Wow....Just WOW.....!!!

[Deslock]

I knew that Lucas had become an asshole, but this totally takes the F'n cake...

http://entertainment.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978376873

Way to punish a 75 yr. old man. I had the distinct honor of spending the afternoon with this great gentle giant, that now has been afflicted with terrible and crippling arthritis, and the tremendously fun & funny wonderful Jeremy Bulloch. That afternoon spending most of the day alongside these two fantastic men and their wives has to be one of the best times that both my wife and myself have ever had.

Most fans only get to spend a few quick minutes with these people at Cons as they get their stuff signed. But being in the 501st., I was allowed to be their "Honor Guard" as well as few others in our Stormy Armor for the entire day in their company. It was so nice to be able to laugh and cut up with these guys, because as Yentis could tell you, I may seem to be a fussy bitch here on the DSA forum, But IRL, both my wife and myself LOVE to prank, laugh, and cut-up.

Both David and Jeremy signed special action figures for me, as well as Jeremy giving me the official title of "Silliest and most fun long haired Stormtrooper ever" (Yes I had hair back then, my wife made me cut it all off.).
And I will cherish both of those figs for the rest of my life, as well as all the wonderful pictures and memories we both have of both of these fantastic men, and their oh-so-patient wives; that put up with our shennangins for the day.
Much laughing and joking bantered back and forth all day. And Mr. Prowse joking about the Darth Vader "codpiece"....LOL !!! :D (Look at any action figure or piccy and you'll see it".)

And during that entire time, Mr. Prowse did tell us that he was suprised and dissapointed that Lucas dubbed over his voice without even having the decency to tell him, Mr. Prowse found out about that at the movie premier with his family there with him without any warning. But the entire time we were with him, he NEVER ONCE said anything bad about Lucas.

I disliked you before Mr. Lucas, but now I truly despise you.
Nice way to forgive and forget....So now you punish an old man, and deprive him of income at Cons that he needs, whilst you have millions and millions.

As Mr. Prowse signed his figure for me at the top before his dedication;..."Dave Prowse IS Darth Vader !!!!".

God bless and protect you Mr. Prowse. To get the chance to get to know you and spend the day with you was truly an honor for us both.

[Andy]

What an asshole. I can't believe Lucas would do that actually yes I can. I feel bad for David Prowse. Lucas has just pushed him around all these years and then does this. I think Lucas deserves the title of super asshole.

[BOSS]

Lucas is on a roll...

1. Deprive SW fans of SWBF3.
Check

2. Ruin the classic trilogy with unnecessary scenes.
Check

3. Ban the Dark Lord himself...
Check

Among other things...

Des, sounds like you had an awesome experience. You guys at the 501st need to march on Skywalker ranch and tell Lucas to lift the ban...and make SWBF3. ;)

[Kerry2]

Yeah, I was about to say that's actually been a while back but then I looked at the date on the article and realized it was over a year ago. It sucks pretty bad, Lucas can be an ass some times but in reality he doesn't have to let any of us play in his world. I was really wanting to meet Mr. Prowse too but doesn't look like that will happen any time soon.

[Hogezz]

What a fuckin wankstain! Not cool.

[Deslock]

I guess what bothers me most is that Mr. Prowse is such a kind, gentle, and patient man; that is now hurting so bad. When we had our pictures taken with him, he looked sadly at us, and asked if we could kneel down at his table next to him, because it hurts him so badly now to stand up.

And I think his honest complaints do have merit to him personally.

1. Lucas dubs over his voice in the first movie without even telling him about it.

2. Lucas replaces him with Sabastian Shaw, once again, without warning or consent.
Not that Lucas needs his permission or consent, but if someone did that to you, how would you feel about it ?

3. Lucas did cut his royalty checks down, that's why he was such an avid Con special guest. He just plainly needed the money. Now he's even denied that, by a vindictive man that literally has millions and milions and millions in the bank.

These complaints aren't slander or libel. They are the truth. Otherwise Lucas would haved sued him. I didn't know Lucas had done this to this now elderly man. I was talking to some friends about how much I hate all the changes that Lucas has made, and how they were dick moves, and then someone told me that the ultimate dick move was banning Dave Prowse...and I was like WTH..? Really..?, and then I checked on it, and it is sadly true.

