5 Reasons Why Harris-Perry is Wrong About Star Wars

3.) Darth Vader’s Voice was Heavily Distorted

Vader may have been voiced by a man who was half African American and half Native American and Irish, but that is only to display the fact his vocal chords were altered after his duel with Obi Wan Kenobi. For instance, many people with throat cancer must have their vocal chords removed, and their speech is aided with a machine. Their voice comes out much different, this is what happened with Vader.

Anakin Skywalker spent hours in the ash-filled atmosphere of Mustafar with no environmental protection whatsoever before becoming Vader. On top of that, he was lit on fire and left screaming for help for hours before Palpatine arrived, which certainly damaged his lungs, internal organs, and most importantly, his throat. When he was placed in the Vader outfit, his voice sounded much different. His breath was regulated by his suit, and sounded similar in tone to that of his new voice. Finally, when Luke finally removes Vader’s helmet, his voice is raspy and difficult to hear, much different than that of when he was in the suit.

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When Vader appeared in the original trilogy, it was difficult to pull off the same level of audio manipulation we are capable today. Because of this, they had to get creative and hire people who could portray a certain voice without altering it much. It so happens Jones was able to this best, so he was selected. It had nothing to do with race.