Star Wars: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Darth Vader

10. That Helmet Nearly Never Was

Few costumes have ever become so rapidly ingrained into pop culture than that of Darth Vader's instantly iconic get-up first seen in A New Hope's dramatic opening sequence.

And while the ensemble as a whole makes for one of the most formidable suits of armour ever to be committed to the big screen, it's the indomitable Sith's helmet in particular that struck fear into the hearts of all those who witnessed him quite literally choke the life out of some Rebel scum.

However, having Vader sport this protective face mask at all times wasn't actually the original plan at all. George Lucas initially conceived that Vader's face would be entirely covered by a less intimidating scarf instead, opting to only don the now-much-adored helmet when stepping into his spacesuit to move between shuttles.

Yet, as Vader's reliance on the suit and helmet likely grew in the writing stage and the team behind the flicks realised how much stronger his overall look would be if permanently incased in the eye-catching black head-piece, the scarf concept was understandably dropped by the time the 1977 Star Wars blasted onto our screens.