There might be no more iconic character in pop culture than Darth Vader, whose sloping, passionless mask you’ll see on the heads of children and adults every Halloween. What’s wild is that, as Nerdwriter points out in his latest video essay, Vader is barely in the original Star Wars trilogy. Of that trilogy’s 6 and a…

Nerd culture may be pretty mainstream these days, but the geeks will never really be in charge so long as people continue to mistake a kid dressed like Darth Vader for some kind of weirdo. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to a student at Wisconsin’s Ashwaubenon High School today, when a “concerned parent”…

A snuffling, heavy-footed tyrant manipulated by sinister forces into being a pitiless machine for autocratic cruelty was photographed next to Darth Vader today. The amusing juxtaposition happened aboard Air Force One, where Donald Trump poked his head into the press cabin during a screening of Rogue One, and…

The Star Wars movies are a lot of things, but they are not, by and large, funny. Han Solo is of course rich with great one-liners, but many of the trilogy’s attempts at physical comedy or witty asides come across as corny, ham-fisted, or childish. This is part of the appeal, adding a sense of wholesomeness to the…

One thing Rogue One had in spades was great design. The Force Awakens, too, embraced the dusty, chunky aesthetic of the original trilogy, and particularly its concept artists Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston, but Rogue One went a lot further. Pretty much every scene of the movie introduced some new weathered piece of…

The world of comics is huge and ever expanding. All it takes is one look at Diamond’s weekly new-releases list to be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity and variety of books being published, and that doesn’t even include the sprawl of webcomics, self-published works, and publishers operating outside of the primary…

Although Trey Parker and Matt Stone seem as worried as the rest of us about Donald Trump being president, his oncoming incumbency at least makes their jobs a little bit easier. As “Members Only” proves, the satire writes itself. Parker and Stone didn’t have to imagine Mr. Garrison/Trump getting ushered around the…

Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop contains lots of over-the-top violence, from pre-cyborg police officer Murphy getting his hand shot off to a volunteer getting ripped apart by bullets during a robot demonstration. But the scene that has made a lasting impression on viewers, a scene that has likely prompted thousands of heated…

Yesterday, Entertainment Weekly revealed that Darth Vader will be on hand to menace characters in Rogue One, the standalone film that will serve as a prequel to A New Hope. Now we have a bit more information about his appearance, and the good news is that he won’t sound any different. EW reports that James Earl Jones…

A lot of the advanced buzz around Star Wars: Rogue One has been about how “gritty” and “dark” Gareth Edwards’ spin-off is going to be. This new, grimmer tone has raised the hackles of studio executives, who are reportedly trying to get more involved in the creative process, which we all know will only make the movie…

The cuteness is strong with this one. Each year, the Oregon Humane Society holds an annual fundraiser it calls a Pug Crawl. Dog owners bring their four-legged friends with them to a local bar, where there is live music, food and drink, and an extravagant ritual called The Parade Of Pugs. This year, the Society opted…

When Anakin Skywalker finally winds up in his iconic Darth Vader suit at the end of Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge Of The Sith, his initial reaction is not at all positive. Even with his boss and most loyal friend standing just a few feet away, he delivers an impassioned and unmistakable review of his new, permanent…

Call it a homage. Call it a remake. Hell, call it a ripoff if you want: America is in love with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its numerous nods and callbacks to 1977. Now even the merchandising is throwing back to the dangerous toys of yesteryear with a Darth Vader infant bodysuit that, naturally, presents a…

Brian Muir, the legendary artist who sculpted the original Darth Vader helmet based on Ralph McQuarrie’s designs, recently announced on Twitter that he began work on Star Wars: Rogue One. It’s a fair assumption that, since Rogue One tells the tale of a group of Rebels on a quest to retrieve the plans for Death Star I,…

Two things are hurtling towards people faster than an old smuggler’s ship going into hyperdrive—the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and holiday advertising. Well, one of those has already arrived. The annual John Lewis holiday ad for the U.K. department-store chain debuted recently and brought with it some…

Some shocking Rebel Alliance news has just come in from The Guardian: Apparently, beloved Millennium Falcon co-pilot Chewbacca has been captured by The Empire, and he’s being forced to drive Darth Vader around Ukraine so he can vote. Chewie is a loyal member of the Rebel Alliance and a veteran of not only the first…

Many filmgoers were surprised at how touching the final sendoff for Paul Walker was at the end of Furious 7. Having Vin Diesel narrate a tribute to his movie brother over shots of the two cavorting in their muscle cars proved effectively moving. Now that same formula has been used for two of Star Wars’ most renowned…

Late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was known for his commanding live performances. But he became internet-iconic thanks in part to a stunt he pulled during shows in late 1979 and into 1980: emerging during the encore perched on the shoulders of someone dressed as Darth Vader or Superman. The former gesture has become…

As reported by HitFix, the city of Reykjavík in Iceland has decided to rename a street in its Höfði industrial district after beloved intergalactic tyrant Darth Vader. It won’t be named Darth Vader Street, though, because—and this may surprise you—they don’t speak English in Iceland. Instead, it will be named…