'Star Wars' Officially Changes Darth Vader, James Earl Jones Replaced

The Star Wars universe is rapidly changing with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+, but fans will be shocked to learn that James Earl Jones wasn’t technically voicing Darth Vader in the series’ latest episode.

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi (left) and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader (right) — Credit: Lucasfilm

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Hayden Christensen is finally back in the Skywalker saga alongside Ewan McGregor, and with them come their respective Jedi Master and Jedi Knight roles.

Though Obi-Wan Kenobi is reportedly getting “review bombed” following Ewan McGregor’s harsh stance against racist viewers attacking co-star Moses Ingram (Reva), Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader has proven to be the most brutal and violent Star Wars anything in live-action history.

Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader — Credit: Lucasfilm

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With Vader comes his iconic suit, breathing, and voice. Though James Earl Jones brought life to the words of the Sith Lord in 1977, the 91-year-old actor has been replaced by Hayden Christensen and technology in the Kenobi series:

Damn, so Vader’s voice in Kenobi is respeecher and not actually JEJ. Either they improved their tech big time, or the voice filter hid all of the hiccups.

I was convinced it was real + touched up with technology, since there’s actually a blend of Vader and Anakin in there.

Damn, so Vader’s voice in Kenobi is respeecher and not actually JEJ. Either they improved their tech big time, or the voice filter hid all of the hiccups.

I was convinced it was real + touched up with technology, since there’s actually a blend of Vader and Anakin in there.

— Scout (@ScoutTheTrooper) June 2, 2022

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Lucasfilm reportedly mixed Hayden Christensen’s voice with Vader for Kenobi, resulting in a clearer speech than in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016):

Nonetheless, every Star Wars fan is shocked and impressed with how well the Respeecher technology — which was used on The Book of Boba Fett for Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker — perfectly replicated the impressionable voice of Jones.

Darth Vader force choking Director Krennic — Credit: Lucasfilm

One fan points out:

Did you know: the Obi-Wan Kenobi series used the same technology to bring Vader’s voice back to his prime as The Book of Boba Fett did for Luke?

Did you know: the Obi-Wan Kenobi series used the same technology to bring Vader's voice back to his prime as The Book of Boba Fett did for Luke? pic.twitter.com/hIvsyxKTO2

— That Cloney Boi (@Clonin_About) June 2, 2022

While it’s plausible that James Earl Jones recorded the new lines and Lucasfilm then “ReSpeeched” the dialogue with AI, it’s clear that there’s something else about Darth Vader’s iconic voice:

This would explain why his voice sounds clearer than it did in Rogue One, it’s not 91 year old James Earl Jones recording the lines in a booth.

This would explain why his voice sounds clearer than it did in Rogue One, it’s not 91 year old James Earl Jones recording the lines in a booth.

— Ollie 🏹 (@TheQuiver_) June 3, 2022

Another fan shares:

I think he actually did record the lines but they touched them up using the respeecher and mixed in Hayden’s voice

I think he actually did record the lines but they touched them up using the respeecher and mixed in Hayden's voice

— TK-5⁵ (Kenobi era) (@_TK_55555) June 3, 2022

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While James Earl Jones will always be the voice of Darth Vader, having Hayden Christensen inducing his own vocal inflections into the characters brings the deadly Force user to life like never before.

More about Obi-Wan Kenobi

The story begins ten years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his most significant defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan — Credit: Lucasfilm

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“The rematch of the century” teased by Kathleen Kennedy, director Deborah Chow, and Lucasfilm will be supported by Moses Ingram (Inquisitor Reva), Joel Edgerton (Uncle Owen), Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi — Credit: Lucasfilm

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The world of George Lucas is expanding beyond Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Darth Maul (Ray Parker), Anakin Skywalker (Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch/Temura Morrison), Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), and Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito) the Millennium Falcon, the Death Star, and The Clone Wars.

Within the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm is moving past Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) or the controversial Rian Johnson Star Wars film The Last Jedi (2018) as we dive into the Old Republic or explore new realities of the Star Wars universe with each new TV show or the upcoming Star Wars game like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 or Star Wars Eclipse.

Do you think James Earl Jones was replaced? Comment below!