A Day Long Remembered

I had been working on an Aurebesh translation for last week, but when I heard about the passing of David Prowse, I chose to set that aside and instead take a moment to pay respects to the man behind the mask of the greatest movie villain of my lifetime. It is literally no exaggeration to say that of the many pieces that went into the creation of Darth Vader, he was the biggest. It’s one thing to wear such an excellent costume, it’s quite another to wear it with poise and understated menace. There is a neat moment in The Empire Strikes Back that illustrates the physicality that Prowse brought to his performance. As the Rebel base on Hoth is overrun by the Empire, a squad of Snowtroopers carefully pick their way through the rubble of the area, but Darth Vader strides through confident that nothing will slow his progress.

Over the years, I’ve drawn a lot of Star Wars pictures, but not so many of Darth Vader. I’ve always found the mask’s confusing tangle of angles and curves a tough nut to crack. But I can’t think of a better excuse to give it another go.

As far as how this topic relates to SWTOR, I’ve discussed the suggestion of paying tribute in game to significant deceased members of Star Wars‘ legacy before, but it is worth repeating. I think the game should honor both the myriad of stories told under the Star Wars banner, but also the real people who helped create them. A monument on Korriban to a legendary lost Dark Lord of the Sith or a statue on Alderaan of a beloved and sassy Princess could easily be done without violating the sacred canon while allowing players a place in the game to pay tribute to the giants on whose shoulders we stand today.