Darth Vader is alive, angry, and merciless.
The collective rage of theStar Warsfandom would probably Force-choke whoever nixed him.
(David Prowse, now 80, was often inside the suit in the original trilogy.)
Credit: TM Lucasfilm Ltd.
Onscreen, however, there can be no substitute.
That leaves the question: HowmuchVader are we going to get?
The answer just a little bit.
(Thats why there isnt a new image of him, unfortunately.)
Kennedy saysRogue Onehas to make careful use of Vader.
He will be in the movie sparingly, she says.
But at a key, strategic moment, hes going to loom large.
AsRogue Oneunfolds, Vader is still a background player in galactic politics.
Vader is the muscle.
And also… the breaker, when he needs to be.
The Rebels are barely familiar with Vader.
Even within the Empire, he is more legend than everyday presence.
Within the Rebellion, its not commonly spoken about, says director Gareth Edwards.
Within the Empire, there is the culture of knowing of the existence of Darth Vader.
VILLAIN VS. Theres not a lot of loyalty there.
In other words, Krennic and Vader arent friends.
Theyre barely allies, and Krennic is understandably threatened by the Sith Lord.
Vader doesnt really play by the rules, says Kiri Hart, Lucasfilms chief of story development.
Hes present in the military structure, but hes not beholden to it.
Hes not accountable to anybody, really, except Palpatine.
Hes just willing to give Tarkin one in that moment, she says, with a nervous laugh.
Here is the guy thatVaderliterally bends his knee to.
Whats that all about?
Thats what Krennic is trying to figure out, too: How can he acquire that most-favored status?
What is it between the Emperor and Vader that binds them?
He can feel Vaders mechanical breath on his neck.
Bringing back a key original character onscreen is sort of like one of those 3 3/4-inch figures becoming life-size.
When asked about his first day with Darth Vader, Edwards actually went way back.
And the neighbor said, Therealone?
I was like, No, it was just an actor therealones out in space.
We had the breathing sound just to inspire everyone.
I just got massive goosebumps.
I was so nervous to turn the corner and see him.
You have to pinch yourself.
Everyone became children again, so easy.
You just go straight back to being a 4-year-old, like, in a heartbeat.
He says thats when a filmmaker becomes a fan again.
Theres all these rules about security on set, but I couldnt help it, Edwards says.
The real one this time.
In December, well be encountering him again, too.
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Coming up later on EW.com: A gallery of exclusive new images fromRogue One.
