Luke is fighting Darth Vader in what was to have been a scuffle aboard the
Rebel Blockade Runner soon after Vader's Imerial captured the Rebel ship.
Luke is wearing a king of breathing mask because Vader's troopers apparently
cut through a panel to get in, allowing the air supply to escape.
The Darth Vader costume - a grotesque breath mask and all sorts of other
lifesupporting systems, computer readout, black cape and armor - was partly
inspired by the impressive image of a Samurai warrior. George Lucas, in keeping
with the idea that Vader's whole being was to be mysterious, wanted the
character to be entirely in black.
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(Last updated at: 980414)