The 501st IS named "Vader's Fist", and now even Lord Vader literally personified cannot attend 501st. functions, without risking Lucas's anger, and Lucas removing the 501st.'s charter from Lucasfilm, that would also effectively bans us also as a collective whole. Even though Mr. Prowse is listed as our official "Commander in Chief". How's that for irony.

Now I could completely understand if Mr. Prowse was going to Cons and actively bashing and insulting Lucas openly, and calling him hateful nasty hurtful names, and showing open ingratitude. Mr. Prowse has never done this, nor does he deserve this banning.

I guess at Lucasfilm, no one can dare question the allmighty and all seeing Wizard of OZ there. Just don't dare look behind the curtain. You will be banned...

As someone else once said, it's truly amazing that a person that most don't like or even care about, created such a universe that so many like and care about.

How do you ban an elderly man that portrayed the most loved Villain of all time, of your own movie franchise? And deny him his only basic source of income in his golden years out of spite after all of these years ?.

It is in my opinion unwarranted, and an over use of power. How in the Hell can you own Star Wars, and ban the very person that portrayed THE Lord Darth Vader ???? Just because he said that he felt dissapointed and somewhat slighted ?. He was and did !!!. He never once insulted Lucas or his decisions ever.

Mr. Prowse doesn't deserve this, especially after all these years.

[Deslock]

From the NY Times:

Darth Vader is, perhaps, one of the most popular villains of all time. David Prowse is the actor who had the honor of playing the bad guy in the original Star Wars Trilogy. Anyone who is a fan of the series knows that it was created by George Lucas. Lucas is said to have banned Prowse from attending all Star Wars events, according to the New York Daily News.

Although this sounds like a joke, sadly it's not. The actor who played one of the most important roles in the series isn't allowed to come to events. There are many fans who would love to obtain an autograph from Prowse - especially those who have spent the last thirty plus years collecting Star Wars memorabilia.

Prowse isn't happy about the whole ban, either. It's said that the man behind the mask "lives for conventions. So to strip this from him, too, is heartbreaking."

Admittedly, David Prowse didn't supply the deep voice which gave us the hit phrase "Luke, I am your father." That voice is from actor James Earl Jones. The banned Vader is only the man behind the mask - but he's the physical depiction of the villain.

At the end of the trilogy when Vader's face was revealed, Lucas used a different actor as well despite allegedly having promised Prowse that he would be seen and heard at the end of the film. This was the start of a rocky road - the slippery slope leading up to the ban.

There's been a long time feud boiling up between Lucas and Prowse. David claims that he hasn't been paid all the money he's owed from being part of the franchise. The creator of the films hasn't really given a concrete reasoning behind the ban, although we are fairly certain that there is a lot more to this story than meets the eyes.

The sad thing about the whole ordeal is that it fails to take into consideration the feelings of the fans. The Star Wars trilogy is an icon of an era, and there are many people who live for going to these events. To deprive these individuals of being able to meet someone who played such an important part of the film is rather bizarre.

The only justification that could be feasible is if Prowse were some sort of criminal. Research into Prowse online did not yield even one hint of moral turpitude. He doesn't even have a DUI or sex scandal. He's rather...ordinary to tell the truth.

There's no word on if the ban will be lifted. Hopefully one day the Darth Vader/David Prowse ban will be lifted and fans will get to see the man behind the mask.

[Deslock]

I got to thinking about this issue the other day when looking on Daz's facebook, and seeing posts from Mr. Prowse. I wonder if, and hope, that if Disney can/will/could remove this "ban" from Mr. Prowse. This man doesn't even have one mean bone in his body. The entire day we spent with him, and all the comments and questions from the fans, and he NEVER once badmouthed Lucas, the movies, or anything else related to Lucas, even when given the chance.

He himself was shocked by the ban. It's truly a shame. This man really loves his fans sooo much. I know. We (Daz and myself) spent all day by his side (and Mr. Bulloch), and he had a smile for every single pestering fan (j/k) and never complained once. But these people have waaay beyond patience for the fanboys' complicated questions. I wish some of these guys would write a book about all the weird questions they've been asked over the years.

[Deslock]

Now that Kenny Baker has passed away, I sincerly hope Disney will allow Mr. Prowse back, before he's gone too.