury to Mark Hamill when dueling in close proximity.
There were different versions of "stunt" and "hero" helmets used throughout, the stunt helmets had transparent cheeks and the chin grill was removed for improved field of vision. The "stunt" helmet was a highly modified version of the "hero" helmet used during standard shooting, and was specially created so that Olympic fencing champion Bob Anderson had a much clearer vision when he was performing the fight sequences with Mark Hamill. The helmet had inner padding for further comfort.
Hope that helps.
I disagree. I like that Darth Vader`s costume changes over the course of 23 years. It`s realistic.
I didn't think the Darth Vader helmet that was remade for Revenge of the Sith looked that bad.
I never even noticed the "characteristic" and how the helmet isn't symmetrical, I just always loved how scary and clean the revenge of the sith looked like. It looks like a medical device and not just a plastic helmet
Return of the Jedi also completely flattened the “widows peak” that was so prominent in A New Hope.
According to the DARTH MAUL voice actor David Prowse was only in the suit when he was standing and pointing
I have heard people talk about it being asymmetrical originally... But I can't tell the difference between the symmetrical and the asymmetrical versions lol
The ROTS dome is too wide, while the mask is too narrow. The neck sculpt is beautiful though. I like the menacing look of ANH the best, while the ESB one is the best looking. IMO
Are there really people who complain over minor differences in Vader's helmets ??😂
I personally like the Rots helmet,the neck part is the best.
Star Wars fans will find the most atomic things to complain about. Every time Mark Hamil shaves his pubes Star Wars fans complain that it's not lore accurate to Luke's appearance in Empire Strikes back.
You deserve way more subs.
Haha thank you!
The dome looked too big for the mask. The gap between the two pieces, on the sides, really stuck out to me during my last viewing. Specifically as he rises on the table. My personal favorite helmet the kenobi helmet and then it’s the rogue one helmet. I love the matte with the red lenses and thick neck and shiny dome, but not too shiny like in esb and rotj
You actually watched the Kenobi show? My condolences
@@NickyMetropolis1313 corny.
Actually, I believe the stuntman Bob Anderson actually did most of Vader's fighting in "The Empire Strikes Back", not Dave Prowse.
the reason for the helmet to have changes is because Vader did go through a number of helmets within his 19 years of being a sith
24 years*
They're just actors..
I cannot deny that the Kenobi Helmet is just perfect... For real! is exactly a mix of all of them! ESB, ROTS, ANH, ROGUE ONE... I have seen the videos of the creators of the show and i can confirm it was done in a computer and the design is just all the helmets... And the suit is just cheff kiss.. I'm doing a Kenobi Vader Cosplay, i can certainly say it is coming together nicely. But i am broke so it is going from time to time..
While I love ROTS I just thought that the mask was a bit small compared to the helmet on top. Probably my favourite is the ESB one, not because it’s asymmetrical, but just because of the proportions.
I seem to remember reading some time way back that when Anakin was first put in the suit that the suit was a old standard off the rack battle space suit not a custom made. The same for his helmet and mask Guess the emperor was a little on the cheep side back then also that it was supposed to be just good enough so as to not let Anakin have any piece from wearing it keeping him weaker than the emperor. Having all the little differences kind of makes it feel more real. New helmet every so often since they took battle damage every soften. .
Shen I was younger I always thought ROTJ had the best Vader look. Now I can't really decide, I like sifferent things from each version. I love the red lenses though.
Bob Anderson was the man in the Vader stunt suit. He is the one fighting Luke. 😊
It made no sense for Vader to have a later version of the helmet in ROTS, he was literally just given the armor and so it should have been ANH in it's appearance.
I like the New Hope version of Vader because his helmet actually reminds me of who he once was. His helmet looks angry, pissed, y'know. Anakin fell to the darkside through anger, and he was even more angry after becoming Vader.
But in reality, I like all of the Vader helmets. ROTS and ANH are both the best imo.
Love the dewback and troopers on desk behind you. I would imagine in the stories Vader would've modified and adjusted his helmet, symetic is obviously the best. I just wish the red eyes were kept. Sith eyes faintly glowing with hatred beneath the mask.
The Revenge of the Sith version of Vader's suit is definitely my favorite.
The different looking helmets, chest panels etc. can be explained away as parts being replaced as they break down or are damaged in combat.
I didn't notice anything until I saw this video. I never pay that much attention to movies like this. I just watch them and enjoy the story. I'm not too much into technical details.
The kenobi vader had the ANH version helmet, it had he smaller chin vent and it had red eyes (more visible in some scenes)
Vader's helmet in Kenobi isn't all that symmetrical. It's pretty much ANH helmet but streamlined
To me, Revenge Of The Sith is by far the best Darth Vader Costume
My main problem is that you bring up chronological inconsistencies in the video, but the fact of the matter is that the Revenge of the Sith helmet, story-wise, predates the New Hope design. And in Kenobi and Rebels, he has his helmet destroyed by Obi-Wan and Ahsoka BEFORE we see him in a New Hope.
