'Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series' Trailer: Are You Ready To Work For Darth Vader?

Following a debut at Star Wars Celebration 2019, we have a new trailer for the upcoming Star Wars virtual reality adventure experience Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I. The VR game and experience from ILMxLAB is coming to Oculus VR headsets this year, starting with the untethered Oculus Quest headset this spring, allowing you to see first-hand what it's like to work for Darth Vader. Watch the new Vader Immortal trailer below, and find out about two key voices who will guide you through the series.

Here's the official synopsis for Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I:

"Set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is an original narrative adventure that lets audiences step into the role of a smuggler operating near Mustafar, the volcanic world that Darth Vader calls home. In typical Star Wars fashion, they'll soon find themselves in the middle of a grand adventure as they are unexpectedly pulled out of hyperspace — and eventually come face to face with the Sith Lord himself."

In the narrative story that runs between 45-60 minutes, Darth Vader needs you for some kind of secret mission that requires someone with a certain aptitude. As for what exactly this mission will accomplish for Darth Vader, that remains to be seen. The title might provide us some hint, as the Dark Lord of the Sith may be looking to achieve immortality through some kind of mystical power. But that's just speculation on our part. Either way, he's still on the way to becoming the villain we meet in A New Hope, so he's not yet as powerful as everyone knows he will be.

We'll also learn about the importance of Mustafar as Darth Vader's new home. In Vader Immortal, we'll get to explore its history and the culture of the planet. It's cliche, but the game's creators did talk about Mustafar being a character that we learn more about in this VR series. There's insight into what Mustafar was like even before Revenge of the Sith, including meeting one of the tribes on the planet (which is seemingly glimpsed in the trailer above). Plus, there's a link to the story from Secrets of the Empire and the most recent story arc in Charles Soule's Darth Vader comic book series.

Here's how director Ben Snow described Vader Immortal:

"Vader Immortal lets you step inside a Star Wars story, so you're not just observing what's happening. You're the lead character," said director Ben Snow. "As a fan, I've always wanted to feel what it's like to be close to Darth Vader. So to have him walk right up in VR — not only with his mechanical breathing, but talking to and addressing you directly — is something that I think is going to be meaningful for a lot of fans."

Scott Lawrence, who has voiced Darth Vader in the classic video games like Star Wars: Rebel Assault II and Star Wars: Dark Forces (just to name a couple), will be reprising the role for Vader Immortal. On top of that, Maya Rudolph will be the voice of the droid ZOE3 (above), a quick-witted droid co-pilot that audiences will partner with throughout the story. The announcement of these voices was made at Star Wars Celebration by writer and executive producer David S. Goyer, who said:

"Much in the way Alan Tudyk did with K-2SO, we needed somebody for this role that could create a unique character using their improvisation and performance skills. Maya truly was the first person we thought of, right from the very beginning, and her contributions and sense of humor have guided ZOE3 every step of the way."

Vader Immortal will launch sometime this spring along with the release of the new Oculus Quest headset, which will cost $399 with a 64GB memory. It will also be coming to the Oculus Rift family of headsets, including the upcoming Rift S.