Revenge Of The Sith Secretly Fixed A Massive Darth Vader Flaw

Darth Vader’s iconic mask was perfected in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which fixed a flaw present in the original Star Wars trilogy. Darth Vader is deservedly seen as one of cinema’s greatest villains, with his dark Force powers, ruthless leadership, and tragic backstory earning Vader this perception. Of course, Darth Vader’s imposing, armored suit only amplifies his onscreen presence. Twenty-two years after its last cinematic appearance, Darth Vader’s mask returned in Revenge of the Sith, and it looked better than ever before.

There are several real-world inspirations for Darth Vader’s famous suit and mask, with perhaps the most prominent source being the combat helmets and imposing face masks of Samurai. This, of course, is all too fitting, as one of George Lucas’s main inspirations for the Star Wars films themselves was the works of Akira Kurosawa, whose filmography includes numerous movies set in feudal Japan. The masks of Darth Vader seen in the original Star Wars trilogy, however, were not flawless.

Vader’s Original Trilogy Wasn’t Symmetrical

As seen in the Revenge of the Sith featurette, “The Return of Darth Vader,” the Sith Lord’s famous helmet used to be asymmetrical. While perhaps difficult to notice onscreen at first, the mask and helmet do appear lopsided, with the helmet having a slight bend on one side and the mask’s “cheeks” not quite aligning perfectly. Moreover, the shine of the helmet and mask themselves are not consistent across the three movies, with A New Hope making them appear more painted while the later two movies give them a more noticeable shine.

Revenge Of The Sith Made Vader’s Helmet Flawless

The featurette reveals that Revenge of the Sith’s prop makers studied the masks and helmets of the original trilogy when rebuilding them for the final prequel film. The Revenge of the Sith iteration, first and foremost, removed the imperfections from the original trilogy versions, resulting in a mask and helmet that were perfectly symmetrical. Moreover, the mask and helmet had the perfect shine that was consistent enough with their appearances in the original trilogy.

Despite the inconsistency with Darth Vader’s mask props, there may be an in-universe explanation for the discrepancies. In Darth Vader’s many conflicts with Jedi and other Force-users in both canon and Legends materials, the Sith Lord’s protective suit sustains varying degrees of damage. The subsequent repairs may explain why Darth Vader’s iconic helmet changes slightly between the events of Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars trilogy.