Star Wars is one of the greatest franchises in film history. Many characters and moments have burned themselves into the memory of the fans. Most of this is probably due to Darth Vader, but George Lucas describes him as a tragic figure.
What did Lucas say about Darth Vader? In an interview with the Rolling Stone magazine, Lucas spoke in 2005, nearly 30 years after the release of Episode 4, about Darth Vader. This was during the context of Episode 3, marking the end of the trilogy that showed us how Darth Vader came to be.
First, he describes the difficulty of making Darth Vader scary without showing his face. Despite his appearance, Lucas states that what makes him frightening is not just the exterior, but the horrific deeds he commits.
There was also great chaos surrounding Darth Vader during filming: George Lucas secretly swapped Darth Vader and no one in the cast knew
The first time Darth Vader could be seen was in 1977:
“Vader had a really sad life”
Lucas ironically describes Vader as a pathetic guy who had a really sad life.
Vader is, in essence, like all of us, a person who just has some complexes.
The special thing about Vader back then was that in the first film, no one knew what his backstory was. He appeared like an emotionless robot, especially with his slow movements and iconic breathing. Only with the subsequent films was his character developed.
In the first film, people didn’t even know if there was actually a person. […] They thought he was a monster or some kind of robot. In the second film, it’s revealed that he is a human, and in the third film, we learn that he is actually a father.
George Lucas about Darth Vader (Source: Rolling Stones)
In the interview, Lucas talks about how despite Vader’s presence, he is not the great ruler of the universe; he is under the Emperor. Interestingly, he also mentions that Darth Vader would have had a chance in the fight if Obi-Wan hadn’t cut off his limbs.
George Lucas also explained in the interview why so many people like villains. He says that people like them because they are powerful and do not care about rules. A film aimed at young people should show what happens when one behaves this way. Therefore, compassion should be shown. George Lucas invented Star Wars, but he does not think much of the expanded universe: George Lucas never brought one of the best characters from Star Wars to the cinema
