With Father’ Day coming up, I thought it would be important to honor someone that tends to get a bad wrap. No, not Genghis Khan. I’m talking about Darth Vader. Yes he was a Dark Sith Lord, a murderer, and an overall destroyer of planets. But what about his good qualities? I mean Luke loved him right? Why can’t we? I’ll do my best to elaborate on his positive qualities.
1. He believed in exercise- Most dads play catch with their kids. Boring. How about lightsaber fights? Now that burns calories (and flesh). The fact that he cared enough to spend his free time “sparring” with Luke, just shows how dedicated he was. Do you know how hard it is to run an Empire, and choke your crew members? Hard. What a selfless father. It’s like he had a plan or something…
2. He taught the importance of appreciation- As I think all of us can agree, having two hands has made us spoiled. Darth Vader knew that. Luke was being an asshole, and needed to be taken down a peg or two. Losing his hand was the cure. Having one hand made him appreciate what was important. Life is about learning lessons, and what better way to learn them then from your father. They’re older and wiser than us. And in Vader’s case, half robot. Which I’m not exactly sure what that adds, but it’s probably something deep and important.
3. He knew studying was key- I mean I understand you’re sort of born with it. But the force doesn’t teach itself. It definitely takes practice. How many kids flipped off diving boards and fell into Sarlacc pits before someone had to set up some rules? Kids need to be taught to concentrate, do their force exercises, and have some goals. Whether it’s taking over the galaxy or protecting it. They need to learn that nothing comes easy. Luke knew if he was ever going to face his father again, he would have to train. Hard work is essential.
4. He cared about who his kids hung out with- Vader never wanted his children to hang out with the wrong crowd. That’s why he had Han Solo frozen in carbonite. Han was a dirty smuggler with a smart mouth. Can you imagine him coming over for Thanksgiving? He’d probably bring Chewbacca. And call me crazy, but I don’t like Wookie hair in my mash potatoes.
5. He believed in setting goals- As a child, he got an adult princess to fall in love with him. He was an amazing pilot. He also wiped out the Jedi, and built a Death Star. The list could go on forever… Do you think a lazy person accomplishes all that? No. It takes a very dedicated man, full of hate to do that. Luke and Leia would probably still be twiddling their thumbs somewhere, instead of leading the rebellion if not for this man/robot. So before you go around judging him for being a “bad dad”, try to remember all the good things that he did. Happy Father’s Day Darth Vader.
