stevesmart.com : Dear Mr. Lucas, Vader Still Works!

Dear Mr. Lucas, Vader Still Works!

Since the release of Revenge of the Sith recently, I�ve found myself in a Star Wars frame of mind a lot lately. And I really have to say that, no matter what your individual take is on the movies, love �em or hate �em, you can�t deny the impact they�ve made (and continue to make) on pop culture. Just take for example how my variations and riffs have been made on the �Luke, I am your father� routine in movies and TV over the years.

But two recent episodes illustrate to me the enduring power and impact of Darth Vader:

While getting my hair cut recently at Chet�s, two young boys came in with their father. While waiting for their turn in the barber chair, one of the boys (about 8 or 9 years old) came up to the barber and asked, �Chet, have you seen the new Star Wars movie yet?� Apparently these kids and their father are regulars. Chet responds, �No, not yet.�

The boy continues, wide-eyed and completely in earnest, �Well, Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader. And he becomes bad. He kills little kids.�

You could see in his eyes, this kid was totally into the Star Wars world. Amazing, this 9-year-old, in the year 2005.
We keep a pretty close watch on what we allow our kids to watch on TV, especially our oldest, Stephen, who is only three-and-a-half. But, recently, I have started to let him watch a few bits and pieces of Star Wars. Actually, the only thing of Star Wars that he�s seen is from Empire Strikes Back. (Might as well start him out right!)

I�ve let him watch the Hoth snow battle sequence just because it�s visually amazing and doesn�t feature anything too graphic. But late in the sequence when Darth Vader and his snowtroopers enter the Rebel base, I could tell that Stephen�s look had changed. He hardly moved and his eyes were wide.

�Who is that!?� He asks when Vader appears on screen inside the rebel base.

�That�s Darth Vader� I reply.

Even just from that one scene the seed was planted. Darth Vader was scary and Stephen knew it. In fact, the very next morning Stephen told me out of the blue, �that Darth Vader is scary. Is he real?�

Talk about standing the test of time. Darth Vader, as a pop culture icon, is still just as powerful today and still resonates with kids of all ages as much as he did 25 years ago.

Posted: Friday, June 10 2005 @ 2:01 PM
Categories: Pop Culture

2 Comments So Far (Add a Comment)

1. | On July 7, 2005 8:10 AM, Joe added:

As powerful as the Star Wars saga has become and remains. What do you think about the Indiana Jones series being renewed or revived? Do you think it will have the same lore as the first three films.

2. | On July 7, 2005 12:55 PM, steve added:

Probably not to the extent of Star Wars, but Indiana Jones is still a strong pop culture icon. And Raiders is still my favorite film.

Dear Mr. Lucas, Vader Still Works!

2 Comments So Far (Add a Comment)

1. | On July 7, 2005 8:10 AM, Joe added:

2. | On July 7, 2005 12:55 PM, steve added:

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