Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars is responsible for some of the most iconic fixtures in the sci-fi genre, as well as some of the most unforgettable characters in modern fiction. Few villains are as intimidating or iconic as Darth Vader, and now it seems not even the silver screen can contain the cybernetic Sith Lord.
Harrison Ford might hold primary real estate over Han Solo, and Carrie Fisher will always be our Princess Leia Organa, but multiple performers have stepped under the helmet of Lord Vader. James Earl Jones gave him his voice, and David Prowse gave him his tall and intimidating stature, but Hayden Christensen gave viewers the tortured origins of Anakin Skywalker in Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005).
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Kicking off the countdown to Star Wars Day/ May the 4th Be With You (May 4, 2024), Christensen was seen igniting the lights of the Empire State Building with an army of Stormtroopers as the Dark Side takes over the New York City landmark. Star Wars and Lucasfilm shared footage of the official ceremony with the post below.
Hayden Christensen Launches Star Wars Celebration
The Chosen One has taken over the Empire State Building. pic.twitter.com/VkA1hZofyP
— Star Wars (@starwars) March 21, 2024
Although the prequels still have some stigma about them, Hayden Christensen’s performance as Anakin Skywalker was instrumental to the saga’s legacy. Since then, the actor has found new popularity after reprising his role in Ahsoka on Disney+ and maintains his Chosen One status.
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New York’s Z100 made an official report on the ceremony, which reads,
“The Star Wars March to May the 4th began today with new product announcements including toys, apparel, accessories, collectibles and more. The march started with a takeover of the Empire State Building that included a lighting ceremony, retail experiences, window displays and more — all culminating in a showstopping dynamic light show displayed on the façade of the world-famous New York landmark.”
Anakin and Christensen have come a long way since first making their debuts in the galaxy far, far away, and celebrating his performance as the fallen Jedi feels like something straight out of a redemption arc.
The Dark Side Speaks
As encouraging and thrilling as it is to see Christensen receive well-deserved recognition for bringing such an iconic character to life, living with the negative responses from toxic members of the Star Wars fandom drastically and personally affected the actor on and off set. In an interview with Empire, Christensen shared how the current reception has drastically changed since Attack of the Clones (2002) came out over 20 years ago.
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The actor said,
“It’s been a remarkable experience. And just a very heartwarming one. The journey that I’ve been on with Star Wars over the last 20 plus years… it’s been a wild ride, and where we’re at now is really meaningful to me. I think that those movies have held up well over time. It feels like vindication for the work that we did. Everyone that worked on those movies thought that we were part of something special. We all wanted to do our very best work, and we cared a lot about it. And so to see the response from the fans now, it’s very cool.”
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From the Old Republic to the Clone Wars to the Disney trilogy, no matter where fans sit on the Star Wars spectrum, there’s no denying the massive impact it has had on our popular culture. Hayden Christensen is essential in the telling of one of the greatest tragic figures in modern fiction, and seeing him play such a big role as part of the celebration is truly exciting and long overdue for the man who would be Vader.
Are you happy to see Anakin Skywalker getting some much-needed recognition? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!