Simple Tricks and Nonsense

Very cool! I love these videos that put Darth Vader in ordinary situations. "Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager" is still the best. There's also the spoof of the 80s PSA about kids imitating parents who abuse drugs.

Yep, I love those two vids you mention as well.

One of these days, when I'm feeling much more coherent than today, I might try to write an essay on how humanizing Vader through his revelation in ROTJ as a tired old man and of course through the prequels, when we learn he was essentially a misguided kid, simultaneously diminished him (as a villain and a symbol of evil) but also made the possibilities of him much, much richer. At least when it comes to humor.

I've heard it said (I can't remember where) that the true genius of Star Wars is that the first three movies (meaning IV through VI) made it seem like it was a story about Luke Skywalker, but the second three made it clear that it was actually the life story of Annakin/Vader.

Quite a story arc, given how shallow many of the SW characters are...

Agreed, Brian, and it's especially interesting if you, like me, doubt that this arc was Uncle George's original intention. All of the early tie-in material carried the subtitle "From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker," and there wasn't much to Vader's character aside from Obi-Wan's briefly described backstory until the third film (Return of the Jedi). He really was just a gargoyle, a scary suit and a few catchy lines.

The prequels, of course, made the story undeniably Anakin's saga. But I myself don't think that's how it was originally planned back in the groovy '70s.

But then, I don't buy a lot of the Lucasfilm company line these days. George revises his movie titles and the order in which characters fire their weapons pretty regularly, so why not his own memory, too? :)