Star Wars villain Darth Vader has one of the most recognizable voices in cinema thanks to James Earl Jones, but he wasn’t the only actor George Lucas had in mind for the role. Darth Vader is arguably the greatest movie villain of all time thanks to his imposing look, his ruthless use of the force, and his iconic voice. Without James Earl Jones’ voice, Darth Vader wouldn’t be Star Wars’ best character, but George Lucas’ other option to voice the Sith Lord might have been great too.
George Lucas really wanted Orson Welles, best known for Citizen Kane, to voice Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Ultimately the role went to James Earl Jones, but later Lucas did get a version of his wish in The Clone Wars. Corey Burton voiced Notluwiski Papanoida – who was initially a George Lucas cameo himself in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – in The Clone Wars, and based his voice on Welles. Although it might not have been how Lucas initially intended Orson Welles to feature in the Star Wars franchise, it’s satisfying to hear the baritone Welles-like voice feature in some capacity.
Orson Welles’ Darth Vader Would’ve Been Great (& Strange)
Like James Earl Jones, Orson Welles has a distinctively deep voice, so would have been a good fit for the powerful Darth Vader. One of George Lucas’ hesitations in choosing Welles was that his voice was too well known at the time of A New Hope, which would have taken away some of Vader’s uniqueness. Still, Welles has proved that he can voice menacing villains in universes similar to Star Wars, with one of his last roles being the voice of the planet-eating Unicron in 1986’s animated The Transformers: The Movie. Welles could have worked as Darth Vader, but his characterization of the Sith would have been different from James Earl Jones’ take. Darth Vader has a cold and menacing presence, which may have been different if Welles landed the role, because he and many of his most famous characters have larger-than-life energy.
What Happened To Papanoida In Star Wars Canon
Notluwiski Papanoida’s first appearance was a cameo role in Revenge of the Sith, where Papanoida was played by George Lucas. In the brief moment that Papanoida is shown on screen, he can be spotted standing next to his daughter Senator Chi Eekway Papanoida, who happens to be played by Lucas’ daughter, as Anakin Skywalker runs to meet Emperor Palpatine at the opera. Although Papanoida doesn’t speak in Revenge of the Sith, he is given a larger role during an episode of The Clone Wars where his Orson Welles-like voice can be heard.
Papanoida was the chairman of the moon Pantora, which had been blockaded by the Trade Federation to convince the Pantorians to join the Separatist Alliance. During The Clone Wars season 3 episode “Sphere of Influence” Papanoida’s two daughters were kidnapped by Greedo on behalf of the Separatists to further attempt to force Pantora to join their cause. Papanoida and his son teamed up with Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano to rescue his daughters, which led to the Separatists ending their blockade because they lacked any leverage to hold against Pantora. While Notluwiski Papanoida is only a minor character, his distinctive Wellesian voice makes him memorable, and he will go down as the character who almost made George Lucas’ wish of having Orson Welles in Star Wars come true.