Kenobi series helmet wasn’t based on RoTS at all, it’s clearly asymmetrical and closer to RO.
I think the problem is less that the symetry looses character it‘s more that the perfekt symetry makes him look like a droid or something with the imperfections it looks like a man in armor so it reduces the disconnect like imperfect stormtroopers are way more believable just to the eye then perfect clones where nothing wobbles and everything is symmetrical
Well said
FANTASTIC VIDEO!!!!!!! GREAT JOB!!!!!!!❤️🙏
The kenobi helmet has red lenses. I hope you made an updated version of this. You should also explain why they went with the symmetrical version. Lucas had always intended for it to be symmetrical. The molding process is why it's warped.
once you spot New Hope Vader's silver cheek you will never unsee it :)
You do know it wasn't just the cheek, and it was the same all way through left silver cheek right eye silver, except in the later films ESB ROTJ it was sprayed on not painted, it was to make the facial features stand out more in certain lighting
The reason GL changed it for ROTS was that he didn't want to pay royalties to the original sculpt.
The British designer of the original mould helds the rights for the image at the time
I like to think Vader’s helmet had been damaged and repaired, which threw the symmetry out that little bit. He obviously had many adventures over his life as a Sith Lord.
According to the Sydney morning Herald Darth Vader's helmet from the original 1977 Star Wars was found in Australia
5:24 Bob Anderson did most the stunts for vader sword fights, not david prowse
but i did enjoy the vid very much
Since the release of Kenobi, you could argue that the in-universe reason for the different helmets between E3 and E4 comes from Vader's battle with Obi-Wan during the show, as his helmet was damaged there and he would need a replacement. In comes the helmet we see in R1 and E4, and then some time after, Vader modified the design to perhaps be more practical, leading to the design we see in E5 and E6.
It's all well thought out by them. The Sith helmet continues into Obi-wan, Obi-wan destroys it, he gets the red lens one for Rogue One, A New Hope, and by Empire he gets another for some reason. And Empire and Jedi's helmet is best.
My guess, why the didn't made Vaders helmet in episode 3 not like the original one is, that his episode 4 appearance was considered to be kind of a movie-mistake back in the day. Maybe George saw all of the helmets as the same, without any changes in universe. A perfect helmet was ever intended, but couldn't be made with the relativly low budged of the first movie. So Vaders helmet actually looking different, could be more of a redcon.
That is just my opinion, why it was made that way in episode 3.
There is also a little frustrating detail of his episode 3 helmet. In the shot, where the mask is put on vaders face, you can see, the sides on the bottom of the mask, don't line up with the chin armor.
I'm sure it's come up in the discussion over the last year, but I just first saw this now. Quick correction, Lucasfilm did use the red tint lenses in Vader's helmet for the Obi-Wan series. But I agree with a lot of the posts, ROTS is the best of his helmets. Absolutely loved this video and great research!
Could you make a film about boba fett helmet evolution?
I’ve got one in the works!
Revenge of the Sith Vader definitely should've been the New Hope Vader with the tunic OVER the chest/shoulder armor.
That would definitely have made the most sense
Pity about the horrendous helmet
RotS is definitely the worst. It seems like the back is shorter, breaking Vader's overall silhouette. It certainly doesn't help that Christensen is much smaller than Prowse, making it look like a child cosplaying.
There's also an argument to be made that asymmetry suits a villain, since our brains associate symmetry with beauty.
Rots Vader looks like a toy.
As a Star Wars fan and a former mega Star Wars fan, I think ROTS helmet fixed his helmet. I like how they didn't use an asymmetrical helmet for the two Jedi games unlike Battlefront. But at least his Battlefront helmet was all black and his dome was prolly symmetrical.
The bigger vent was so the actor could look down and see his marks on the floor. He complained that he kept walking to the wrong spot in the first movie
The cool thing is they can all be "retconned"; written (made up) in a way to explain all the changes.
I like the more precision-machined, symmetrical look that the ROTS and Obi-Wan Kenobi helmets have. The only thing I don't like about the ROTS version is the proportions of the mask section to the dome helmet. I feel like they made the dome too big but like others have mentioned it's probably a matter of the helmet being fitted around Hayden Christiansen's face, who has more slim features than David Prowse.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi helmet on the other hand, stays closer to the OT version's proportions, and it also follows another trend of the OT helmets and having the different surfaces of the face be different shades of grey and black asymmetrically applied. It simulates light bouncing off a shiny surface so it makes the helmet look more dynamic even if you light it with flat lighting. I like the idea, in terms of it being an effective film prop, but I'm hesitant to say that I inherently like it better than the full glossy black of the ROTS version tho.
I believe the change from ROTS to Rogue one makes sense with the Obi-Wan Kenobi series since we do see Obi-wan Damage Vader's helmet which forced him to change it to the red lenses version
I've always liked the "Rogue One" look
Me who is a total Darth Vader fan loves the asymmetrical in a new hope but I also love the symmetrical miss what they did in revenge of the Sith and why it makes it from a technological standpoint because of they're in a time period like say 4000.
which would make them way advance enough to have technological advances for the helmet and arms and legs. For such an injury on Mustafar
The helmet for empire was not a completely new sculpt….there were just adjustments made.
