Chapter 3

Even a pop culture icon like Darth Vader didn't look the same from the start.

McQuarrie's first sketches showed him as a more skeletal figure, and his helmet had

a completely different, more sinister shape. Interestingly, the breathing mask was a key element

from the beginning, as Vader was meant to travel through the vacuum of space between ships.

But the real game-changer was the Stormtroopers! Forget the inaccurate blasters. In McQuarrie's vision,

they were elite warriors equipped with... lightsabers and shields!

Can you imagine the fight scenes with troops armed like that? It would completely

change the dynamic of every battle we know. This idea also made a comeback years