When George Lucas finally announced to the world that new Star Wars films were coming, no one could have predicted what the prequels would ultimately become. Imaginations were ignited. Thoughts of what the Clone Wars would be. How Luke and Leia came to be separated. The initial meeting and early adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO.

But none of these overshadowed the question burning in every Star Wars fan’s mind: How would Anakin become Darth Vader?

An Anticipation For The Ages

While The Phantom Menace as a film failed to meet the unbelievably high expectations set upon it, its early advertising campaign to garner support and ferverous interest in a new chapter of the saga was unparalleled. The early teaser trailer showed glimpses of a foggy forest, bringing the moon of Endor to mind. A sleek ship amidst the deserts of Tatooine. Even Vader’s trademark breaths played subtly amidst the line of text proclaiming, “Every saga has a beginning…” The rest shows a barrage of what we now look back on as mostly missed opportunities and reminders of performances and plot mechanics that just didn’t work out as well as the world had hoped.

While the trailer brings to mind all of these inadequacies about the film, the teaser poster art campaign associated with Episode I was met with critical praise, and even now, deservedly so. “The Shadow of Vader” was designed by advertising firm New Wave Creative, in association with Ellen Lee and Jim Ward of Lucasfilm. Preceding the trailer by ten days, on November 10th, 1998, this poster brought a minimalistic depiction of what is now the obvious, complete story of Star Wars.

Duel of the Fates

Despite the ire many have for Jake Lloyd’s acting ability in Episode I, his look here as a young, innocent boy unaware of his tragic destiny completely captures the entirety of Lucas’s vision in a single image. No other poster among anything created for the Star Wars films does its job conveying the rise and fall of Anakin as well as this one. It instantly reminds you of the youthful naivety of Luke Skywalker from the original film. Through its inspired use of subtle manipulation of shadow, the ominous figure of Darth Vader is immediately recognizable. As the saying goes – it tells a thousand words by its simple, but powerful composition. Note too, that at the time this poster was revealed, the full title of The Phantom Menace had yet to make its appearance.

Below is an alternate, wide-format version of the same poster.

Where Are They Now?

Ellen Lee, who was Advertising Art Director for the film, now works as a designer at Pixar. Jim Ward, who was Director of Marketing for Lucasfilm, later became President of Lucasarts (the gaming division of the Lucas media empire), then left the industry to try politics running as an Arizona congressional candidate, and now acts as President and CEO of the Phoenix Symphony. New Wave Creative went on to design iconic posters for films such as Borat, About Schmidt, and Shaun of the Dead.

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