 Hey, this is Ryan for So Is It Any Good, back with another classic characters. This week, we venture into a galaxy far, far away and take a look at the greatest villain ever put to Silver Screen, Darth Vader. Thanks so much for watching this episode of Classic Characters. Before we get into it, if you love movies and want to know a little bit more on how they were made, make sure you hit that subscribe button and tap the bell notification so you don't miss anything from us at So Is It Any Good. The cruel and treacherous Imperial leader, Darth Vader, has been labelled as the greatest villain in all of cinematic history, but how was he created? Who thought him up? Well, the creation of Darth Vader started all the way back in 1973, four years before the release of Star Wars. George Lucas had been writing an outline called The Journal of the Wheels, which was later expanded into a 14-page story treatment labelled the Star Wars. The story treatment introduced three separate characters who would later all become Darth Vader, as we know him today. The closest likeness to Vader was the Dark Lord Prince Valoran. He was written as a legendary fighter and part of the Knights of the Sith. He was feared amongst the galaxy and dressed in black robes of the Sith, similar to the Emperor. Next was General Vader. While his name is there, this particular character was far from the Vader we got. His officer, the Imperial Army, wasn't more respected and didn't possess any Sith-like qualities. He was more likeness to Grand Moff Tarkin. Lastly was Cain Starkiller, a battle-torn warrior, half-man, half-robot. He was a Jedi Knight, a character of light. He not only had the robotic form of Vader, but he was also father to Anakin Starkiller and Dick Starkiller. The latter would become Luke Skywalker. By 1975 and in the second draft of the script, Darth Vader was far more fleshed out. George Lucas has described him as a seven-foot Sith Knight with flowing black robes. And at this point, Vader was completely human. However, he was a master of the dark side and hated amongst the galaxy for his tyranny. Around here, George Lucas started on pre-production of the Star Wars and hired Ralph McQuarrie to paint five scenes from the draft to get funding for the film from 20th Century Fox. The script had Vader flying through space in a dark space suit to board a ship and do battle with the main hero of the film. McQuarrie drew this battle with Vader still in the suit. McQuarrie was said to be inspired by Samurai from ancient Japan, but with a highly modernised feel and look. The suit was only intended for this one scene, but George Lucas loved the concept so much that it became the iconic look for the character. With funding now secured for the film and Darth Vader's characteristics and look locked in place, the search was on for someone to fill the suit. Enter David Prowse. Prowse briefly appeared in the cult classic A Clockwork Orange when Lucas spotted the Bridgeborn actor. He was given a chance to play either Chewbacca or Vader. Believing that the villain would be more memorable, Prowse chose Darth Vader. While shooting Star Wars, David Prowse not only acted the scene, but he also spoke all the lines in the film. He wasn't aware until the film premiered that Lucas had dubbed over his voice with veteran actor James Earl Jones. But I'm sure you can tell why from these rough cuts. Now it's unclear how early George Lucas had plans to include Vader in the Skywalker family, but early drafts of Star Wars depicted Darth Vader meeting his demise in the infamous trench run at the end of the film. Thankfully, this wasn't the case and was later changed in the final draft of the film. After the release of Star Wars, Darth Vader became one of the most iconic characters in movie history. And to this day, people still love the character everywhere, even though he's a villain. My name's Ryan and I'm from Soul is a Niggard and if you love this video make sure you hit that subscribe button and comment below and who you would love to see be part of the classic characters series. And until next time, thanks so much for checking this video out.