Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars has one of the most iconic villains in cinema history: Darth Vader. The booming voice of James Earl Jones further drove Vader’s popularity and prowess. Though Jones’ voice has since been replicated via AI and previous recordings, a new BTS video showcases how the old have blended with the new to create a new Darth Vader.
Related: Disney Abandons ‘Kenobi,’ Hayden Christensen’s ‘Star Wars’ Return Imminent
Though many people in the franchise have portrayed Darth Vader, the Star Wars-loving world was ecstatic to discover that Hayden Christensen would return as the Dark Lord of the Sith. His return was praised highly, especially in the Obi-Wan series, which showcased the first time that Anakin and Obi-Wan faced off with one another since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).
The emotional climax of their second meeting proved that despite the controversy and criticism of the Prequel Trilogy, Christensen and McGregor’s portrayals are still beloved by all.
The conversation between a damaged Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan made this epic fight even more tense. The world finally saw the moment Obi-Wan realized that his Padawan and friend was long gone.
The sound engineers for the series went into depth about this scene and how they captured Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones together.
‘Star Wars’ Sound Team Detail Darth Vader’s Transformation
"Obi-Wan" re-recording mixer Bonnie Wild and supervising sound editor Matthew Wood broke down the climactic battle between Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker and his former Jedi mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi. | Variety Artisans presented by @HBO https://t.co/67TDDmTZ9D pic.twitter.com/FgeiRS1UIH
— Variety (@Variety) August 16, 2023
As part of Variety’s Artisans video showcase, they welcome Star Wars: Obi-Wan sound engineers: re-recording mixer Bonnie Wild and supervising sound editor Matthew Wood. Wild and Wood speak on the epic cinematic showdown between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader and how they wanted to capture Christensen’s Anakin voice and Jones’ Vader voice. According to Wood:
“This is a moment for them to have some humanity. We really wanted to make sure that Hayden Christensen’s performance came through… we had that very fragile, intimate scene there, but then in the meantime we also had the voice of James Earl Jones to come through. And so we tried a really nice blend of those two moments and we found the great moments where we could start the sentence with Hayden but end it with James.”
What is most interesting is the idea of the broken mask, and both characters voices bleeding into one another is highly intentional. They wanted Obi-Wan to hear the “humanity” of Anakin Skywalker while also realizing the twisted monster of Darth Vader was there too.
The line showcased in the above video sees Darth Vader using this dual dialogue trick as Hayden Christen says:
“I am not your failure, Obi-Wan.”
What makes this moment cut far deeper is how we initially hear Anakin, but it immediately morphs back into Vader. Though Obi-Wan ultimately defeats Vader again after their battle, we hear Vader screaming for Obi-Wan as he walks away, adding an even sadder depth to this scene.
The constant fighting between the voice of Vader and Anakin shows the inner turmoil within the character and who comes out on top. We know that Vader ultimately redeems himself in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), but he is beyond redemption in Obi-Wan.
Returning to James Earl Jones, it had been established that the man’s previous recordings were being used with AI tools to replicate the classic Darth Vader voice. Jones is 92 years old, and our voices get raspier as we age. Though we imagine Star Wars asked Jones for his permission to do so, the franchise has been allowed to incorporate Vader in a great many projects.
There would be no Darth Vader without James Earl Jones, and it is also amazing that the franchise has kept the legendary actor’s contributions whole. We hope to see Hayden Christensen remain in the Darth Vader suit, even if Darth Vader overpowers Anakin.
Related: ‘Ahsoka’ Could Bring Back Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader, and It Should
Everyone assumes that Anakin Skywalker will appear in Ahsoka, as he was recently shown in a TV spot for the series. Anakin was Ahsoka’s master, so it makes sense that Ahsoka would have her own Anakin/Obi-Wan type of showdown. At least she will likely receive her crushing realization scene that Anakin is no more.
What do you think of Star Wars blending the new and old Darth Vader? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!