To all Star Wars fans out there, Happy Star Wars Day! For the rest of us who have been living in a galaxy far, far away from the USD $42 billion value franchise, here is a short tongue and cheek explanation from The Big Bang Theory explaining the significance of the day.

Now that we got that settled, let’s meet the people who made Vader what he is today.

David Prowse

Did you know prior to his role as Darth Vader Prowse was, in fact, a bodybuilder? He was also famous for playing Frankenstein’s Monster in the 1967 James Bond spoof film Casino Royale. What made Prowse perfect for this role was not only his physical size but his ability to act inside of suits. Something most actors with experience acting behind suits would agree is no easy small feat.

James Earl Jones

It would not be possible to talk about Darth Vader and leave out James Earl Jones. If Prowse gave form to Darth Vader, Jones gave him a soul. His smooth baritone provided depth to the imposing dialogues of Darth Vader. Prowse and Jones both brought to the screens the perfect chemistry that not only portrayed Darth Vader as the third greatest movie villain in cinema history but also as a tragic victim of his circumstances.

Hayden Christensen

It was 2005 and it was time for Hayden Christensen to suit-up. To fit the shoes Prowse left for him, Christensen underwent rigorous physical training leading up to the filming of the Revenge of the Sith. It was also said that Jones once again voiced Vader for this film! Rumours or not it was great to see Vader back on the screens.

Spencer Wilding & Daniel Naprous

10 years later Darth Vader is played by Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous. Both Wilding and Naprous did a great job bringing Darth Vader’s terrifying physical presence to the screens for the Rogue One.The scene between Vader and Krennic was not only ruthless but it also captivated a whole new generation of fans to his immense power.

Hidden Vaders

Bob Anderson Gene Bryant

You would have probably heard about ‘Hidden Mickeys’ but have you heard of Hidden Vaders? Besides these well-known actors who played Vader we must not forget Bob Anderson who was the primary stunt man for the fabulous light sabre fights in the original trilogy and Gene Bryant who was a secret Vader for the uncredited shots of Revenge of the Sith.

Star Wars on Instagram (7.2m followers)

If you are a Star Wars Fan you would have probably been following their official Instagram account. The Digital Content and Community Relations folks at Lucasfilm take pride in sharing all things related to Star Wars. Ranging from a daily dose of behind-the-scenes images, film paraphernalia to photos of the passionate people in the Star Wars fandom, it is all here.

What is interesting is that data provided by Popular Chips, an Influencer Marketing Analytics Platform indicates that there are an equal number of female and male profiles following this account! What this means is that Star Wars is no longer a science fiction franchise predominantly favoured by the guys. They are gaining fans amongst the gals too. How cool is that!

It’s official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. In theaters December 2017. #StarWars #TheLastJedi A post shared by Star Wars (@starwars) on Jan 23, 2017 at 8:01am PST

Darth Vader may be one man, but it certainly took a bunch of talented screen & voice actors and stuntmen to pull it off. Hope you found this list interesting! If you believe we have missed anyone out do let us know! Till the next chapter of the Skywalker saga, may the fourth be with you!