So we know the Star Wars-y reason Vader wears a mask due to the his massive internal damage from having all his limbs chopped off and burned alive by Obi-Wan Kenobi in what was effectively the most devastating single lightsaber swing EVER. But why was he DESIGNED to have a mask when the original film came out?  Star Wars conceptual designer Ralph McQuarrie explains:

“Darth Vader evolved out of numerous design concepts and discussions with George,” McQuarrie said in an exclusive e-mail interview. “He was described in the script as leaping aboard the starship through a hole in the hull, wearing flowing black robes. The first thing I thought was, ‘Shouldn’t he have some sort of breathing apparatus if he’s entering the vacuum of space?’ I asked George and he said, ‘Fine, give him a breath mask.’”

“It was then decided to give him a samurai helmet, and as I continued to work on the concept it evolved into a close approximation of what you see on screen,” McQuarrie continued. “Later on, the storyline was developed to explain the mask and such, but at the time it was a purely practical reason that it was introduced.”

Are you kidding me? It’s so he could jump onto a spaceship and not die? I thought it was going to be like, “During my crazy youth, I had my door kicked in by a SWAT team and I just thought their gas masks were top notch.” Sometimes its better to not know these things.

[via SciFi Wire]

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