Lucas may have retconned the story of Star Wars to be the story of one man's rise, fall and redemption - it certainly didn't read that way before the prequels - but, like it or not, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader represent the spine of all six movies. Most of the Darth Vader you'll see portrayed at conventions is the conventional Dark Lord, which is exactly as you'd expect: it's the iconic version, after all, giant helmet and all. Surprisingly though, there's more than a few of Anakin as the Sith he became before that climactic fight with Obi-Wan Kenobi that fragged half his body: Jon Bon Jovi hair, black clothes, fright lenses and all, clearly Hayden Christensen resonated with more than a few people. And you'll even see Anakin the way Sebastian Shaw portrayed him, skin fish-ugly from two decades under that helmet and mask, scarred and blasted. Like it or not - and plenty don't - the story of Darth Vader is the story of Star Wars... at least until the new films tell us all a new story.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
