"If I were in Star Wars," said John Milius, "I'd definitely want to be working for Darth Vader. I'd much rather be on his side." Obviously, Big John (whose Apocalypse Now script, originally set for George Lucas to direct, prefigures the Star Wars saga in its voyage of a young hero who has to destroy then become his spiritual father) assumes he'll be the sort of minion who won't disappoint the boss and wind up telekinetically strangled, but you can see his point.

The heroes of Star Wars spend the whole film squabbling, but Vader gets on with the job.

With the weightlifter shoulders of Bristol's Dave Prowse holding up the long black cape, the rich tones of Mississippi's James Earl Jones making evil lines sound better than they are ("The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands") and costumier John Mollo providing that glossy black stormtrooper/samurai-helmet-cum-gas mask, Darth Vader is the visual and dramatic lynch-pin of Star Wars, the perfect balance for Alec Guinness' tweedy, elderly goodie.

Vader knows that if everyone else wears white, black is the ideal fashion statement.

In Star Wars, he doesn't even seem to be working for the Empire - for him, it's all about becoming the last of the Jedi by offing Obi-Wan. Later, when Lucas invented more backstory, Vader gets one of the great reveals of all time ("I am your father") and - for a few moments at the end of The Empire Strikes Back - you feel Luke really ought to ditch the Rebels and join his dad to found their own Empire.

The end of Return Of The Jedi, with Vader unmasked as a redeemable cherubic nice guy, is arguably a mistake - but what power the prequel trilogy has is all down to watching Anakin get ready for that helmet come Revenge Of The Sith's devastating conclusion. KIM NEWMAN