Lit Burned By Lava - Darth Vader

Hello. I have a question regarding Darth Vader.Or at least a series of questions.

From what I remember, in the Original Trilogy it was never stated how Darth Vader came to be in his suit. The only real quote about it I can recall is that "He is more machine now, than man."

Did George Lucas elaborate on a script or interview that the reason that Vader was in the suit was because he was burned by lava? Or perhaps it was a throwaway line in a novelization?

The reason I ask is because when I first delved into the EU around 1997 - 1998 or so, I remember reading a novel that told me that Darth Vader was burned after a duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi. That information stayed with me forever and when ROTS came out and I saw Anakin going to Mustafar, I knew how that was going to end (though the commercials showed too much of that battle as well.) And it didn't seem like the general public knew that that was why Vader was in the suit.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

 

The ROTJ novelization itself, which came out the day before the movie per tradition, alludes to the lava thing. While dying, Vader has the usual "My Life Flashes Before My Eyes" experience, and there's this:

 

I believe I read somewhere that GL had that vision of the lava fight as he was making the films. Don't have a source though.

 

Lucas had the idea prior to A New Hope, or at least not long after. The Secret History of Star Wars notes that the story was in fandom as early as 1978. It's also interesting that an early draft of ESB was at one time going to reveal that Vader got his injuries from being dropped down a reactor shaft (obviously reused for ROTJ) and early ideas for ROTJ had Luke and Vader's final duel involving hopping from rock island to rock island over a lava river (reused for ROTS). How Star Wars Conquered the Universe also talks a bit about the early Lucas ideas for the lava duel, but I don't have it on be now.

I also have heard that at one point there was an interview Hamill gave in 1980 where he says he was told that Obi-Wan and Vader's duel happened over lava, Vader fell in, but Obi-Wan had to escape then because the Emperor landed in a ship to rescue Vader, which if true would show another aspect of the ROTS duel's origins.

In any case, in addition to the ROTJ novelization, the lava duel is also mentioned in Shadows of the Empire.

 

GL mentioned the lava duel and Vader's injuries occuring there in an interview published in Rolling Stone magazine in the summer of 1977.

"Vader kills Luke's father, then Ben and Vader have a confrontation, just like they have in Star Wars, and Ben almost kills Vader. As a matter of fact, he falls into a volcanic pit and gets fried and is one destroyed being. That's why he has to wear the suit with a mask, because it's a breathing mask. It's like a walking iron lung. His face is all horrible inside."

Iron_lord

 

As a kid I used to imagine him, like, actually falling into a pool of lava -- being entirely submerged -- and surviving through his hatred and powaaaahhh.

I realise that's horribly unrealistic . . . but my adult self would have still been 100% on board.

 

That's the implication that I got from the rolling stone interview and the conversation with Kasdan in making of ROTJ. GL tells Rolling Stone that Vader "fell into a volcanic pit" and tells Kasdan that "Ben has to fight him and he throws him down into a volcano and Vader is all beat up. Now, when he falls into the pit, his other arm goes and his leg and there is hardly anything left of him by the time the Emperor's troops fish him out of the drink."

 

Yep, after all, the ROTJ novelization also mentions falling into a pit, and so did many EU sources (for example, the 2nd edition of "A Guide to the Star Wars Universe," which I have here right at hand).

 

This is absolutely perfect and exactly what I was looking for. Thank you everyone for your input.

I had always thought Obi-Wan and Vader were fighting on some type of bridge above a volcano. And then Obi-Wan sort of overpowers him at the end similar to how Luke pushed Vader down on Bespin.

 

Same. I figured he created a bubble with the Force, or something.

 

I remember in a The Science of Star Wars book, it discussing Vader - suggested partial immersion in lava - and using real-life survival of partial immersion in molten metal, as a reason why he could have survived even that.