Culturess
Fansided

50 Most Iconic Star Wars Costumes

By Cheryl Wassenaar

Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) loads the plans for the Death Star battle station with a plea for help to Obi-Wan Kenobi into R2-D2 on the Rebel Blockade Runner.
Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) loads the plans for the Death Star battle station with a plea for help to Obi-Wan Kenobi into R2-D2 on the Rebel Blockade Runner. /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
51 of 51
Next

From A New Hope (1977). Image via Lucasfilm/Disney/20th Century Fox.

1. Darth Vader

Darth Vader’s face and silhouette are instantly recognizable, to the point that Rogue One got away with showing nothing but the back of his head for one second in the Olympics trailer, and the universe freaked out anyway, because Darth Vader was back.

On a serious note, though, Vader’s costume tells us a lot about him: he’s a man, but he’s so damaged that the suit breathes for him. We see nothing of his skin or actual facial features, with his eyes also concealed. We have no chance to humanize him, and really don’t until the mask comes off — Vader himself resists any attempts to be named “Anakin Skywalker” by his son in ROTJ.

Darth Vader — how he looks, how he sounds— has transcended just Star Wars fandom and become part of pop culture in general, not just sci-fi. It has progressed to the point that he has in-universe fanboys.

Well, he has one fanboy that we know of, but that fanboy is Kylo Ren, who actually has Vader’s helmet. Kylo Ren’s fanboyism is…impressive. Most impressive.

In our world, though, seeing Vader is synonymous with Star Wars. That’s what makes his costume the most iconic of them all.

Next: Rogue One: Stop Worrying About Jyn Erso

Which of your favorite Star Wars looks did we miss? What insights do you have about the costumes of a galaxy far, far away? Let us know in the comments below.

Home/Star Wars