The stunt version of the helmet with the clear cheeks and neck was worn by bob anderson for the sword fighting
Plenty of people keep praising the rogue one suit as the best Vader suit and claim ROTS ruined it, but I think these people are blind. The only thing holding the ROTS suit back is how lean it is. Everything else about it rocks.
The vent is not for breathing, is for looking down While he walks because it is impossible to see in a straight line with so much material around the head
Plus, the ROTS helmet gets damaged and repaired several times. The repairs can make it less symmetrical
I gotta say, the perfect symmetrical design fits the character better, in my opinion. There is not supposed to be a human characteristic present. He's supposed to look faceless, and with the perfectly symmetrical look that's achieved. It's more intimidating to give Darth Vader an unnaturally symmetrical look.
This video, while otherwise being very thorough, failed to mention the most glaring and obvious discontinuity between the various presentations of Vader's helmet throughout the Star Wars saga. That would be at the end of the 2nd episode of the Kenobi series when we see Vader's helmet and mask lowered onto his face simultaneously as if they are a single molded piece instead of the two completely separate pieces that we see put on in ROTS and taken off in ROTJ. This scene took me out of the story while watching and had me seriously wondering whether the Disney generation creatives who had worked on the scene had ever actually bothered to watch any of the earlier Star Wars films.
I don’t think it was an improvement per se, but I do believe it with the right choice as Hayden‘s head was smaller than Dave Prowse’s as was his physique. They had to make a smaller more slim down version so it looked normal.
They shoulda made Vader's helmet symmetrical for Rogue One while keeping the incomplete black paint and gun metal gray mixed on the helmet.
something I don't like with the RotS armor is how the chest piece seems to be a solid piece over the shoulders while in the OT it stops before going over the shoulders with shoulder pads protecting the shoulders allowing Darth vader full movement of his arms while the RotS would prevent him from lifting his arms above his chest height.
That is actually explained in some comics, Vader has different types of armor. One for extreme battles, one for space (lol yeah), one for "chilling around".
Bob Anderson was actually the man in the suit in ESB during the fight. A lot of the angles in the sequence are shot from a lower pov since Anderson was not as tall as Prowse
Great comment. I'm glad someone else gets it. Poor old Bob gets hardly any credit for his work as Darth Vader in fight scenes..
@@robgreive3657arguably his best fight scene, not sure if it was Kershners directing having Bob go through those progressions in the fight. Clearly Vader is toying with Luke until the arm hit then you see Vader switch it up, always loved his intensity there.
19 years passes between Revenge of The Sith and A New Hope. It makes sense that his suit would change over time. I mean he wears it every single day and parts of it are robotic. Parts need to be replaced and the whole suit needs to be maintained. It just makes sense.
The difference between ESB and ROTJ is also the space between the dome and the eyes which is larger. Giving the bottom part of the helmet (behind the head and to the shoulders) a more lengthy look wich I much prefer, along with the rounder eye aspect.
I didn't like the ROTS helmet because the bottom part of the helmet was way too short.
Quien pelea con el sable en Ep. V, no es Dave Prowse, sino Bob Anderson. En Ep. VI, también es Bob Anderson quien pelea. Prowse, sólo prestó su imponente presencia.
Over the years, Vader took the time to tinker with his suit, so it's obvious that it's appearence would alter a bit
Vader's helmet in OWK wasn't perfectly symmetrical, it was somewhat symmetrical. But they shoulda used the ROTS helmet for OWK, or at least made Vader's helmet completely black but keep his triangular breathing vents silver or gray and his lenses red.
ROTS version of the suit is the best. Symmetrical helmet makes way more sense for the galaxy with technology level where every junk yard starship has a hyperdrive. And the neck is the most correct, IMHO. It actually creates a feeling that the suit is air tight.
Vaders helmet in ANH looked pretty wonky compared to the newer versions. The whole suit did. The chest box attached to him with leather straps isn't very advanced looking or a good design for what it's purpose was. The plugged in look of the chest box looks so much better than it strapped to him. It's looks like its a part that's plugged into him. That seems much more realistic to the purpose of the chest box that it just hanging around his neck. In fact, the entire suite looks more modular and plugged into Vaders body in the Obi Wan series. I thought that looked really good. All those boxes and the neck collar really were plugged into him and a functioning part of his body instead of just cool looking decorations.
No one ever points out the inspiration for Darth Vader was clearly taken from Marvel Comic's Doctor Doom who was created 15 years BEFORE SW: A New Hope came out.
They could explain the asymmetry as between ROS and aNH as battle damage. Some of the other details are just that as I have more than one hat.
I think the helmet just get more damage over the years? That actually would make sense if you think that revenge of the sith is 20+ years before "A New Hope" so maybe the helmet get "destroyed" more over the years.