Geeks logo

Fan Theory Suggests Darth Vader's Corny Jokes Are All Because of His Name

A consistent characteristic Vader has had throughout the Star Wars series is his ability to rock some hilariously cheesy dad jokes.

By Ghezal AmiriPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
Like
'Star Wars: A New Hope' [Credit: Lucasfilm]

When you think of the greatest on-screen film villains of all time, a few names immediately pop into your head. No doubt, one of these names must include the #Sith lord whose breathing alone causes you to shudder, #DarthVader from the galaxy far, far away.

Vader's towering presence terrified a generation of fans in the original #StarWars trilogy before the prequels depicted young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd/Hayden Christensen) as an angry teen full of hormones and midi-chlorians.

[Credit: Lucasfilm]

Vader played a minor yet spectacular role in last year's first ever live-action Star Wars anthology film, #RogueOne, where he appeared briefly for a few scenes and had an unbelievably horrific sequence toward the finale that fans will continue to discuss until the end of time. It's a moment that restored Darth Vader to his former galactic glory as one of the greatest movie villains of all time – almost.

A consistent characteristic Vader has had throughout the Star Wars series is his ability to rock some hilariously cheesy dad jokes. There were some that complained about the punny line Vader stated in Rogue One where he threatens Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic by force choking him, declaring:

"Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director''

Fans initially took to twitter to express their dismay at the choking pun and some even included gifs to accurately sum up their feelings:

Rogue One was good but I think we can all agree that we mentally checked out when Darth Vader made a pun about the force— Rachel Parker (@mizrachelparker) December 20, 2016
Me, when Darth Vader made that pun — Carlos Murillo (@LosMurillo126) December 20, 2016

Vader's lame puns aren't anything new. On the contrary, there have been numerous instances throughout the series where he has uttered more than his fair share of sarcastic quips and jabs that range from ironically humorous to downright hilarious. There is the, "Apology accepted, Captain Needa," line following Vader choking a poor Imperial Officer to death in Empire Strikes Back and the, "Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them," moment when brainstorming how to make the men of the Empire work faster in Return of the Jedi.

My personal favorite is when Lando has a workplace complaint and Vader is having none of it.

Reddit user Extract posted a fan theory to hypothesize why the menacing Vader resorts to the occasional dad joke. His post refers to three other beloved Sith lords, Maul, Tyranus and Sidious, and how they all live up to their respective names.

Three Darths Who Are True To Their Names

[Credit: Lucasfilm]

  • Darth Maul was (at least in the movie) an aggressive savage specialized in melee (lightsaber) combat - true to his name.
  • Darth Tyranus was a tyrant, ruling the CIS with an iron fist - true to his name.
  • Darth Sidious was indeed insidious, as his name suggest.

But How Does This Apply To Vader?

[Credit: Lucasfilm]

The German translation of the word "father" is "Vater" and, as Reddit user Extract states,

"... just as the name suggests, he makes horrible, horrible dad jokes all throughout his reign as lord of the Sith - while killing and torturing some people along the way, because you know, he is a Sith after all."

u/Latenightphilosopher perfectly summed up the thoughts of many who will forever credit Obi-Wan for bestowing his humor on his impressionable Padawan:

"Vader truly is Obi-Wan's apprentice. Every damn time he makes one if those stupid jokes I just hear Obi-Wan snark"

So for those that never put two and two together after all these years, Vader is obligated to tell dad jokes. It's in his name.

fact or fiction
Like

About the Creator

Ghezal Amiri

Afghan-Canadian writer who enjoys witty quips and BTS, proper grammar and Jodie Comer.

I tweet with @MrsBananaPhone because it's the best and beats the rest.

I also have designs: https://www.teepublic.com/user/designingsimple

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.