George Lucas admits Darth Vader based on his old math teacher – Professor Darth Vader

In a revealing interview George Lucas has admitted that the classic Star Wars villain Darth Vader was actually based on his old school math teacher – Professor Darth Vader.

“At school, I was terrified of Professor Darth Vader. We all were,” explained the directing legend.

“We’d all be sat at our desks and we’d clam up in terror as we heard the mechanical breathing emanate from the hallway, and then he’d sweep into the classroom in his black cloak and mask. Apparently, he’d got a bunch of injuries after losing the high-ground in a battle on a volcano and wore a mask to cover them. If anyone has caught chewing gum or talking he’d use the Force to choke the breath from you until you almost passed out.

“He was really scary.”

As he was planning out the story for the Star Wars saga, it was the antagonist that proved the most difficult to bring to life.

“I knew we needed a villain who could dominate the galaxy and provoke terror amongst all peoples. I had a number of ideas – A giant psychic crocodile, a vampire wizard, a really angry man – but none of them quite worked.

“Then I remembered old Professor Darth Vader – to be honest, Darth Vader is pretty much based entirely on the professor. We actually filmed scenes of Darth Vader doing long-division and fractions, just like Professor Darth Vader would, but ultimately, we had to cut them as they didn’t really fit in the film.”

He is now considering bringing those scenes back.

“It might be a nice tribute to Professor Darth Vader. Perhaps I’ll do that for next year’s remasters, or the following year’s anniversary editions, or the year after that’s special editions.”